Another Trip Down the Mountain, April 12, 2003

As you can tell, since I have gotten my new camera I've been carrying it with me everywhere. Having the freedom to carry it means that I'm taking a lot more pictures outside the Ranch. Now one thing I want to make clear is that while Haywood county still has it's scenic areas, they are being destroyed at a very, very fast rate! But for now, this little corner still has places I can point my camera and get a nice scene.

This view as I head down the mountain, you can see the snow is still in the higher elevations. I guess it's hard for you to tell how the road goes down from this photo. As a reference, I'm almost level with bottom of the snow line straight across the valley. My camera is pointed downhill.

This is a very old log cabin above the road....

...like most of these old houses, no one lives in them now

Further down the road is another old farmstead. This barn is on one side of the road...

...and the house (what's left of it) is across the creek on the other side of the hollow.

On down the road I go.

Here, the creek comes out of the woods and goes through a pasture.You can see the old rock walls that surround these pastures. They where part fencing and part a rock dumping ground to get enough rocks up for grass to grow. In a lot of places they piled up little rocks on top of huge massive rocks that couldn't be moved.

Here is the rock house down below the pasture.

This is one of two old stores that are at the bottom of the mountain. I'm not sure who owned this one, but you can tell it's been closed for a long time. The store was right behind...

... their house.

On down the road about half a mile is Tranthams store. Homer and Maggie Trantham still run the store. Maggie told me she has run the store for 72 YEARS!!! She is in her 90's. She is amazing. She has a very alert mind and can tell you about anything that has gone in the area for almost a century. She also has the bluest, clearest eyes I've ever seen. Some of the things you can get here are milk, corn meal, flour, sugar, cokes, candy, pinto beans, and chewing tobacco.

On down the road a nice view down the valley....

... and looking back up the valley.

I will try to get a better picture next time of this slightly leaning read barn.

A long view across the valley floor to...

... the Barn up the Hollow.

And lastly, one of the very few straight sections of the road into town. After winding down the mountain for miles and miles, this feels like an Interstate highway and I'm usually doing 70 (or more) by the time I get here!