Summer Afternoon at Mt. Mitchell State Park

We spent an afternoon this week at Mt. Mitchell State Park, which is where one can escape the summer heat {OK so it was 87 degrees at the Inn, but don't laugh, that's hot for us} and head to cooler temps and the highest peak in the eastern United States.

Mt. Mitchell is only about five miles as the crow flies, but we humans need to drive and thus we took the scenic route up curvy Highway 80 in our lovely McDowell County to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This time of year along the Blue Ridge Parkway, you'll see lots of wildflowers and motorcycles, a great combination! Off of the Parkway is Highway 128, which leads to Mt. Mitchell State Park, and you can then drive to the parking area close to the viewing platform. From there, it's a short walk up to the platform.

From the Inn to Mt. Mitchell is approximately 60 minutes' drive. And then you are rewarded with this:

And also this {in July}:

Mt. Mitchell has great trails, but we decided that the innpugs would be better off taking it easy on a sunny day, so we walked up to the viewing platform, pug water dish in hand, and spent some time just taking in the scenery, like the photos at the top of this post.

And seeing as he was the highest pug in the Eastern United States {along with Csaba chilling out in the shade}, Bugsy the Innpug felt it fitting to pose by the new benchmark disk for Mt. Mitchell, which was set in 2009 when the current viewing platform was built.

What's In Bloom at the Inn (July)

 
This has been a rather warm summer so far for us, how about you? It got up to 88 degrees here at the Inn today! This weekend's forecast says the high temps will be around 75, though, so until then, we'll just hang around the pool -- Pool Garden, that is. The swimming pool at the Inn was filled in several years ago, before our time as innkeepers, and is now filled with flowers and plants, which we love. Here's some of what you'll see blooming in the Pool Garden in July {more photos await you at our Bed & Breakfast Facebook Page}:

• Bee Balm
• Butterfly Bush
• Daylilies
• Garden Phlox
• Gladiolas
• Hydrangea
• Purple Coneflower
• Roses
• Stonecrop
• Thyme
• Yarrow

2011 Sourwood Festival in Black Mountain

We can't wait for August, when Black Mountain's Sourwood Festival is back in town! If you've ever been to a small town local festival and found that kind of irresistible small town charm that puts a smile on your face, then you'll know why we love this one. The Sourwood Festival, now in its 34th year, pays tribute to the local area in the form of hundreds of arts and crafts booths, awesome food, entertainment, and a singing contest, plus honey and bee demonstrations. And it's FREE. The festival is named after the sourwood tree and the fabulous honey produced from it {thank you honeybees!} which we use quite often at the Inn.

Here's what a sourwood tree looks like in the fall with its leaves a-blazin' in chili pepper red tones, taken near our south lawn last October. Leaf peepers planning a visit here during fall foliage season in the North Carolina mountains, take note, the sourwood tree is one of the first trees to start changing:

This year's Sourwood Festival, presented by the Black Mountain-Swannanoa Chamber of Commerce, will be held August 13-14, 2011. We hope you'll join us at the Inn on Mill Creek for the weekend! Find out more about the festival at www.sourwoodfestival.com.

Hike to Craggy Pinnacle near Black Mountain

We had some time a few weeks ago to head up the Blue Ridge Parkway just northeast of Asheville to Craggy Gardens, a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway off of Milepost 364 that's known for its proliferation of pink and purple rhododendron in May/June (and lots of other wildflowers in spring and summer) and its expansive mountain views.

More than one hiking trail graces this pretty section of the Parkway, and we chose the Craggy Pinnacle hike (one of our Ten Hikes for Summer in the North Carolina Mountains) due to the fact that it's a fairly short trail, it has a gorgeous view at the end, and it's partially shaded...perfect for a hot summer day...and by hot, we mean 85 degrees at our elevation and 73 degrees at Craggy Gardens.

Here are some photos from the trail (even the parking lot has an awesome view!)

Nice view, huh?

And back down we go!

As you can see, the Craggy Pinnacle Trail is innpug friendly, and dogs and people have plenty of space to share the trail. Almost all public trails that we know of in the area are pet friendly; just be sure to keep your dog on leash.

We have maps of all the trails at Craggy Gardens for guests of the Inn. For those who just want to check out the view and spend some time among the wildflowers, other highlights of Craggy Gardens include a picnic area and a visitor center. Even more details about Craggy Gardens can be found at www.romanticasheville.com/Craggy.htm.