Western North Carolina in Early March

We've just returned from a weekend trip to the mountains of Western North Carolina. This journey was my birthday gift to Amanda, celebrating an undisclosed age. Several months ago Amanda told me that she had never seen a waterfall before. I decided then that this was the perfect gift for my love.

Friday we traveled from Wilson to the Stone Hedge Inn near Tryon, North Carolina. All day as we made our way into the the west, rain fell steadily. Upon arriving at our destination the clouds parted, but the sun was setting. The next morning there was a fierce wind storm that brought with it bitter cold wind.

Late in the morning we made our way to Pearson Falls, on the road between Tryon and Saluda.

Arriving at the park we met an initial disappointment as there was a traffic cone barring our way into the lot. I drove past it anyway and flagged down someone near the check-in booth. The woman said that they were not going to open for another hour because of the mud from yesterday's rain... "Unless you don't mind the mud," she added. "Of course not... mud never stopped us!"

We started up a trail near the river, which passed along a few weathered picnic tables and benches. Attracted by the rush and sound of the water we traipsed over rocks and soaked in the sounds of nature around us. A sudden hail storm forced us to higher ground and a sign awaiting us...

From this point we continued on our way until we rounded the final bend in the steep path and crossed a stone bridge to see the splendid sight of the falls. Here we sat taking in the experience of the place and the warmth of each other. After awhile, we both grew weary of the signs and began to ignore their warnings...

An avid dirt collector I needed to collect a sample from the water's edge at the base of the falls. Amanda, being in love with the very spirit of water, decided to take off her shoes and socks
and frolic in the frigid river.





From Pearson Falls, we drove to the historic town of
Saluda. Our specific destination was the wonderful art shop
Random Arts, formerly known as the Stamp Peddler. Jane, the owner, welcomed us in as if she had known us for years. She was very friendly and wanted to know what brought us across the state from Wilson.
Even though the store is not much larger than a living room, we spent over an hour perusing the shelves and chatting with Jane. Later the two of us worked late into the night with all of the new treasures acquired at Random Arts.