Journey of Joy - Florida chapter one

I started out this Friday morning reading blogs. Caught up on the San Francisco travels of our daughter, Jamie extrajamplease.blogspot.com Then moved over to read posts from her second cousin, Gill Hunt, writing from her semester abroad in Rouen, France allonsy13.blogspot.com This preamble is only a way for me to declare, "I can't believe how quickly March has flown!" My friend and fellow road tripper, Lynn Grady and I have been in Florida since March 3rd. Despite unseasonably cool weather up and down the coast (we're still waiting for our first 80-degree beach day), we're enjoying sun, sand, sights and sounds of the surf right outside our door.

So far we've visited Jacksonville, Sarasota, Boca Raton, and now we're wrapping up a week in Vero Beach before working our way  back to North Carolina next week. Here are some highlights from our first week in the Sunshine State:

Tallulah Falls State Park, Georgia 

We stopped on our drive south, only 30 miles from Lynn's house, to explore this natural wonder. The views are well-earned, with a steep walk down and back up the 600+ steps. With thousands of annual visitors, it's well designed, with ten lookouts and a sturdy platform at the bottom of the gorge for surround-sound of the falls.

Breathtaking views at every turn

630 steep steps round trip - not for the faint of heart

200' long suspension bridge - don't look down!

White waterfalls and deep green water at the floor of the gorge

View across the gorge

Jacksonville - Neptune Beach, the Kinglsey Plantation and Fernandino

We spent three fun days with Lynn's brother, Patrick and his partner, Todd. They recently moved into an amazing condo on the Intracoastal Waterway on the north end of the city. Three miles to Neptune Beach, and a six-minute ferry ride to Amelia Island, Little Talbot State Park, Kingsley Plantation and the artsy beach town on Fernandino.

View of our hosts' condo - with a marina for their boat

Sobering to visit remains of slave quarters on Kingsley Plantation 

View from the master's Plantation House

Poe's Tavern - a cool spot in Neptune Beach

Morning on Neptune Beach

Who doesn't need a surfer's bench on their front porch?

Lynn test driving a beach cruiser

Journey of Joy - Week 4: On Mountain Time

Western North Carolina has some of the most spectacular scenery in the US, plus a laid back culture and some great music at the local pubs. I have been lucky to sample a full array of sights and sounds near Franklin. Here are some highlights of the natural beauty, even in the dormancy of mid-February.

Sunset Rock - overlooking Highlands, NC

Lynn's trusty Subaru wagon made it up the rutted and snow-covered dirt road 

Short walk through the woods and Voila! views

Lynn spent her summers hanging out on these rocks

Whitewater Falls - Pisgah National Forest:

Tallest waterfall East of the Rockies - 441'
http://www.blueridgeheritage.com/attractions-destinations/whitewater-falls

View from the falls overlook south to Lake Jocassee in South Carolina
http://www.romanticasheville.com/whitewater_falls.htm

Bartram Trail hike - Franklin, NC

2.5 miles each way - piece of cake!
http://www.stayandplayinthesmokies.com/vendor/bartram-trail-wallace-branch-to-william-s-pulpit-franklin-nc/

Another waterfall to add to my list - 1/2 mile from trailhead

Who wouldn't want to follow such an inviting trail?

Summit was named for a long-ago reverend

Girls night out at the Rathskellar - Fiddlers' Kids

Sunset from Lynn's deck

Teenage cousins playing Mumford & Sons and old-time mountain tunes
http://www.rathskeller2000.com/

Little Tennessee River Greenway - 4 mile rec path in Franklin, NC

Whiteside Mountain hike - with Bob Dodd, local guide extraordinaire

We both spied the "gnome holes" in this gnarly old tree

Lower Cullasaja Falls on Rte 64 near Bob's house

Needle ice along the trail
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Needle_ice

100-mile views all the way up

Spring is still aways off, even here in NC

 Imagine whole mountainsides covered in rhododendrons this spring!

Happy winter hikers!

