mountains

Winter Storm hits the NC Mountains

I had made plans a few weeks back to spend a few days in the Blowing Rock area in the hope that it might snow, and that I would capture some white, winter landscapes. Well, boy did it snow! In fact it snowed to the point where it caused significant chaos on the roads, and people were stranded all over the place. Some couldn’t travel home from ski resorts, and the roads and ditches were littered with cars planted firmly in the ice and snow. Not such a big deal up north, but certainly it certainly presented a challenge for the Watauga County public officials, stretching their resources to the limit. Fortunately for me, I was there for fun, and my Jeep Cherokee 4×4 certainly earned its stripes as it carefully transported me through a winter wonderland. One of my more thrilling and adventurous excursions!

Young Harris, Hiawassee, GA in the fall

A group of us girlfriends headed out on a road trip to upstate Georgia in the Appalachian Mountains. We rented a cabin for the last three nights and spent time exploring the area. These photos include views from Bell Mountain overlooking the Chatuge Lake and town of Hiawassee, a barn along a rural road, as well as images from a visit to Anna Ruby Falls in the Chattahoochee National Forest. Tomorrow we move on to Townsend, Tennessee. Most of the colorful leaves were blown away courtesy of Hurricane Zeta as it blasted up the Tennessee Valley a few days ago. Hoping to find some color lingering in the next few days.

Weekend Getaway at Kaya Vineyard & Winery

A good friend had a big birthday recently, and what better way to celebrate it than spending a weekend with a few girlfriends in a Georgia mountain vineyard. Every moment (including leisure “do nothing” moments) was meticulously planned ahead of time, as well as amazing meals, and trips (with transportation) to other local vineyards for wine-tasting expeditions. I had never visited this part of Georgia before, but it is beautiful and I plan to go back in the fall. Happy Birthday Pam!!

The Drakensberg Mountains

Searching for inspiration in a dry and dusty desert (photographically speaking), I revisited archived image folders of far away places. These memories are particularly poignant. My mom and I were spending a few days in the South African Drakensberg mountain area, and I persuaded her to accompany me on a helicopter ride to do some aerial photography. She was 87 years old at the time, and in the beginning stages of a bout with Shingles, but she gamely acquiesced, and so off into the sky we flew. I was impressed with her spirit of adventure, since she was very obviously nervous at the prospect but threw caution to the wind for the sake of the experience.

Mum on a 8,000ft plateau where the helicopter landed for breakfast

This is a magnificent mountain range, spanning 600 miles and towering over 10,000 ft. in height. The translation of Drakensberg is “Dragon’s Mountains”, and our family spent many vacations in this area when we were children, hiking, horse-riding, and swimming in the clear mountain streams.

The Cape Winelands

I have seen winelands in France and California (Italy, Portugal and others are still on my bucket list) but so far, I have to say that some of the prettiest are to be found in the Cape, South Africa. I know I may be a little biased, but seriously, this has to be some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere on God’s earth. These were taken on an estate in the Stellenbosch area.