We miss out on fall leaves at our home on the Gulf Coast, so we decided to stay at my family's place, Laurel Falls (Available on Airbnb), on Scaley Mountain NC. It’s a pretty drive through the foothills and then a steep ascent up Scaley Mountain. Their place was built on the foundation of a former mill on the banks of a creek. It has a wonderful setting with the sounds of the creek rushing over the falls out your window.
View from the deck with its natural railing
We love to visit nearby Highlands, NC as it has some great restaurants and shops along its traditional small town business district. It was Halloween night and there was a large crowd of Trick or Treaters visiting at each of the downtown businesses. Live music and food venues added to the fun. After checking out the creative costumes and enjoying the band, it was off to dinner. Madison’s at the Old Edwards Inn and Spa is one of our favorite restaurants. Be sure to have a cocktail at the Hummingbird Lounge in front of a roaring fire before dinner.
It looked like one continuous line for candy that stretched for blocks
The next day we decided to visit some waterfalls in the area. The creek by the cabin was running full from the rain, so we thought it would be a good day to check out some of the larger falls. Bridal Veil Falls was good, but Dry Falls was great. Listen to the power of the falls by viewing the very brief video below.
Look for the people between the two streams of water to understand the scale
Salamander
Looks cool and amazing how a tree can grow with little to no soil
My brother recommended Bella’s Junction Cafe a short walk away from their place. We had a nice breakfast and enjoyed their Halloween decorations. Look closely to see what’s in today’s soup special at the Cafe.
Creative use of a hay bail
WhiteSide Mountain Trail had great reviews so off we went. It’s a moderate trail that takes you to the top of the ridge line for stupendous views. It gets its name from the white granite face on one side. The trail is a loop that allows you to ascend on a steady incline to the top. The ridge line has fencing to keep you from stepping over the edge while taking a selfie. The decent is steep but has steps and even stairs when necessary. We were glad we had our walking sticks, as there were a number of big steps on the descent.
One of many vistas from the ridge line
We enjoyed our walk
End of our journey down the mountain
On our drive out of town, we stopped at Tallulah Gorge State Park for a quick view of the gorge and its waterfalls. The gorge is about 1,000 feet deep and has 20 miles of trails. My earliest memory of the gorge is when Karl Wallenda traversed a tight rope across the gorge in 1970. Today it has a very nice interpretive center and several observation platforms that are easy to access.
It’s a long way down
One of the two towers that anchored Wallenda’s tight rope, now on its side
