The Boxcar Children opens at TCMU!

The newest exhibit at The Children’s Museum of the Upstate opens today! The Boxcar Children is an exhibit designed around the book series written by Gertrude Chandler Warner, and has come to the Upstate to celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the books as well as the new animated feature film release.

“The Boxcar Children book series tells the story of four orphaned children in the late 1920s who create a home for themselves in an abandoned boxcar in the forest. The children eventually meet their wealthy grandfather and decide to live with him, as the book series continues to highlight their many adventures. The exhibit simulates many settings found in the first book of the series. As children play in the exhibit, they will also explore the familiar themes of literacy, family values, resourcefulness, and empathy that The Boxcar Children books are so well-known for.” (source here)

This exhibit was specially designed for The Children’s Museum of the Upstate (TCMU), and will be at the museum for 6 months. The nearly life-size boxcar was hidden away in the basement as it was being built, but is now displayed and filled with props that the children used to make their own home in the book.

The bakery next door also contains items and furniture from the story, and allows visitors to work behind the counter or sweeping up. They can put on a chef’s hat, or just peer in through the window like Benny did in the book.

In Dr. Moore’s House children can clean and sort through the tools in the garage, or head inside where there is a kitchen for cooking cherry dumpling as well as the bedroom where Violet recuperated when she was sick. Meanwhile in the “outdoor” area of the exhibit (also Dr. Moore’s in the book), there is a vegetable garden and campfire.

What the children most enjoyed was that they could wander through the story at will; for example pick vegetables and then take them to the campfire to make soup, or after buying cookies from the bakery they could return to the boxcar for a play snack while they read a book. We will be returning for more play in the boxcar, and I foresee heightened interest in the Boxcar Children book series in the near future.

For more information on hours of operation and admission info, please visit the TCMU website.

Buffalo Creek Park in the Hickory Nut Gorge

Known for jaw-dropping waterfalls, stunning views of Lake Lure and vibrant fall foliage, the majestic Hickory Nut Gorge is a treasure chest of adventures just over an hour from Greenville. Along the 14-mile canyon created by the Rocky Broad River are numerous communities such as Gerton, Bat Cave, Chimney Rock, Lake Lure and Bill’s Creek, and in the surrounding environs you’ll find plenty of recreation including Dittmer-Watts Nature Trail Park, Chimney Rock State Park, Rumbling Bald, Florence Nature Preserve, Bearwallow Mountain and Buffalo Creek Park.

  

We headed up to Hickory Gorge in our annual fall color chase last week, hoping that the upper altitudes of the gorge would already be showing the vibrant foliage that the hardwoods in this area are known for. While we were definitely early for the show (predictions are for a peak of color more towards the end of the month), the hike in the headwaters of Lake Lure at Buffalo Creek Park was a look into the future of what the planned trails for this area will eventually hold.

Buffalo Creek Park is the gateway to 1,500 acres of land on Weed Patch Mountain. Owned by the town of Lake Lure, the park is managed by Conserving Carolina, the recent consolidation between the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy and Pacolet Area Conservancy. Buffalo Creek was opened to the public in the spring of 2014, and what is currently about 5 miles of trail will soon extend a total of 7-10 miles to the state park property at Eagle Rock near Shumont Mountain. The plan is to connect it with Chimney Rock State Park on the north side of Rumbling Bald Mountain, and eventually a complete circuit of Lake Lure will be pieced together in a 30-40 mile trail summitting multiple surrounding peaks.

Turkey tail fungi

But, we’ll have to be patient; currently the main portions open to hikers and mountain bikers are the Rumbling Bald Mtn. and Buffalo Creek Park trails. The 200 acre Buffalo Creek tract features a 4.7 mile loop which takes you up the side of Weed Patch Mountain and then back down to Buffalo Creek via endless switchbacks. The parking area is small, with space only for 5 cars (or a few more if you really squeeze ‘em in), and the hike moderate – it climbs about 500ft as it zigzags up and down the mountain.

For a detailed description of the hike (as well as maps and pictures taken in the winter) you can read Jeff Clark’s post on the park, but the trail is really straightforward. After a short section on an old roadbed you cross the Creek and then take a turn (follow the signs) to start the lollipop-loop. The trail is designed with safety in mind, with alternating designated days for bikers and hikers: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday & Friday, mountain bikers go left and hikers right (counter-clockwise around the loop), and on Saturday, Tuesday and Thursday, hikers go left and mountain bikers right. This is designed to give hikers advance warning of bikers coming downhill.

There are a couple of spots with views of Lake Lure (like the one at the top of this post), but those will mainly come once the additional section of trail connecting to Eagle Rock opens. What currently exists of the connector trail is 1 mile long, taking you up 12 switchbacks to a dead end; we skipped this portion of the hike, opting to return to Buffalo Creek for lunch.

The best views were of Youngs Mountain on the opposite side of the valley, and the traverse of the boulder field along the top portion of the loop was also enjoyable. Plenty of oaks, hickories and other hardwoods will be ablaze in another couple of weeks, while the ecological diversity in the gorge will be showcased in the spring when the wildflowers return; 37 rare plant species and 14 rare animal species (including the Green Salamander) call this area home. Although the trail primarily seems designed for mountain biking, there is no doubt we’ll be returning to explore the gorge further - to experience the various seasons in Hickory Nut Gorge, and to enjoy the completed connector to Eagle Rock in Chimney Rock State Park.

For more on nearby hikes, please see my posts on Lake Lure, Chimney Rock State Park and Bearwallow Mountain. For more information on the status of the loop that will eventually circumnavigate Lake Lure, please see the Buffalo Creek FAQ section of the Lake Lure website.

Skinny Dip Falls

Skinny Dip Falls is an ideal hike to incorporate into your Blue Ridge Parkway trip, regardless of the time of year. While a popular place to splash and cool down at the end of a hot summer’s day, the parking area can get full, and you’ll often be sharing the trail (and creek!) with dozens of other visitors that had the same idea. In the winter it is much less crowded, but you have to be careful of Parkway closures. Then, in the spring the rhododendron and mountain laurel will be blooming, and as temperatures warm the crowds slowly return. Or, you can choose to visit in the fall, a particularly appealing option if the leaves have begun to turn.

On our recent trip to Graveyard Fields we had a few additional hours of daylight and couldn’t drive by an almost-empty parking lot. Skinny Dip Falls shares parking with the Looking Glass Rock overlook at mile marker 417 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The first patches of color are just appearing, so the fall foliage season hadn’t really kicked off, and the chill in the air kept most swimmers in warmer waters.

Head to the north end of the parking lot and carefully cross the Parkway. The unmarked trailhead is easily found by locating mile marker 417, and you’ll know you are in the right place when you come to the dragon tree.

Climb the steps and turn left on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, and after a quick up-and-down you’ll hear the Yellowstone Prong off to your right. The trail follows the river to the base of the falls where a bridge will take you across and to the upper sections of the waterfall. If you were to keep heading upriver you would come to Second Falls and Upper Falls in Graveyard Fields, while a short ways downriver it joins with Greasy Cove Prong to form East Fork Pigeon River.

In addition to a deeper pool there are multiple other choices for wading and splashing, but be warned that the mountain water is cold almost any time of year and there are no lifeguards on duty. The rocks can be slippery when wet, and you still have a ½ mile hike to get back to your car! We started the trek back to the car over the objections of our blue-lipped swimmers, and soon were back at the overlook enjoying a snack and one last look over what is still a rather green vista surrounding Looking Glass Rock.

--------------------------------------------

Skinny Dip Falls is about 1.5 hours from Greenville, a little bit longer if you take the more scenic 276 back south. This route will take you past Sliding Rock and Looking Glass Falls before you reach Brevard, and crosses back over into South Carolina at Caesars Head State Park – the perfect spot to watch a sunset. Or you can head into nearby Asheville or Hendersonville for dinner... there isn’t really a wrong choice! 

A first hint of fall at Milliken Arboretum

The Chinese flame tree fruits were aglow in the sunlight at Milliken this week. But don't get any ideas please... 

The approach of autumn is just barely perceptible – a few red and orange leaves on a maple, the sycamores starting to shed, the spindle tree berries popping…

The best way to tell fall is on the way is to crack some pecans for a snack on your hike. We took the long way around the southwest side, making our way to the Flag Fountain and Pond.

The Red Flume Fountain is brightly colored year round, but we like it anyhow. The Great Blue Heron that often perches on the fountain wasn’t in evidence today, but a butterfly flittered by here and there and it was peaceful.

The ‘Green Vase’ Japanese Zelkovas were personally selected by Roger Milliken from a Princeton, NJ nursery. They lead to Allee Water Sculpture encircled by Bracken Brown Beauty Magnolias.

There are a series of fountains and sculptures in the courtyards in front of the main building. Vilis found his favorite to be the fountain with the dancing children, while I preferred the one surrounded by a riot of coleus…

I find it fascinating that you can visit often and still find something new on every trip; seasonal changes transform the campus, but the 600 acres also allow for room to roam. And for those seeking fall color, the wide range of species found on site ensures that autumn is stretched to its limits!

If you would like to read more about the Arboretum, please visit my post Milliken Arboretum.

Autumn comes to Graveyard Fields

It’s here. October. Autumn. Fall foliage!

It’s time to chase color. We headed up to the mountains this weekend to see for ourselves, and I can confirm – the leaves are turning. NOAA climate scientists are predicting this year’s fall colors to be the brightest and most beautiful in decades due to elevated average high temperatures and a fairly dry summer. In addition the season is supposedly starting early due to a cold snap some three weeks ago.

