Saturday, September 10, 2022

Wrapping Up at Riverbend

July 24 – July 27, 2022                                             Most Recent Posts:
Riverbend RV Resort                                  Chinquapin Mountain & Highlands
Lake Toxaway, NC                                          Moore Cove and Cove Creek



IMG_2444My last week at Riverbend began with a Sunday Breakfast at the pondside pavilion where they had the father’s day breakfast.  It seems they have a breakfast every month, as well as potlucks every Wednesday, “happy hour” gatherings every afternoon at 5:00 and other outings and events like the 4th of July duck races and Christmas in July. 



Thanks to Larry the cook and co-manager here.

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Eggs, sausage, french toast, bacon, fruit, coffee (not for me) and orange juice.  Delicious!   And I ate EVERY bite.

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My final two waterfalls for my two month stay in Transylvania County didn’t get me anywhere near seeing all 250 waterfalls in this county alone.


IMG_2450I more time trying to follow the directions to  John Jump Falls as I did climbing down when I finally figured it out.  

It seemed easy “drive south on NC 81 from US 64 5 miles and park in the large grassy spot on the left side of the road a few hundred feet before Whitewater Church Road”.    Back and forth I went for a mile either side of Whitewater Church Road looking for a large grassy spot on the left side.  No such thing.  Finally I pulled over onto this dirt area with a utility truck and other equipment to read further directions saying “climb the little hill to the right of the telephone pole”.  


IMG_2482I walked to the road looking for telephone poles and little hills.  Found both as you see in this picture.  But the “little used but obvious path” went no where.  As I returned to Ruby I noticed a path into the woods on her left.  Not near the telephone pole but since I was here, I decided to see where it led.  Once inside the woods a ways, I could hear water.   That’s the path below through the trees below.




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I followed the sound, which I have actually done on several occasions when directions were sketchy and finally caught a glimpse which you can barely see in this picture.

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Eventually, there it was.

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My trusty North Carolina Waterfalls book, whose directions were sometimes a bit out of date by now, did say that this waterfall was named by early botanist and explorer Arthur Middleton Huger after witnessing John Hinkle jump down a large rock to reach the base.  I love waterfall name stories like this.  I did not have to do any jumping to see the falls.

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It was a wonderful lovely serene spot which I had all to myself for quite a long time.   This was my view as I sat on the rock and absorbed the beauty and mesmerizing sounds.


I spent quite a long time here since I was in no hurry and no one else came along.
This video will let you listen to the falls.   I set up the picture below before I sat and enjoyed.



The last thing before leaving, I took this selfie with John Jump Falls.  I would definitely return here and wish I’d come earlier in my stay since it is not so very far from Riverbend and I could have returned.

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I climbed back up to Ruby and from my scenic parking spot among the utility stuff I only had to walk down the road to an obvious forest service gate and follow the old road beyond the gate.  Both of these falls are in the Nantahala National Forest off of US Rt 81.

It was easy to find the path off the road to the falls as it was described as having a unique Y shaped tree a few feet in.   I kept both of these pictures so I could remember that the tree trunk was not all that tall but the arms reached up beyond where I could photograph them.   I loved this landmark.




DEW falls also has a wonderful story.  Students from the Hammond School in Columbia, South Carolina built the trail to DEW falls as a senior class project.  The forest service allowed them to name the falls and they named it in honor of their classmate Dorothy Ehlrich Walker who was killed in a car accident the summer before her senior year.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every high school in the country undertook an environmental senior class project.


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There was not a similar wonderful spot to sit and absorb the falls so I did not stay as long here as at John Jump though it was equally beautiful.  It is a spot I would return to with my lightweight backpacking chair.   If you know of such a thing, let me know.  Not a stool, a chair with a back that could be carried on difficult trails and under overhangs.


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Getting to DEW falls required going under and through heavy rhododendron.  You can see the trail in through them on the left.   Easier for me than anyone much taller than I.  But a consideration for my backpack chair.


