America--Alive and Well!

I had hoped to be able to update daily from the road but I've been off the grid so just now have the "power"...NO hook ups is the word...but tonight I do..I'm still on the road, from the beach I headed north up I-77 and then to the Blue Ridge Parkway! IN search of Fall Color and I found it!

I spent my first night at Rocky Knob after I had to stay in a Motel on the rainiest night in NC!! IT poured rain on Tuesday so I got a motel to dry out...Wednesday I headed right for the parkway! 

I had a wonderful conversation with this handsome grey eyed pumpkin farmer!! I tried to pretend to be photographing the pumpkins....

He tried to convince me I did have room in my van for one of his gigantic Pumpkins..I did however point out my favorite one... the one nearest him...I had to walk over and touch it...that one with green marbling on it what a genuine and lovely man, he lives in Meadows of Dan, VA by the way a quaint small town right off the parkway. OH and he also told me he travels to Columbia, SC to the farmers market there...and maybe I should stop by and see him... ;o)

 Okay back to the road trip....

I think I caught the leaf color just right some oaks are stubbornly green but it is gorgeous!!  I love the Americana of the Southern Appalachians...

Including all these preserved  homestead cabins...this is Ma Puckett's cabin she was a midwife who lived in this area her whole life...she delivered like....1000 babies'--

Casey at Ma Pucketts 

And they used the local stone to build all sorts of structures 

Farms dot the hill sides everywhere!  Clouds hung around but leaf color is more saturated on dull days...

I just can't get enough of the landscapes...and the rail fences are all along the parkway which is 469 miles in length! It actually comes very close to SC on the southern end the northern terminus is at Shenandoah National Park, in VA.  Many of the amenities close around Nov 1, so if you're planning a trip make it before that. 

So I drove from the SC line to Mabry Mill, VA the handsome farmer jokingly told me they call it "Mayberry" Mill I think he was making fun of us "tourans" but it sure is a pretty little mill! So I did my part as a tourist to this area I took LOTS of photos and I spent a total of 52 cents while there...I had to have one of these...

I collect them! Not everyplace has one of these machines, you put in 2 quarters and a new penny and turn the wheel it flattens out the penny and imprints an image on the penny! This one says Mabry Mill, Blue Ridge Parkway, and now I see they have pennycollector.com on the penny so maybe I can order ones of past places I have visited?  You can chose from 4 different scenes,  Now I wish I had done all 4....:o(   I'm a tight wad in case you hadn't noticed!!  This is my fav shot of the ones I took.

I enjoyed trying to get a long exposure photo of the water zooming through the sluice, it had leaves traveling along in it too...

YAHOO boy that water was COLD! Don't stick your head out too far tho---^---

after I took this photo the guy told me Visitors are not allowed in that window...yikes! SO this is one shot probably no other tourists have of the mill in action!! What do they say, try to get a juxtaposition that no one else has to make your photo unique.~

there is a cute visitors center and a cafe here and you can buy grits, buckwheat and corn meal too!

and just one more pumpkin photo...

T.B.C.

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.