Fall-Time For a Beautiful Drive

Thursday, September 19th, 2019     by Debra DuPree Williams     Start the Conversation

By Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams
A view from the Cherohala Skyway
Fall. It’s finally creeping in on us here in the mountains of Western North Carolina. While some of you, two of our sons included—one in Austin and one in Tampa—are battling temps hovering in the nineties, our high today and tomorrow will be in the mid-seventies at the highest. Our lows? A nice, comfortable mid-forties to mid-fifties range. Believe me, I know. I feel your pain.

 

My sweet hubby pulled out our Fall décor this week and we got that placed around our home. I don’t go over the top. Simplicity is the operative word here. Besides, it’s about all I have time or energy for. One thing I’d like to do is add potted mums to our front porch. I love Fall colors and potted mums make one’s home seem so warm and inviting.
Fall Aromas
You all know that Fall and mountains go hand in hand. Clean, crisp air is filled with all those aromas we associate with this season. There’s nothing quite as welcoming as the aroma of smoke from a freshly laid fire as it travels across these beautiful mountains.
Many of my friends have been joyfully awaiting the arrival of pumpkin spice coffee, cookies, cakes, pies . . . and the list goes on. Confession—I don’t like pumpkin and I don’t drink coffee. I rarely eat or drink anything with that kind of spice in it. Heavy, heavy sigh.

 

While I love the aroma, my body cannot abide an abundance of these seasonal odors. What I have isn’t an allergy but an extreme sensitivity to these fragrances. I know. I hate that I’m this way, too. Years ago I took a fall flat onto my face. The neurologist said the fall left me with damaged olfactory nerves. Since that time, certain odors bother me. A lot. Cinnamon, ginger, and citrus are among the worst offenders. Insert another heavy sigh here.

 

View From BRP
Take a Drive
Fall is still my favorite time of the year. My husband and I love to get out and take day drives to soak in the beauty that surrounds us on all sides. I’ve written about this in the past, so I won’t repeat myself here. Our favorites are the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Cherohala. Just down the way from our home is Gorges State Park. The views from there are breathtaking and there is even a waterfall if you care to walk down to it. It isn’t a huge hike but be sure to wear shoes for hiking. You will not want to miss out because you either didn’t wear or pack shoes for such an adventure. As a little bonus, I added a link to Fontana Dam. It is amazingly beautiful in the Fall.
There is nothing like enjoying God’s creative genius. We feel so blessed to be able to call this area of Western North Carolina our home.

 

While you’re sitting there sipping your pumpkin spice latte and munching on a cinnamon apple cookie, share with us your Fall favorites. We’d love to hear from you. Feel free to include a recipe or two. Below are some links to drives we love to take.

 

 

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