North Carolina 2014 Vacation | The Beauty Around Us

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North Carolina Vacation – Last Two Days

The last two days (May 17-18) of our 9-day North Carolina vacation were travel days. We departed Maggie Valley around 8:00 am on May 17th. It was raining when we left Maggie Valley. Thankfully, the rain stayed with us for only a short while. Soon after getting on I-40 west, the rain stopped.

Our first stop was to fuel up and get breakfast. We ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Newport TN, off I-40. After a few more stops (fuel, potty break, and a picnic lunch), we arrived in Summersville WV. We checked into the Sleep Inn around 3:15 pm. We went to Shoney’s for dinner at 5:00 pm and took both the car and motorcycle to a gas station to fuel up. We spent rest of the evening, relaxing, in our hotel room.

We departed Summersville WV on May 18th around 7:30 am, after eating a complimentary breakfast at the hotel. It was 35 or 36 degrees, when we left Summersville, which made a chilly start for Bob who was riding the motorcycle. By late morning the sunshine did provide for a more comfortable temperature.

Shortly after 11:00 am, the state of Virginia welcomed us.

We returned home around 2:30 pm, making stops along the way only for fuel, potty breaks and lunch at Bonanza in Franklin PA. We did take one detour. We were within a few miles of Lutz’s Leather, so we decided to stop there. Bob is looking for a new leather jacket. We forgot that Lutz’s Leather is closed on Mondays. [Note: We made a return trip to Lutz’s Leather the weekend after returning home from vacation. Bob bought a leather jacket that day.]

Soon after we came home from vacation, our neighbor Sue who watched our cat, Patches, while we were on vacation dropped off the house key. We really appreciate that Sue watched Patches for us. Sue told us that she would watch Patches anytime for us. It is wonderful to have someone who lives nearby available to take care of Patches when we travel.

As we were unpacking, I realized that we left behind the painting of the Carolina Wrens that Pete Ferry gave us. We left it in our hotel room at A Holiday Motel in Maggie Valley. I know why we forgot the painting. The painting looked like it belonged in the room. We had it sitting against the wall near the TV. I telephoned Gabi, the hotel owner. She will mail the painting to us. (We received the painting; thank you Gabi!)

We had someone mow our grass, while we were on vacation. It needed to be cut again, when we returned home from vacation. Bob mowed the grass the same day that we returned home, and then left for Hectors (in Jamestown NY) on the motorcycle. Bob returned from Hectors with bug wash; he washed the motorcycle until it sparkled.

While we were on vacation, our next door neighbor cut down the crab apple tree in their front yard. The absence of that crab apple tree opens up the view from our front porch and allows more light to fall on our front porch as well. I like the absence of that tree.

This blog post concludes our 9-day North Carolina vacation. I hope that you enjoyed reading about the details of and looking at pictures from our vacation!

North Carolina Vacation – SEVROC 2014

Our North Carolina vacation was planned around the South East Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (SEVROC) motorcycle rally in Maggie Valley, North Carolina. The motorcycle rally was a 4-day event (May 15-18). The first SEVROC Rally took place in May 2006 at the Applecover Inn in Maggie Valley. Since May 2006, VROC members have been returning to Maggie Valley the same time every year. Bob and I attended one other SEVROC rally. We attended the rally in May 2008. Through May 2013 the Applecover Inn served as rally central, with innkeepers Derrick and Amy Cole catering to the club needs. SEVROC 2014 had a change of venue due to Derrick and Amy not being at the Applecover Inn any longer. Rally central for SEVROC 2014 was at A Holiday Motel, with owners Gabi and Rob Edwards catering to the club needs. My past North Carolina vacation blog posts have provided details about each day’s rally happenings; however, I didn’t share many photographs from the rally in those posts. SEVROC rally photographs, some of which are repeats from past posts, are in this blog post!

A Holiday Motel
SEVROC 2014 rally headquarters

An enjoyable part of the SEVROC rally is to meet new people and to get reacquainted with friends whom you have met at other rallies. In between rallies we stay in touch with our friends via the VROC web forum and Facebook.

It is common to congregate in the parking lot, when meeting new people and getting reacquainted with old friends.

Hanging out at A Holiday Motel

The rocking chairs in front of your room provided a good location, too, for meeting new people and getting reacquainted with old friends (or to soak up the sun!).

We enjoyed a campfire each night of the rally.

Live entertainment was provided on both Friday and Saturday nights.

Friday night’s entertainment

Saturday night’s entertainment

There was dancing in the parking lot on Saturday night.

Here are a few more photographs, placed in a heart collage, that I took during the SEVROC rally.

I love my VROC friends and look forward to the next time we meet in person.

