If it is Saturday it must be about food. /  by Dave Hileman

Jill and I spent a couple of nights in Burnsville, NC. This small mountain town is about 40 miles north of Asheville and an hour south of Johnson City, TN. We stayed at the restored Nu-Wray Inn that was first built in 1833 and recently renovated top to bottom. Literally the bottom as they are turning the basement into a “speakeasy.” We had a lovely dinner here and excellent breakfasts that were provided with our lodging. We also ate a really good meal at the Pig & Grits a long-time local favorite BBQ. It was super clean, generous portions and really good food.

Closer to Home .4 /  by Dave Hileman

There are excellent opportunities to see animals and birds in the Great Smoky Mountain National Park but it is in Cades Cove where some of the animals are easier to see. Here are three of them all photographed in this section of the park.

Turkeys seem to abound here.

This deer appeared by the road and I trailed it for about 200 yards before it bounded off into some thick woods.

Couple of years ago this bear emerged from the woods and ambled right in front of my truck, not bike. I never did get a decent shot as my settings were not compatible with this shot and I did not have a moment to adjust them. But a neat experience anyway.

Closer to Home .3 /  by Dave Hileman

Still in Cades Cove but from an earlier shoot ( and earlier morning, too ). The sun is barely up and the mist is still rising. This is a great time in the early fall to visit the Cove when the road opens at 7 or walk in before seven and find even more great places to photograph.

Closer to Home .2 /  by Dave Hileman

Cades Cove is over the right side of the second mountain range in the not-to-distant ridges. This is a shot I took coming home from a ride and decided to go a bit west on the Foothills Parkway. Back to the cove tomorrow. Bonus bear photo from a Wednesday ride if you did not see it when I posted two weeks ago.

Closer to Home - Great Smoky Mountains National Park /  by Dave Hileman

I have been riding the Cades Cove loop on Wednesdays on my bike as the road is closed in the summer to auto traffic. I start about 5pm and it seems pretty perfect for crowds, heat and scenery. This week a few photos from the area a mere 45 minutes or so from the house. I need to take more advantage of the proximity of such amazing scenery.

First Report from American Soil. (or is it?) /  by Dave Hileman

I confess that I feel a bit dafty writing about the first food encountered in the Americas. It may not be representative of colonial reality; the fare has been pure dead brilliant. However, it is important to note we are barely in America. I mean, that is the Atlantic Ocean at the door so, perhaps, we are still influenced by the high standards of Scottish cuisine. Indeed, that must be the correct understanding. A contributing factor may be that I have been in an automobile for hours and hours. The endless road has much traffic, many lanes to choose from, and fences to keep you from the opposite lanes of traffic. There are also great belching trucks the size of ocean liners by the hundreds. Everyone is traveling near the speed of sound. One is bound to be befuddled by so much movement and discombobulated by the change in locations. I have traveled further in two weeks than the first 20 years of my life. Why? Well must be on with my brief.

A most impressive meal of my first American experience was found in Charleston, a very proper spot on a tree lined street. The second good dinning occurred in a shop stuffed between a grocery and a nail salon! It was actually excellent food and not a chippy shop or kababs. Why? What possessed the owner to insert a quality dining establishment in such an unlikely place? 

In Charleston we dined at a restaurant named 22 Queen. Why the Yankee Doodles would think of 22 queens, another perplexing moment. The restaurant does have a long tradition of excellence. The fare included: braised short ribs, a delectable duck dish, a clever medley of sea food and pasta and flounder. We can all guess who ordered the flounder.

At the nearly indistinguishable restaurant (by a nail salon!!), Long Island Cafe on Isle of Palms, fish and seafood were the prime attractions. We were joined again by the lass's daughter and husband.  The ladies had their favorite, fried oysters. The husband an oyster and scallop speciality The lad who, again, was repetitious, had flounder and french fries. There may be no hope here.

A most pleasant surprise so far was the fine meals prepared in the beach lodging. We ate well. As I recall, among the dishes were: Oysters Rockefeller, shrimp and grits, and shrimp pasta. I still am uncertain what a grit might be, regardless, it is rather tasty. I will look it up. However, I must add that luncheon is still pitiful. I did not mention that the lass and the lad also ate from a truck in a parking lot. I was appalled. I canna believe I am about to pen this sentence, the food was actually quite good. Tacos I believe they are called. Why did they appear from the truck? Who cooked them? Help me understand this custom. So confused. 

