I had planned to go on to Franklin but the map showed but one town in 60 miles and I wondered if it weren't a mountain pass. I could follow the red road around, which was dotted as scenic, but perhaps not. I awoke the next morning to the sounds of someone roaring out of camp. I realized I was camped in the middle of a bunch of folks four wheeling in their jeeps looking for mud! I took the charming curvy road back to Murphy and noticed the mist rising from the waters along the creeks as I headed down 64 east. The sun filtered through the trees and it looked just like the postcard I had just mailed.
In Franklin, which is located on a ridge overlooking the Little Tennessee River, I noticed several places to mine semiprecious stones. I bought a bag of dirt to take to Caroline and drove down highway 28 where I had a spectacular view of the Nantahala National Forest. About nine miles from Highland I was shocked to find myself on a narrow curving road alongside a river with a 35 mph speed limit! It had a guard rail on one side and cliffs on either side of the road in many places. It is what I would call a second gear road which is where I stayed. Trucks are prohibited to travel on this road in the Cullasaja River Gorge. The view in indeed exquisite. I stopped to photograph Bridal Veil Falls where the waterfall pours off the rock and over the road.
Highlands is indeed a quaint town and they really have their act together for the tourists. I located a nice public bathroom where I washed my hair in the sink and dried it with the swivel knob on the hand dryer. A nice man at the visitor's center printed me a map to Lake Wylie, SC which suggested that I take the interstate but I chose the road less traveled. From Highland I proceded down winding roads with 8% grades to Cashiers.
Cashiers was founded by settlers from the British Isles in the early 1800s. By the end of the 19th century it was the summer home for many elite southerners. It is still a bustling resort town. I traveled on through Sapphire to Brevard, another summer resort at the entrance to the Pisgah National Forest. I have come to appreciate national forest as indeed American treasures.
Hendersonville is another summer resort where I toured Main Street and the downtown historic district. The van tended to overheat up and down the hills while I waited at a stop sign or stop light so I coasted down the hill to Jackson City Park. Here I gave the van a rest and filled my stomach. I could see how people would have flocked to these summer resorts for relief from the summer heat in past decades. The town was surrounded by apple orchard and roadside stands and the trees were overloaded with rich red apples. I inteded to stop at the next orchard and all of a sudden there were no more!
Bat Cave is another tourist mecca that was settled along the Broad River and through Chimney Rock. There I probably should have stopped to see the Hickory Nut Falls that are twice the height of Niagara, but somehow I missed this red starred item in my AAA tour book. Just down the road was beautiful manmade Lake Lure. These resorts just line the roadway and witht he scenery one can see why.
I exited 64 onto 74 and then took a guess and got off on 321 headed south. It wasn't too smart of me to leave my map on the bedside table at home as you don't find a visitors' center along highway 321. I I did get to Lake Wylie only to find that Bill and Merv live in a gated community. So much for surprise visits as I could locate them nowhere. After four calls to Coldform Industries in Rock Hill where a machine kept telling me all their lines were busy I suggested they get more lines and left for Kay's. It had dawned on me that Bill and Merv might have even left town for the weekend since it was Friday.
From Lake Wylie I headed up to interstate 77 that led me into Charlotte in five o'clock traffic, not part of my plan for this trip. I decided to exit on 49 towards Asheboro and forget the interstate, where I ran into long lines of standstill traffic due to road construction. I have never seen so many stoplights on a highway and I indeed know by now that the bridges ice before the roadways. Rolling hills led me to Raleigh where it got dark as I entered town. Not a good sign. What is Rule #1? So I looped around doing figure 8's in Raleigh for about an hour and on the fourth try, after asking directions twice, I got on the outer loop and again found 64 east. This was my first experience with inner and outer loops. I finally arrived on Main Street in Washington, North Carolina and was delighted to see Kay and John.
I awoke on 9/12 about 8 to the sounds of people on the porch below. Kay and I helped Velma pick out the perfect necklace to go with her jacket that still had the $1.00 price on the back from the last yard sale.I was easily persuaded to walk eight blocks down Main Street to have clam chowder and quiche for lunch. John, Kay, Caroline and I then went to the new Estuarium which had a quite interesting display and explanation about the Tar and Pamlico Rivers meeting the salt water of Pamlico Sound. The estuarium in next to the parking lot/park alongside the Pamlico Sound where many locals know to hang out.
The original Washington was founded on 337 acres in 1726. In 1771, James Bonner, then owner of the land, founded the town and called it "Forks of the Tar River." The town bordered the Pamlico and Tar Rivers and in 1776 the name was changed to honor General George Washington, the first town to be named after this hero and hence the name the "Original Washington" on the town's water tower. The town was an important port during the War for Independence as Savannah, Charles Town and Wilmington were under British siege. The town then grew as a commercial and cultural center due to its location on navigable waterways. The town was pillaged in 1864 by the Federal troops. Washington was devastated and then a fire swept through the town in 1900 again destroying much of the rebuilt town. Much of the charm of the old town still exists in the historic district.
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