2008 FALL FOLIAGE REPORT #4

View of the railroad from the top of our road
(about 2 miles from us)

"Peak week" is here at our elevation (2,300 feet) and might just last longer than 7 days. Driving, bicycling, hiking or walking around Asheville, Black Mountain, Montreat and Old Fort provide absolutely gorgeous views. Huge swaths of trees in rich hues of red, orange and gold (and still some green, too, not to mention the evergreens) cover the mountains all around.

This morning, with an Autumn chill in the air but crystal clear blue skies, we attended the Point Lookout Trail ribbon-cutting ceremony. It looked like 100-200 other guests were there as well, many of them making the trek by bicycle. Members of the NCDOT, the McDowell Trails Association, state government, the U.S. Forest Service and the private landowners at both ends of the Trail took part in the ceremony.


Serious ribbon-cutting scissors!

We are thrilled to have this beautiful greenway so close to us -- right at the end of our road in Pisgah National Forest. What used to be the old highway is now a roughly 3.5-mile biking/walking path that winds its way through the woods. In a Black Mountain News article, local historian Wendell Begley said about Point Lookout: "In the 1920s, Point Lookout made famous the overlook concept. In fact, the concept would later be included as a key characteristic in the design and layout of the Blue Ridge Parkway.”

According to Bill Hendley of the McDowell Trails Association who gave a great talk about how, as a young boy, he dreamed about being able to ride his bike one day on this stretch of road, Point Lookout Trail is the first completed link in what will be a six-link greenway in the area.


Morning view from Point Lookout Trail

If you're in our neck of the woods, places we'd recommend you visit this week include Point Lookout Trail, of course. You might also check out Biltmore Estate and the North Carolina Arboretum, both of which have great views of the fall colors and a variety of trails to take it all in. Or sit back and enjoy the fall colors of Asheville on the Grayline Asheville Trolley Tour. Trolley tours take you through historic districts like Grove Park and Montford, as well as the River Arts District and Biltmore Village.

POINT LOOKOUT TRAIL OPENS THURSDAY

Old postcard showing Point Lookout

Exciting news for those of you who like to get outside and experience nature at its best -- the Point Lookout Trail in McDowell County opens October 30. Point Lookout Trail is a 3.5-mile paved biking/walking path surrounded by Pisgah National Forest and barricaded to motorized vehicles at both ends. It was formerly part of Old US Highway 70, winding through the woods with serene views of the mountains, railroad and forest. Now, it will be a greenway that allows people to take in the fresh mountain air, get a little exercise and still see those fabulous views. And it's just down the road from the Inn on Mill Creek.

Groups that made it all happen include the North Carolina Department of Transportation, the McDowell County Board of Commissioners, the McDowell County Tourism Development Authority, the Town of Old Fort and the McDowell Trails Association.

We'll be attending the ribbon cutting ceremony on October 30, and we'll post photos of the event in our Saturday blog.

KITSUMA AND HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS

Csaba and Bugsy at the top of Kitsuma

Enjoy more photos below of our Kitsuma hike this past week, and if you're in our neck of the woods near Halloween, check out the following activities:

• October 27-November 1: The spooky Haunted Trail and Haunted House open at 7pm at Sky Island and Campground Old Fort. Call 828.669.4928 for more information. Cost is $6 for children and adults.
  
  
• October 31: Paws of Black Mountain holds its Do the Doggie Mash Halloween Party from 6pm to 9pm. Don't miss free refreshments for your furry friends, plus a costume contest behind HT Pappas (formerly Front Porch Grill) on E. State Street.
  
  
• October 31: McCune Assisted and Independent Living Center at 101 Lion's Way in Black Mountain will have tons of treats and loads of fun in a safe, indoor environment for kids 12 and under, from 6:30pm-8:30pm. Call 828.669.8452 for details.
  
  
• October 31: Black Mountain Inn will show the movie Sleepy Hollow. Enjoy cider, popcorn and marshmallows by a bonfire. Festivities start one hour before sundown. Cost is $5. Costumes will be rewarded. For information, call 828.669.6528.

Kitsuma photos:


The start of the trail


Lots of splashes of red


See the pugs on the trail?


Pretty view from one side


View from the other side


The town of Old Fort

2008 FALL FOLIAGE REPORT #3

After two weeks of rapid color changing, the trees are taking what seems to be a tiny breather this week. While many trees are still green, leaves in shades of red and golden hues dot the landscape, giving us a possible precursor to a beautiful peak in fall color at our elevation soon. We've had really cool evenings this past week, which will help bring about more change.

Sumacs and maples are currently providing the best in oranges and reds, but yellow is really the dominant color right now in our part of Pisgah National Forest. Birch, maple and hickory trees have come alive, providing a golden drive down our road.

