1. Page 26 Volume 11, Issue 12Bloomingdale/FishHawk Edition
Sitting by a warm, crackling fire with
two enormous puppies curled up at my
feet, the snow falling gently on the porch
rails, the chickadees and finches hopping
around in the soft white snow. This may
sound like the intro to the great American
novel, but it's actually just a sample from
my most recent trip to the beautiful state of
North Carolina. Now, every year for the
past few years I've gone out-of-state for a
couple weeks, mostly just to get out of
Florida. I have to admit, this past trip was
the best I ever had.
We awoke well before dawn on a
slightly chilly October morning and headed
out on our adventure. We arrived in Black
Mountain, North Carolina just before the
sun set and set up temporary residence in
a small, but adequate, hotel room. While in
Black Mountain we visited Chimney Rock
State Park, home to one of the best climbs
and prettiest views
in the Appalachian mountains. Later we
ventured down in to the town below
Chimney Rock and wandered to our
heart's content. We also drove to the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
and visited Clingman's Dome, the highest
point in the park, Cade's Cove, which was
on the Tennessee side of the park and
featured a long, one-lane loop in which
you could routinely see deer, turkey and
occasionally bear. We also visited Linville
Falls off of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
After several days in Black Mountain
we braved the growing winds of Hurricane
Sandy and ventured north to the town of
Valle Crucis, just outside of Boone. There
we stayed at the Lazy Bear Lodge, a bed
and breakfast that will forever hold a small
place in my heart. The night we arrived at
the Lazy Bear it began to snow, and con-
By Alicia Squillante
tinued snowing until
we left two days later. Let me tell you, for
as beautiful as snow is, it's down right
terrifying to drive in when all you're
accustomed to is the flat lands of Florida.
It was at the Lazy Bear where I sat by
the fire, watching the snow fall, eating
chocolate chip cookies as I watched the
birds fight for bird seed. Our hostess,
Anne Winkleman, was even gracious
enough to cook us dinner because we
were nervous about driving the snowy
roads after dark.
Coming home after so much fun
and adventure was a bit hard. It's alright
though, I have an even bigger trip
planned for September!
If you were interested in staying at
the Lazy Bear Lodge, please visit
http://www.lazy-bear-lodge.com.
The bull elk amongst his herd at the
Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the entrance
to the Great Smoky Mountains
National Park.
Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park in
all it’s fall finery.
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The view as we ascended Clingman’s Dome off the
Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Lazy Bear Lodge covered in snow in Valle Crucis, NC. We
stayed here for two nights and it snowed each night.
Into The Land Of Blue Mountains