Hawk's Bill

Matthew and I came up to Bakersville last night. We had dinner at my Grandfather's as my parents are caregivers some nights of the week. It was really foggy when we were driving. I probably should have followed the advice of the sign for the Parkway and used a different route but I didn't. I thought that it wouldn't get any worse but when we were leaving it was even more foggy than when we arrived.

Today mom headed over to Papa's in the morning and Jonpaul and dad went to get Jonpaul his driver's license. He got it. My little brother has his driver's license.

At noon we set out on the Parkway for Hawk's Bill. It was really sunny and as we were driving I could see Hawk's Bill from the overlooks and it looked sunny and nice but right before we got to the road that goes up we drove into the clouds. The clouds were really cool. On one side it was cloudy and the other side was sunny. We hiked up in the clouds and when we got to the top the clouds were blowing over the top. We sat and watched the clouds blowing over. I always thought it would feel wet against my skin. It didn't. I could see the cloud coming at us like a solid object and then I was inside it, breathing in the chilly air. I'm upset that my camera was in the car with dead batteries but that is what happens when you have old rechargeable batteries that don't stay charged. My brother and dad took pictures on their cell phones so maybe I'll get some of them.

Clouds blowing over the top of Hawk's Bill

It was a nice hike and it was nice getting out with my family although hiking up made me realize just how lazy I've been recently. I need to get out hiking more and not spend as much time sleeping after work. The early mornings really wear me out and I don't go out and do as much as I would like to. After the hike I was really tired and couldn't do much more than sit in the kitchen and drink hot cider.

Pumpkin Patch

Today Matthew and I went out to Hickory Nut Gap Farm because they had a pumpkin patch and I could pick my own pumpkin. It was exciting looking around for a pumpkin. The drive out was pretty as well with all the leaves changing and the mountains all colorful. When we got to Hickory Nut Gap Farm we could see the pumpkins on the hill up by the pigs. Yes pigs. They were laying in the sun. Luckily they were fenced off from the pumpkins. I wandered around until I found a good pumpkin. This means I walked through the entire field twice and looked at every pumpkin. I have to say I'm happy with the one I chose it is round and if I'm lucky I'll be able to get a cat carved on it.

Me and my Pumpkin

After we left Hickory Nut Gap Farm we went up to the Parkway and ate lunch at the Folk Art Center. Matthew knew of a hike on the Parkway that I didn't know of so we decided to try it. The hike was called RattleSnake Lodge. By the time we got to the trail it was already 3:30ish so there wasn't much light left and it was starting to get chilly. The leaves on the trail were amazing though. Matthew and I thought we would be able to make it to the end of the trail but it went straight up. It seemed like and as we weren't hiking fast and we were listening to the little stream and watching the chipmunks we didn't make it to the end. We heard there was a chimney and well from the lodge that used to be there but we didn't make it and when we looked the trail up online we found out that when the trail had branched at the beginning and we had gone right the trail to the left was the one that went up to the lodge sight. I guess that is for another day now.

Leaves on the RattleSnake Lodge Trail

Home In Bakersville

This weekend my brothers and I were all home in Bakersville. It is the first time we have all been at home in a while. With Erik on the west coast we don't see much of him. I only live an hour from home so I come home much more than my brothers. It was nice to all be home. I stayed in Asheville last night as I was working until late and didn't want to drive an hour. I did make it for breakfast this morning which was my goal. Mom and Dad cooked crepes a favorite of ours since we were kids.

Black Mountains with a cloud cover

After much indecision we finally decided to go on a hike off the Parkway. As it was really cold we wanted a hike that wouldn't be to cold. It was a pretty hike. There was snow on the mountain tops as we drove out and a little on the leaves that hadn't melted yet. It was really cold and windy exactly what we had wanted to avoid. I had left my polar fleece in Asheville as I ran out the door so I didn't really have a good warm jacket. When we were hiking on the ridge top or the windward side it was painfully cold. Out of the wind it was almost warm. It was a really nice hike, with the leaves turning and all the fall color. While we were hiking mom tried to lead us down a trail that did not exist. It was really pretty funny all of us following this idea of a trail until there really was no trail. There were green brier and lots of laurels which were blocking the supposed trail. It was exciting to tromp through the woods.

Dad, Jonpaul, Mom, and Erik on the trail

Mom's Trail

After the hike we went back to the house and cooked dinner. Ruff was really happy to see us. He needs his people around.

Sunset and Walk at Beaver Lake

Beaver Lake with the sun shining

Yesterday was a beautiful day and Matthew and I decided it would be a good thing to go for a walk at Beaver Lake. I started out the day by going to work and not really knowing what to say to people. I felt numb. It was really hard for me to think that there are so many things I will not be able to share with my grandmother. Part of me wonders if I really ever thanked her for all she gave me and encouraged me to do. I wonder what secrets she kept with her. She didn't tell us so much and I wonder if she told anyone how she really felt or what she really thought. In many ways she was a very private person. She was kind and the grandmother most people would want to have.

It was really pretty at the lake with the leaves turning and the sun reflecting off of the water. It was really nice to get out and just walk after having been at work and feeling so lost. I always like going to Beaver Lake, it seems like it is sunny there more often than not (this can easily be explained: I don't go when it is cloudy or raining).