 

On the way back to the campground I finally stopped at the Mountain Cafe which I have gone by so many times I cannot count.  It’s a very popular coffee shop but as I don’t drink coffee I had yet to stop in.


But today I did and came away with a croissant for dinner and two cinnamon rolls with caramel and nuts.

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Did I take pictures of any of them?  No.  Or at least not until the next morning when I thought to get a picture before I ate the last bites.

I have loved eating meals and reading at my picnic table overlooking the little stream.  I often write my journal entries from here.  Thank goodness for them to spur my memory when writing these very belated posts.

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Delicious and almost gone.

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The stream has what I’ve been told are speckled brook trout.  If you are a fisherman, can you confirm this?   They hang around between my site and the pavilion next door because the managers keep fish food of some sort in a large can and lots of folks feed them.  I think they are lovely and am glad they are not on someone’s dinner table.




On the day of my move, I unfortunately ran in to two new problems.  My bedroom slide topper tore off when I brought the slide in.  It has been replaced once and I know is not 10 years old.  Anyone know how long these things “should” last?  And when I went to disconnect the water, I found my water gauge looked like this.

If either of these had happened at any other time during my two months here, I would have been able to get a mobile tech to come out. But now I am moving up to just off of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Spruce Pine so we’ll see about help up there. 


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Still, I had a wonderful time chasing waterfalls, visiting National Forests and darling towns.  Though, for the record, Lake Toxaway does not have a downtown as far as I know.  What it does have is the largest private lake in North Carolina protected by a gated community and fed by stream waters from the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.  If David had been with me, we might have had lunch at the Greystone Inn which is the only way we’d have been able to see the lake.  It wasn’t something I wanted to do alone.  Too bad none of my later visitors came here to see me.

27 comments:

  1. Always something, eh Sherry?
    Any warranty you’re aware of on the slide awning?

    That water gauge. Just replace it. Should be an easy fix.

    Happy travels kiddo…

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    1. It just makes me smile every time I see you in the comments. Thanks. I'll look around today for a warranty but I've had enough experience to expect that the fabric company would blame the installer-bad workmanship- who would blame the fabric company-shoddy product.

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  2. Lake Toxaway was truly a beautiful place and we took advantage of some of your recommendations while there in August. Went to the little soda shop you recomemnded in Brevard. Don't know if you mentioned it before but the area is actually considered a rain forest because it gets over 100 inches of rain a year. The two golf courses I played on while there didn't allow golf carts on the fairways because they were too soft. But driving through the forest on the cart paths was spectacular and one of the golf courses had a nice view of a natural waterfall. We had great weather and a view of the lake from our rental. Never saw the gated community - we drove to the Country Club and Greystone Inn and took a boat ride around the lake. The boat operator told us the story of the lake. The dam was built around 1902, the land around sold and developed and the Toxaway Inn (300 luxurious rooms) was built shortly thereafter. Then in 1916, a flood washed the dam away destroying homes downstream and emptying the lake. The dam was not rebuilt until 1968 and the area started to flourish once again but for all those in between years, it was mostly swamp and the Toxaway Inn eventually was destroyed. The whole area is beautiful... We had a great time there.

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    1. Very interesting Roger. Thanks for the comment. I was never able to see the lake as I did not know anyone with a home there And didn't really want to go to the Inn for lunch by myself. I did mention earlier that the area is considered the rain forest of the East Coast because of the amazing amount of rainfall they get every year.

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  3. I've really enjoyed your posts this summer. The Highlands area was one of our go-to vacation spots when we lived in Pensacola and it still looks as nice as I remember.
    Too bad about your topper and water guage. Do things like that ever happen at a good time?
    Gayle

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    1. Great to hear from you Gayle. I'm glad you've been following my summer travels. You are so right there's never a good time for troubles but anytime earlier than the day I left would have been preferable for these 2.