North Carolina Vacation – Day 7 of 9

Bob and I spent Day 7 (May 17th) of our 9-day North Carolina vacation chasing waterfalls. We chased the waterfalls in the car, not by motorcycle, as it was still chilly outside and rain was expected in the afternoon. I knew, too, that I would tire from getting off and back on the motorcycle much quicker than getting in and out of the car. We departed on our waterfall tour at 8:30 am, returning to the hotel around 4:00 pm.

The waterfall tour added 190 miles to the odometer.

We started the waterfall tour in Maggie Valley, following US 19 west. We missed the first waterfall, Soco Falls. In Cherokee we turned onto US 441 south. Between Franklin and Highlands we stopped at four waterfalls: Cullasaja Falls, Quarry Falls, Dry Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

Cullasaja Falls

Quarry Falls

Dry Falls

Bridal Veil Falls

We made a breakfast stop in Highlands.

Highlands Breakfast Stop

We ate at a cafe inside a pharmacy. Bob ordered a Philly Steak and Cheese Omelet with toast and hash browns. I ordered two scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast. Breakfast was delicious. I bought a “Highlands” hoodie at the pharmacy.

From Highlands we followed US 64 through Cashiers to NC 107. We drove a little ways in South Carolina before returning to North Carolina. We stopped at Whitewater Falls, which is the highest waterfall in the east.

Whitewater Falls

Bob and I at Whitewater Falls

From Whitewater Falls we followed US 64 to Brevard. We missed seeing Connestee Falls en route Brevard. In Brevard we turned onto US 276 north. We stopped at Looking Glass Falls along US 276.

Looking Glass Falls

We followed US 276 to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We followed the Parkway to NC 215, which we followed back to US 276 and into Maggie Valley. We made a few waterfall stops on NC 215. I do not know the names of these waterfalls.

Waterfall Stop #1 on NC Route 215

Waterfall Stop #2 on NC Route 215

Waterfall Stop #3 on NC Route 215

If you have read my previous blog posts about our North Carolina vacation, you will recall that we traveled to Maggie Valley to attend the South East Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (SEVROC) motorcycle rally. Day 7 of our North Carolina vacation was the last night of the SEVROC rally. The night’s activities included a spaghetti dinner, followed by a raffle. We won a Kawasaki duffel bag, cinnamon and pecan peanut brittle (delicious!) and a Scentsy Cube Gunmetal Warmer with a motorcycle frame and scented bars. The raffle benefited the D.A.R.E Program. The person who won the 50/50 gave his winnings to D.A.R.E. We ate a couple pieces of the peanut brittle and then passed the bag around to everyone. As much as we would have enjoyed eating the whole bag, doing so wouldn’t have been beneficial to our waistlines! We also sat around the campfire, passed around the moonshine and butterscotch schnapps, and listened to live music.

North Carolina Vacation – Day 6 of 9

Day 6 (May 16th) of our 9-day North Carolina vacation began with breakfast, once again at Country Vittles. We walked to the restaurant with several VROC friends. Bob ordered the same entree as yesterday, a western omelet. I ordered scrambled eggs, bacon and two blueberry pancakes.

After breakfast Bob and I rode from Maggie Valley to the highest elevation overlook (6,053 feet) on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Highest Elevation – Blue Ridge Parkway

We turned around at this overlook and returned to Maggie Valley. On our way back to Maggie Valley we stopped at two other overlooks. The first overlook that we stopped at was the Woodfin Cascades Overlook (milepost 446).

Woodfin Cascades Overlook

I thought THIS waterfall was Woodfin Cascades. I learned afterward that Woodfin Cascades was what could be seen, if the leaves were off the trees, from the overlook. THIS waterfall was located across the parkway from the overlook.

Our second stop was at Waterrock Knob (milepost 451.2). As you can see both east and west from the parking area, this overlook would be a great place to watch a sunrise or sunset.

Waterrock Knob Overlook

The road you see in this photograph is the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is the direction that we traveled, when we left Waterrock Knob.

When we left Maggie Valley, the temperature was around 50 degrees. It got colder the higher we climbed. It was a chilly ride, but not too bad. Returning to Maggie Valley, it got even colder because of rain and wind. You can see the rain across the mountains in the Waterrock Knob panoramic photograph displayed above. I am happy that we made the ride, but I was glad to be back at our hotel in our room with the heater on!

If you have read my previous blog posts about our North Carolina vacation, you will recall that we traveled to Maggie Valley to attend the South East Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (SEVROC) motorcycle rally. We attended the SEVROC Meet & Greet at Maggie Valley Inn & Conference Center’s Rendezvous Tiki Bar from 6:00 until 7:30 pm.

Photo obtained from Jack ‘Jax’ McGuigan’s Facebook photographs

Dinner was buffet style and consisted of salad, dinner roll, fried chicken, BBQ chicken, cowboy beans, corn on the cob, potatoes, fried shrimp, cookies and brownies. The food was quite good. It had been such a cold day. Can you believe that we had snow showers, while at the Meet & Greet!

We all came back to the hotel, after the Meet & Greet. A campfire was built, and we even had live music.

Hanging out at A Holiday Motel

North Carolina Vacation – Day 5 of 9

It has been two weeks since I last blogged about our North Carolina vacation, which happened in May. You might recall that we planned to spend 3 nights (May 12-15) in Asheville and leave for Maggie Valley on the morning of Thursday, May 15th. We changed our minds about staying 3 nights in Asheville. The weather forecast for Wednesday night and throughout the day Thursday called for rain and thunderstorms. The chance for precipitation was 100%. To avoid riding / driving in the rain we decided to depart Asheville Wednesday afternoon, rather than on Thursday morning, and arrive in Maggie Valley a day early. I am so glad that we decided to arrive in Maggie Valley on Wednesday afternoon, rather than on Thursday morning. Bob would have gotten wet, and it would have been a chilly ride. I want to remind you, too, what brought us to Maggie Valley. We traveled to Maggie Valley to attend the South East Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (SEVROC) motorcycle rally.

We began the fifth day (May 15) of our 9-day vacation in North Carolina at Country Vittles, where we ate breakfast with 10 other VROCers. Bob ordered a three-egg omelet with toast and potatoes. I ordered two scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and potatoes. Breakfast was good, and the conversation lively.

After breakfast, Bob and I went on a drive to Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. My blogging friend Betsy, of Joyful Reflections, suggested that we visit this valley. If you type “Cataloochee” in the Joyful Reflections “Search this Blog” box, you will find many references to the Cataloochee Valley in Betsy’s blog.

According to the National Park Service website, “Cataloochee Valley is nestled among some of the most rugged mountains in the southeastern United States. Surrounded by 6000-foot peaks, this isolated valley was one of the largest and most prosperous settlements in what is now the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Some 1,200 people lived in this lovely mountain valley in 1910. Most made their living by farming, including commercial apple growing, but an early tourism industry developed in Cataloochee with some families boarding fishermen and other tourists who wished to vacation in the mountains.” The drive to Cataloochee Valley was a bit hair raising, especially the entrance road. The entrance road to the valley is a winding, gravel road with steep drop offs and no guard rails. We lucked out, as it did not rain while we were on our Cataloochee Valley trip.

Our first stop was at the Cataloochee Overlook. This overlook provides beautiful vistas over the Big Cataloochee and Little Cataloochee Valleys and to the mountains beyond.

Cataloochee Overlook

Once we reached the valley floor, we drove to several historic frame buildings.

Palmer Chapel

Palmer Chapel was the only church in Big Cataloochee. This church was built in 1898. Church services were held once a month, on Sunday. Services consisted of prayers, singing and sermons. The sermons were delivered by circuit riding ministers from the Western North Carolina Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Beech Grove School

There were three schools in the Cataloochee Valley. Big Cataloochee’s Beech Grove School is the only one of the three that remains. It was built in 1901 and replaced an older log building.

Inside Beech Grove School

Caldwell House
(This photo was taken by Bob.)

Hiram Caldwell and his family lived in this stylish frame house. The Caldwell House was completed in 1906. The shingled gables reflected the popular Eastlake house style of the day.

We had to cross a creek to go to the Caldwell House.
(Bob took this picture.)

We walked on a wooden boardwalk across the swampy ground.

There were stone steps that led to the front porch.

The Caldwell House had interior paneling.

We walked upstairs.

This was one of the large upstairs rooms.

We walked downstairs.

We saw some wildlife, namely one turkey and elk, while in Cataloochee Valley.

Cataloochee Turkey

We saw 4 or 5 elk; however, I was able to photograph only one.

One last photograph of Cataloochee Valley

We returned to our hotel in the early afternoon. We spent 2-3 hours hanging out with VROC friends. Around 5:00 pm Bob and I drove to Waynesville. We picked up a few groceries at Food Lion and ate dinner at the Sagebrush Steakhouse. The restaurant was a good choice. Bob said the steak he ordered (ribeye) was the best he had in a while. My sirloin steak was very good as well. Accompanying Bob’s steak was a salad and broccoli. I had a loaded baked potato and cinnamon apples with my steak. Cheddar cheese biscuits, reminiscent of those served at Red Lobster, were provided as part of our meals.

A must-have feature at every VROC motorcycle rally that we have attended is a campfire.

Hanging out at A Holiday Motel

It was a chilly, wet night around the campfire. The weather, however, didn’t stop us from spending an enjoyable evening with friends.

