Lake Powhatan National Forest, Asheville, North Carolina
He spreads the snow like wool and scatters the frost like ashes. Psalm 147:16
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO BLAINE’S MOM, JOAN! Fun fact – it always snows in Uniontown, Ohio before her birthday! This year was no exception as we heard the snow came down yesterday – just under the deadline. 😊 She’s a wonderful mother and mother-in-law, wife, grandma and Nana!
Happy Birthday Mom! I Love You! Blaine
The campground experienced a power outage at 10:30pm last night (just after we went to bed), and the temperature dropped to 31 degrees.
Outside.
Blaine had to get bundled up and go outside to check things out. He put us on battery backup to keep the frig running and to use for small things, but we couldn’t run the heaters. Thank goodness for electric blankets! And enough juice to keep them running! Sorry, I can’t remember the temperature inside when we got up, but I’m pretty sure it was in the mid-fifties.
The outdoor temperature when we left today at 9:15 was up to a whopping 33 degrees. And it was quite breezy. Well, actually it was windy, with the wind speed hovering at 10-20mph. If not for Blaine, I probably would’ve stayed in most of the day, but we’re down to two days here, and there’s still much we’d like to see. So we bundled up and headed out. For better or worse . . . But at least it was sunny!
Today’s goal – – – drive south roughly ten miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Mt. Pisgah and hike the 1.5-mile strenuous trail to the top for ‘outstanding views’.
We were enjoying the spectacular Fall views (including a glimpse of snow on the top of Mt. Pisgah) . . . .
Beautiful drive this morning!
See the snow?
That’s Mt Pisgah.
. . . . when suddenly and without much warning, ROAD CLOSED. Five miles short of our destination!
What??? Why????
The Park Rangers drew a gate across the road at an overlook. We were among the first to arrive, so we had a parking spot as we, along with many others, tried to find out what was going on. But, just like the other day, there was no current information. All Blaine discovered was that the road from here north, and from just south of our campground to the south, was all closed!
Uh, oh . . . .
Told you it was cold!
We walked over to take a picture of the gate, and discovered a trailhead marker.
Giving up our original plan in frustration, we moved on to Plan B and decided to at least hike this trail some. It turned out to be a portion (a very small portion!) of the MST (Mountains-to-Sea-Trail). I wanted to know more about trail, so guess what? We’re going down a rabbit hole for a minute!
There’s another couple ahead of us.
The Mountains-to-Sea Trail is North Carolina’s state hiking trail.
It stretches 1175 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks, stopping at many of our state’s most beautiful places along the way.
What is the MST? The Mountains-to-Sea Trail is as diverse as North Carolina. Along the trail, you may see mountain vistas, rolling Piedmont farms, picture postcard colonial towns, weathered tobacco barns, old textile villages, country churches, rushing mountain streams, coastal swamps, hardwood and pine forests, lighthouses, sand dunes, miles of seashore, and friendly people. 680 miles of the route are on trail, and connecting backroads and an optional paddle route allow hikers to trek across the state.
What can the MST mean to you? It may mean a short walk with your family near your home. It may mean a weekend backpacking trip with friends. Or it may mean a challenging, inspiring trek of 1175 miles across North Carolina. However you experience the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, the beauty of North Carolina will fill you with wonder and joy.
I read an article that said the mountain section was just completed this year.
It was a nice little trail (little as in narrow), but went up and down large hills, so when we came to a place where it crossed the BRP, we decided to try walking on the closed road instead.
That was pretty cool (literally and figuratively), and we were the only ones on the road!
We called Blaine’s mom from here to wish her a Happy Birthday!
God provides beauty everywhere and in everything!
Ice – not water
It was fun walking through the tunnels!
When I first looked at this sign, I thought it said ‘Harmony’. I like my name better. Never cared too much for hominy . . .
Here’s another interesting rabbit hole I uncovered! (No wonder it takes me so long to get these things done!)
Hominy is a food made from kernels of corn. The kernels are soaked in an alkali solution of either lime (the mineral, not the fruit) or lye, which is a process called nixtamalization. The corrosive nature of the solution removes the hull and germ of the corn and causes the grain itself to puff up to about twice its normal size.
Hominy can be made with either white or yellow corn. Specifically, hominy is made from maize, which is also called field corn. This type of corn is used in making corn meal, corn flakes, and other grain products, as opposed to sweet corn, which is the well-known vegetable that can be eaten on the cob. Hominy is the essential ingredient in such staples as grits and corn tortillas.
Nixtamalization is a word that is derived from the Nahuatl language spoken by the pre-Columbian people of Mesoamerica who invented this process of soaking corn in an alkaline solution.
Nixtamalization produces a number of changes in the corn. One of the most significant is that it alters the structure of the proteins and carbohydrates in the corn, allowing the ground grain to stick together when combined with water. The resulting dough, or masa, is what tortillas are made of. Without nixtamalization, the ground corn would not form a dough, and thus tortillas (and tortilla chips, and tamales, and taquerias) would not exist.
Another benefit of nixtamalization is that it frees the niacin (vitamin B3) in the corn and allows it to be absorbed by human digestive tracts. Thus, nixtamalization unlocked a source of essential nutrients, allowing the Mesoamerican civilization to thrive and cook with the masa.
Nixtamalization removes the husks of the corn, making it easier to grind. ~ thespruceeats.com
We stopped about 2-miles from the Jeep and discussed walking the rest of the way to Mt Pisgah, but only briefly as my responsible husband pointed out that we had absolutely nothing with us but the clothes on our backs.
While we were hanging out at the overlook, another couple showed up who’d stayed on the MST. We exchanged a few words (nice ones!) and couple’s picture taking, before we headed back.
We actually jumped back on the trail for a bit, just to see what it was like, since we’d already seen the road.
The road was easier. We cheated and left the trail as soon as we could.
Lunch back in the Jeep was eventful, as we watched people, lots of people, try to figure out their own Plan B, and a family of four set up a table and chairs right on the sidewalk and hung out for a while, drinking hot beverages and eating (something, but we don’t know what). They also opened the back of their SUV and played ‘quiet music’.
After lunch, we went the other direction and jumped back on the MST, intending to hike to the previous overlook where we drove here from. (This trail seems to exit at each overlook)
Not nearly as nice of views – too many trees.
So off we go, tromp, tromp, tromp, tromp over hill and dale and things were going swimmingly until suddenly . . . .
Down I went!! Trip, tramp, thump. I think the earth suffered a small earthquake when I hit the ground. And there was a sonic boom due to the speed Blaine ran to get to me. I was sprawled completely flat on the ground, face down, arms out in front of me, knee throbbing.
I’m fine.
Somehow, I tripped on a root, which completely and unexpectedly toppled me and the outside of my left knee hit the rather pointy top of another root. We’re so thankful I was okay! Praise the Lord! It took me a few minutes to get mobile again, and I had a small scrape on my leg, but other than that, I was good to go.
And thankfully, no one but Blaine was around to witness it! Otherwise, it would have been so humiliating! God is good!
We made a stop at one more overlook on the way home.
The Aleve bottle is calling . . . .