Brevard, Blue Ridge Parkway, Pearson's Falls

I recently took my VFR on a 12-hour, 350-mile journey up through Brevard, NC to the Blue Ridge Parkway, taking it eastward past Asheville, down US74A to Bat Cave, west on US64 to Hendersonville, and down US176 through Tryon, NC before heading home. I left around 8:30 and made it to Brevard around 11:30, just in time for lunch at a favorite restaurant of mine, Quotations Cafe. That was, in fact, the genesis of this ride, as I suddenly had a hankering to go eat there. I usually eat their excellent vegetable quiche, salad, and coffee, but this time I had an equally excellent chicken salad sandwich, salad, and coffee. With a good meal in my belly I was set for some fun twisty roads, and this sign indicates that I was in for a treat. :-)



Looking Glass Falls is a very impressive waterfall right on the side of the road on US276 a bit north of Brevard; it's always a nice one to stop at.



I LOVE riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway; I once rode its 470-miles entirety over a 2-day span and would love to do so again. It's a very flowing, undulating strip of pavement with beautiful vistas along the entire stretch.









A bit east of Asheville I got on US74A south and rode it down to Bat Cave; 74 is another great twisty road, and I had a blast working my way down it. In Bat Cave I got on US64 west toward Hendersonville; 64 is another barrel of curvy fun but in a different way - its curves are of a larger radius with higher speeds, so they flow nicely and are a bit more relaxing to ride, but still plenty of fun.

In Hendersonville I got on US176 and took it southward to Tryon in search of a waterfall I had not previously visited, Pearson's Falls. It's one of the very few that I've visited that you have to pay to see, but it was well worth the $5 fee, and it goes to the Tryon Garden Club, which does a fine job of maintaining the grounds. I had a pleasant chat with the 2 Garden Club representatives manning the gate, and another pleasant chat along the trail with a couple who turned out to be from Columbia - small world we live in. :-)

Picturesque shot along the trail; the photo doesn't do justice to the beautiful lighting that I saw.



Do you see what I see in the following photo? I'll tell you at the end of the post what that is.



Pearson's Falls, the 52nd waterfall that I have visited.





Payne Street in Tryon.



I continued down US176 to Landrum, SC, where I had dinner at the Hare and Hound Pub. There was some good-looking pub fare on the menu, like fish and chips and shepherd's pie, but I was in the mood for a good, simple hamburger, so that's what I had, and I was not disappointed; it was big, juicy, and tasty, with some excellent fries on the side. I was tempted by some really good beers on tap, but being on my bike I had to decline; I was pretty parched anyway, and downed 3 or 4 glasses of water instead.

I pulled over and snapped one final photo on my way home.



The photo above that I stated I see something in it - it's a wolf's head; do you see it? Here it is again: