Monday, April 17, 2006
Monday, April 03, 2006
Looking over the edge of Max Patch
You can see the Max Patch loop trail that goes around the bottom of the hill.
Me @ Max Patch
Max Patch is a bald, similar to the balds at Roan Mountain. The theory is that farmers cleared the trees and brush from the mountaintop to use the land for grazing. Now the forest service keeps the land mowed and trimmed; otherwise, the trees and shrubs would take over again.
Looking out from Max Patch
Craig and I took a drive up to find Max Patch on Sunday. What a nice spot! I can't believe we've never heard of it before last month. We found Max Patch without too much trouble (although stopping in Hot Springs to pick up a map from the Pisgah Forest ranger station is highly recommended). Max Patch is about ten miles from Hot Springs, and about an hour's drive north of Asheville, N.C.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
More Elk in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Craig and I drove from Maggie Valley to Cataloochie Valley today in hopes of seeing some of the elk that were reintroduced to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We were not disappointed! We saw ten elk grazing in a meadow in the Cataloochie Valley.
We have been told that the elk come out to graze early in the morning or late in the afternoon. It's not surprise that we chose afternoon for our trip up into the mountains.
The trip took about 45 minutes from Maggie Valley to Cataloochie Valley.
This valley is not easy to find or to access, but it is worth the drive. If you are a squeamish or timid driver or passenger, this may not be the trip for you! You leave a four-lane highway for a two-lane paved road, which becomes a lane-and-a-half gravel road (straight up the mountain, btw, lots of switchbacks and high drop-offs), which becomes a one-lane dirt road inside the National Park. You eventually come to a paved road again through much of the Cataloochie Valley, and then back to gravel.
There are several buildings in the Valley built around 1903 for by residents. There are homeplaces, a church, some cemeteries, a schoolhouse, and barns. They are all unoccupied now but you are welcome to explore them. There is a campground and horse trails (we encountered a few horse trailers coming down off the mountain --yikes). There were also some smaller motorhomes parked in the campground. I think I'd prefer a tent.
If you are spending a few days in Maggie Valley, Asheville, or the Smokies, I definitely recommed a trip to Cataloochie Valley to check out the elk.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
I got to be in the new BMS Commercial today!
Bristol Motor Speedway announced an open casting call for their new commercial featuring George the Painter, so I went down to make my film debut.
I won’t tell you want the commercial is about ... you’ll just have to wait and see that for yourself! But here are pictures from today’s shoot, which should be on tv nationally in just a few weeks (SpeedTV, and other stations the skew toward your typical NASCAR fan). And I’m sure it will eventually be available for download from the BMS website in the future.
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The volunteer crowd starts the day eager to work.All of us volunteers were rewarded for our long day in the cold with Pole Day and Sharpie Mini-300 tickets!
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Fans want more racing at Bristol!
Fans want more racing at Bristol!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
George the Painter and Me!
George the Painter and Me!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Local TV news crews cover the production.
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One of the volunteers gives an interview to local TV news
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Tuesday, November 08, 2005
Saturday, November 05, 2005
He’s already helping me work!
Little kitty found this spot on his own while I was working, he just climbed right up! He knows where all the action is.
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