If the only thing you know about Pilot Mountain is that it was the inspiration for "Mount Pilot," Mayberry's neighboring town on The Andy Griffith Show, you need to get out more often. Specifically, go directly to Pilot Mountain State Park in Surry and Yadkin counties. Because quite frankly, with all due respect to Mr. Griffith, the view from the pinnacles of PIlot Mountain kicks the crap out of the best Andy Griffith Show that ever aired.
The mountain the natives called "The Pilot" takes you to another world, rising 1,400 feet above the rolling valleys and the meandering Yadkin River, which lie like devoted worshippers at its feet. The mountain's most prominent feature is the rocky peak of Big Pinnacle, a 200-foot quartzite monadnock towering high above the forests, as a a constant contingent of ravens circles the summit like winged guardians, riding the thermal currents from the valleys below. A narrow saddle of land connects Big Pinnacle to the neighboring Little Pinnacle Overlook, which offers breathtaking views without a suffocating hike. A well-paved road winds from the main entrance of the park directly to the Little Pinnacle Overlook, making it accessible to people of any ability. From this overlook, you can see hundreds of square miles in any direction, across the mountains of North Carolina and into nearby Virginia. On a clear day, the towers of downtown Winston-Salem, 30 miles away, are clearly visible in the distance.
380,000 people each year visit Pilot Mountain State Park, which was dedicated as a National Natural Landmark in 1976. After years of being operated as a commercial attraction, Pilot Mountain became North Carolina's 14th state park in 1968 after a group of local residents and the mountain's owner, Mrs. J.W. Beasley, acquired the property and 1,000 additional acres in an effort to protect the area from commercial development.
Like the nearby Hanging Rock State Park, Pilot Mountain State Park is a remnant of the Sauratown Mountains, estimated to be approximately 350 to 400 million years old. Pilot Mountain takes its name from the area's earliest known inhabitants, the Saura Indians, who called it Jomeokee, the "Great Guide" or "Pilot." True to its name, the Saura, their Cherokee rivals who later forced the Saura from the region, European explorers and Moravian settlers all used the mountain as a guide for their north-south travel routes through the area. The mountain was first mapped by Joshua Fry and Peter Jefferson, father of President Thomas Jefferson, in 1751.
Today the 3,703-acre park is divided into two sections: a mountain section dominated by Big and Little Pinnacles; and a river section that winds around the two Yadkin Islands (one 45 acres, the other 15 acres), both of which are an easy wade across the shallow river.
The park's two sections are joined by a five-mile woodland corridor that encompasses 11 hiking trails and three bridle trails.These trails range from an easy half-mile walk to the Yadkin River, to a strenuous 2.5-mile Mountain Trail that loops around Little Pinnacle Overlook and Big Pinnacle, to a 5.5-mile hiking/bridle trail. The most popular hiking trails are the Jomeokee Trail, a moderate one-mile loop that circle Big Pinnacle's base, and the Ledge Springs Trail, a strenuous two-mile path with rough trails and spectacular cliffside views.
While it is heaven for hikers, Pilot Mountain State Park is made for more than just footsloggers alone. Its river section has 38 canoe access sites and is one of the most scenic segments of the 165-mile Yadkin Rover Canoe Trail. Licensed anglers can fish for sunfish, crappie and catfish along the Yadkin's banks. Rock climbing and rappelling is allowed in designated areas (all climbers must complete a registration form and activity permit at the park office). Nature watchers will enjoy the rich diversity of wildlife, including pileated woodpeckers, ravens, warblers, bluebirds, wrens, white-tailed deer, woodchuck, opossum and red and gray fox that call the park home. Mountain bikers also use the steep main road to the Little Pinnacle Overlook for hill training.
The lower slopes of Pilot Mountain have 49 sites for tent and trailer camping. Another group campsite is available by reservation along the north side of the Yadkin River and two primitive campsites (no toilet facilities or drinking water) for canoeists are located on the larger of the two Yadkin Islands. The park also has four picnic areas: one near the summit parking lot, two near the river's north and south shores; and a covered picnic shelter accommodating up to 35 people (reservations are suggested).
Visitors can learn more about the area through ranger-conducted educational programs designed to comply with North Carolina high school curriculums and explore its agricultural past at Horne Creek Farm, a state historic site in the Yadkin River section of the park restored to its 1900-era appearance.