This week, we hiked up the Kitsuma trail, which leads along Youngs Ridge about 1.5 miles from the Inn. Heading east on Old Hwy 70 out of Black Mountain past the Ridgecrest Conference Center, simply stay on that road rather than turning left onto Yates to get to the Inn. The road will dead-end at a parking lot and trail head.



The sign says it's a four-mile trek, and we hiked up the first mile, which is a series of switchbacks up Kitsuma peak, used frequently by mountain bikers. The trail had several spots where the color really showed through in the trees, and also on the ground with dappled sunlight leading the way.



The innpugs came with us and were real troopers, making the way to the top with energy to spare. Lots of leaves to run through on the ground made for joyous pugs:



We made it to the top of the ridgeline and snapped some pretty photos before making our way back down to the parking lot. We'll share some photos below and more on Saturday.


Bugsy Pug is first to the top





If you plan to be in the area this weekend or for the last part of October, some great places to view fall foliage are:

• Highway 80 heading north through our beautiful McDowell County toward the Blue Ridge Parkway -- just east of the Inn on Mill Creek via Hwy 70 in Old Fort. This is the detour for getting onto the northbound section of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and what a scenic detour it is! Once you get past Lake Tahoma on Hwy 80, turn right on the dirt road after the bridge. Then turn left at the first intersection and go 1.5 miles to the Little Buck Creek trailhead for a hike that offers great views of Lake Tahoma and the Black Mountain range.
  
  
• The Orchard at Altapass on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The orchard is open until October 31, so now would be the time to go and take advantage of the beautiful drive along the Parkway.
  
  
• Biltmore Estate -- not only does it have great views of the surrounding mountains full of color, but also a spectacular display of mums in the Walled Garden (and don't forget, tickets purchased at the Inn on Mill Creek are good for two consecutive days).

ART ABOUNDS

This part of Western North Carolina is well known for all kinds of art -- painting, pottery, photography and sculpture, just to name a few. You won't have to look far to find art displays and exhibitions in the area, especially those having to do with nature. Here are some to get you started:

AT THE NORTH CAROLINA ARBORETUM...The Kaleidoscope outdoor exhibit will run through the end of October at the 434-acre Arboretum and features amazing outdoor sculptures by ten regional artists. Additionally, from the Arboretum website: The Baker Exhibit Center presents three exhibits that promote preservation of the Earth's richness and biological diversity. Our Weakening Web, with interactive components to encourage hands-on learning, explores the process of extinction and the ecological relationships that bind all life forms together. Photography exhibit Thoreau’s Walden offers visitors a chance to return to the outdoors, and capture the natural beauty that inspired Henry David Thoreau. In the Exhibit Greenhouse, look for three living dioramas of well-known North Carolina habitats, and discover how much we have lost from each. More information is available at www.ncarboretum.org.

AT BLUE SPIRAL 1 GALLERY...Six artists articulate the season with rich and vibrant works in the Fall Color display. Fall Color features several different art forms, such as wood, fiber, clay, and painting (like William Brian Hibbard's work below).



Also at Blue Spiral 1 are works by innovative sculptor Alex Gabriel Bernstein, abstract artist Michael Barringer, painter Daniel Nevins, Paige Hamilton Davis who forges steel into vessels and figurative works, and ceramics artist Stacy Snyder. Check out www.bluespiral1.com for more information.

AT THE BLACK MOUNTAIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS...All month long, the Black Mountain Center for the Arts is featuring the work of photographer Joye Ardyn Durham in its exhibit titled, Beyond the Visible -- Color Digital Infrared Photography. Joye has had more than 40 year’s photographic experience and has had her photography published in various publications throughout the US and Canada. Her images have been used by Paramount Pictures for such productions as the movie “28 Days,” and the television shows “Ed,” and “The Job.” Most recently, Joye’s work can be seen on display at Grandfather Mountain as the First-place winner in the Scenic Photography competition of the 2008 Grandfather Mountain Nature Photography Weekend. For information, visit www.blackmountainarts.org.

AND AT THE INN ON MILL CREEK...For guests who will be coming to stay at the Inn on Mill Creek, keep in mind that we have the beautiful works of two artists on display. You can find out more about Marguerite Welty and Lisa Walraven in one of our July blog entries.

ANDREWS GEYSER

This past week gave us some really sunny days and good temperatures, so we took a short trip down to the Andrews Geyser (about 2 miles from the Inn toward Old Fort). The leaves around the Geyser were just beginning to change and we suspect the color is going to be pretty fantastic this coming week.



We also had the good fortune to be at the Geyser when a train came by us. It chugged up the mountain behind us, near where the old Round Knob Hotel stood, passed over a trestle above the road and then about 40 seconds later, passed right in front of us just beyond and above the Geyser. It then looped back around over the road on another trestle and passed by the Geyser for a third time before heading up the mountain to the Swannanoa Tunnell into Black Mountain. They don't call this stretch of railroad the Loops of Old Fort for nothing.


