At noon time on Friday November 2nd, Mike decided we should pack up and head for Jackson County in the Western Carolina Mountains. So in 15 minutes we were packed and on the road. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel down the road for lunch and then swapped out that Coach purse I bought in Nags Head, NC for one I liked better. Once that was done was headed west and north.

Once you’ve found the right Great Smoky Mountain cabin, or a friendly bed & breakfast, (Ours was the Innisfree Victorian Inn located in Glenville, NC on beautiful Lake Glenville just outside of Cashiers. They had wonderful serene lodgings and the rooms were definitely romantic and relaxing and a wonderful getaway in the mountains with antiques, elegant, rooms, and a balcony overlooking Lake Glenville.) you will be ready to start you adventure in the North Carolina Mountains. There is the Tuckasegee River and many lakes and streams, take in the autumn mountain scenery and wildlife. Mike and I arrived there at their hospitality hour and enjoyed a relaxing time with our hosts Claire and Henry as well as some of the other guests. Afterwards we settled into our room (and found our Innisfree Bear) and enjoyed the view from our balcony and marveled at our wonderful accommodations. We headed out to supper at a place called Happs - a local hangout with great food.

Saturday morning, after a sumptuous breakfast served in our room, we headed out to explore the area, enjoy the fall folliage and the area waterfalls. One really could be called a poor excuse for a waterfall. Apparently at one time the overhang from the waterfall was right over the road but that's no longer the case. We stopped at the White water waterfall which was gorgeous especially with all the fall color and took tons of pictures and posted only a few. We wandered the countryside and enjoyed the beautiful color and relaxed. A quick look at Cherokee was all it took to turn around and head elsewhere .. just the Casino. We had lunch at a place called Lulu's Cafe and gazed through the town of Highland - a lot like Julian in California and just as crowded at this time of year. We couldn't find a parking space anywhere so we admired the shopes from a distance and moved on.

Another delightful hospitality evening with our hosts and then Mike had a hankering for BBQ so we found a place called Caorlina BBQ (must be lots here by that name) and had wonderful BBQ sandwhiches and peach cobbler. Discovered Mike had left his book up at the main inn and called and they said they would bring the book down when they made up the room. Imagine our surprise to find our Innisfree Bear tucked into bed between our pillows, under the covers, and reading Mike's book.

A short weekend came to an end the next morning and after another special breakfast and a long goodbye to Claire and Henry we headed back to Charlotte so we could spend the week working and Mike could head off for NYC ... although he came back on Wednesday when I was thinking he might end up spending the coming weekend there. Another wonderful Anniversary Weekend to our to our very big memory scrap book.

The Innisfree Victorian Inn in Cashiers NC

The View From Our Balcony

The Main Lodge

Our suite of rooms is that area on the 2nd Floor