So any time you feel like be transported to another world that's not a world away, set a course straight to Pilot Mountain State Park.
For park hours, fees and additional information, please contact:
Pilot Mountain State Park
1792 Pilot Knob Park Road
Pinnacle, NC 27043
336-325-2355
Fax 336-325-2751
pilot.mountain@ncmail.net
ils.unc.edu/parkproject/ncparks.html
Directions:
Pilot Mountain State Park is located in Surry and Yadkin counties, 24 miles north of Winston-Salem and 14 miles south of Mount Airy.
To the mountain section:
Take US 52
Turn at the Pilot Mountain State Park exit
Travel west into the mountain section of the park, where the park office is located
Take US 52
Turn at the Pinnacle exit
Follow the signs to Horne Creek Farm
The park entrance is approximately .4 miles past the farm
To the south river section (Surry County):
Take NC 67 to the town of East Bend
From Main Street, turn right on Fairground Road
Turn right on Shady Grove Church Road
Turn right on Shoals Road, and follow it to the park
Belly Dance. For most people, the name conjures up images of exotic women dancing for a sultan's delight. But according to Becky Shook, a Belly Dance instructor who leads The Lost Jewels of the Ghawazee, a Belly Dance troupe based in Granite Falls, NC, that image is about as far from the truth as… well as far as Granite Falls is from India, where Belly Dance originated.
"Contrary to what many Westerners believe, Oriental Dance — the correct name for Belly Dance — did not originate as a dance of seduction done by concubines to titillate the sultan," Shook explained. "For centuries, the role of Oriental Dance in Middle Eastern society has been that of a folk dance that people would do at joyous occasions such as weddings, the birth of a child, community festivals, and other events that bring people together." In certain cultures, it was also a dance that trained women's muscles for childbirth and was usually performed by women for other women, their husbands, or their families, but never for strangers.
Shook, who performs under the name Neela, first began Belly Dance (called "ethnic fusion" in her studio) in 1995 from a dancer named Joy Raymond. "She was interested in teaching and was looking for a student. I told her I didn't want to learn this hoochie-coochie stuff," Shook recalled. "But then we went to an SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism, which recreates medieval battles and middle-ages life) event and I actually got to watch her dance… and I just thought it was absolutely beautiful. At that point I went back to her and apologized for being ignorant and asked her to teach me."
After two years of working with Raymond and her troupe, Raymond moved to Charlottesville, VA, but Shook continued studying Belly Dance on her own. She now teaches Belly Dance classes and formed her own dance troupe, the Lost Jewels of the Ghawazee, at the Mind-Body Connection, a yoga and dance studio Shook co-owns in Granite Falls.
The troupe performs at festivals, schools and other public events throughout the community. "Believe or not our biggest sponsor this year has been the Girl Scouts," Shook said. These public performances help the dancers raise awareness of the true purpose and benefits of bellydancing as well as share the beauty of this increasingly popular art. "It is a chance to become friends and sisters with other women," Shook elaborated. "They learn to love who they are and its reminds us that the body types and stereotypes we think of as beauty are not as narrow as we perceive them to be… and that's a great thing. People get in touch with their souls and their spirits and their bodies in a way thev've never done before."
The Belly Dance which Shook's troupe performs is an American hybrid of various styles of Oriental dance known as ethnic fusion. The troupe does its own choreography, though its dances are freestyle, rather than the lead and follow exhibited in American Tribal Style (ATS). The troupe performs either to prerecorded music or live music performed by the troupe's spouses and friends.
They also make their own costumes based on their own personal preferences, Belly Dance costuming trends and, of course, the cultures from which the dance originated. But don't expect them to be wearing nothing but veils and sequins. Belly dancers are not strippers — a distinction which is often lost, even on dancers' own families. After watching her perform for the first time Shook's father said " 'Well I guess we don't have to be embarrassed over you doing this, huh?' " Shook recalled. "And I'm wearing three times more clothes than he is sitting there and working real hard to make it a beautiful and elegant experience."
It takes years to become truly proficient at Belly Dance, but Shook is thrilled to introduce new students to her art. After three months of training, her beginning classes "graduate” at a celebration known as a hafla. "Basically, it's like a final, and they get their friends and family to come in and see what we do. I do the whole lecture, 20 minutes interspersed throughout the evening, where I discuss the history, where the name comes from, what countries are influenced… so in that regard its very educational," Shook explained. "At the same time, we like to get out and perform because again, just us showing up and not wearing a sequined bra and sequined belt having five miles of leg hanging out changes people's perceptions as well. That's an education unto itself. But the biggest thing is just to be able to dance. That's what we really love to do."
