Leaf Peeping on the Blue Ridge Parkway – Blowing Rock to Asheville, NC

Columbus Day Weekend – time to go leaf peeping!

This year, we only had one day for a jaunt up to the mountains. One day – not even a night – so we had to make good use of our time.

Heading out of Atlanta at 6:30 in the morning, we arrived in Blowing Rock, NC around 11:00 am.

Blowing Rock

The town of Blowing Rock is quaint – I know that’s an overused word – but it describes the town. Shops and restaurants line the main street through the town. Side streets boast inns and Bed & Breakfast places.

A full selection of fresh apples in Blowing Rock
A full selection of fresh apples in Blowing Rock

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Read more about the article Petit Jean State Park – Morrillton, AR

Petit Jean State Park – Morrillton, AR

It’s actually hard to write this post. Usually because I relish writing about my trip after the fact. But somehow I feel that if I write about it, I will be putting it to rest. I don’t want that trip to end.

Just a short drive from Little Rock lies Petit Jean State Park. Because the pickings are scarce in the AAA guide-book for Arkansas, I decided we better review what’s on the list. Petit Jean was the first state park in Arkansas, founded around 1921 with help from Stephen Mather of the National Park Service.

We started off at the point in the picture above. Overlooking the Arkansas River, we saw the remains of a building and a cemetery. It turns out this land was a former YMCA Camp Mitchell until it burned in the 1940’s. Later that decade, it was purchased by the Episcopalian church which leases the land to Petit Jean today. (more…)

Helton Creek Falls – North Georgia

I’ve heard so much about Helton Creek Falls that we made a trip of it after hiking at nearby Vogel State Park. The well-marked entrance is located on Hwy 129/19 just one mile south of Vogel.

However, we thought we were in the wrong place driving through a residential neighborhood of houses perched alonside a creek. Soon, the road turned gravel and a hand-painted sign announced the falls were just 2 miles ahead.

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The road seemed to go nowhere.

The most difficult part of the trip was the bumpy, rocky dirt road. In the distance, we saw the falls and came to a parking area. For such an out of the way place, there were 6 or 7 cars. The total loop to the falls is just 1/3 of a mile. We climbed down the path and the temperature was instantly cooler. When we reached to the falls, we took a left to descended down the wooden stairs to the base of the lower falls. (more…)