Score one for the good ole NC roadmap
This time, the GPS was wrong.
While traveling through the Pisgah National Forest Thursday, we were trying to figure out if we were going the right way to the waterfalls we wanted to see. So we plugged in some coordinates, and hit “Start.”
I figured we needed to go south, but the GPS was telling us to go north for about 20 miles. That didn’t seem right, so I went old school, and pulled out the trusty NC DOT road map. Sure enough, we needed to go south.
It doesn’t happen often, but low-tech trumped high-tech this time.
Chasing waterfalls, Day 2
Looking Glass Falls: It’s pretty breath-taking, huh?
This time, my sister Patricia and I went searching for waterfalls, and we found a couple of beauties in the Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania County.
Trish went the extra mile to get good photos.
The last of two we found turned out to be the best. It was Looking Glass Falls, and it was pretty fantastic. My sister, my dog Tyler and I walked down the steps to get a good look at it. (Later, we’d walk back up. Whew! I need to get in better shape.) I took some photos, and so did my sister. In fact, my sister maneuvered around to get some better photos. I stayed at the observation area with Tyler.
Tyler strikes an irresistible while at Looking Glass Falls.
And speaking of Tyler, he didn’t seem all that taken by the waterfall. He seemed more interested in charming the ladies.
Sliding Rock Falls, at Pisgah National Forest.
Earlier, we viewed Sliding Rock Falls in the forest. This place doubles as a water slide and swimming hole. But on this mid-October day, the air — and presumably the water — was too chilly for people to don their bathing suits and take the plunge.
Chasing waterfalls
Sunburst Falls, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Sometimes you happen upon one of Mother Nature’s magnificent sites by accident.
My sister and I were driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, when decided to get off the parkway and find a KFC. We did that a 
lot during our childhood. While traveling, our parents would get a bucket of chicken (and a box of livers for Dad, cause that’s the only part of chicken he liked) and pull off at a park or roadside picnic table and eat.
We weren’t far off the parkway on Lake Logan Road (aka NC 215) when we noticed cars parked off the side of the road. Almost instantly, we came across this beautiful waterfall. We think it’s called Sunburst Falls. My sister and I got out and took pictures, like the one above. Plus, I made a selfie.
Meanwhile, Tyler, my beautiful Norwegian elkhound, waited patiently in the car. I finally returned, and walked Tyler to the falls. After taking care of some personal business, Tyler, walked along to the falls with me. He seemed more interested in the admiration others were giving him than Mother Nature’s wonder.
Monday was a day made for Tyler
Today was Tyler’s day in the mountains.
We found downtown Waynesville (NC) to be quite a dog-friendly town. Lots of folks had their dog on a leash.and I’m guessing that most of them were tourists, just like me. He got to sniff and bark at a lot of other dogs. And they each had the opportunity to sniff Tyler too.
Tyler also got to meet another Norwegian elkhound, the first for him since leaving his siblings in May 2007. His new friend’s name was Gunnar. He got to meet people, get petted, and even enter a Dog Bakery, where he sniffed all the treats and rawhide bones. He gobbled up the food that fell off the table while we were eating lunch at The Patio restaurant in downtown Waynesville.
By the time we got back to the cottage in the Fines Creek area of Clyde, Tyler was tired, and needed to conk out.
Could be brilliant colors in the NC mountains next week
Fall Color Map for North Carolina
Last year, our mountain trip was nice, but a little before peak season. This year, according to this map produced by Appalachian State University, we could be hitting the mountains at just the right time.
I’ll make sure to shoot a lot of photos.
Beaufort will share ‘Cool’ honor with NY town
So Beaufort, that beautiful waterfront town that serves as the county seat of Carteret County, will have to share the honor of being the Coolest Small Town in America with Hammondsport, N.Y. The editors of Budget Travel magazine decided that the two towns would share the title even though Beaufort apparently garnered slightly more votes than its northern rival during a month of voting on the magazine’s website in January.
The reason: Online voting was so intense that the website couldn’t handle all the traffic. The website crashed, leaving some doubt in the editors’ minds as to which town really won. Said the editors:
However, since voters in several parts of the country had been locked out due to the site crash, Budget Travel editors decided it was impossible to determine which town would have won had all things been equal for all voters. “We have to declare a tie,” said Lisa Schneider, the general manager for digital products. “It’s the only thing that’s fair under these circumstances.”
The editors go on to explain that out of more than 360,000 votes cast, Beaufort ended up with slightly more votes, and a slightly higher percentage: 36.2 percent for Beaufort to 36.0 percent for Hammondsport.
I can vouch for Beaufort being quite hospitable. The quaint town is picturesque any time of the year. The food is excellent and my dog loves the attention he gets when I walk him along the waterfront.
I’ve never visited Hammondsport, but I have traveled to the Finger Lakes region of New York. I was there in the summertime, and it’s quite beautiful too. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen trees as green as the ones I saw in that region one August.
I will give the climate of Beaufort an edge though. When I checked the temperature in Hammondsport, it was in the mid-40s. In Beaufort, the temperature was in the 60s on the first day of February.
SOPA: It really has supporters?
Apparently the so-called Stop Online Privacy Act (SOPA) does have its supporters, and they are many.
After seeing all the traffic on social media opposing the proposed federal law, that many believe would bring censorship to the Internet, I wondered who was backing the legislation. It was hard to go online on Wednesday without being reminded of the dangers of censorship and the fears that this legislation could lead to massive censorship.
Theoriesofconspiracy.com lists 355 corporations and organizations backing the legislation, including major broadcast corporations, major sports leagues, pharmaceutical companies and an array of other organizations. The above photo appears on the organization’s webpage.
Certainly piracy and copyright infringement are wrong and should be illegal. But don’t we already have laws that punish people who violate copyright laws? If we don’t, they why do I have to waste my time looking at that copyright screen every time I plug in a DVD to watch a movie.
Welcome to my webpage
Welcome to BarrySmithReports!
I’ve set up this page in hopes of introducing myself to people in North Carolina who don’t know me. I’ll be posting info here, mostly about North Carolina.
I recently left a position in which I covered North Carolina politics and state government. If you want to read more about that, please go the Barry’s bio page on this web page.
Now I’m available to do freelance articles. I can do state government and political articles, along with travel and sports stories. If you want to contact me, please email me at barrysmith56@gmail.com or call me at 919-348-9119.
I hope to hear from you soon.
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