Becky Shook has been involved with Belly Dance since 1995 and offers Belly Dance classes at the Mind Body Connection, located at in 20 South Main Street, in Granite Falls, NC.
For more information contact:
828-313-0013
www.ghawazeedance.com
booking@ghawazeedance.com
bshook2@charter.net
To find other instructors throughout NC, go to:
ncbellydance.org
Western North Carolina's Appalachian Mountains have given us many popular and respected musicians throughout the years, but Wayne Henderson is one of few artists as renowned for the instruments as well as the music he makes.
Born in the Ashe County town of Jefferson, Wayne started playing guitar at the age of five. Wayne says he was mostly self-taught, but did have some help from old-time fiddler, Albert Hash, a legendary fiddler and fiddle-maker who Wayne has always looked to for inspiration and advice.
Most musicians would be happy to earn acclaim for their playing alone. But Wayne sought to carve out another distinction for himself, as a respected guitar craftsman. At age 16, Wayne made his first guitar, and there has been a waiting list ever for his guitars ever since. Wayne has sold guitars for the past 30 years, and is still the proud owner of the first guitar he ever built.
Wayne's guitars are considered exceptional because of their distinctive tone, resonance, and volume. His guitars range from $1,000 to $5,000 depending on the types of wood and the handwork used to create it. He feels that it’s important to keep the old style of guitar making alive as well as the styles of playing it. This is apparent through his use of the “drop-thumb” style of playing, an increasingly rare style where the artist hits the string on the way down with his thumb and on the way up with his fingers.
Wayne has played at Carnegie Hall, several times in Asia, and a few times on the “Masters of the Steel-String Guitar.” Later this year, Wayne will perform in Texas, New York, France and Washington. You can also see Wayne play closer to home at any of his local performances and purchase his CDs, including “Rugby Guitar,” “Contest Favorites and Guitar Picking” and “W.C. Henderson and Company,” which are available throughout the area.
There are no signs pointing out the way to Hart’s Square, a seemingly abandoned village in Catawba County where speckled fawns and does freely lounge in knee-high grasses — only a mammoth iron gate, bearing the symbol of a heart, set inside a square.
Deep in a century-old stand of chestnut oak, the largest known collection of log cabins waits, steeped in quiet. Like a still photo from simpler times, it’s as if an entire community was whisked away. Porch rockers are empty and gristmill gears rarely turn, still, the essence of life in the Catawba Valley remains.
Beneath the shade of a tented canopy, the collection’s proprietor, Bob Hart, uses a power saw to cut planks of wood that are nearly 200 years old. Along with his helper, Boris Perjar, he is reconstructing the sub-floor for a summer kitchen. Even in the shade, the temperature is nearly 100-degrees.
“Tomorrow, I’ll be working in an air-conditioned office,” Hart said, wiping sweat and sawdust from his forehead.
Given the choice, he prefers to be here in Hart’s Square, working to rebuild the newest addition to his collection of log structures — the Teague House. Hart tried to retire years ago, but found that affording his hobby meant he still had to put in few days at the office.
That hobby started in 1967, with the purchase of land. At the time, the practicing physician had plans to create a wildlife refuge — some place to get away. So, he constructed ponds for ducks, geese and swan, while fencing in more than 200 acres for his deer herd.
In the midst of all that tranquility, wouldn’t a log cabin be nice?
“That’s just what a good friend of mine told me one day,” Hart said.
And so, an old log cabin soon made the journey from an overgrown field to what would become Hart’s Square. From then, there was news of a barn, a church and an old corncrib.
These days, Hart’s Square showcases more than 80 original log structures, resurrected from ruin throughout the Catawba Valley. One-by-one, the structures were dismantled, moved and ultimately given new purpose in a lifelong project that continues nearly a half-century later.
Once a year, on the fourth Saturday in October, Hart swings open that big iron gate, inviting a limited number of visitors in for the day. It is the one time of year that Hart’s Square comes to life. Hart works as a caretaker year round, but it takes months to ready the village for visitors.
