2018-04-14 Spring in South Carolina

Spring in South Carolina

Downtown Spartanburg and

Downtown Greenville

Saturday, April 14th, 2018

On this beautiful spring Saturday morning my wife Amy decided that she needed to go into work to take care of a few things.  I decided to go with her and take a nice stroll around downtown Spartanburg while she spent some time at her office.

Amy's Office Building

The Morgan Square Fountain

Morgan Square

Morgan Square Fountain

Interesting Vehicle spotted downtown Spartanburg

 Morgan Square Fountain

One of about (30) Light Bulbs scattered around downtown Spartanburg

Later that afternoon, Amy's sister Jenny stopped by for a short visit.  We decided to take a drive into Greenville.

Amy and Jenny at Falls Park

 Spring Flowers at Falls Park

Reedy River Falls

Reedy River Falls

Reedy River Falls

Amy and Me at Reedy River Falls

Jenny and Amy at Reedy River Falls

Falls Park on the Reedy River

The complete set of photos is posted here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8146392@N05/sets/72157694011009951

2018-04-13 Rock Jock Hike with Mark

The Rock Jock Trail

Linville Gorge Wilderness

Burke County, NC

Birthday Hike with Mark

Friday, April 13th, 2018

 Mark and Me along the Rock Jock Trail

Rather than spending my birthday at work, I decided to take the day off and go hiking instead!   My Buddy Mark would join me on my Birthday hike into the Linville Gorge Wilderness.

We decided on the Rock Jock Trail starting from the Southern Trailhead. 

Here are some photos along the Rock Jock!

 Mark along the Rock Jock Trail

view from the Rock Jock Trail

 

 T-Shirt Point

 view from T-Shirt Point

 Gorge Lizard

 Mark at Sunshine Point

 view from Sunshine Point

 View of Razors Edge from Zen Point

Mark at Zen Point

view from Zen Point

 The Razors Edge

 View from The Razors Edge

The Razors Edge

Mark and Me at Razor Point

Me at Hackers Point

 view from Fern Point

 view from Fern Point

 view from Fern Point

 Lost Dog Pond

view from the Lost Dog Pond Campsite

 Mark and Me at the Lost Dog Pond Campsite 

Mark at the Northern Terminus of the Rock Jock Trail

We had accomplished our goal of hiking the entire Rock Jock.  But there was still time left to hit one more spot!  Buzzard Point!

View from Buzzard Point

view from Buzzard Point

Me at Buzzard Point

view from Buzzard Point

We finished up the hike with about a 2.5 mile road walk along the Kistler Highway, which offers up a few nice views along the way!

View from the Kistler Highway

Walking the Kistler Highway back to the Southern Rock Jock Trailhead

The Rock Jock Trail is listed at 3.8 miles.  However when you count all the side trails, plus the 2.5 mile road walk along the Kistler Highway to complete the Loop, we ended up at about 8.8 miles total.

Here is the GPS Track from our hike.  We started from the SouthWest corner and went counter-clockwise:

GPS Track

Click here for interactive link

It was a beautiful day for a hike and a great way to spend a birthday!

My complete set of photos from our hike is posted here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8146392@N05/albums/72157695044384064

2018-04-12 Jack and Amys Tenth Anniversary

Jack and Amy's Tenth Anniversary

Thursday, April 12th, 2018

 

Jack and Amy at Looking Glass Falls

Amy and I decided to both take the day off from work to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary together!

First on the agenda was breakfast at a nice little spot in Flat Rock, NC called Honey and Salt!

Our Breakfast spot in Flat Rock, NC

 Amy at the breakfast table!

 Anniversary Breakfast is Served

Next we headed up into Pisgah National Forest making the obligatory stop at Looking Glass Falls!  I remembered to pack my Tri-Pod, but I forgot the camera, so it would be all cell phone shots for today!

Me at Looking Glass Falls

Amy was getting over a bad cold, so she was not in the mood for any difficult hikes, so I selected the Pink Beds Loop, which is about as easy as they get!  Nothing spectacular, but a very enjoyable stroll through the forest with my Love!

Amy going for a swing on the Pick Beds Trail

 Amy on the Pink Beds Trail

Jack and Amy Selfie along the Pink Beds Trail

We continued on up US276 and hit the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I was in the mood for a little cardio, so I hiked up to the top of Mount Pisgah, while Amy relaxed with her book for the hour that it took me to hike to the summit and back down.

 The Mount Pisgah Trailhead

 Mount Pisgah Panorama

Selfie at the Mount Pisgah Summit

We finished the afternoon with a couple of Beers and an awesome meal at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Mills River, NC

Jack and Amy at the Sierra Nevada Brewery

 Time for an Anniversary Beer (and a great meal!)

It was an awesome day with the Love of my Life!

Our complete set of photos is posted here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/8146392@N05/albums/72157667823682218