Oh I do like to be Beside the Creek

"Oh I do like to be beside the creekside, oh I do like to be beside the creek."  Quiet creek, tree roots, sunshine, rocks. A happy place. Self portrait absolutely required. At Sliding Rock in the Pisgah National Forest.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Sliding Rock, Pisgah National Forest

This is Sliding Rock. Not that anyone was sliding down it when we visited, but on hot sunny days, that's what do. Go sliding down (shorts needed, else too much skin gets left behind... ) and then splosh into the pool beneath the rock. Great fun, I'm sure.Without any sliding, I got a buzz here. It's a peaceful spot (at least when quiet), and worth getting a bit of a zen buzz here.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Looking Glass Rock in The Pisgah National Forest

This day was a day for hiking and rock climbing. Destination: Looking Glass Rock - just centre right in this picture. The landscape just continued to blow me away, and I'm so glad I took so many pictures to remember being in such an amazing place. This place looks so vast - and it's only a tiny part of the Pisgah National Forest.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

The Thing about Knobs

Now this entry could come across as immature and rude, but you have to understand how names and words have different references in different cultures and places.

This is up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we're about to enter Ferrin Knob Tunnel. In the UK "Knob" is playground (schoolyard) slang for 'penis'. So, when looking at maps and Google Earth for the USA, especially these hilly and mountainous areas, there are lots of knobs named. Green Knob, Ferrin Knob, and yes, there is a Big Knob somewhere.

The added humour here is this Knob Tunnel... I hope I don't need to explain how that could be interpreted!

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Morning Light in Weaverville

This is the view which greeted me in Weaverville on 16th April just after 8am. Beautiful backlit trees and the morning dew freshness. The mountains in the spring. Almost heaven.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina

Skull on the Wall

For me, there's something so American about this skull on the wall. I don't really know what. Perhaps its because its large (America is large, especially in comparison with Li'l' Ol' England) and reflects native species of buffalo. Perhaps. Impressive specimen though and I'd really like one!

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina

Turkey Time!

I've never seen wild turkey before! Probably the only time I've seen turkeys are at Christmas, on TV, or on packaged dead cold turkey in supermarkets.

The sight of the male turkey seeking to impress the female was quite something, and they seemed to have no regard for being on the road on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nothing like seeing nature in action, even if they really are turkeys!

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Blue Ridge Sunrise

I'd heard of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and of the Blue Ridge Mountains (of Virginia) - but didn't know they stretched so far.  Amazing, amazing, amazing. Unless you've seen them, been there, you just can't grasp the scale and distance. Aside from the Grand Canyon, it's the most emotional impact a place has had on me. There will be many more pictures from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mountains. Powerful place.

So, here we are. 6:45am on 15th April, an overcast morning and watching the sun appear as much as it will, before the trees have come into leaf. Special time of day.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Hot Tubs in Hot Springs

Fancy a dip in geothermally heated mineral water? Here at Hot Springs (and verily, yea, that is the name of the place), there are hot tubs you can rent by the hour (and likely longer). Magic. Warm, invigorating. Oxymoronically, it's the perfect place to chill. This remains my first and last encounter of bathing in water heated directly by Mother Earth herself. Hot Springs website is at this link.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Churches Churches Everywhere

American churches have a particular style of architecture on the whole. Well, I should say church buildings, because (of course) 'church' actually refers to the body of people which uses a building. In places they cluster along stretches of the roadside advertising the particularly flavour of faith like the restaurants and fast food joints offering their own palate of particular dishes. Much of the time it boils down to personal taste and previous experience as to which you do (or do not) choose. This church is between Chimney Rock and Asheville.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

This is a little bit naughty...

The picture is Chimney Rock itself. An enormous towering rock column, with a rim around the uppermost rounded part. Impressive natural formation indeed. Our walk picked out a route around and under it, in places. In a later conversation a dear old lady from Virginia would refer to it as "Chimney Cock". Now that's being a little bit naughty, sweet dear, but I get what you mean.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Misty Mountains

Wow. That's what I said repeatedly as the mist cleared at Chimney Rock. Perceptions of the landscape changed fluidically as the visibility varied. I remember seeing this view like an enormous nose and facial profile. Stunning views, vibes, place. A must visit.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

The Mountains in the Mist

Ever seen Gorillas in the Mist? Me neither. Ever seen Mountains in the Mist? Beautiful. Well that's what I got when I had my first visit to Chimney Rock. This is a walkway having just come up in a long elevator trip. Skeletal tree limbs was about all I could see for the first twenty minutes. Thankfully the conditions did improve for us to see a lot more.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

I'm the Firestarter

Lake Lure looked really beautiful. Lots of lakeside activities and fun. Forget Dirty Dancing though. What pleased me most was finding out it was one of the locations for the film Firestarter with a very young but post ET Drew Barrymore. Based on the Stephen King book about a girl with pyrokinetic abilities hunted down by secretive units with the American government. Also has a soundtrack by my most favourite group, Tangerine Dream. So in that nerdish way my inner fan had been delighted to see a beautiful place which related to fiction I read when I was growing up and music I listened to. Nice one.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Burger Time at Lake Lure

Mistiness clung to the mountains and hunger dogged our tummies, so a quick review of the options at Lake Lure, and we ended up at the Beachside Grill. Burger and Fries it was. Delicious. I was informed this lake was the setting for the original Dirty Dancing film. I've never seen, even though I grew up in the 80s. Lake Lure had even more siginificance for me from another film.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Walk in Thunderous Woods

In Batcave, an exploration up the eastern side of the valley was had. Wasn't even sure if the Batcave actually existed (though the name does rather suggest it, doesn't it?). Nevertheless, in torrential rain and booming thunder, we eked our way up for half an hour or so. The mistiness, tree limbs and pretty blossom made it feel like the veil between our world and the fairy realm had been rent asunder. Magical. Vibes I like. It wasn't the last walk in the thunder I was to have in the USA in 2009. Thunder rumbles gave way to tummy rumbles, so time to go in quest of a mythical burger at Lake Lure.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na BATCAVE!

