Summer of 19 - #18 - Bridals Veil & Dry Falls Waterfalls, Smallest US Post Office, Steam Engine & TV Problems

Saturday September 7th & Sunday September 8th, 2019
We stayed in over the weekend.  We had a couple of empty spots in the park but they soon filled up.

We are seeing more of these setups, shown in the picture below.  I guess they're easier to transport and you are off the ground.  I would think you can only sleep in these though, which makes it difficult if it rains.  We have seen trailer tents as well which give you a bit more room, but you have to tow them.  You have to have the knack, and know how to put them away when it comes time to leave though.  Some people find it easier than others from what we've observed.
We had a caravan in the UK, which we towed behind the car. Had some fun trips in that, including the Lake District and Scotland when I was expecting Ryan.  We bought it for 500 pounds and did it up.  Enjoyed every moment.
When we got to the States we started with a tent.  Our first and only trip was to the Grand Canyon, where it proceeded to snow on the South Rim in May.  We had the burner on to keep us warm and slept in our clothes in our sleeping bags.  Unfortunately, that was our last trip in the tent, and it was relegated to sleepovers in the back garden in Las Vegas.
We then purchased another trailer(caravan) and had some awesome trips in that as well.  It was always an adventure, and inevitably something always happened to make the trip eventful.  It's a great way to see the country though.

Anyway, we now live in the height of luxury in Lily, our motorhome. We still have problems to deal with, but doesn't everyone.  This is our home, and needs maintaining as any home would, but we have the option to decide where we want to live.  Still searching for our ideal permanent place, and don't think it exists, but we will need to find somewhere as a home base eventually.
Anyway, back to present day...........

Monday September 9th, 2019

Today was a waterfall day.  There are so many wonderful waterfalls in this area that it's difficult to choose.  

We entered another part of the Nantahala National Forest.

Our first waterfall today was Bridal Veil Falls.

You used to be able to drive behind this waterfall but it is now blocked off, as it is no longer safe for cars to go behind.

Sue walking to the falls

Falls hitting the rocks and splashing off

Looking out from behind the falls

Bryan behind the falls

Our next stop was Dry Falls Waterfall

There was a short trail down to the waterfall with a pathway and steps.

Our first peek

Top of the falls

From behind the falls

Another from behind the falls

The other side of the falls

Looking down at the river

It was amazing to see, hear and be able to walk behind.  I took this VIDEO so that you could hear and see the waterfall, and join me walking behind it.

That was a great stop.  We had another waterfall to go to though, so we continued on.  We drove through the nearby town of Highlands, North Carolina

and continued on towards Whitewater Falls. It was a pretty drive but unfortunately we ended up on a narrow dirt road.  Our GPS said we still had 10 miles to go, and I didn't want to put Tilly(Car) through 10 miles of dirt road. She has been doing well, but we have done a lot of miles, round curves in the road, up and down hills, and uneven roads.  We had no cell signal, and I didn't want to tempt fate.  We carefully turned around and decided Whitewater Falls could wait, or be missed.

Narrow Dirt Road

I worked on finding a different route home so we didn't go back the way we came.  I'll be honest even though I had a road map, there were so many small roads that I really didn't know where we were exactly.  We relied on Betty(GPS) to get us there.  

Our diversion did result in us coming across Grimshawes, the smallest post office in the USA.  It closed in 1953 and has been moved and repaired a few times since then, but here we were.  

Just after Grimshawes was this amazing house and view.  We were somewhere near Cashiers, don't ask me where!!!!

We followed this tractor for a while.  Civilization and humans, at last.  I managed to figure out where we were and we were on the right track.

Speaking of track, we were approaching our campground when we saw that the railway crossing gates were closed and lights flashing.  Not a lot uses this line, and so we wondered if it was the steam engine from the Great Smoky Mountains Railway.  We just managed to get there at the right moment to see the engine go past.
They must have been doing maintenance and testing it, as there are no more steam engine tours running until next month.

We were so happy to see it and it was a perfect end to our day.