Western Carolina Landscape Photography, Part 2

More from our Thanksgiving trip to western North Carolina. I love some of these landscape photos and will include them in an “Autumn” stock gallery soon!

Friday morning we decided to leave the property and hike to a waterfall out in the Nantahala National Forest. The drive was supposed to be a manageable 16 miles one way but was actually a harrowing journey around winding mountain roads and hairpin turns that lasted two and a half hours round trip, and we didn’t even hike.

About 20 minutes into the drive, both dogs started drooling and pacing, looking green around the gills. Not too long after, the yellow lab barfed in the backseat.

It’s not a vacation unless someone gets car sick. Glad to report we checked that box.

Once we realized what we had gotten ourselves into, we turned around and set out to fully explore our hiking trails close to home.

They didn’t disappoint.

And with a photogenic stream, fall colors, and a well-placed picnic table en lieu of a tripod, we were able to get some family portraits too!

Western Carolina photography

Last but not least, a gem on the way home. We rounded a bend in the road in South Carolina and caught this view. Amazing.

Where did you spend Thanksgiving 2016?

 

Western Carolina, Part 1

This year for Thanksgiving we loaded three humans and two retrievers into the pick up truck and drove 10 hours to western North Carolina.

We found the Woodlands Vista cabin on AirBNB, a cute little three-bedroom two bath situated on 53 acres of wooded hiking trails and trout ponds located in the Blue Ridge Mountains and…it was pet friendly!

1

2
4

We brought Thanksgiving dinner with us (pre-cooked from Copeland’s in Jacksonville) which left us all kinds of time to hike and chase our dogs and soak up the beautiful fall weather.

There is nothing cozier than a roaring fire.

And a taste of local decor.

Western Carolina photography

Or a boy and his dog. 🙂

Oh yes, we did

 Here are a few photos of our annual Labor Day beach trip. This year we headed back to Alligator Point in Florida’s “big bend” on the Gulf of Mexico.

The house we rented was super cute and the vibe was really great. The beach goers staying around us were really friendly and had SO. MANY. DOGS to pet and play with! My satisfaction rating for any trip is always closely tied to the number of animals I get to pet during my stay and this one ranked way up there.

The dogs were so well behaved too. It was unbelievable. Had those been my dogs, they would’ve been running wild, barking at everyone, and stealing food from coolers and straight off people’s laps.

Such a great, laid-back vibe. Which is why we feel right at home.

So at home in fact that we carried our chairs and umbrella all the way out to the sand bar, set up camp and stayed there all day.

And why yes, that is my husband helping my 10-year-old toast the camera with what appears to be an alcoholic beverage. Awesome. 

Subscribe to Where I Roam by Email
Twitter || Facebook || Pinterest || Instagram || Photography