Fall backwoods ride

From the top of Buck Bald, just over the Tennessee line, Big Frog in the distance.Turning the other way, the Hiwassee Valley.
Just to the right of the last shot, a long long distance view shows the tower on top of Brasstown Bald, in Georgia.
Zooming in.....
Shuler Creek.
And, another backwoods road.

The maples have gotten brighter in many places but so far there hasn't been much more color change; rain and wind last week removed some leaves but it seems the peak is still to come.But the lower altitudes are getting more color, and the mountaintops may be near peak.

A bit of rain

Yesterday, rainy. Today the forecasted rain hasn't happened yet.

Sunday, clear skies showed clearly the fall color line atop the high mountains. This is probably Chunky Gal, from Lake Chatuge.


I posted another rain shot and lots of links about the drought on my other blog.

Friday color

After the (sparse) rain, a drive into Tennessee finds less color at lower elevations:Parksville(Ocoee) Lake:

The maples atop Chilhowee Mountain are turning, though:
The old depot and freight yard in Etowah, TN:

Year of the maples

This year so far the maples are the dominant fall colors around here. They just started turning, and are brighter than previous years. Last year the oaks were the most spectacular, so peak color came later. See the color on Grandfather Mountain on Blue Ridge Blog.


I hope to get some better color shots later in the week....

Drought!

Still waiting for rain. Looked possible earlier but it just stays dry. No rain in quite awhile now. This is the bed of Hiwassee Lake.
The entire Persimmon Creek branch is dry, you can't see lake water anywhere: Old farm stone walls are exposed at the bottom, the creeks down to their original beds.
Suddenly it's fall, and colors are starting to brighten up.



Dusty roads.

Fletch is back

Good news: Jim Fletcher has started a new photo blog, Smokies Light, with his spectacular photos from the Gatlinburg area. His first, Smokyblog, was an inspiration for this one.

Speaking of local photographs, Marie is collecting links to fall color photos and has some fine ones herself. Doug Thompson and Fred First have nice color shots, too.

More signs of fall

Asters.

In downtown Andrews, NC, the Rural Felicity garland dancers and band, who performed with the Sticks in the Mud Morris dancers from J.C. Campbell folk school. (My battery died before I could get photos of all of them.)

Cold and clear

The weather has finally changed and it feels a bit like fall now, although no signs of color yet, aside from dogwoods and sourwoods. I saw lots of color in southern Virginia the other day but had no chance to stop for photos....
This oak's leaves have turned completely brown. Not due to fall, I expect, but the bulldozing for new development that surrounds it. Or, maybe just the drought....
Hiwassee, down lower than ever.

Harvest time

Some signs of fall on a trip beyond the northern reaches of the Appalachians, upstate New York:

New Appalachian photo blog

Thanks to Marie at Blue Ridge Blog, a link to a new one: Appalachian Treks, by photographer Mark Peacock. Nice photo today from Jonesborough, where the National Storytelling Festival starts this weekend. Some recent photos from the Boone area, too, where he posts a photo of Grandfather Mountain's profile from the same view as one posted by Marie the other day.

First fall day

Spent on Apalachia Lake. The lake begins here, at the foot of Hiwassee Dam. This lake retains its water level as those above it have gone down.

How's this for a fishing hole?

Good place for airing out toes, in the clouds...

A water garden.


This little falls tumbles into the lake but is nearly dried up.

In front of the falls, a trio of river otters were playing in the water. We followed them for a mile or so as they swam and played on the lake's edge, going in and out of the water, looking up occasionally to see if we were still there. Unfortunately we weren't close enough to catch them in a photograph, except for this blurry one, two of them on the rocks about to slide back into the water....

Folk School Friday night

At John C. Campbell Folk School, Friday night concert in the festival barn:

It's the Dismembered Tennesseans.


Fall equinox, and starting to show it:


Speaking of the Folk School, wonderful tribute to its founder Olive Dame Campbell and the other folk schools in the area (Penland and Allanstand, as well as the Crafts Cooperatives, Southern Highland Craft Guild and Qualla Arts and Crafts) in Western Carolina University's wonderful online exhibit, Craft Revival about the crafts movement in the first half of the 20th century in the Southern Appalachian mountains.

Storing up the sunshine

Nantahala views

Rainbow Springs Road follows the Nantahala River from U.S. 64 to Wayah Rd, but over high ridges most of the way:After several miles, glimpses of the blue, blue lake below:
Nantahala Lake, not quite as blue from this level:
Nice view from the little restaurant at Lake's End:

Water, water everywhere but...

Despite a good bit of rain on Friday from Hurricane/T.S. Humberto, it certainly wasn't enough for the lakes around here. Here's Nottely , at the deepest end near the dam :
Hiwassee, at Hanging Dog rec. area:
...where you can't get to the water from the boat ramp, or vice versa:
Even North Shoal Creek falls is running much less water than a few months ago: