BAILEY BUGLE, BAILEY, NORTH CAROLINA. NOVEMBER
Page 15^
Trip To Mountains Adds To Appreciation of Nature
My long-cherished dream
suddenly became a reality
one morning in early Octo
ber when I was given the
opportunity to take a trip
to the mountains. In order
that we might reach Mt*
Airy before bedtime, we
left a few hours later.
The next morning upon our
rounding a curve there
loomed before us my first
mountain, A gasp of de.- '
light escaped with niy
first breath-taking view.
Most of the day we drove
along the Parkway, feast
ing on the color splashed
trees, unable to decide
which look-out presented
the most beautiful vievi.
As we looked up the side
of a hillock or ridge or
sometimes towering peaks,
the resemblance of the
landscape to rich oriental
rugs was remarkably notice
able, Then as we ascended
to higher levels the col
ors increased until we
were completely enclosed
in walls of red, gold,
orange, green, and brovm,
seemingly covered in a
gossamer veil of delicate
blue with a sometimes pur
plish cast^
Again and again during
the day phrases from Edna
St, Vincent Millay's poem,
"God's World," flashed
through my mind as so de
scriptive of what I was
feeling and seeing:
Thy woods, this autumn
day, that ache and sag
And all but cry vrith
colour I
Vi'crld, IVorld, I cannot
get thee close enough I
Long have I known a
glory in it all,
But never knev; I this;
....Lord, I do
fear
Thou'st made the world
too beautiful this year.
Even the ground was blank
eted with the golden
tinged grass and lirush.
The valleys vfere streaked
with winding roads and
creeks. From the upper
heights, farm houses sur
rounded by golden green
pasture land, brown shocks
of corn, and apple or
chards' aopeared as if
they had been plotted and
set to a pattern.
Cascade Falls
One of the most interest
ing stops that we made was
at Cascade Falls, At our
feet tumbled the foaming
milky fallsj in the dis
tance was the illusion of
a painter having splashed
his canvas with gold and
crimson hues-a scene more
picturesque than real. Go
ing back by another path,
we vralked alongside the
merry little stream that
eventually became the I’oar-
ing foaming falls,
Vu'e ate lunch in Boone, a
bustling little town vrith
mountains rising on all
sides. Then we continued
our drive south tovfard
Asheville. 7'q saw numerous
spectacular views but none
quite so striking as the
one of Mt, Mitchell, nino
mi let; away. Across the val
leys and through the blue
haze we caught' the state
liness with which Mt,
Mj.tchel]. proudly displayed
the American flag.
Grandfather Mountain
Instead of going to the
top of Grandfather Moun
tain, \fe visited the fam
ous ground where the "sin^
ing on the mountain" is
held. Since this is near
Grandfather and almost as
high, yre vie^ved the sur
rounding countryside while
we pitched a tune in re
membrance of the occasion.
The Parkway'6 upkeep im
pressed me. The clean well-
constructed roads were
graded for driving ease.
Seen along the dangerous
curves are attractive rus
tic rock walls made from
the rocks blasted out when
the road bed was laid. As
water trickles continually
from the Jagged rock,
paved orains were in
serted to prevent wash
outs. Numerous look-outs
afford one the opportunity
to pause for a longer look
at the more scenic views.
In mid-aftemoon we
started our downward drive
from Buck Creek Gap, Round
axid round we circled, ap
parently pushing our way
through layers of bril
liant and gorgeous colors
that would hold us back.
Finally, the mountains
proper gave way to rolling
hills, the warm, bright
hues to more somber col
oring, The most impressive
day of my life was coming
to an end^
Katherine Bates best de
scribed the America that I
saw in the song, "America,
The Beautiful": "For pur
ple mountains majesties,
above the fruited plain,"
and, "God shed His grace
on Thee," were in complete
, accordance with my
thoughts. To gaze into a
distance of several miles
and to sense the spiritual
as well as behold the visi
ble beauty is an experi
ence that I shall long
remember. ' Anne Bunn