The train appears

2008 FALL FOLIAGE REPORT #2

Fall color arrives at the Inn on Mill Creek

"Leaf Peeping Season" is gathering steam here at the Inn on Mill Creek. Our two-mile tree-lined drive through Pisgah National Forest is showing more and more color by the day and promises to be a spectacular drive over the next few weeks. Here's a shot of our fence line as you head toward Black Mountain:



The burning bushes are brilliant red right now, as are the red maples. The yellow birches are really living up to their name this week, being one of the first to show gorgeous gold through the trees that remain unchanged to this point. Our black walnut tree along the road is also a beautiful shade of yellow.



This week, we took a short drive with the innpugs (Happy 4th birthday to Csaba and Bugsy!), past Andrews Geyser and a miniature horse farm to the Point Lookout Trail. We've got some really great photos of the Geyser that we'll post on Saturday. Heading through this scenic area along Mill Creek Road and Old Highway 70, we could clearly see the yellows, oranges and reds overtaking the peaks at higher elevations (4,500+ feet). It's only a matter of time before the sea of color sweeps down to our elevation at 2,300 feet.





Green Knob along the Blue Ridge Parkway, visible from our orchard, appears to be no longer green and in fact, looks like it's now at peak, too:



Will you be visiting our area over the next week? We highly recommend traveling south along the high peaks of the Blue Ridge Parkway, past Mt. Pisgah to Milepost 418.8, where you'll find Graveyard Fields (not a cemetary, but rather a fantastic display of fall foliage and three waterfalls). Be sure to take your camera for the hike along the Graveyard Fields Trail Loop.

UPCOMING EVENTS

We'd like to share some information on two exciting events taking place in the area this weekend:



The 61st Annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands -- get a taste of regional folk art at the bi-annual Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, October 16-19, 2008. From the Southern Highland Craft Guild: The Craft Fair is an event where connoisseurs and novices alike come to craft a collection, connect with tradition, and invest in regional culture. The Craft Fair takes place in beautiful downtown Asheville at the Civic Center, 10am-6pm Thursday through Saturday, and 10am -5pm Sunday. Over two hundred craftspeople fill two floors with fine handcrafted items, while local musicians play live on the arena stage, and craft educators share their knowledge with children in hands-on projects. Additional information about this event is available at 828-298-7928. The Fairs take place at the Asheville Civic Center, 87 Haywood Street, in downtown Asheville, NC. Hours are Thursday to Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm, Sunday 10am to 5pm. Admission is $6 with children under 12 free with an adult. Group discounts are available.



LEAF -- The Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) will take place October 17-19 at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain. Set in an absolutely gorgeous location, LEAF is dedicated to community outreach. According to its website, LEAF features musical performances, over 40 healing arts workshops such as Yoga & Tai Chi, folk art, juried handcrafts, a national $1000 poetry SLAM, camping, a zipline, canoes, kayaks, and swimming, a talent contest, a fiddle contest, mountain drum circles, plus a Kids Village. Hopefully you've got your tickets to LEAF because we hear they are sold out for this weekend. However, you can catch the next celebration of LEAF in May of 2009, just in time for beautiful Spring in the mountains.

Additionally, in order to better serve our innblog readers, we will be making it a priority to blog on a very regular basis. Watch for posts every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Coming up on Thursday is our next fall foliage report.

2008 FALL FOLIAGE REPORT #1

Last week, we wandered around outside, pondering when the leaves would really start changing. The last part of September showed a lot of promise at our elevation (2,300 feet), with a few branches on a few trees beginning to lighten up. We took note that the first tree on our road to change last year, a maple, bumped up his winning streak to two by putting forth three branches of brick-red leaves. But, alas, there wasn't much fall foliage action last week.

And then the past three days saw the goldenrod give way to splashes of honey and red throughout the forest. Although the majority of trees in Pisgah National Forest at our elevation are still a lush green, walk through the woods this weekend and the first part of next week and you'll discover more than a few maples, sourwoods, sumacs and dogwoods with beautiful fall color peeking out.

Here's a taste of what you'll see -- all photos were taken today on the Inn's grounds. Enjoy!







The best place to be this coming week is on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We hear that the forest around Mt. Mitchell, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi, may have its fall color peak next week. Keep in mind that a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway around Craggy Gardens northeast of Asheville is closed until possibly Spring, so to head north on the Parkway, you will want to take Highway 70 east through Old Fort to scenic Highway 80, which will bring you north to the Parkway near Mt. Mitchell. From there, you can drive along the Parkway up to Grandfather Mountain, which is also reporting spectacular color.