The leaves, they are a'changin'.......

Friday was a beautiful fall day, so we spent it driving along the parkway; the parkway from our campground in the Smokies to Gatlinburg. Our elk were out in full force, giving the tourists a fill, and the autumn leaves were in their splendor, at least for now. They will come out in greater detail later, I am sure; but for now, we got some good shots. We also stopped at the Visitors' Center in Sugarlands (Gatlinburg side) for a passport sticker (for our National Parks passport----thanks, RS!) and we picked up some great coats there that are reversible! We also saw a deer and a bear, but they were too quick to take a picture, so maybe next time. Ya'll come back! 😉

Hellooooo Smokies!

Goodbye ........

Helloooo........

So we will be spending a week here at our favorite campground, Smokemont. We are TOTALLY off the grid. Our phones even say, "NO SERVICE." We have no television stations and no radio. If we want to hear any music, we plug in my iPhone and play my playlists. Our site backs up to the creek (at least for the next 2 days), and then we play hopscotch (there was not one site that was available for the whole week we wanted). But that's okay. At least we are in the same loop and don't have to go all over the park.

Our favorite antlered animals were out last evening, too. It was great! When we went on our excursion this morning, they were all over the place! We love going out to Cherokee and seeing if they are in the big field or not. 

And this is what we did today! We rode the train! I LOVE my trains! We rode over the Fontana Lake (there is a trestle) and then we stopped at the Nantahala Outdoor Center for lunch. Nantahala in Cherokee means "Land of the Noonday Sun." This is because the sun does not shine on the land until around noontime because of the trees in the mountains. Enjoy the pics, and ya'll come back! 😉

Another day, Another festival

 at Shelton Vineyards!

We didn't realize it was happening until we arrived there. Surprise, surprise, surprise! There were different vendors this time, and of course, you had to go in for the wine tasting, which we found out was free because of the festival (BONUS!) But we bought our glasses anyway to replace one that broke in the camper. Then we went to the Harvest Grill for lunch and had a glass of wine each with our meals.

His was a red, hers was a white (Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc)

Autumn turkey with cranberry, bacon and swiss on a toasted wheat with seasoned fries

He had a chicken sandwich that beat Chick Fil A twice over 

This was our day today: high of 67 and sunny, and as you can see, white puffy clouds in the sky. 

Not sure what we'll do tomorrow, but hey, we don't care! Ya'll come back now! 😉

Autumn Is Here!

in Mount Airy!

We went there today and had a great time! It is all weekend, and vendors and food tents line the streets of downtown Mount Airy. Check it out!

 

Photo Bomb! Who dat?!

 The donuts and the pretzels are BIG!

 People as far as you can see!

 They were actually tap dancing to the music!

Never been to an event where one of the food vendors sells ham biscuits. Another one 

had collard greens. Welcome home, ya'll!!

Before the BIG event of the Autumn Leaves festival, we visited Pilot Mountain State Park. It's a pretty drive to Pilot Mountain (see an earlier post of Statehood to see it). And if you are an Andy Griffith fan, he always refers to it in his shows as "Mount Pilot." It was really windy, and 48 degrees, so we only stayed for about 2 minutes before heading back down. BRRRR!!

When we reached the Pilot Mountain Ranger Station to use the facilities, I found a brochure for Horne Creek Farm, which is one of a few farms run by the state of NC to showcase life as a working and productive farm in the early 1900s. So we decided to check it out. It was also free and only 10 minutes away! They were very well to-do for farmers. They're named Hauser (the guide pronounced it "Hooser"). They had 12 children: 10 boys and 2 girls. He mostly grew grain crops but also did fruit and tobacco. He was like a George Washington Carver of his day, rotating crops and keeping up with the agricultural practices of his day, even using bat guano to help fertilize the fields. His yields were always 2/3 better than anyone else's in the area. Wowza! She also said they got together with the grandchildren of this family to help reconstruct the farmhouse because the grandchildren lived in it and they used their oral history for reconstruction. How cool is that??!!! 

Lawn mower

 Can't imagine 12 children around this table at one time; must've 

had a revolving system

  Smokehouse

 Mouser (there are actually 2)

The temperature was 70 and sunny, nary a cloud in the sky. Tomorrow is a little cooler. Perfect for a trip to a vineyard and lunch on their back deck. Ya'll come back now!😉