The Teague House, a two-story log house, was only recently moved to Hart’s Square. Originally located in the Dudley Shoals community on Burns Road in Catawba County, the home was built by William F. Teague in 1874.
While it takes Hart and his crew a mere two days to dismantle a log structure, it can take as long as six months to rebuild. “We take the floor, the rocks, the windows and the doors,” he said. “We take everything until there’s nothing left but rotting wood.”
It took Hart six weeks to build the Teague House chimney. “This chimney is unique because it’s made of hand-carved sandstone,” Hart said. Constructed of rose-colored sandstone, the chimney is one of the home’s most striking features. Inside the ceilings, walls and floors are original heart pine. There is something else that makes the Teague House special.
“This is the last one,” Hart said. “I promised my wife I wouldn’t move anymore.” That decision doesn’t signal the end for his collection. Five years ago, the Hart Square Foundation was established.
“We set up this nonprofit foundation to continue the existence of Hart’s Square long after I’m gone,” he said, still nailing down boards beneath the canopy. With only three months until the festival, every minute is precious.
Once the summer kitchen is complete, Hart will finish making the rounds, checking in on the Whitener Cabin, Chapel of Peace, the general store and an old print shop
Each of these structures is accented with period furnishings that preserve the simplicity of life in the 1800s.
The print shop, a small one-room log cabin, contains a miniature 1873 printing press, as well as printing accessories — book press, chase, coins, wooden blocks and links.
The country store, which was built in 1790 and recovered from Conover, represents an economic and social center where settlers once gathered to tell stories, play checkers and chew tobacco. The counter houses a tobacco cutter, a coffee grinder and an old ledger book. There is even a scale, once used to weigh gold panned from nearby creeks.
“For each board I nail down on these structures, I think about how much work went into that one board alone,” Hart said. “I think about how much harder folks had to work, even in simpler times.”
“As a doctor, I worked to preserve human life,” he continued “By reconstructing log cabins, I am able to preserve a way of life, saving a slice of history for future generations to savor.”
Tickets for the 20th annual Village Festival at Harts Square are $25. This includes a tour of the village, which will be bustling with re-enactors, demonstrating everything from candy making and bee hive oven baking, to cotton ginning and wood carving. Tickets go on sale Monday, Oct. 3 and can be purchased from the Catawba County Historical Association.
For ticket information, or to make a donation to the Hart’s Square Foundation, contact the Catawba County Historical Association at (828) 465-0383.
It was seven months into our relationship and we were sick of our weekend routine. We needed something new and adventurous. I wanted to surprise him and spark his interest with something he has never tried before. I showed him a little bit of my creative side when I hit him with, “Let’s go letterboxing.” He looked at me like I had spoken a foreign language. I pulled out a backpack with two stamps, an inkpad, a compass, a notebook, and directions to our first letterbox. Now he was looking at me like I was from another planet. I explained to him how it works and he was impressed.
Letterboxing, or geocaching, combines treasure hunting, hiking, art, navigation, and exploring in one. It was inspired by the ancient practice of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain to let others know you have been there. Today, letterboxing enthusiasts hide a watertight box containing a logbook, a rubber stamp and other surprises in a remote location. Once the box is hidden, you write clues, map coordinates or compass headings and send them to others or post them on a web site for other letterbox hunters to follow. Once you find the letterbox, you stamp the logbook in the box with your personal stamp, and stamp your personal logbook with the box's stamp. The box's logbook records all visitors and the hunter’s logbook records all the logbooks you’ve found.
I told my boyfriend stories of all the letterboxes I found with my mother when I was younger. I described the beautiful waterfalls, mountains, and trails I’ve experienced. While I was rambling on, I realized that this would be the perfect hobby for us to share.
It was Saturday morning and we set out to look for our first letterbox, Skipper’s Hiding Place. We pulled into the parking lot at the park and read our first clue; “This is where Skipper started his journey to find a place to hide from the artillery fire that was occurring in this area in 1941 for preparation of World War II. Skipper took the trail that went through fence posts that were made out of tree logs.”
We got out of the car and looked around for anything that looked like a fence. I turned and saw my boyfriend already at the fence posts waving his hands for me to hurry up and read the next clue. I thought to myself, “Well I guess I sparked some interest.”
