Update about blogCa

Lake Tomahawk on March 22, 2026, temperature 84 degrees F.

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Sitting in my backyard at 3175 feet

 

You may have noticed some of these shots from my Sunday travels post several days ago. But here are just Blue Ridge Parkway scenes. Starting at 2720, just 300 feet higher than where I live in Black Mountain, the aim was to try breathing higher altitudes.

Although I only sat here a few minutes, I worried about sunburn. The next week I did have puffy sore lips, the only sign of difficulty!

Willow and Ruthie from Lafayette LA came by and we talked about St. Gertrude of Nivilles as the patron saint of cats...which of course they had never heard of.

Closeup view with some purplish flowers. 

Farm land below, while off to the right you might see the cut of the Parkway as it traverses a midrange mountain slope.


Somewhere in the distance is my home in Black Mountain. I travel about 14 miles from there to this lofty view. It costs about a gallon of gas for the round trip!




OK, why do I cut myselfie off? Because there was a bit of something on the end of my nose, but nobody around to tell me. And of course I couldn't see the photo worth a hoot in the bright sunlight.

Which reminds me, why did my iPhone stop offering panoramas and portrait settings? Now all I get are video and photo choices...with different things within photos. ARGH!


My 3175 foot elevation is lovely, and with low humidity I can breathe ok. Of course I haven't tried doing anything strenuous yet!

The lack of foliage means you can clearly see the devastation from the hurricane storms in Sept. 2024. 



The Craven Gap area (a trail as well as a road that goes up to several homes off the Parkway) was hit hard by either wind going up the gap, or water coming down. Trees are littered all over the woods helter skelter!
A recent hiker at Craven Gap saw this wildcat.



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Tomorrow I'm going to try the "Sit and Be Fit" class, at least up to the marching and heavy breathing part at the end! It's at the Lakeview Senior Center. (written on Tuesday 3.24.26)

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And an astronomer said, Master, what of Time? And he answered: 
You would measure time the measureless and the immeasurable.
You would adjust your conduct and even direct the course of your spirit according to hours and seasons.
Of time you would make a stream upon whose bank you would sit and watch its flowing.
Yet the timeless in you is aware of life’s timelessness,
And knows that yesterday is but today’s memory and tomorrow is today’s dream.

And that that which sings and contemplates in you is still dwelling within the bounds of that first moment which scattered the stars into space.

—Kahlil Gibran
On Time
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Sharing with Skywatch Friday





6 comments:

  1. Beautiful views..a "breath of fresh air" as they say!!
    I'm always surprised at how. little you get per gallon...even allowing for different sized gallons!
    USA gallons being 4 litres and UK ones 4.56. Yours works out at 7 mles per litre. I get 10, a little more on a long run

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    1. Good to know about sizes of gallons actually being different. My car gets about 30 miles per gallon...on interstate highways. In town it's usually around 26-28 mpg. It's a 4 cylinder Toyota, 2008, so is doing pretty well up and down lots of hills. I hadn't tried figuring it out on litres, but you've hit it on the nose!

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  2. I’d say that scenery is well worth the cost of a gallon.

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    Replies
    1. That's true, not to mention the joy of coming round many bends to see a new sight.

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