Saturday, April 3
One nice thing about a roadtrip, you can pack as much, or as little stuff as you want. One thing I didn't expect to need was an ice scraper.
There was only one thing on tap for the morning, Keowee Toxaway State Park. "Keowee" comes from the Cherokee word for mulberry, while "Toxaway" means a place of thunder. It was a short drive on Hwy 11.
After ditching the car in the parking lot, I checked the trail kiosk and started walking. There’s a four and a half mile double loop that crosses a small natural bridge before heading up to a lake. The sign on the kiosk clearly states we should hike counter clockwise. Considering Covid-19, it makes sense to avoid unnecessary face to face contact. It’s amazing how many people either don’t know what counter-clockwise means, or simply ignored it.
Blink and you’ll miss the natural bridge.
I told you it was pretty small.
As I left the bridge and started walking again, four guys came around the corner with their dog, a Chihuahua named Caesar. He wasn’t on a leash and ran ahead to check me out, before running back to his people. I hadn’t gone very far when I realized he was walking right beside me again. A voice from behind said, “He thinks you’re one of us.”
At the next junction, I let them pass, and took my time down around the lake. All in all, it was a pretty good four and a half miles, with plenty of low rolling hills.
The visitor center was open by then, so I went in to chat with the ranger about Jocassee Gorge. It’s just up the highway, and looked like it had a pretty good road through the gorge. The ranger told me it’s mostly gravel and there are a few trees down. Best not to attempt it.
Instead, I took a scenic drive to the town of Sappire, North Carolina for lunch at the Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company. The town was on my AAA map. But, I pulled out the GPS to find the actual place. It didn’t recognize the street address, but with the Four Square option, it did recognize the brewery.
At one point the GPS said, and I kid you not, “Navigate Cross Country.” I was looking at an empty field. I drove on and quickly saw a sign for the brewery.
Over a nice lunch and an impressive IPA(not so much their stout), I started looking for options for the afternoon. On the drive to the brewery, I did pass a sign for Gorges State Park.
Within the park, there’s a mile and a half trail down to Rainbow Falls. It seemed perfect. The trail itself was a steady downwards slope and pretty easy. Well worth it for the falls.
From a short trail to the side of the falls...
Back at the car, it was time to go find my motel. I had a room at the River Bend Lodge, Restaurant and Bar. We’ve all seen these places tucked into a wide curve in a mountain road. The truth is, there’s not a lot of options in and around Rumson, NC. The next closest place was over fifteen miles away.
There’s no front office, so I went into the restaurant. They asked if I my reservation was for a “room or a tent.” I said room. They called someone, checked me in over the phone and gave me the numerical key code for the door’s touchpad.
From the parking lot, it seemed like your average rustic motel with only six rooms. Inside, the room was quite clean, but felt a bit chilly. I turned the heat up and went looking for electrical outlets. There was one, just one. No, there wasn't even one in the bathroom.
After a light dinner at the restaurant, I walked back to the room. I had turned the heat up, but it still felt chilly. Good thing the blankets were good and warm.
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