I ran to catch up with him and read the next clue. “Skipper followed the trail until he came to a clearing where it looked like some horses were barrel racing. He stayed close to the woods as he turned left and continued to follow the trail. He followed the trial as it turned left and went into the woods again.”
We crossed through the fence posts and started following the trail. I started telling him how big letterboxing was, and I explained that there were not only hundreds in the state but thousands of letterboxes across the nation.
We continued on the trail, talking, and enjoying the time together so much that we forgot to check the directions. We read the next clue and it said, “As Skipper followed the trail he could see he was going around the lake so if he needed water he could get some. He came to a sign on his left that said ‘Bridge out, due to repairs’.” When we read that, we both looked at each other and laughed. We had passed that sign ten minutes ago. We turned around and stayed focused this time.
We reached the sign and the directions told us that, “Skipper turned left and started down the trail to the Lake to get some water, as he was getting thirsty. On the right of the trail Skipper saw a big deep gulley, which would make a good place to hide if he heard any artillery fire. He went down to the lake and got a drink, but he had to find a place to hide fast as he heard some artillery fire.“
We walked down to the lake and were looking around and enjoying the view. I walked a little further, ignoring the directions and found a dock. As I was looking over the lake I noticed how beautiful everything was, and found a perfect spot for lunch. As you can tell, we were not in any rush so we had a picnic, devouring our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. We cleaned up everything and set out once again to find where Skipper was hiding.
The next clue read, “He started back up the hill and saw a group of three medium size trees on the left side of him very close to the edge of the gully. Under these you will find Skipper hiding.”
Both of our eyes grew big and we started racing to find these medium-sized trees. The excitement kept building as we searched then, once we found the trees, we looked at each other and smiled. We circled them a couple of times and didn’t find the box. My boyfriend circled the trees one more time, lifted a branch and found it.
He brought it over to me and I handed him his stamp, a frog with a crown on its head. He laughed and said, “Is this supposed to be me?” Then I showed him mine — a princess. I explained to him that we get to leave our stamp in every letterbox we find to let everyone know we found it. “The princess and the prince, huh?” he said. I laughed and said told him how cute I thought it was.
He started going through the rest of the box and found another stamp with a dog on it. I told him that was Skipper. He stamped our notebook and wrote next to it, “The prince and the princess found Skipper. Our first of many letterboxes to find.” My smile couldn’t have been any bigger. I was happy that he appreciated letterboxing the way I do. After stamping the books, we replaced everything just like we found it and spent the rest of the day around the park.
We have now been letterboxing all around both Carolinas. This weekend we are going to Clay County to look for “The Fires Creek Letterbox” and “The Dirty Dancing Letterbox” in Rutherford County. My boyfriend and I have become so much closer since we’ve started letterboxing. The long talks that we fall into, the beautiful scenery we see together, the way we appreciate nature and the simple things in life together are wonderful and I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything.
To find letterboxes throughout North Carolina:
The best way to find letterbox locations, maps, guides, directions, even GPS coordinates is through a search on the internet.
• Go to a reliable search engine such as Google, Dogpile, or Yahoo
• Enter "letterboxing North Carolina," "geocaching North Carolina" or "letterboxing NC" or "geocaching NC" in the search window
• Click on the entries that you interest you in your area
• Put on your Indiana Jones fedora. follow the directions
and get ready to answer the call of adventure!
When you first set foot on the summit of Stone Mountain, you feel more like you're stepping into another world. The granite dome rises 600 feet above the encroaching forests, its massive form dominating 25-square miles of the Wilkes and Alleghany County countryside. Pocked with troughs and craters carved into the rock through millions of years of erosion, it's almost as if someone buried a moon south off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Geologically speaking, Stone Mountain is a pluton, a body of igneous rock formed more than 300 million years ago by a bubble of molten lava beneath the earth's surface. Unlike other mountains, which look more like stacks of tumbled and exposed boulders, Stone Mountain is essentially one giant stone erupting from the earth.
Stone Mountain State Park, which encompasses the titanic monolith, was established in 1969 and designated a National Natural Landmark in 1975. The largest state park in North Carolina, it covers more than 13,500 acres, including more than 16 miles of hiking trails, 17 miles of designated trout waters, three scenic waterfalls, a five-mile horseback riding trail, 75 picnic sites, three picnic shelters, more than a dozen campsites and several historic exhibits and sites. Rock climbing is allowed, but only by permit in designated sites in dry weather.
The park's eight trails are well blazed and clearly marked, with distances ranging from 1/2 to 2.5 miles The first cliffs are visible after a quarter mile of rather strenuous climbing. The tops of the cliffs are fairly level, but the walls are steeply sloped and should be avoided in wet weather. Hikers should also keep back from the cliffs' nearly vertical edges to avoid being stranded on ledges that are difficult to climb back up.
Fortunately, the spectacular views from high atop the cliffs will give you plenty to hold your attention. Hawks rise on the thermals from the valleys below. Pines and cedar cling tenaciously to the edges of the rock face, while patches of lichens, mosses and ferns grow from footholds on the granite dome itself. Together the forests and plants form a living frame for sweeping vistas of the surrounding rock faces, forests and mountains, stretching from horizon to horizon in every direction. These views are impressive year round, but particularly stunning when the forests are awash in autumn's full glory.
After you conquer Stone Mountain's breathtaking cliff faces, there are still plenty of sights to explore. Streaming down one side of the summit is Stone Mountain Falls, a 200-foot-high cascade framed by protective barriers and a winding manmade, wooden staircase almost as impressive as the falls themselves. Two other, smaller plumes, Middle Falls and Lower Falls, are only a short hike away as well.
You won't be alone while you're in the park either. Expect to see white-tailed deer or flocks of wild turkey wandering next to the roads or along the trails. Other animals found in the park include box turtles, gray and red foxes, bobcats, raccoon, frogs, salamanders, snakes, beaver and birds including scarlet tanager, whippoorwill, grouse and woodpeckers.
In addition to its natural wonders, the park also has three other attractions that pay tribute to the area's rich past. At the park office Mountain Culture Exhibit, you can learn how settlers built their own self-sufficient communities throughout the area. Near the base of the dome, you'll find the Hutchinson Homestead, which was built in the 19th Century and restored in 1998, complete with a log cabin, barn, blacksmith shop, meat house and original furnishings. You can also visit Garden Creek Baptist Church, which was established in 1897 and remains one of the few original Wilkes County churches that has not undergone major renovations.
If you've think you've seen or done it all in the North Carolina mountains, discover an out-of-this-world experience — try walking on the moon at Stone Mountain State Park.
Directions:
Stone Mountain State Park is located in Wilkes and Alleghany counties, seven miles southwest of Roaring Gap, south of the Blue Ridge Parkway and east of the Thurmond Chatham Game Lands.
From I-77:
• Turn west onto US 21
• Veer left onto Traphill Road (SR 1002)
ª Follow it to the John P. Frank Parkway
• Turn right and follow the parkway to the park
From the west:
• Take NC 18 north
• Turn right onto Traphill Road (SR 1002)
• Follow the road to the John P. Frank Parkway
• Turn left, following the parkway to the park
For more details, contact:
Stone Mountain State Park
3042 Frank Parkway
Roaring Gap, NC 28668
(336) 957-8185
stone.mountain@ncmail.net
http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/visit/stmo/do.html
Park Hours:
• November-February, 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
• March and October, 8 a.m.-7 p.m.
• April, May, September, 8 a.m.-8 p.m.
• June-August, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.
(Closed Christmas Day)
• Office Hours 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily
(Closed state holidays)
There is a woman I know who is in love, a love that is like no other, a love that crosses all boundaries. She is in love with her poodle-terrier dog. Now granted, she is my mother and you might laugh at this, but I can assure you there are many people who feel the same way — under the spell of their pets.
The love between an owner and their pet is indescribable. Most people think of their pets as one of the family — my mother certainly does. And who wants to go on vacation without a member of their family? But where can you take a pet on vacation? Many hotels restrict animals from staying on the premises. So where can a pet and their owners go to have a great getaway? The answer: Ponder Cove Bed & Breakfast.
Located in Mars Hill near Asheville, Ponder Cove is the “premier dog friendly” B&B in the area. There is no other bed and breakfast like Ponder Cove.
Ponder Cove’s human guests may enjoy three luxury suites furnished with Queen, King, or twin beds and lots of fluffy pillows, warm fireplaces, a large bath and dressing rooms with luxurious robes and whirlpool tubs for two. In the mornings, guests are treated to a gourmet breakfast. They can also relax in the bed and breakfast’s inviting grand room and wicker furnished reading room or slip away for quiet walks in the woods and gardens on surrounding grounds. Books, puzzles and VCR tape library are available and every room is equipped with a VCR and Direct TV.
