Ginny and I went back to Big Ivy today. I was attracted because of the cold weather. (I saw icicles last Friday, but I didn't bring a camera.) Of course, this meant driving on snow and ice, which in turn meant actually using the 4-wheel drive capabilities of the Trooper for something besides our driveway. That's always exciting. On our way down, we saw the tracks of lesser vehicles, the drivers of which were compelled to turn around. Fortunately, we were able to make it and enjoy the rewards.
Walker Falls, full and just the top
Douglas Falls
A wall of icicles, left of the waterfall
The waterfall is slowly obliterating this log; the ice is really thick at the base of the falls
Icicles loom on the edge of the rock face; dripping water freezes below
Ginny and I wondered why this tree hasn't fallen yet
My favorite shot of the day, "snow flower" (as usual, Ginny spotted the object)
Almost a good picture of Kate; Kate rubbing her face in a frog's rotting corpse
Fungi growing on a tree; mysterious plants (too small to be trees, right?)
A friend of mine saw this video on Yahoo's front page, and apparently it was aired on CNN. I only point it out because I went to seminary with the minister.
I had been meaning to check out a couple of local waterfalls for a year or more. The Thanksgiving holiday afforded me the opportunity. I went with Ginny's dad on Friday and returned with Ginny on Sunday.
In the Big Ivy area of the Pisgah National Forest, near Barnardsville, a forest service road leads one past Walker Falls, a 45-foot cascading waterfall, and several smaller falls to a parking lot, from which a half-mile trail leads to Douglas Falls, a 60-foot plunge. I failed to bring a camera on Friday, which was unfortunate because the rock face of Douglas Falls was covered with hundreds of icicles. I remembered to bring a camera and a tripod on Sunday, but I forgot the plate that connects the two! This hindered my ability to take good pictures--it wasn't very sunny, so I needed considerable exposure. I got some good pictures, however. (Given the recent colder temperatures, I'm tempted to return tomorrow morning, with both parts of the tripod.)
A nameless, sliding waterfall
Walker Falls
A close-up of Walker Falls
I was awestruck by the underside of this fallen tree. Before it fell, its root system was forced to grow horizontally because it was atop rocks.
I like how the silhouette of the branches makes the sky appear as a mosaic.
We hiked to Hickey's Fork Falls today. Fortunately, what is normally a trickle was rushing because of all the recent rain. In addition, the unseasonably warm weather made the hike extremely pleasant.
We passed a tree that had fallen almost down. The awkward wording is intentional. The tree is literally inches from being a log.
Before one gets to the waterfall, there is a 500-foot slide. It's pretty impressive. I didn't bother setting up the tripod, so the picture is dark. (It was that or appear out of focus.)
The trail crossed several streams, one of which required planning and care in order to avoid getting wet. On our way back, Kate failed to exhibit these. Having too much momentum to stop, she attempted to jump from a small rock in the center of the stream to a larger one on the side. She never had a chance. Her front legs made it, but the back half of her body didn't. Consequently, she fell into the stream. It was only a foot or so deep, but that was more than enough to get her whole body soaked. Ginny and I got a good laugh.
I took some photos of interesting mushrooms and lichens, along with other photos of the stream and falls, which are in the album Hickey's Fork Falls.
When I first read the headline "US Christians urged to boycott Gap," I thought, "Maybe it's because the clothes are made in sweatshops." How naive I am. Of course, it's because the Gap refuses to use the word "Christmas." Apparently they don't want to offend anyone. Although I don't think many people (maybe three or four, nationwide) would be offended, I think the efforts of those urging the boycott are misguided. It's as if they wish to send the following ultimatum: "Recognize that Jesus is the reason for your year-end boon, or we will spend our billions of dollars in 'Jesus-friendly' stores!" Honestly, I'm a little ashamed that Christians appear more concerned with the fact that Jesus is not given credit for our nation's annual materialistic extravaganza than with the fact that his birth is celebrated via that same annual materialistic extravaganza. Moreover, do we really want to force non-Christians to wish others (especially us) a "Merry Christmas"? What have we achieved, other than the dilution of his name? Seriously, to someone who is offended when a person utters, "Oh, my God!", why is the imperative of non-believers wishing a "Merry Christmas!" so attractive? Furthermore, what message are we sending to the "enemies" of Christendom? I'm not suggesting that we necessarily boycott the Gap for labor issues, but wouldn't that be a more constructive message--"Ensure that those who make your products are treated humanely, or we won't buy those products"--than effectively demanding, "Say, 'Uncle'!"
