After driving around and through Bryson City a few times I managed to decipher my handwritten directions to Deep Creek . The road going into the Deep Creek area is a gauntlet of tube rental places , some complete with full grown , home grown gals doing their level best to get you to patronize their establishment . Pulling into the parking lot I decided to tackle Juneywhank Falls first . The wide path up to the falls is not too steep and well maintained .
There are a few stone steps down to the base of the falls you need to be careful on . After waiting in line to get to the base , I had to still wait a bit and be selective to get a few quick pics without any people in it .
It had been a lot of years since I had been through Cherokee and it has definitely gotten bigger . Tons of folks were enjoying the riverside park with their families as I eased on through and made a stop at the Ocanaluftee Visitor Center . Even though it was Monday the center was slammed . Still and all it was a very nice center with a friendly , informative staff and a good selection of merchandise . The huge field beside the center is known for holding elk during rut but this day these two turkeys and a few songbirds had the place to themselves .
After motoring up to Clingman's Dome and encountering what looked like a Walmart parking lot on Black Friday I decided to seek a little peace and solitude on the Blue Ridge Parkway . GSMNP claims to be the most visited park in America . It is true . It is a beautiful place to visit but if you have an aversion to crowds as I do ,summer may not be the time for a visit .
Hoping against hope that the Blue Ridge Parkway wouldn't be a victim of the over flow from GSMNP , I headed north up the parkway . BRP became one of my favorite places this day . While there were still plenty of folks , besides your's truly , it didn't feel crowded . The vistas are just as magnificent or even better .
The Big Witch tunnel is one of many along the parkway . The stone work performed by the CCC boys is always a pleasure to view . The works performed by what many considered a ''make work '' program at the time , are built to stand the test of time and are aesthetically pleasing if not down right beautiful .
It's hard to come up with an adjective that isn't jaded that aptly describes the beauty of the roadside flowers that line the parkway mile upon mile . Hopefully these pictures will convey a little of that beauty . The Turk's Cap have to be in my top ten of favorites .
The plethora of overlooks is almost overwhelming . If you are planning a trip use the internet for a list of them . It may help thin out the herd . Of course most of them are well maintained with unbelievable long distance vista . None of them held more than one or two cars and mostly I had them to myself . The mountains live up to their Blue Ridge name here and seem to roll on forever .
Just a few more shots of the flowers lining the road and overlooks up and down this winding road .
Looking Glass Rock and the Devil's Courthouse are two of the many famous rock formations with their very own overlooks . If you have the time and inclination , not to mention the legs , you can hike up to the top of the Devil's Courthouse for a 360 ' view .
I bailed off the parkway around mile post 423 to take a run up and down NC 215 chasing stone bridges and waterfalls . I had directions to more falls than I could possibly see in one day so I crossed off the ones with longer hikes but I still ran out of daylight . To do justice to this stretch of road you need at minimum one full day . Two or three days would be optimum .
On some of these back roads you need to use caution and a huge dose of common sense . When you park keep all your stuff out of sight and in your trunk if you have one . When you run up on a backwoods dope deal smile , wave , turn around and leave the way you came in . When you run up on folks cutting and splitting black locust for fence rails , stop and shoot the breeze for a spell . They might surprise you and give you a little local knowledge and color on places and things to see .
There was just enough room to squeeze the Cherokee in behind two other trucks in the tiny pull off beside the Pigeon River .Love the stonework . There was little to no room along the bridge and road to set up and get a decent picture . And no access down to the river for an old fart on his own .
Further down river there is another bridge with a little bigger pull off and better access on the upper stream side . I would have loved to taken some shots from the down stream side but once again common sense and self preservation reared their ugly heads .
On a Forest Service road on the way to another waterfall I '' discovered '' a damn fine trout stream . Unfortunately I spent so much time looking for trout that by the time I made it to the trailhead to the falls it was dark enough that scrambling and taking pictures was finished for this particular day .
I must say , and a little proudly too , that almost all of the pictures I take and use in my ramblin' blog are views and properties that I own . As an American , you do too . For the small cost of a park pass you too have access to millions of acres of public lands . Get out there and enjoy your property . Some times there are more folks than you can shake a stick at . Sometimes you are by yourself . You can always find the level of peace and solitude that suits your needs .
BTW , many park passes are available at reduced or no costs to seniors . Of course that means 'fessin' up to your physical age . Another side note ... If you know a child with disabilities they are eligible for free federal park passes and in some cases state passes . These passes are good for the entire family . Get those kids and grandkids out there too .