Matthew and the Dogwood Tree

Matthew has a tree which we go and visit every time we go to Beaver lake together. It is an old Dogwood which at this time of year is really pretty. It is starting to lose its leaves but they are a deep red which makes the bright red berries really bright.

Matthew and My Shadow

Today there was a really beautiful sunset which I just caught before it disappeared. I opened the window up to take the picture so I could show it to Matthew. Yes, that is peeling paint. If Matthew and I forget to pull the windows in they get rained on. I wouldn't say that the peeling paint was created by us though as it was already crumbling before we even moved in.

Sunset from the window of our apartment

Douglas Falls

Today I went hiking with Matthew and my parents. We ended up going to Douglas Falls which was only about 1/2 mile hike but then there was a trail which went all the way up to the parkway. We didn't hike all of it but we hiked up to a second waterfall called Cascade Falls which made the hike about 4 miles total. Near the beginning of the trail there was a fallen tree. The roots were still holding on to rocks and dirt. Some plants had sprouted in the dirt but they were still very small. The roots made a really pretty pattern. I thought I had never been to Douglas Falls before but when we got to the falls I realized that not only had I been there but it was the background I use on my phone. I was there with Mallory about 3 years ago. It is a small waterfall but it is really pretty.

(Right) Me under Douglas Falls (Left) Douglas Falls

It took us a while to find the trail up from the falls. In the process mom got stung by stinging nettle. First it hurts and then it itches for a while but luckily it doesn't last very long. There was lots and lots of stinging nettle on the trail. Sometimes it grew over the trail so that we had to push it out of the way to get through. That is when I got stung. It got me in the butt because my pants were thin and couldn't keep the needles out. Up above the falls there are these rocks one of which looks a little like the front of a ship. That is the comparison my dad made anyway. The rock plowed through the earth sending up billows of dirt until it came to rest. There was a tree growing up from the other rock. It was really cool to see the tree perched on the edge of the rock. We took our time hiking which was nice. We stopped along the trail and ate lunch. Hummus, cheese spread, bread, cookies, and carrots. It was not a special lunch but it was good. I was pretty hungry by the time we finally stopped. We crossed many creeks and mom tried to take me swimming with her in one of the creeks. Luckily it wasn't Cascade Falls because it would have hurt to fall down. It wasn't a complete drop off but it did go down pretty steep and it was rock the entire way. It was really cool in the woods, so we didn't get sweaty which was nice. There were clouds most of the day, but it didn't rain on us.

Cascade Falls

When we got back to the car we had a snack. At the trail head there was a pile of burnt parts to either a car or a camper. It would have been a real drag to have your vehicle burn all the way out there. We had to drive 20 minutes on a gravel road to get to the trail head which was the end of the road. We couldn't decide what it was from what was left. On the drive back we stopped at one of the waterfalls on the road it was almost as nice as Douglas falls. It didn't fall as far but it was multiple cascades. When we got back to the main road I noticed that there were squash fields. I had never seen a place where they farm yellow squash.

(Left) Waterfall by the road. (Right) Roots from fallen tree near the beginning of the trail.

When Matthew and I got back to our apartment it really started raining and I was making quiche. I didn't have any cream, though, so we got our umbrellas and walked to the little corner store. It was nice walking in the rain. Most of the time I don't like getting wet but it was refreshing. As I had never made a quiche before I was surprised at how good it was. Matthew and I watched In the Mood for Love. It is a Cantonese film. I liked it but I feel like I missed a lot of the subtext. I think to really understand it I would have to understand Cantonese and watch it more than once.

Scholarship!

On Thursday, I found out that I had been selected by the district for the Ambassadorial Scholarship from Rotary. Carol King, one of the women who was at my interview, called to tell me. Now my application is passed on to Rotary International and I have to wait until at least November to see where I might be placed. I'm really excited to have the chance to be going and getting a masters degree.

Overlook from Craggy Gardens. It was beautiful with the clouds blowing over from one side and it being sunny on the other side.

This week on Wednesday and Thursday I babysat for the person who Alle` had been working for. There were three kids. They were pretty good but they liked to argue. But I guess that is what kids do. I took them to Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway because they wanted to go hiking. They were so excited to be outside and hiking that they didn't even care when it rained and we had to sit under a shelter for a while. On Thursday they spent hours collecting blueberries which they all claimed to not like except for the youngest. By the end of the day they were all eating the blueberries and saying how good they were. I guess that is typical for kids. They were upset with me when I made them turn around on a trail because it was raining. When I made them turn around I took them to the picnic area so that we could wait out the rain. It wasn't raining when we got there and they wanted to hike some more so we walked a bit of the Mountain to Sea trail. When we got back to the picnic area there were rangers picking up trash. There was a black bear that had learned to open and get into the dumpsters. A little later the bear was wandering from one picnicer to the next trying to find food. The kids were really excited by the bear and they really wanted to see it so we watched it from the car.

Tunnel from the visitor center at the Craggy Gardens.

Yesterday I worked at Dining Innovations. They don't seem like they will be able to give me the hours I need. They let me go early all the time. It is going to be hard to pay the bills with that. It isn't that hard of work and the people I'm working with are nice so it makes it better to work there. I'm hoping that I might be getting more hours in the future. Today they called me and said that I didn't have to come in until 11 so there was another hour that I lost. I do think that it will be a fun job if I can get the hours I need. I might start looking for something else.

This morning I watched Gilmore Girls. I rented the first season from the library and I'm loving it.