I am also flummoxed by the staggering number of beside-the-road eating stops that pockmark the landscape with pure hackit. Yet, we stopped at one - again. Of course, the establishment had no seating inside the shop, so eating outside on a steel chair by the curb was the single choice. Unbelievable. I am grateful we ate in the car with the car at a standstill at least. This habit is not conducive to proper enjoyment of food. Even though the food was not too bad. Did I really say that! Ouch. 

Well it is back in the automobile for another few thousand miles of travel. We will most certainly be inland so the real America is about to be unveiled. I may pack a snack to two from Charleston, for I may not eat well again for weeks. Do not fear, gentle reader, I will report in two weeks from the hinterland. I press on regardless in the tradition of all puffins everywhere.

I remain, your humble servant, 

Respectfully submitted, 

Miss Rowena Brambleglen

Splash .3 /  by Dave Hileman

Yet another spot on the Rocky Fork River. This petite cascade shot has a nice range of color and texture with some dappled sunlight illuminating parts of the water.

Splash .2 /  by Dave Hileman

A beautiful stretch of the Rocky Fork River in the Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park located about midway between Johnson City and Asheville just in the state of Tennessee. The road into the park is a narrow one lane road with pull outs. We were well prepared after the one lane roads in Scotland. We walked about 2 miles each way along the river and then the Flint Creek. This shot is taken along the river about 200 yards from the trail’s start. I had no filter with me so I used the highest aperture and the slowest shutter that the scene would allow to slow down the water.

Splash /  by Dave Hileman

Jill and I took a short trip to Burnsville, NC, about 40 miles north of Asheville in the Blue Ridge. Lots of devestation from the hurricane last year still in evidence and much of the BR Parkway, Mt. Mitchell State Park and other venues still closed. However we did enjoy the town, the old inn and two hikes. One of them was to a falls and the other 2 miles along a rushing stream. Thus this week’s theme.

This falls, Roaring Fork, is about 20 miies from Burnsville and at the Western side of Mt Mitchell State Park. It was an easy access from a 6 car lot off a small gravel road. The hike is generally up hill but a gentle slope on a wide gravel and dirt road. The falls is list as about 75 feet of cascade, but I am not sure about the measurement. It was rushing down the mountain and we had the place to ourselves.

Personal .4 /  by Dave Hileman

Well this is an eclectic batch. Perhaps most notable to me, another birthday has come and gone. It has been a year since the last one, imagine that. But a momentous year. This year I celebrated with Jill and my son, Gregg and Jessica, his wife who were visiting. Coincidently, we celebrated her birthday on Saturday and it was a nice event as well. My day included a couple of presents, a very nice dinner with an amazing cake. It is sitting on my grandmother’s or great-grandmother’s cake plate - a nice touch. Chocolate two layers with chocolate ganache in the middle and a caramel icing. Seriously good. Jill is an excellent cook and baker. I benefit. We also picked blueberries one morning and Jill made a super blueberry pie. The celebration continues as on Wednesday we drove up into the Blue Ridge Mountains to a small village called Burnsville, There is an old hotel, very old, the original building dates from 1833 and it is the oldest continuously operated hotel in North Carolina.. It has been redone recently and both the rooms and the restaurant are very nice. Jill came here occasionally with her family when she was young teen for Sunday dinner, which back then was family style. We will go to a Dark Sky observatory for a program on Thursday night - should be fun. Then back to Knoxville and the heat index. I was also able last week to take my bike and ride a loop at Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains. It is a 12 mile loop that is closed to auto traffic on Wednesday in the summer. I rode with a group starting in the evening about 5. Lovely. We spotted 7 bears. Just a terrific spring and summer and I could, but will not, fill up several posts.

Personal .3 /  by Dave Hileman

Can you imagine what a special thrill to be the one to officiate your grandson’s wedding? Feel free to inquire, as I was privileged to do so. The weekend following Ellary’s graduation was the occasion of the marriage of Kellen and Lauren. That I was asked and able to do so was one of life’s highlights. They are such a fine, young, Christian couple and full of talent, determination, discipline, joy and a strong work ethic. Lauren graduated from Liberty in Sports Management and is working for the Durham Bulls Baseball team and the Durham Thundercats hockey team. Kellen’s graduation - which could have been a separate post, was from App State in Industrial Design. He made the absolute most of his time in college and earned awards and accolades for his projects. Kellen is exploring his options and doing interviews while also pursuing some contract work for a couple specialty audio companies. Certainly proud of both of them. The rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, wedding day events and reception all were well planned and beautiful. One of the highlights was when the mascot for Liberty and the mascot for App State appeared on the dance floor. They took over the night. As to why, both Lauren and Kellen were the people in the costume for their respective schools. Neat.