A PLAN EXECUTED
It was a special Labor Day weekend this year for my dad. The guy made a huge decision a few years ago, one that required an overwhelming amount of planning and patience, resilience and faith… and as does anything in life… a little bit of luck.
He was leaving his comfort zone, the place he’d called home for the past 40 years and retiring to the mountains.
And this weekend, I joined my sister and his sister, my aunt Ann, to help see through the very last stages of the plan. We met at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains to celebrate his new life and helped him move into his new home.
I'm not gonna post the house but here's some shots of the earliest stages of fall from around his woods.
OLD FORT
On Sunday we piled into my pop’s car and ventured over to a town called 'Old Fort' for a hike at the Gateway Trails. First thing I saw when we pulled in was some kids playing in the creek, opposite the direction we were heading. After we parked I made it a point to sprint down to get a couple shots, then back to the trailhead to start the hike. It looked magical down there.
boys of summer
Although it was starting to rain (and eventually pour, as the saying goes) as we were heading back to the car, I had to go see the spot for myself before we left. I got completely soaked, but it was worth it. It was as serene and pleasant a little spot I’ve ever visited. I ended up hanging down there long enough that they sent my sister down to make sure I didn’t slip and bust my head open doing some dumb shit. Totally reasonable to be honest, but not the case this time. Just enjoying the moment.
The bridge in this photo is where I took the previous photo from. Because of the rain I had the place to myself which was surreal. So peaceful.
Taken, by request, mid-hike at Gateway. There are only a handful of people who are allowed to request photos from me on the spot, but these three happen to be in that handful. Request away.
THE BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY
On Monday I took my aunt up to the mountain for a loop around the parkway! Earlier that morning I snagged a map that was made for visiting bikers detailing the best local route. As I looked closely at it, I realized that it is not the route that I did two years ago… turns out I made wrong turn at the first overlook and never got on the actual Parkway at all. The alternate route was absolutely jaw-dropping, so no complaints, but it’s slightly embarrassing seeing that I’ve a big 'Blue Ridge Parkway' sticker on my suitcase ever since. We made the right turn this time, both literally and figuratively, and boy was it special. We stopped at 4-5 overlooks, did a quick tour of Little Switzerland, and looped back around through stretch known to the locals as “Devil’s Whip” which is perfect because I was WHIPPIN my aunts Toyota Camry rental. It’s a really fun drive when there’s no bikers cramping you.
Picture perfect clouds from one of several overlooks on the aptly named Blue Ridge Parkway.
Briefly lost a shoe taking this pic.
One month from now this will be a breath-taking spectrum of reds, yellows and oranges. It will also be RIDDLED with bikers.
A spectacular day to be on the mountain.
Taken at the last overlook before Little Switzerland, so I'll call it Lil Swiss Valley...
Click either of the above for super wide panoramas.
LAKE TAHOMA
A lone pontoon boat cruises Lake Tahoma at blue hour. It's my tradition now to stop here for a photo right when I get to town and right before I leave.
One of the most unique areas in my dad’s new neighborhood is Lake Tahoma, a private lake & dam at the base of the mountain that is only accessible to the surrounding landowners. While my dad doesn’t technically fall into that category, he does fit into one that I would call "close enough".
The building pictured is apparently a member’s only recreation center known as "The Casino". Apparently it was the coolest place to be in the roaring 20’s… everything from big bands to slot machines where people lost it all… Now it’s just a setting for cornball destination weddings.
A few more yards down is a stunning dam and man-made waterfall, one that blew my mind the first time I saw it. But I just learned this trip (via that biker’s map again) that it is known as the "Haunted Dam" …so I will be doing a lot more dam exploring in the future.
“Does anybody have any dam questions?”
Last shot before leaving town. Back to the beach!
THAT’S A MAN THAT IS NOT SLEEPING IN A CAMPER TONIGHT FOLKS