North Carolina Vacation – Day 4 of 9: Asheville to Maggie Valley

We planned to spend 3 nights (May 12-15) in Asheville and leave for Maggie Valley on the morning of Thursday, May 15th. We changed our minds about staying 3 nights in Asheville. The weather forecast for Wednesday night and throughout the day Thursday called for rain and thunderstorms. The chance for precipitation was 100%. To avoid riding / driving in the rain we decided to depart Asheville Wednesday afternoon, rather than on Thursday morning, and check in at A Holiday Motel in Maggie Valley a day early.

After breakfast at the hotel, we packed and then checked out. We rode / drove to Biltmore Estate, arriving there around 8:45 am. We departed Biltmore Estate around 1:30 pm. (If you haven’t read about our return visit to Biltmore Estate, please see my two previous blog posts.)

From Biltmore Estate we traveled to Maggie Valley. It was less than an hour’s drive. We checked into A Holiday Motel, our home for the next 4 nights.

A Holiday Motel

Room #5 was our home away from home for 4 nights.
This room was right next to the lobby.

What brought us to Maggie Valley? We traveled to Maggie Valley to attend the South East Vulcan Riders and Owners Club (SEVROC) motorcycle rally. Other VROCers had checked in before us. Soon after we checked in, Bob went for a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway with a few of those who had already checked in. I stayed behind and spent my time taking pictures of the hotel, reading, surfing the Internet and talking with “Lucky Al”.

The group of riders rode to the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway, where Bob took this picture of his motorcycle. Someone offered to take a picture of Bob on the motorcycle, but he declined the offer. He was saving that picture for when he and I rode to this location.

When everyone came back from the ride, we went to dinner at Snappy’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria.

Photo obtained, with permission, from Katie Ayers.

I think you can tell from the photograph that food portions were generous. I ordered a chef salad; Bob ordered a steak dinner. The chef salad was so large that I had to put some in a box for later. The photograph shows, too, that we were a large group and that we had a fun time at dinner. I love my VROC family!

North Carolina Vacation – Day 4 of 9: Biltmore Estate Revisited (Antler Hill)

We returned to Biltmore Estate on Day 4 (May 14) of our North Carolina vacation, using the next-day passes that we purchased the day before. After taking in the view of Biltmore House from the statue of Diana and exploring the Italian Garden, we drove to Antler Hill Village and Winery. There is a Farmyard, a Barn, a museum, and a few shops and restaurants located at Antler Hill Village. Our first stop was at the Farmyard, where we saw chickens, goats and cattle.

The Farmyard

Farmyard Rooster

As we were leaving the farmyard, making our way to the barn, we saw cattle in a distant field.

See that building behind Bob?
That building is the barn.

We walked through the barn, where we saw a variety of exhibits — wood making, blacksmith and mercantile — and lots of farm equipment.

Woodworking Exhibit

Blacksmith Exhibit

Mercantile

There was farm equipment that we were encouraged to climb up on.

We ate lunch at Cedric’s Tavern, which our friends Pete and Karen had recommended.

Cedric’s Tavern

Bob ordered a Reuben Sandwich, described on the menu as “corned beef piled high on rye bread with melted Swiss, sauerkraut, Russian dressing and Tavern chips”. I ordered Cedric’s Tavern Tuna Melt, described on the menu as “tuna salad served open faced on an English muffin,melted provolone, tomatoes, and “comeback” sauce, with whole grain vegetable salad”. Pete and Karen said that the food was excellent at Cedric’s Tavern. We agree 100% with Karen and Pete!

This bronze sculpture of Cornelia Vanderbilt and Cedric sits between Cedric’s Tavern and the Creamery.

After lunch, we walked through The Biltmore Legacy museum, where we learned about the lives of the Vanderbilts here and abroad. The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad exhibition was interesting and very informative. No photography was permitted inside the museum.

We walked to the Winery when we completed our tour of The Biltmore Legacy museum exhibit.

These two photographs taken, as we were leaving Antler Hill Village behind.

Goodbye Antler Hill Village

Antler Hill Winery

When we visited Biltmore Estate in May 2008, we took a tour of the winery. We were not interested in another tour of the winery, nor were we interested in participating in any wine tasting. What brought us to the winery was to see a rare automobile that is housed at the winery.

This is a 1913 Stevens-Duryea Model “C-6” automobile — one of 10 in existence.

We departed Biltmore Estate at 1:30 pm. You may have noticed that we enjoyed gorgeous weather in Asheville, particularly while visiting Biltmore Estate. The weather was about to change, dramatically. As a result of the imminent change in weather, we cut our stay in Asheville from 3 nights to 2 nights and arrived in Maggie Valley a day early. More on that subject in my next blog post!