Rock outcrop at the summit - nothing but empty space below me

On March 3rd, we left the NC mountains and headed for a month in sunny Florida! Road trip Chapter Two, coming soon to a blog near you...

Journey of Joy - Finding warmth in Hot Springs NC

On the way back from Knoxville, I stopped at Hot Springs, NC on a chilly, sunny day for a soak in the natural mineral water and massage. I see why the AT (Appalachian Trail) thru-hikers love stumbling upon this little town. Enough creature comforts, but not a shock to the system for hikers who haven't bathed in  75 or so miles on the trail. The Hot Springs Resort and Spa wasn't as luxurious as you might expect from their website. Tub water was in the low 100's, towels were tiny and scratchy, and the campfire outside the soaking area was a smoky surprise. But the river view from the private tub was meditative, and my massage was first rate. I stopped at the Laughing Heart Lodge & Hostel, about a mile from the Hot Springs Resort. Located on a hill adjacent to an AT trailhead, the hostel is only for thru-hikers March-October. The lodge/B&B is a beautifully renovated Jesuit retreat center. I met the on-site staff woman, who recently moved to Hot Springs from the Keene, NH area. She was cheered to see my VT license place, and gave me a full tour.

Private riverside soaking cabanas

Backside of Hot Springs Resort from hot tub area

As they say in Costa Rica, "Pura vida!"*

Picnic area and campfire -- bring your s'mores!

Stay here if you visit Hot Springs NC!

Laughing heart beside the chapel - now a yoga studio

Trailhead leads right to the Hostel

*Pura vida! Means that no matter what your current situation is, life for someone else can always be less fortunate than your own. So you need to consider that maybe...just maybe, your situation isn't all that bad and that no matter how little or how much you have in life, we are all here together and life is short...so start living it "pura vida style".

Journey of Joy - 5 Days in Knoxville

So many new sights and things to do, how quickly I fall behind on the blog posts. Anyway, here's a look at my 5 day trip over to Knoxville, TN Feb 15-20. It's just a hop, skip and jump over the mountains from Franklin, NC -- lucky me. Spent my time basking in three generations with my sister, Christine Billone, her daughter, Dr. Amy Billone, a professor at UT, and the two most endearing grand-nephews ever, Charlie and Nicholas Burke.

Christine and Amy at the Chattanooga Aquarium

Proud to be related to these amazing boys!

The manta ray tank said "Please Touch" so all sleeves were rolled up

These guys actually jumped out of the water for the kids!

What's cooler than seeing a shark up close? Nothing!

IMax movie was "The Lost Reef" in 3D. Unbelievable photography

Chattanooga skyline - a busy President's weekend so we parked on the roof

What else did we pack into this visit?  A children's play of Sleeping Beauty - quite the array of talent in the 5th-9th grade troupe. Long walks with Christine, a perfect way to catch up while logging 4+ miles. Helped Charlie decorate his new Pirate Chest with 250 stick-on gems, and put together a very hard 100-piece Spider Man puzzle with Nicholas. Attended a lovely Episcopal church service with Christine and the boys.

There were great meals at Christine's favorite spots: Zoe's Kitchen, Copper Cellar and Macaroni Grille. Also made friends with the pet menagerie in both families: Quincy, Clay and Amber (Christine's mini-dachshunds), Jasper and Gabi (her black kitties), and Lucky and Cinnamon (Amy's ginger-colored cats). Only Jasper (the Unfriendly Giant) didn't take a liking to me, since I was sleeping in his room. But no worries - one or two scratches and I learned how to keep out of his way.

All in all it was so special to see this family in their everyday lives - bouncing, bright boys who seem to grow taller from one day to the next. Talented, brilliant Amy, with a grasp of literature, poetry and multi-media university teaching tools that leaves us all in the dust. And Nana Christine is there to help out, weaving her steady presence into her grandsons' lives, just like in the olden days.

Cast of Sleeping Beauty - by a local children's theater

Jasper and Gabi dining in style

4-mile loop located on the grounds of a former mental hospital

Views of the river along the Fort Sanders Trail

Another labyrinth for my collection - at Christine's Episcopal church