American Travel Journal: July 2012

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Biltmore Gardens

We spent a morning touring some of the gardens at Biltmore in Ashville, North Carolina, in late June, 2012. For this post, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Walled Garden

Hibiscus

Gladiolus

Yellow Coneflower

Dahlia

Zinnia

Shrub Rose

Queen Elizabeth

American Beauty

Poulsen's Pearl

Pernille Poulsen

Daylilies

Conservatory

Hibiscus

Anthurium

Impatiens

Mandevilla

Hibiscus

An American Goldfinch blends in with
the daisies and Black-Eyed Susans

The website of Biltmore House and Gardens is http://www.biltmore.com.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

We drove up to Damascus, Virginia one Saturday morning in late June, 2012, to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail with our good friends, Jay and Pam and their son Joel. On the way, we drove through several areas of dense fog, but the fog cleared and gave way to a beautiful, sunny day with temperatures in the upper 70s. Upon arrival in Damascus, we parked at The Bike Station, rented our bikes and boarded the van for the thirty minute ride to Whitetop Station near the North Carolina border. The trail is owned by the US Forest Service and the municipalities of Abingdon and Damascus. The portion we were riding is in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area of the Jefferson National Forest.

The elevation at the parking lot at Whitetop is 3560 feet above sea level, Green Cove is 3160, Taylors Valley is 2360, and Damascus is about 1880. I'll need just a wee bit more practice before I attempt to ride up the trail from Damascus to Whitetop.

Northwest view approximately 1.5 miles down
the trail near the tip of Tennessee

Pam and Joan

Jay zooms by

High Bridge over Co Rd 728
and Whitetop Laurel Creek

Whitetop Laurel Creek

High Bridge from Co Rd 728

Whitetop Laurel Creek at Taylors Valley

Water carving

View from the through truss bridge

They fit the bike to you, not the other way around

The official trail website is http://www.vacreepertrail.com/.

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Cherohala Skyway - Indian Boundary Lake

The turnoff to Indian Boundary Recreation Area is located about 14 miles from the beginning of the Skyway at TN 68 in Tellico Plains. A two mile spur leads to a picnic area, campground, camp store, and a boat launch. In addition, there is a 3.6 mile trail that loops around the 96 acre Indian Boundary Lake. The trail is for both bicyclists and hikers. While I didn't meet any other hikers, I did meet a handful of cyclists. The trail has a gravel surface and is mostly shaded. On my trip in mid-June 2012, bug spray was a definite requirement. The trail is mostly level, but it does rise 10 to 15 feet above the lake in a couple of places. The lake is impounded by a small concrete dam that maintains a lake level of about 1560 feet above sea level.