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  4. Lovely wrap up. I would just remove the topper and not worry about replacing it. A lot of newer rigs don’t come with toppers any more. But that’s just me. 😁

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    1. The problem with not replacing the topper is that the water does not run off the slide properly and the slide top may rust. I wonder what newer rigs do about the rust or perhaps they just simply don't care anymore. In my experience Riggs made within the last perhaps 6 or 7 years are not near the quality of older rigs.

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  5. I'm so glad you had such a wonderful two months at Riverbend. You know we agree that it's a very special place, and the location is wonderful for waterfalls and beautiful little towns. John Jump Falls is gorgeous! I'll have to refer back to your post when we return to Riverbend. :-)

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    1. I'm certainly glad you did not have the electrical problems that I incurred at Riverbend. I don't think I will be able to return there because of them unless they update their electrical system.

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  6. What a lovely 2 months you have had, although it's tough about the topper and the water gauge. I love the Y shaped tree - I think it looks like a tree spirit in a long, mossy overcoat, waving his arms aloft. I'm sure I can see a face there!

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    1. I thought the same thing about the tree spirit waving his arms.

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  7. Those falls are soooooo pretty! That park sure has a lot going on. The KOA we're at in Ashville has a busy schedule as well. Check out this chair - there are a few smaller than this with full seat and back https://www.amazon.com/OneTigris-Backpacking-Capacity-Gardening-Lightweight/dp/B08T1QZPHL/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1XF03FDVJJDZJ&keywords=backpack+camping+chair&qid=1662850866&sprefix=backpack+camping+chai%2Caps%2C381&sr=8-5

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    1. Thanks for the link Jodee. There were serious pros and cons about the park.

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  8. Another good post Sherry, nice pics also. We are both sick with Covid-19 that I brought home from my trip to not see the giant Moon Rocket launch. After 3 fails to launch I came home. Somewhere somehow I picked up this bad illness. Keep posting and stay healthy

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    1. Glad to hear from you again Tom but very sorry to hear you I hear you picked up covid and brought it home with you. Hope you're feeling much better soon and and don't have any repercussions from it.

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  9. Love the names of these waterfalls and the stories behind them. Glad you were at a nice campground with social gatherings. Sorry to hear about the issues with the awning. The bane of RVers it seems.

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    1. They are interesting names Laurie. Most of the people at Riverview are seasonal which is likely why so many events.

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  10. I so admire your persistence finding these waterfalls. Love the idea of high schools taking on environmental projects. The "Y" tree makes a good landmark. Your fish photos are certainly better than the old salmon shot I recently shared. This has been a good place for you to enjoy so much. Sorry it had to end on such a sour note.

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    1. Thanks Gaelyn. I hardly scratched the surface of the waterfalls in this area but I think I'd pretty much run out of easy ones.

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  11. Beautiful falls both and very excellent that you found them. Pretty dish and great looking cinnamon bun. I hope you've figured out the water gauge and topper issues or that they are not too tough to fix!

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    1. Sadly these are not things I can fix. I'm not confident enough to replace the gage and be sure it won't leak. Your dad could have done them both but probably would not have done the slide

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  12. The directions "the hill by the telephone pole" remind me of the directions I would get when I was living in Madison County. "Turn where Shifflett's market used to be and go to the farm with the white fence, go up the hill a little ways......." I like the pictures of the waterfalls taken from the side. The Y tree is interesting. Love the speckled trout- they are beautiful colors. An easy to carry backpackable chair would be great for you so you could bring a snack and a beverage and a book and sit by the falls listening to the wonderful sounds they make. xxxooo

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  13. Yes I'm very familiar with "local directions". So funny sonetimes. Hope I can find the chair. Some of the trails down to lesser known water falls are steep and hand over hand so bringing snacks and a book and a chair might not be possible.

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  14. I'm starting to believe that RVs are designed to be evil torture devices by inventing new ways to break down. Sorry to see your slide topper has bit the bullet. My Journey has now decided to test my patience by dropping the headliner in places. Now who would have thought that would occur? Just wanted to let you know that you're not the only one with repair challenges.

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Your comments help me in more ways than you can know. Thanks in advance.