Graveyard Fields forever...

After Mills River...

Day 2 found me driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC.

Granny's Knob Tunnel

I once again had hopes of birds--- nary a one--- unless you count the wild turkey that got away before I could shoot it with my camera, of course!! The wind was still blowing but I was determined to not let it get me down, roll with the punches, go with the flow, where ever the wind blows right? Besides how can views like this be anything but inspirational?

Looking Glass Rock Viewpoint

Some of the awesome stonework done by the CCC on one of the many  Parkway Bridges...

Still beautiful & Strong

So I had to swing my attention to hiking and waterfall viewing!! No Problem there is plenty of that to go around....I stopped at the Graveyard Fields...

Ill explain the name below this post.  There is a straight down then straight back up 8/10ths of a mile  (RT) hike to get to the lower Yellowstone Prong Falls. Many wooden stairs are involved...

Yellowstone Prong Lower Falls

The pool at the bottom of the falls is a cool green color...be a nice place to swim in Summer....after returning to the parking lot I had lunch and a rest in the van cause it was cold and windy and I was exhausted from the uphill return-

back on the road-driving up the parkway icicles are hanging down the rocks!!

I wanted to camp at Pisgah CG but it was not yet open for the season.  I took hwy 215 N off the parkway to check out Sunburst Campground a Pisgah National Forest site.  It is situated across the road from Laurel Branch  a favorite of trout fishermen...and it flows down into the Graveyard's Yellowstone Prong!

This CG has been put under a private concessionaire.  It is not being well care for...it was open but no body was home! It doesn't officially open till May 1st so I was the sole camper...Had my pick of the nine sites, in fact the iron ranger was not even locked!! I checked and saw envelopes with money inside... some had fallen on the ground!! One had $52 written on the envelope so I scooped them all up and put my $3.75 (off season rate $7.50 seniors pass, 1/2 that) in with the others and tried to secure the box...I'd hate for someone to steal it ...SO a ranger came along I told him but he did not take the money with him?? He did make a radio call tho and no one came to get the money during the time I was there. Can you see me camouflaged behind the trees?

 

Sunburst Campground

I should have parked in the SUN...but since I was the only camper here I wanted to remain a little stealthy....Got settled then took a walk over to the river its swift and shallow lots of rocks and no birds!!

 A few American Robins were feeding on the open grass in the campground...

I retired to the van with my dinner about 5 and called it a day. Did some reading, watched a few movies, and turned on Mr Buddy--  took the chill outta me as it went to a very cold and frosty 28 degrees F, Saturday night...the wind did finally stop blowing around 9 pm I turned my stove off and fell asleep...

I will pick it up in the morning..

NIGHTY NIGHT!

PEACE

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

...according to some of the literature the Graveyard Fields overlook got its name from a long ago (500 YRS AGO) wind that came thru and blew down all the large fir trees...the trees lay down all over the valley and moss and grass soon grew over the trunks and it looked like grave mounds! But in 1924 a fire burned the tree trunks so now a days there are no "graves" the name stuck tho.