The water

 Jeff Webb flew a photographing drone over Burnett Reservoir, the source of water for Asheville and Black Mountain NC.

It's really impossible for regular people to ever see the reservoir. Even on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which circles above the watershed, there is no parking allowed where any drainage could go toward the reservoir.

A view from along the parkway several years ago, where we just slowed down and didn't park.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday 

Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first - Brian Tracy

Behold this day, for it is yours to make.

BLACK ELK

More of the Parkway trip

 Just have been editing more of the photos...I think we're down to just 55. I'll cull the ones that all look at the same feature, and wish I had a good way to decide which one is the best choice. I'll just close my eyes...nah, that wouldn't quite work!

There indeed were no more turnoffs on the way to Mt. Mitchell, which is a NC State Park, the highest mountain east of the Mississippi.

Fortunately we could slowly drive while I put my window down and caught these views of Burnett Reservoir. They really need to have an overlook here, but they say this is part of the Asheville Watershed, which means any oils etc will slowly wash down into the reservoir. Thus no overlooks provided.

You'll notice we were beginning to get fir trees (evergreens) interspersed with the deciduous trees, which are not giving great colors even at high elevations. I decided this is a golden autumn.

Just look at the tree dispersal on that hill just past the entrance to the state park. And right around that corner the Parkway has a huge fence stopping further travel.

We climbed the mountain in the car, and noticed once again there were some clouds toying with the highest areas.

The State Park welcome center was closed, but had some maps posted.

In the past I've hiked the Balsam Nature Trail (before it had the little educational signs installed.) I found a spring off the trail a ways...which was nice, that it was putting out fresh water at 6500 feet above sea level. Never could figure out how that's done.

I wasn't able to find where Stepp's Gap was...probably past the closed part of the Parkway. But Jesse Stepp also lived in Black Mountain, so his family is spoken of in various historical contexts around here.

We persevered, arrived at the parking lot which was really full at the top of Mt. Mitchell. And there were clouds. Even if anyone had been interested in walking the final 400 yards up the rest of the way to the lookout platform, what would have been the point.

Our destination had one thing in it's favor. The Septic tank was being serviced. Of course not such that we could use the rest room, but at least someone soon might. The various snack bar and information places were also locked up tight.

As we drove back down the mountain, we could see more mud slides with scars on the sides of the mountains.

Sorry, a bit too much saturation here...but it also shows that the shoulder was still under construction for part of the way.

OK, there are just a few more I want to share with you...

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Last Saturday on Substack I received this post...  "Your Body is an Ancestor" by Sophie Strand from Make Me Good Soil. <sophiestrand@substack.com>

 It's really an excellent short read, if you wish to pull it up...or subscribe to.

Second leg of our trip up the parkway

 

  Bright clear skies as we started out at 10:20, but as we neared Craggy Gardens we began to see some clouds coming in.

Yes, I am saturating the  colors here. Sorry if it's offensive.

Un-edited photo

But fortunately the clouds blew away when we got to the crowded parking lot. There were a few porta-potties for those who had hoped the rest-rooms would be working. I overheard the man who worked there that they needed to be pumped out. (A clue for what happened later!)

We intended to go to Little Switzerland for lunch and a favorite book store. But at the Information stop at Craggy Gardens, we learned we couldn't get there from here. (To Little Switzerland.)

Well...we could have learned that, but being slightly stubborn women, we thought the man with the map who worked there must be wrong. 

I kid you not. We drove back towards Asheville again for about 100 yards, then said, but wasn't the turnoff for Little Switzerland before Mt. Mitchell? I said I thought so. (Later I rescinded that statement...but hey, I wanted it to be there then!) 

So we turned around and started back on our merry way toward Mt. Mitchell.

I'm glad we were merry, and it was still before 11 am. 

Looking west we could see many bare spots where landslides or mudslides had occurred during Hurricane Helene. The earth and all the trees would just slide down from having been so saturated with water, leaving rock behind.

My iPhone's 5 times magnification showed this. Many of the trees that are dead were damaged by wind.

That's either I-40 or I-26 off in the distance, and I forgot to ask the Park Ranger inside the information building.

I decided to support the Blue Ridge Parkway by buying a new wind breaker...they only had men's sizes, so I came home with a medium size! I was surprised they were open because it was "Columbus Day, a national holiday" - not to mention that the Federal Government was also on shut down still. I do hope someone was paying the two Park Rangers working that day.

Our selfie was pointed to the top of Craggy Gardens, where a lot of people were hiking. We had to move around a bit so the porta-potties weren't included in the shot. I hadn't been on the parkway with so many "Leaf Peepers" before (this was Oct. 13!) Many many cars in the overlooks. But not too bad when driving.

This spot used to give a great view of the Burnett Reservoir which provides Asheville and Black Mountain water. The clouds were blowing across at times, and it was pretty overgrown. During the summer it would have been covered by leaves.

It was great to be passenger for Teresa's driving, because later I found another area while we drove along to take photos of the Reservoir.

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Here's a reminder of what happened yesterday...No King's marches all over the world. I grabbed a few photos from the internet and posted them around 5:30 pm. HERE

My take-away was learning something new happened. 

Businesses and institutions were able to see their customers/clients are interested in different things than the "billionaire-supporting government" has been promoting.

 The curtain has been drawn back to reveal that the puppet master is just conjuring things up. I know that seven million of us already knew that. But MAGA loud-mouthed liars have been busy convincing some unsuspecting people that they needed to support the lies. Just because they illegally are grabbing people off the streets, closing the government down, refusing to seat elected representatives, and calling the will of the people as insurrectionists...now there is evidence of how we really feel about it. 

Just think, if you were a Republican and only watched FOX news, you would not have access to the truth of things.

Surprise. 

Water can be in a good place

 

And old stone wall looks over Lake Tomahawk with some flowers.

North Carolina skies at the apartment complex.

Yesterday when I opened the windows at 6:30 am to the cooler air (70 degrees) I heard and saw two Canada geese flying from east to west. Probably just going out for breakfast, as Lake Tomahawk is east of me, where most of the geese congregate daily.

Another summer view of Lake Tomahawk.

Sharing with Skywatch Friday and Sepia Saturday

Sepia Saturday shows an Alaskan fisherman, in some kind of Alaska Task Force Master File of the National Parks

Today's quote:

Seven blunders of the world that lead to violence: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, worship without sacrifice, politics without principle. -Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

An old photo:

The city of Asheville receives its water from Burnett Reservoir, the formation of which inundated the original location of this little church. 

Burnett Reservoir, near Asheville NC.

An old photo of Black Mountain:

On Cherry Street, Black Mountain, no date. I'm guessing it's looking down hill since the top end of the street would have had the buildings on State St. Thus the railroad tracks are at the far end where trees and bushes are on the other side.

Another old photo:

Myself and my husband, Doug on the USS Constitution in the 60s.

Going on up the Parkway and a ways in Mt. Mitchell State Park

 

We stopped for a while and ate our lunches while looking at this view from the parking lot for the closed Mt. Mitchell restaurant. We had brought our lawn chairs also, so it was very comfortable sitting in front of the car. A few other people parked and ate their lunches in their cars while we were there!

Mt. Mitchell is in a North Carolina State Park, right off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The contrast of the yellow leaved trees with the dark green firs or spruces were just wonderful to see.

We were fortunate to have nobody behind us while driving by this view, so Helen backed up so I could get this shot of Burnett Reservoir and Swannanoa

Today's quote:

​Do you think that you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear.
Integral awareness is fluid and adaptable, present in all places and at all times.
That is true meditation… The Tao is clear and simple, and it doesn’t avoid the world.
—Laozi