Fall Adventure

Like most people our travel has been reduced but after the success of West Virginia, we decided to take a quick hop to enjoy the Fall weather.  Flying yourself means that some days the weather or other factors means it’s not going to happen. It also means you have a lot more flexibility. I originally planned a trip to Greenville last weekend but the hurricane remnants meant rain was in the forecast.

I decided to shift a weekend and it was a good move. The weather was last weekend was safe enough for us to fly but our plan was to hike the mountains and it is much more fun when not pouring and muddy.  Friday morning we did wake up to some fog so we took our time getting going.  Also a nice thing, you never have to worry about missing your flight. We do have to file a departure time but our window is 2.5 hours and we can easily reset the time when needed.  It was a hazy flight but mostly clear and smooth.

We rolled out to the runway around 9:20 and though we were initially cleared pretty much direct, we soon had a reroute around airspace the military was using for practice. It only added a few minutes and we were soon on the ground in Greenville. Our rental car was waiting for us and we managed to travel in a contactless manner.

Our first stop was Wildcat falls North of Greenville.  Parking is roadside and there is a nice path. It is really a double header as there are some small falls roadside.  The path is about .3 miles each way and after an initial spur it is a loop.  Both river crossings were easy but the flow was low.  The hiking was nice as the temperatures were mid 60s under sunny skies.

Our next stop was Bald Rock. This had an even easier walk. The rock starts about 20 feet from parking area. Bald Rock is a rounded mountain top that is, as the name implies, rock. People have been marking the rock with spray paint for quite some time.  I did read that this is bad, I did not delve into the details but assume it interferes with the local eco system and leaches chemicals.  I decided not to debate the philosophy and just enjoy the setting though.

It has a high school/hippie vibe but it has great Mountain View’s and some charm. It also gave me a chance to fly the drone a bit. After a short walk we continued up the road and stopped at Caesars Head for the overlook. The lighting was not great so we headed on.  I have yet to get a good view from Caesars head.  I am starting to think it is highly over-rated.

We had skipped lunch because the timing of our flight meant there was no meal service. The FBO has given us some snacks but otherwise we had focused on sights over food. Luckily as we drove on we spotted a Bojangles and picked up two chicken biscuits. It may have been the hunger but they were darn good. They are technically breakfast items but served all day.  Refreshed, we prepared for the last falls of the day.

Our final waterfall was Little Brady falls. It was also a short walk in but before we could get to the main falls, the path crossed the river. Ok maybe stream but it was deep and cold. We decided to stay dry and instead enjoyed the rapids and a baby waterfall.

We called it a day and headed to the hotel. We are still in COVID  mode so we stayed at a Residence in on the first floor. Dinner was Thai takeout that was contactless and we watched the free movies while enjoying curry and noodles.