The Little Tennessee River Needmore Tract

There is a great tract of land that runs along the Little Tennessee River purchased by The Nature Conservancy known as "The Needmore Tract", a favorite place for me to spend time. Close to home and is the collective name for multiple parcels totaling 4,400 acres on a 27-mile stretch of the Little Tennessee River between Franklin, NC and Fontana Lake. The largest parcel, 4,000 contiguous acres, consists of 3,400 acres in Swain County and 600 acres in Macon County.  Biologists call Needmore, which straddles the Little Tennessee River, one of the most threatened and biologically important areas in North Carolina because it represents one of the last remaining Southern Appalachian river systems with viable populations of native aquatic species. The properties are home to outstanding biological resources, including two federally endangered mussels, the Appalachian elktoe and the little pearlywing, as well as an endangered plant, the Virginia sweetspire. The Little Tennessee River supports populations of four federally-listed and 12 state-listed species of animals and plants. The area is also rich in cultural history.

Personally, I have always loved the drive along the river which can only be done at a nice slow pace, as well it should be. I saw my first "wild" Eagle in North Carolina along this stretch of the river, something I thought I would never see here in the south, as I always considered Eagles to be more to the West. Much to my delight this beautiful Eagle was hunting the river and I managed to get out of my vehicle and hoof it up the dirt road about 100 yards to where he had landed. He didn't stay long, but long enough for me to get his photo.

Another great experience was the "puddling" of several butterflies alongside the river most of which were Swallowtails but there were a couple of different species gather in there as well.

Harris Lake, Highlands, NC

By the time I completed my frozen waterfall excursion the other day, I ended up in Highlands where I usually stop by Harris Lake to see if I can get any good duck/geese photos. As I rounded the bend there were cars everywhere! It seems that Harris Lake was frozen enough to skate on, something the locals say it hasn't done in about 14 years. Some were on ice skates, some just their shoes. There were mother's pulling their kids on slelds and dogs pulling their owners on skates. Some were playing ice hockey and others just watched from the sidelines, like me. 

    

It's An Adventure - The Frozen Cullasaja

The Frozen Cullasaja River Gorge

 

The Cullasaja River is a short river located entirely in Macon County, North Carolina. A tributary of the Little Tennessee River, into which it flows near the county seat of Franklin, it originates to the southeast, near Highlands, where it flows from man made Lake Sequoyah. A two-lane curve filled highway called Mountain Waters Scenic Byway, (aka The Gorge Road) is the combined route of U.S. 64 and NC 28, through the Cullasaja Gorge. This gorge is mostly protected as part of the Nantahala National Forest. Several former Cherokee towns were located along the Cullasaja River. "Cullasaja" is a variant spelling of the Cherokee town name "Kulsetsi". This Cherokee town's name is also the origin of the name "Sugar Fork". One of the largest and most important Cherokee towns, known as Nikwasi or Nucassee, was located at the confluence of The Cullasaja River with The Little Tennessee River, which runs along the Little Tennessee River Greenway, where Franklin sits today.

I have been driving this stretch of road for over 20 years between the town of Franklin (where I reside) and the town of Highlands, which is a small, very upscale resort town. The river has several waterfalls that can be viewed directly from the road (even from your car without getting out) or at least a short walk to an overlook (as is the case with Dry Falls). Then there are those places that hide secret or hidden waterfalls as they lie deep down in the gorge, far from the road above. If you are brave (or crazy as the case may be) you can stumble upon some great locations that others may never see. An adventure for sure as we scrambled our way down a (probably 85 degree embankment) with slippery ice covered leaves to the river where we found what I call "Hidden Falls". Well worth the ride down on my butt to get there. The climb out, however, was a bit more of a challenge but I made it in tact without crashing any equipment or my behind. This is a gallery of photos of The Cullasaja River after being gripped in two weeks of near freezing or below temps.

The Frozen Cullasaja River Gorge 

Pet Portraits

Love pets and working with them. After photographing them in a natural setting, I paint in Photoshop and print on canvas for a great personalized pet portrait.

Pet Portrait Sampler Gallery

Freezing Tempertures Make For Icicle Beauty

Hasn't been much above feeezing for a couple of weeks with no real relief in sight but with that cold comes some of Mother Nature's beautiful sculptures in the form of dripping/running water off of the sides of our wonderful granite mountains here in the Blue Ridge.

Fire In The Sky

As winter settles in, the sunrise and sunsets seem more intense than any other time of the year. This view was taken from my deck. This is a sunrise shot.....

Ole Man Winter

The cold weather has settled in early this year. We have not seen above freezing temperatures for at least a week now with the temperatures dipping into single digits at night. Not fit for man or beast as they say but brings a beautiful landscape to the Blue Ridge Mountains with the blanket of snow that has accompanied our cold chill. It also tends to freeze the waterfalls too. This is Bridal Veil Falls just outside of Highlands, NC. this week.