Going Back…to the Mountains!
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| Mountains in the fall… love the colors |
I can’t say it enough… I LOVE the mountains! Many people love the beach, the ocean, the sounds of the crashing waves, sun in their face and sand in every orifice and their hair. But not me. I’ll take the mountains every time. The view is spectacular, the air is crisp (even in the middle of summer), the roads twisty, curvy, and exciting, and even though some may think around every corner is the same view…that’s not the same mountain, or the same cloud coming up the mountain side!
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| No, this is a different mountain…with a different cloud… |
Maybe it’s just the fact that I feel closer to God up there, I really don’t know. Or maybe it’s just the fact that I think about Him more when I’m over six-thousand-feet above sea level.
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| Our favorite overlook. The highest elevation; 6,053 feet! |
Whatever the case may be, I do know one distinct fact: God talks to me up there. He does! It might sound ludicrous to some, because God talks to me no matter where I am… but in the mountains His voice is clearer, more defined, and I actually understand more when I’m up there.
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| One of my favorite views |
So guess what? I’m going back! Our favorite spot of all time is Maggie Valley, North Carolina. We stay at the lovey little Stony Creek Motel, which literally has a creek running not ten feet behind the motel! I love to sit on the balcony and just … well … BE. Maggie Valley is a true, quiet, little valley town between the mountains. Every which way you look, you will see a mountain.
Not too far out of town, about four miles or so, there is a turn-off that will take you directly to the Blue Ridge Parkway; the twisty, curvy, switchback, road that climbs up and up the mountains, through tunnels, and past various “Overlooks.” And yes, I have tons of pictures of various overlooks, mountains, clouds, trees, tunnels, and such.
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| Entering the Blue Ridge Parkway…the fun is about to begin! |
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| Tunnel through the side of the mountain |
So why do I continue to take the same pictures over and over of the things I already have pictures of? Well, I don’t know! Probably because I see something new every time I go back to the mountains. Something is different. Something has changed.
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| Love the curvy roads! |
And very often, I do see something that I missed on the other fifteen times I have been through there!God created these beautiful, majestic mountains. They are regal. They are a pillar of nature and the Hand of God.
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| Pink lovelies growing right out of the side of the mountain! |
One of the last times I was up there, while riding around the curves that would take us to one of our favorite overlooks, I was watching out over the grand view of the multitude of mountains, as I always do. But then, I distinctly heard the Holy Spirit whisper, “Look up.” I wondered about that because we were already way up! But it became more clear when I heard it again, “Look up the side of the mountain.” So I turned my head to the right and OH…MY…GOODNESS! There they were. Beautiful, little, pink flowers, growing right out of the side of the rocky mountainside!
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| Water coming off the rocks |
I had totally missed these little beauties before, because I was busy watching the clouds float over the peaks and valleys of the mountains. You see, this is what happens when you ride two-up (as a passenger behind someone else). You get to see the sights, while the driver has to watch the road. Hence, one of the reasons I take multitudes of pictures. D.A. needs to see these when we return to the motel later! (Good excuse for taking pictures anyway)
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| Trees & shrubs growing right out of the side of the mountain |
At any rate, here were these beautiful, pink flowers and I was missing them! So I began taking pictures of them along the way. After the little prompt by my Best Friend, I began seeing them all over the place, along with so much more. I also began taking pictures UP the side of the mountain instead of out over the side of the cliffs. This is where I realized how much more beautiful the mountains are… and how much more I love them.
I’m going back… to the mountains… very, VERY soon! It’s almost Fall up there, you know. And yes…I will most definitely be taking more pictures!
