Spatter

Mabry Mill Trough

bydamanti 

Cemetery Post

bydamanti

Play Week

My friend Leta came last Wednesday for a week's visit.  It was a great time and the weather cooperated enough to let us get in a few photo hunts.  Our first outing was to hike two miles up Buffalo Mountain...to the highest point in Floyd County at 3971 feet.

The view was spectacular.  Even with the haze, I could see Pilot Mountain, NC off in the distance.  Well, it's a bit hard to see in this shot...but it's there on the horizon line smack in the middle of the frame. It's the hazy bump that is almost the color of the sky.

 

We sat and relaxed a while on the "summit".  While there, a group of hikers came up who were from the Blacksburg area.  They meet up every Thursday and go hiking somewhere.  This piqued my interest, so had one of them put her number in my phone so I could call and get on their mailing list.  Alas, when I tried the number, it was wrong and now I've no way to contact them.  Tried internet search.  No luck.  Oh well...guess I'll start my own group!

The next day I showed off downtown Floyd and later, our Friday Night Jamboree. Saturday was our neighbor's pig pickin' party, but by Sunday we were ready to go  again and we went out in search of waterfalls.  The first place ended up being off limits...posted "keep out"...and confirmed by a local that we ought not go in.  We decided to heed. 

We went on to Bottom Creek Gorge near Roanoke where the trail takes you to a 200 foot waterfall. At first we wondered if we could/should venture in.  I mean, what would you think if you read this sign:

In case you can't read the middle sign it says that the trail is very challenging and you should be in very good physical condition before you attempt it.  And look at that Caution sign!  Being adventurers, we decided to at least start in and see what we'd find.  Turns out, the trail wasn't any of these things.  Glad Leta took this shot, because we got a good laugh after the fact.

Here's Leta romping through.  The trail was hard to keep up with for all the leaves on the ground. 

 

The four mile hike took us through the woods to a lookout where we could see the Bent Mountain Falls...where Bottom Creek forms a stair step series of waterfalls known as the "kettles".  

 

We couldn't see a way to go down to the bottom, so this was the only vantage point we could get of it.  Leta took this shot of me taking the above picture.  I really like the feel of it.

Now I want to go back in the spring when the water's really running. The trail then looped around back through the woods and through the remnants of an old settler homestead.  

No animals to be seen, but nice color here and there like this little gem we stumbled upon...

 

We felt pretty chipper after the hike, so we decided to go back and onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and hike the three mile Black Ridge Trail at Rocky Knob. Everything started out OK...a well marked trail mostly uphill through the woods.  Then at about the half way point, it crosses the Parkway and continues.  Only problem was, we couldn't find a marker.  The trail seemed to lead us right into a closed cattle gate with cattle grazing the field behind it.  Well, that didn't seem right to us, so we were left to return to home base by walking along the Parkway. 

We had some belly laughs as we walked, but it wasn't what we had planned and it was a lot longer for all the twists and turns.  When we finally did get back, we weren't feeling so chipper any more!  I did go into the Visitor Center to ask about the trail.  Sure enough, we were supposed to go through the gate and through the field.  It would have been nice if he had said something when we picked up the map. 

Monday we took a road trip to Galax...where Leta's brother once played at their Fiddler's Convention.  After some time browsing around there, we headed for Grayson Highlands State Park, but we never made it.  It just got to be too far and time was running out to do any hiking once we got there.  So, we turned for home, but took a turn along the way down an unfamiliar road.  It was quite the photographer's find, including a running mountain stream.

Tuesday was a rainy day...I think that was a good thing as it forced us to be still.   We sat around and played with our photos and computers.  That was fun too...comparing notes, tips, tricks, etc.

Like I said, we had a great time...but now it's time to get back to bills, chores, etc. 

Three Trees

bydamanti 

Grazing In The Grass

bydamanti 

Woods Gap Pasture

bydamanti

Wagon Wheel

bydamanti  

Wordless Wednesday - Rainbow At Coartney's Farm

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Wordless Wednesday - Woods Gap Field

bydamanti 

What A Difference 2,637 Feet Makes

Today is July 19th isn't it?  If the temperature is any indication, I'm not so sure.  I woke to 50 degrees and clear fresh air.  Talk about invigorating!  I guess that's what 2637 feet will do.  That's the difference between the elevation here: 2645 feet...and the elevation at my home in Florida: 8 feet.  Statistics are compliments of Google Earth.  If you've never played with that, you're really missing some fun.

I decided it was a good day to try to extend my 2 1/2 mile walk down and back up our hill to the 5 mile loop  down our hill, around to the Parkway, and back home via Woods Gap Road.  My pace suited the day...a nice lope with stops to take pictures and/or when I needed to catch my breath...happy to report, not much of the latter.  The sound of a running creek accompanied me at least half the time. Heavenly. 

My first leg was down from the top of our ridge on Roberson Mill Road.  Lots of wild flowers and birds chirping...and too...the sound of the creek.  Here's a bee working on a chicory blossom.

I then turned onto Hope Road where I saw these mailboxes

A bit further down, the paved road ends as it gets closer to the Parkway...

Then I came across this little bird...

...this Queen Anne's Lace with beetle and ants...

And a corn field...

Then, it was onto the Parkway for about a half mile or so until I came to Woods Gap Road...at mile marker 163...

 

Woods Gap looks much the same as Hope...

  

A little bug...sort of looks like a lady bug, but it was too long for to be one...

As I neared the bottom, I came upon an old, abandoned house...

Then, it was back up Roberson Mill at its other end...all the way up to the crest.  The last half mile was all uphill.  I did OK until the last, steep incline before getting to our road. That was a killer...plus I had to get past two aggressive dogs to boot.

The entire trip took about three hours.  Not a record pace, but I did it.  Grand Tetons here I come!