Friday, October 7, 2022

Tom, Marion and the Hair Cut

August 8, 2022                                                         Most Recent Posts:
Bear Den Family Campground                       Linville and Dugger’s Creek Falls
On the Blue Ridge Parkway                                Wish I’d Had a Mycologist
Spruce Pine, North Carolina



I drove down off the mountain again today to Marion where it was 80 degrees and humid.  It really felt hot.  Very different from up on the mountain.


On my way I stopped at the second nearest waterfall known as Tom’s Creek. It’s an 80 foot multi tiered cascade in the Pisgah National Forest just outside of Marion. 

I parked Ruby along the road and when walking to the trailhead discovered that there were designated parking spots.  That there were several cars already here alerted me to the fact that I would not have this falls to myself.  This is rather a fact in August, the month more people are on vacation than any other in the year. 

I decided to walk back to Ruby and move her off the road.  But when I got there she would not start and I had parked her too closely behind another car also parked on the edge, to roll her and pop the clutch.  Same problem as at Lake Toxaway that I’d thought I’d had fixed.  Now what?  I decided not to let it ruin my hike and and went back to the trail head.



The hike is not long and when I arrived, Grandpa, Grandma, daughter and grandson were there.  Gpa and Ma are fulltimers workcamping pretty permanently at a Gem mining place nearby until they go to Bushnell in Florida for January and February. 

He talked constantly and took my mind off Ruby.  But there was nothing close to  spiritual or communing with nature happening here today though the falls were wonderful. 







I took pictures of the falls despite all GPa’s talking and my attempts not to be rude.  Turns out the 3 videos I tried to shoot were all on their sides.  Apparently I wasn’t paying enough  attention.  So much for being able to listen and chew gum.

  I need to come back here when the distractions aren’t so intense.  I finally had to leave to stop him from talking.  No idea how long they stayed.  I think I was entertaining him for the two women in his life.  I took no pictures of them because it seemed very rude to point my camera at them and no real reason to.



I would like to come back and just be here in this really lovely spot but I’m afraid that because the trail is not long and the location so accessible, it would be difficult to be here with just the sounds and sights of nature.



So I’ll just put lots of pictures of them from various distances.

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One last shot of the rocky stream bed.


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When I got back to Ruby, I was relieved to see the car in front of me had gone and I could now roll her down the hill.  But when I got in, she started right up.  What’s going on?  If I drive her and stop and start her up before she cools down then she didn’t start but after she cooled down she did?  I thought I’d had this fixed.  Guess I have to be careful where I park now.


My second reason for coming to Marion was to get a haircut.  My hair had kept falling in my eyes on my long hike yesterday and I’d had enough of it.  Great Clips does not take reservations and when I arrived there was a 2 hour wait at 11:40am.  I did some shopping at Dollar Tree and Walmart which were right there.  Ruby started up 3rd time in a row (guess that blows my theory)  so I went to Sharon’s Cafe, the most highly rated restaurant in Marion, and had their taco salad special with sour cream in a plastic tube. 


Definitely a local place both outside and inside.

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IMG_3105The taco salad was iceberg lettuce on top of some sort of burger meat on top of a handful of corn chips.  Sour Cream tube is at the top of my plate.

No rave review from me.  I guess the locals like the prices or there is something else on the menu I should have had.  Wish I had Laurel here to tell me where to eat in this town.  The best part of the meal was the interesting book I was reading.  It’s called No Place for the Weary Kind:  Women of the Smokies and offers a history of the Great Smoky Mountains through the lives of women who loved and shaped the land over several hundred years.


IMG_3106I made it back to Great Clips in time.  The haircut Crystal gave me  looked nothing like the picture I showed her of the cut I wanted but it’s shorter, out of my eyes and cost $17 with tip as opposed to $60 in Charlottesville.  The proof will be in how it grows out.



I like the “before” better.  Not sure it will ever become a “great clip”.

          Before                                                               After

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On the way back to Bear Den, I stopped at another overlook on the Parkway to see Table Rock Mountain.  


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Not sure I’ll get over there to hike it.   It’s on the east rim of Linville Gorge and they say the views are spectacular.  Even my zoom doesn’t see any teeny tiny people up there.

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18 comments:

  1. A rather unusual day. Tom's is a pretty falls and I'm glad not to listen to GPa. Though it's difficult to visit any pretty place and have it alone for long. Intermittent vehicle problems are the worse. If my Yarnell hairdresser ever retires I'm screwed. Pretty view to end the day.

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    1. Thanks Gaelyn. I always appreciate your comments. It is the intermittent problems that are the worst. So far, no recurrance thankfully.

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  2. I find I'm like Howard Payne in that I reach my people quotient quickly. I can understand wanting the peacefulness of nature only to have it ruined by an incessant talker. I used Great Clips when we were traveling as they were fairly consistent across the country as well as reasonable in price. I think your hair looks just right. 😀

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    1. Yes, me too. I prefer my natural surrounds without other people although David was such a perfect companion. I think I have actually ceased to care about the cut. So why spend $50 when I could spend $17.

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  3. I'm sitting here cracking up reading this...from your description of chatty Gpa at the waterfall to Ruby's mystery problem to your taco salad with "sour cream in a tube" to your description of your Great Clips experience...you are in rare form, LOL!!

    That really is a lovely waterfall, but would have been much better without someone talking to you non-stop. I'll bet you've crossed Bushnell off your list as potential places to stay in Florida, hahaha!! I have to agree with you, that's a pretty sad looking taco salad. But your book looks great! Hair is such a dilemma on the road...I haven't had a hair cut in four months and am trying to hold out until we get home, but I had a fit several days ago and took the kitchen scissors and cut off a few chunks that were annoying me. 😳😂

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    1. I am so glad I could bring laughter to you. Your comment made me smile "rare form". Bushnell was not on my list but it's WAY off now. Wish you'd been here to find the restaurant in Marion if there is one.

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  4. My car once had a problem starting and the issue was traced to a loose nut behind the wheel... :cD

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    1. You are such a riot Paul. I am so glad you comment and make me laugh!! Thank you!

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  5. I am with Laurel, laughing here at the talking at the waterfall. Nothing really more annoying to me than loud people in my space. I have been known to do some curious things to get away from them that I won't mention here. And the taco salad??? really??? I think you could get a better one at Taco Bell?!!! Also, like Laurel, I took the scissors to a few chunks of my own hair. Although not like Laurel, I think I liked the previous version than the after version. Thank goodness hair grows, so it is ok. And something tells me you don't have a great huge social event to attend in the next week or so before your hair settles into it's great look. You do have great hair. The waterfall was beautiful by the way, only next time point that camera right at their faces! Nothing wrong with being rude and intrusive with people who are invading your space. Maybe you can take a photo and then just laugh and say you wanted to record their fabulous conversation. Ha!

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    1. Two commenters laughing....that's a huge smile for me. Yes I'm sure the salad at Taco Bell would have been better. I'm glad to have found Great Clips and to have Laurie's endorsement of them across the country. My hair is so thick, if I try to cut it....well you don't even want to think about it. I do wish I'd gotten at least GPa's picture.

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  6. Usually no run but turn over when hot is coil or electronic sensor. No turn over only when hot a starter problem. Probably not much help. Enjoyed your post.

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    1. Thanks for giving me some specifics to ask the next mechanic. I have an O2 sensor code and wondered if it could be that but the mechanic who "fixed" it said no.

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  7. Those intermittent vehicle issues are the worst - impossible not to worry about it all the time. Chatting hikers - ugh! The salad was even more disappointing. Sometimes those local diners are "too" simple :-) I'm pretty sure you could have done better on your haircut than you paid for, but alas getting it out of your eyes is always good.

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    1. And I am such a worrier now that I don't have David to tell me not to worry. I think the haircut was worth about $17 and it did fix the immediate problem. Hope you are both well.

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  8. What a day! The car, the Gpa (wonder if he ALWAYS talks that much?!), the sour cream tube and mediocre salad and haircut that you couldn't call a great clip. At least the prices were good and you did get to see a nice waterfall even if distracted! Looks like I am anonymous for some reason...this is your daughter :)

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    1. Oh dear,. How could it make you anonymous? Next time it does that see if there's a drop-down menu that you can pick your name from. Yes it was not one of the better days. But the waterfall is was lovely and I wish I had had time to go back and see it again. Hope to see you a week from tomorrow

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  9. So glad to see you were not in Florida!! There are some things to be thankful for, not being there during Ivan is one of them! Dave and I will be leaving in early January for central Florida and Western Georgia. So far we see the parks we have reserved are still open. Stay safe my friend!

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    1. Western Georgia sounds pretty cold Lynn. Where will you be in Central Florida? I'll be there in January and February but right now three of my parks are closed. Crossing my fingers they open before then. So great to hear from you thanks for the comment.

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