Cooper's Last Great Adventure ~ June on the Pisgah. Part 1

Friday, June 1, 2018

We have had 22.5 inches of rain in 16 days. We awoke to overcast skies with the hint of rain in the air.

Today is Fish Day. Fish Day is held the first Friday and Saturday in June and is held at Lake Powahatan which is located in the northeast area of the Pisgah District.  Fish Day is a chance for kids to get exposed to fishing; kids 16 and under fish for free. Today, children and adults with disabilities are coming to fish. In addition to fishing, lunch will be served...

overcast skies. all set up with food tents and first aid station

Soon, the sun broke through the clouds! We're hoping our streak of rainy days has ended!!

fishing rods are all lined up. Lake Powahatan is a beautiful lake

soon, the dock was lined with kids and adults 

all too soon, it was time to leave. a great time was had by all. 

It was a beautiful evening for a ride; we drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway...

View of  Looking Glass Rock from Looking Glass overlook

Monday, June 4

Each region of the country, as well as each state, has its own culture. One of our favorite things to do is to try the regional foods. In this part of North Carolina, slaw is put on just about everything, including hot dogs. To the locals it is  inconceivable to eat a hot dog without slaw! We were told the best hot dog place is Hot Dog World, in Hendersonville. Thanks Cody for the tip. We headed to Hendersonville for errands and a trip to Hot Dog World.

hot dog with chili, mustard and slaw. yum!!

 Hot Dog World did not disappoint!!

Wednesday, June 6

It's a beautiful day for a hike. We decided to hike up John Rock, one of the more popular hikes in the forest. John Rock is a pluton; a body of igneous rock that solidified far below the earth's surface.

John Rock. view from the parking lot of the fish hatchery. yes, this is
what we climbed

John Rock was named after Camp John Rock. Camp John Rock was the first Civilian Conservation Corps camp established on US Forest Service land in North Carolina.

monument to Camp John Rock

we hiked Cat Gap Loop clockwise to arrive at the John Rock trail head.
John Rock trail is a 1.8 mile loop

ready to hit the trail

the trail started off  as a flat, leisurely stroll

along the Davidson River

one of the campsites along the trail

beginning the climb

after hiking uphill for almost a mile, we reached the John Rock trail

another water crossing

soon we began to hike along a ridge line

up the rocks we go

at last, a flat part of the trail

we must be getting closer

we made it!

view of Looking Glass Rock

close up of Looking Glass Rock

we kept Coop on his leash; we didn't want him getting too close on the rock

view of fish hatchery from John Rock

we left the rock face and continued climbing up the trail

beautiful climb. every so often we'd get a glimpse of the mountains

beautiful spot for a break; we then began the hike downhill

heading down

looking back up the trail

almost back

time for a drink

we made it! close-up of John Rock from the parking lot

All for now,

Dawn & Ron

Cooper's Great Adventure ~ May on the Pisgah. Part II

Friday, May 18, 2018

The rain continues. We've had almost eight inches of rain in 48 hours. 

Tuesday, May 21

We had a break in the clouds and went for a short walk over to the Davidson River Campground (it's located across the road from where we are staying)...

the Davidson River continues to rise

we walked past the swimming hole to the campground

some of the nicest campsites are along the Davidson River

the majority of the campsites are fairly secluded

they're a fairly good size; majority lack water and electricity

Wednesday, May 22

The rain continues. We were still able to get a ball game in...

while Ron umpired, Coop & I went for a walk along the ball fields

Wednesday, May 27

Yes, the rain continues; Tropical storm Alberto is moving in. We have had twelve straight days of rain.  We all have a bad case of cabin fever.  Radar is showing a break in the rain. We decided to go for a walk along the North Slope Connector.

We walked past the swimming hole and the Davidson River Campground...

kids were taking the opportunity to go for a swim

to an old railroad bed. We continued down this trail...

the trail was pretty muddy in places

the Davidson River continues to rise

the Davidson River was on one side of us

the mountain on the other side

we continued walking...

interesting moss

Avery Creek dumps into Davidson River here

North Slope trail head. North Slope is a four mile loop along a ridge line. it will take
you back into the campground

you never know who you will run into on the trail

the trail widened as the river flowed away from it...

a nice place to backpack into and set up camp

the end of the trail brought us to this clearing

Rain is in the air.  We turned and headed back down the trail to home.

It was great to get out and stretch our legs. We made it back home shortly before the rain began.

Tuesday, May 29

Yes, it is still raining. We have had 18 inches of rain in fourteen days. The waterfalls, of course, are stunning as well as raging...

Looking Glass Falls on a normal day. This picture was taken in April

Looking Glass Falls after 18 inches of rain

Thursday, May 31

We have now had rain for sixteen days straight. Rainfall has totaled 20.5 inches.
Thank you Tropical Storm Alberto!! The rain is supposed to end today. We will see.

Til next time,

Dawn, Ron & Cooper