Mountain Trip, Fall 2011 Bill and I began visiting the NC/SC mountains many years ago. We settled on Oconee State Park in Mountain Rest, SC, and the cabin section most secluded. Most years, Elizabeth was able to join us. This year Elizabeth and John were able to join us after their visit with friends in Sylva, NC.
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Sunday afernoon we got settled and then enjoyed the porch view of the lake as well as some Red Hills blueberry wine (Bill, the vintner) and a snack of cheese and crackers (see above). |
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Monday morning we drove south to Walhalla, SC, to visit a specific antique mall (see photo, right). It was open, and we browsed, but many shops were closed on Monday, and, many, out of business. Our designated lunch spot was closed as well. We opted to travel north to Highlands, NC, and dine at a favorite spot--Oak Street Cafe. |
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Highlands is a bustling area in the fall. We were lucky to find a parking spot just outside the cafe. See the street scene (the cafe is the tall white building, upper floor) and cafe interior (above). After a nice lunch we browsed the shops on the main street, as shown above, and then enjoyed ice cream. We were told Katharine Hepburn had visited the area, and the ice cream shop, and had lodged at the very charming hotel directly across the street. We did more browsing and John made photographs: a church, veranda shopping, me at the veranda, and a shopping alcove, shown below. |
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Bill especially enjoyed a gourmet food shop. What a selection! I would have tried the chocolate/red wine sample had the line been shorter! The shop is just off to the right of the veranda shown above right, upper photos. A number of shops are located in little areas off the main sidewalk, as shown in the upper right photo. Driving around we enjoyed the fall colors and mountain views (see below) and stopped in Cashiers, NC, for more shopping and browsing. |
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| Elizabeth and John left for home early Tuesday morning. Bill and I returned to Walhalla and found several shops open we had wanted to visit the day before. I found one I enjoyed quite a lot, the Farmhouse Gallery , where I purchased some prints by a local artist, Vivian Edwards. We also lunched in Walhalla at a nostalgic cafeteria and later stopped for a cinnamon bun and coffee at a cute bakery shop, where I also found a 1950s crocheted dresser scarf for our vintage Singer sewing machine. | |
Driving back to the cabin we stopped at Mountain Rest Apple Orchard and purchased some Winesap and Crispin apples and chatted a bit. We were happy to hear that Mr. Jack Lombard is still out and about although he no longer has apple trees or a roadside stand. Bill very much enjoys chats with Mr. Lombard. Several years ago, he documented one of those visits, which can be viewed here (Slide 84) . We saw only one apple stand open on Hwy 107 whereas there had been three or four just three years ago. After a brief rest at the cabin, we headed off to the Walhalla State Fish Hatchery operated by the SC Dept. of Natural Resources. We first enjoyed watching some people fish for trout in the mountain stream next to the hatchery (see left, below). Walking around the runs, we enjoyed looking at and feeding the fish and reminisced about how much Julia enjoyed this activity in 2008. The Hatchery building is a beautiful stonework structure (see below, right). |
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| It rained Tuesday night so we could not pack early. In fact, it rained off and on most of our return trip. Still, we stopped at a familiar antique shop (Reed's Odds and Ends) outside Athens, GA, and I was lucky to find a vintage crochet piece and embroidered hankies for dressing my small sewing room mannequin. No sewing required! | |
Return to Documentation for this page. Last edit: Oct 29, 2011. |
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