Rain Drenches All!

Carole and I drove up to the mountains for a canoe trip on the New River. However, the level of rainfall that the region has received over the past few weeks (and which it continues to receive) has pushed the New River beyond its banks. It just wasn't safe to go canoeing in that waterway. In addition, the downpours have transformed the relatively clear mountain river into a muddy morass. I frankly wouldn't want to canoe or kayak on the New River while it looks like a low country mudheap.

So we did a few other things in place of the canoe trip. I'll post some details later.

Even hiking was out of the question in the relentless rain. So we drove to some touristy spots, including the Moses Cone Mansion on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was his "vacation" home. Enormous. The house sat amid 3600 acres of high mountain land. But it's now all National Park property. When you go inside the building some ugly, officious skanks will tell you that you can take photos of the architecture, but not the "art" that is being sold inside (said "art" being lousy pottery, cheap jewelery, crummy walking staffs, and various other junk--none of which I'd buy). So I was taking photos of the inside of the house and they told me that I had to stop because I was getting the "art" in my photos. I'd have raised far more Hell than I did, but Carole didn't want to deal with the grief. But I continued to take photos.

At what I was told is North Carolina's only commercial cheese factory. We sampled cheese and bought cheese and butter to bring home.