Hey, I lost a day somewhere! What happened to the 13th April? Well, here I am at Batcave. Awesome place name. Cool place name. It shows I also did eventually arrive in North Carolina. Having gone through jetlag and slept and chilled a lot, we headed out to Batcave, Chimney Rock and Lake Lure area. A cheesey tourist photo next to the sign was obligatory. One of my kids is also batty about bats, so this had to be done for her, too.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Table Rock, South Carolina

...and here she is, Table Rock in South Carolina. I was to meet at least one more Table Rock in North Carolina. Impressive geology going on here. Very awe inspiring. I wonder if glaciation had anything to do with it?

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

The Road is Long

Wow. This was taken on my second day in the USA. I'd been awake since 2am, and engaging with my first dance with jetlag. A strange sensation. The road seemed very long. And on the wrong side, but hey, I was getting used to it. Though tired, experiences were etching into my mind with an uncanny clarity. I guess courtesy of so many photographs it's hard to forget now.

This was near Table Rock along the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway in South Carolina. I could never have expected it would be so gorgeous, and this was only a starter.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Pickens 7 Norris 4

...Central 7, Easley 6. Yeah it's just a sign. But when it's a sign in another country, there's a whole different road culture and way of relating to the land going on here. This was actually en route from somewhere in South Carolina to Asheville. I guess someone will eventually tell me exactly where this was taken. It would be easy to extrapolate the location from the distances on the sign, but I hope someone will get in touch and say "Hey!".

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Meetings with Dawgs

Besides trees, I met a fair few dogs (or dawgs as many good folk I met would call them). I love dogs; they can be really good company. They can be a pain in the arse, too - but usually good company. This one was a jumpy little fella and would rarely come when called. Usually run off in the other direction, bless him. I think his name was Sonny, and was probably the dawg I saw the most.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Meetings with Trees

I love trees, and I met a remarkable few trees in my time in the USA. Don't know the species, just know they were amazing. Here's the first memorable tree, under South Carolina Blue Sky. Is this a Black Walnut Tree?

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Happy Easter!

Now I'm not sure what I believe at the moment, but this is good. Communion outside on an Easter Sunday morning. Sunrise. Fire. Perfect. I become aware of God far more easily in places like this than in structures which celebrate and elevate human creativity. Which is amazing and needs celebrating, but if I am to connect with something greater than people, this is the place to do it.

My first Sunday in the USA. I've had a burger, been to Wal*Mart and Waffle House, listened to Garth Brooks. Now I've been to church. I guess my immersion in American culture is well and truly under way.

This is the last time I've taken communion too. Beautiful and special. A group of folk I'd never met before (apart from two) welcomed me, and we had communion at sunrise in this outstandingly beautiful place. Thankyou Pendleton Presbyterian Church.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

American Dawn

Still at Lake Hartwell, South Carolina. Dawn grows. It went on for what seemed hours. Whisps of mist, subtle changes in hue. Moments you couldn't get out of. Not that you'd want to, either. New day, new country. Easter Sunday too. Lots of symbolism going on here.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

American Moonlight

This was my first taste of American Moonlight. Yeah, yeah I know it's the same moon as in England - BUT - the moon in The South here seemed to shine more brightly, more magically. Amazing.

This is down at Lake Hartwell, South Carolina. As we entered the area a racoon cleared the road. Waiting at this shoreline near dawn, coyotes could be heard. Well, that's what I was told they were. So magic. Unforgettable moments here. The feelings and vibes still tingle on my skin.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Engaging American Culture

So, after Waffle House, we had time to kill. It was Easter Sunday and we were meant to be attending an Easter Sunrise service at a lake in some woods nearby.

Time to go shopping! Yes, Wal*Mart time it was. 3:30 in the morning, I bought my first CD in the States. Such a good price, and a double CD and DVD of Garth Brooks, whom I love.

America is a BIG country, so, yes the stores come big too it seems. I think this store was in or near Pendleton South Carolina.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Welcome to the House of Waffle

I've never flown for more than about one hour before. So having flown five hours west, I was five hours behind my body clock. Cue midnight munchies.

At 2am my body says "it's 7am, time to wake, get some breakfast". Hmmmn. I couldn't settle, so we ended up heading out to a Waffle House. Again I'd never heard of these before, but came to see them everywhere.

So here is my first American Breakfast. Omlette, toast and hash browns. Yes, if you're English those ARE hash browns on the left. If you're American, English hash browns are like the ones in McDonalds. Hang on. Isn't McDonalds an American export? Anyway, that was something of a cultural shock. Very nice though. For a hungry tummy at 2am, it did the job admirably.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Lots of Crazy Crap on the Walls!

At Cracker Barrell, I suddenly recognised some American Culture which had previously been brought to me courtesy of The Simpsons. There's an episode where Mo transforms his diner to a more themed establishment with 'lots of crazy crap on the walls'. When it's a client's birthday or celebration, members of staff will gather round and sing a mad celebratory song, which certainly isn't English!

Well, here at Cracker Barrell, there was lots of crazy crap on the walls, and a table nearby us was celebrating something. Then a number of staff gathered around and started singing maniacally for the prinicipal celebrant. This IS the Simpsons incarnated!

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.