Ponder Cove’s canine guests are just as pampered as their human companions. Each dog receives a welcoming doggy basket, with complimentary treats and a personal copy of Fido-friendly magazine. Your four-legged friends can also enjoy an off leash play area, as well as a concierge services, a dog sitter and activities designed for dogs and their pet humans alike.
Guests will also love the gorgeous views of the Japanese style gardens around the bed and breakfast. These exotic landscapes were designed by Jack Jarvis, a designer whose work has featured on Home and Garden TV and took home the Best in Show Award at Asheville’s Bonsai Festival in 2003.
Owners Gary and Martha Abraham want to create a unique environment where each of their guests and their pooches can feel at home away form home. “We have tried to think of everything to make this the most pleasurable vacation. We have a wonderful relationship with the Doghouse Doggie Day Care, one of Asheville’s leading daycare facilities. So, why feel guilty about going to the Biltmore for the entire day when your furry friend can enjoy an exciting day at day camp?”
Ponder Cover is located close to Asheville, just off the new Interstate 26 at1067 Ponder Creek Rd. in Mars Hill, NC. For more information, call Ponder Cove toll free at 866-689-7304 or visit pondercove.com
With the image of their website burned into my thoughts, I developed a hopeless case of Fire Mountain fever that only a visit could calm. My anticipation climbed on the steep drive to this remote hideaway located just outside Highlands, North Carolina. Would experiencing this upscale resort convert this avid camper’s burning desire to live outdoors?
After making the unmarked turn to Fire Mountain, winding alongside quiet pastureland, the resort unfolded atop the 4,000’ summit. Mathew Gillen, one of the resort’s general partners, greeted me warmly; he was a gracious host, and we began our tour at the mountaintop inn.
Every detail of the inn is carefully designed to create a simultaneous ambiance of luxury and casual comfort. Immediately my eye was drawn to the dining area’s six windows and their expansive view of the mountains. This panorama is particularly inspiring during the fall and winter, when the leaves have fallen from the trees. While the view from the dining area is superb, it was the art gallery where Fire Mountain showcases its private collection that intrigued my mind and quickened my pulse (A recent addition, Patti Quinn’s fused glass "Stargazer," is featured in the photos accompanying this story).
The spirit of life and creativity pervades all of Fire Mountain. The resort pays homage to the Cherokee, native of the Nantahala Forest in which the resort is located. Names like "Nantahala" (the Cherokee word for "land of the noonday sun") and "Cullasaja" ("honey locust place") enhance the natural mystery of the mountainous resort’s inn and cabins, surrounded by lush mountain springs, waterfalls, streams, ponds and hiking trails. As if to echo the Cherokee reverence of nature, the resort also borrows the names of local plants and trees for its cabins and treehouses, which are lodgings apart from the inn.
Since I am accustomed to camping privately in the woods, it was the treehouses that appealed most to my sense of "getting away from it all." Each of the three treehouses (Spruce, Sassafras, and Laurel) features a private entrance and a tastefully decorated private deck. On a clear day, all three provide a magnificent view of the western mountains 30 to 40 miles in the distance, beautifully illuminated by brilliant winter sunsets.
While staying at the Spruce Treehouse, you can enjoy glorious sunsets while lying in a European king bedroom, lost in the embrace of thick, comfortable pillows. Laurel, the largest treehouse, has a roomy wraparound deck, where you can watch the sun sink into the mountains from a hammock or folding teak chair, or contemplate the woods’ peaceful sounds from a rocking chair. Each treehouse also has warm wall-to-wall carpeting that blankets each bedroom with quiet comfort. Simple lines and soothing color schemes that fill every bath with a relaxing sense of elegance. And crisp, clean, colorful furniture designs that make each room feel expansive and alive.
A full "Mountaintop Inn Breakfast," served by candlelight at the inn, is the perfect way to wrap up your treehouse stay. What else could a die-hard camper possibly desire? After one visit, the treehouses at Fire Mountain are sure to be a fulfilling experience that will be burned in your memory forever.
Striking views, sumptuous lodging, luxurious baths…who knew treehouses could be this luxurious? For more information, call 828-526-4446 or visit www.firemt.com