Every year the season kickoff is in the highest elevations (5,000 feet and up) north of Asheville, especially in the Mount Mitchell, Grandfather Mountain, Waterrock Knob and Graveyard Fields areas. Of these the closest to the Upstate is Graveyard Fields – it’s under a two hour drive from Greenville.

Graveyard Fields owes its interesting name to a tremendous ‘wind-blow’ that happened here 500-1,000 years ago. The spruce forest was leveled, and over the years the trees and stumps rotted, leaving only dirt mounds. From a distance, the mounds supposedly looked like gravestones... Another legend tells of the extensive logging operations in the early 1900s that left only the stumps of trees, which covered in moss also resembled an overgrown cemetery. Whichever version you prefer, the forest recovered only to be destroyed again in a catastrophic fire in 1925 that burned so deep that it destroyed any trees, stumps, mounds and even the soil’s nutrients. Although over the years briars and other small plants have taken hold to start the long process of adding decaying vegetation to enrich the soil, the woods are a far cry from the spruce-fir forest that it once was.

Rhododendron tunnels

We planned to arrive early, as the small parking lot at the Graveyard Fields Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway (milepost 418) fills up fast. There was a definite chill in the air when we got out of the car, and we donned extra layers before heading out. From the parking lot we headed down the stairs into the rhododendron tunnel, shortly reaching the bridge across the Yellowstone Prong of the Pigeon River. The headwaters of the Yellowstone Prong are at the junction of two high ridges, the mountains exceeding 6,000 feet in elevation while the base of the valley is over 5,000. From the Upper Falls in the west end of the valley, the river meanders through Graveyard Fields, spills out the east end over Second Falls, and then continues on to Skinny Dip Falls and the Shining Rock Wilderness area. To reach this gorgeous waterfall cross the bridge, turn right, keep right at the intersection and then descend the stairs to the river.

To continue our hike we retraced our steps back to the bridge. The trail that connects just after the stairs is the Mountains To Sea Connector, leading to the trail that stretches across the state of NC all the way from Clingmans Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway through Pisgah National Forest to the Outer Banks and the Atlantic Ocean. We left it for another day…

This is an unbelievably scenic stretch of Yellowstone Prong. The crystal-clear waters are home to the native brook trout, and in addition to bands of color in the bedrock, the streambed is filled with yellow rocks that give the river its name. Enormous boulders are scattered in the stream bed to the delight of our young rock-hoppers, and it was hard to tear them away both from Second Falls and from the bridge where there is another easy access point to the river.

But eventually we kept on, keeping to the north of the river and following the sign to Upper Falls. It’s about 1.5 miles between the falls, and the trail winds through the valley covered with grasses, small trees, blueberries, rhododendron, and mountain laurel. Taller shrubs and small trees are starting to dominate in recent years, and this variety of colorful autumn species is what makes this hike such a delight in early October. The few beeches had already dropped their bright yellow leaves, but the blueberries, maples, elms and other trees were just starting their show!

Along the way are multiple mountain bogs that lie along springs and seeps in the valley. The trail is rather eroded and muddy in spots, but all the water makes for unlimited fascinating stops for the boys. About 0.2 miles from the bridge you’ll pass the Graveyard Ridge Connecter, and another 0.3 miles later is the where the Graveyard Fields Loop trail splits off to take you back to the parking lot. From this point it is 0.8 miles to Upper Fall, and you know you’re getting close when the trial starts climbing.

The area around Upper Falls is a lattice of improvised trails. Main points: 1. The rock is slick and dangerous when it is wet (and possibly when it is dry) 2. Do not try to climb up to the top of the falls – there’s not really anything to see there anyway 3. Enjoy the view of the falls as well as the view down the valley.

We had a snack and explored, the blue skies a stunning contrast to the colorful foliage. I don’t think anyone was ready to leave…

Knowing we still had a bit of a hike ahead of us we gathered up our things and started back. Having retraced our steps to the intersection with the Loop trail, we made a right and crossed the Yellowstone Prong on the sturdy new bridge that replaced numerous others that were all washed away in floods. From the bridge it is 0.6 miles back to the parking area, a steady climb through rhododendron and mountain laurel. We hiked through a few marshy areas and a grassy forest, across a couple of boardwalks/bridges, and finally up a flight of stairs.

Before piling back in the car we had another snack, sitting in the trunk and admiring the view. From the overlook you can make out hikers crossing the open expanses of Graveyard Fields, and the Yellowstone Prong is visible here and there. What up-close was a vivid cacophony of color appears a rich tapestry from a distance, but I have no doubt that the next couple of weeks at Graveyard Fields will be at peak color, heralding fall in the Carolinas.

Chase that color.

Total mileage from Graveyard Fields Overlook parking lot to Second Falls and then Upper Falls before returning to the parking lot via Graveyard Fields Trail = about 3.5 miles.