A Couple of Norths

Rounding out the states that start with N are North Carolina and North Dakota. I’m afraid that’s 2 more no’s but what is there to see  and do in these two states?

North Carolina

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Lots to see and do in this state. I can’t wait to get there! The top 7 things on my wish list are:

  1. The Town of Cherokee. It includes the Cherokee Reservation and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Reviews of the town and the events are great. If you like Native American History, then this sounds like a place to check out. Many Cherokee from North Carolina were rounded up and made to march to Indian Territory on the “Trail of Tears”, not one of the white man’s finer moments.
  2. Cape Hatteras and the National Seashore and Lighthouse. You’d think I’d be happy to skip this when I have the Cape Cod National Seashore in my own back yard but if it’s undeveloped  and wild, count me in. Cape_Hatteras_NC4_b
  3. Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge. Same as above. I want to see the migrating birds and any other wildlife that might be lingering about.
  4. And the #4 spot on my list goes to the Wild Horses of The Crystal Coast. The nice thing…we can go see them! Tourists are welcome to ferry over to Shackleford Banks to see the  horses.  “While it is not in the best interest of either horse or person to get  too close, people should look, photograph, and enjoy the wild horses for the  unique part of North Carolina that they are.” .Read more: http://www.budgettravel.com/blog/the-amazing-wild-horses-of-north-carolina,12054/#ixzz2gIsMhOmg horses
  5. The Blue Ridge Mountains. I want to drive the Blue Ridge Mountain parkway for the scenic views and a taste of Appalachian Culture.Blue Ridge Parkway automn
  6. Nantahala National Forest holds Nantahala Gorge, a crevasse that’s 1800 feet at it’s deepest and 100 yards wide at it’s narrowest. The scenic drive is known as the Nantahala By way. There’s even a Nantahala Gorge Train ride.The 4 ½ hour round trip Nantahala River Gorge Excursion departs from the historic town of Bryson City and travels 44 miles to the scenic Nantahala River Gorge. This tour travels along a stretch of the Tuckaseegee River, goes through charming countryside, crosses Fontana Lake on a 100 foot high trestle bridge that spans almost 800 feet across the Lake, winds through the scenic Western North Carolina mountains and into the legendary Nantahala River Gorge. Oh my! A Must See if there ever was one! Nantahala-Gorge
  7. Roanoke Island is home to the first settlement established by Sir Walter Raleigh more than 30 years before the Mayflower dropped anchor in Plymouth, Ma.

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There’s lots more besides these 7 places but I bet it would take the whole vacation to do 1/2 of it partly because  I’d be all over the state! In fact I’ve gone on so long about North Carolina  that I’ll have to save North Dakota for another post.

So adding North Carolina to the “Must See” side of the ledger brings my tally to 12 visited 21 to go!

Government Shutdown

As most of you know, I usually keep political comments to a minimum. The biggest reason is I don’t consider myself a “deep thinker”. I’m just your “Average Josie”. I go along with my business and leave the governing to those elected to govern just as I leave the police to do the policing and the firefighter to fight the fires. I study issues to vote and then keep my vote to myself. But this government shut down has me irritated.

Listening to the sound bites and news anchors make me think I’m watching a bunch of toddlers fight in a sand box. Where is the leadership? Where is the responsibility? Where do these people, who are our elected officials, get off making decision that hurt the public? The same people they owe their jobs to?

One  recent headline said 2.1 MILLION federal workers could be affected! But do you know what really gets me? These “elected officials” who are causing this atrocity still get paid! Yes, a government shut down won’t affect their paycheck.

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I didn’t know why. I was complaining on FB that Congress should get “docked’ first and one of my friends said “27th amendment”. So I looked it up. The 27th amendment protects Congress from changes in their salary.

“The Twenty-seventh Amendment (Amendment XXVII) prohibits any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of the Congress from taking effect until the start of the next set of terms of office for Representatives. It is the most recent amendment to the United States Constitution. It was submitted to the states for ratification in 1789 and was adopted, over 200 years later, in 1992.”

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Now as I said, I’m just a simple, average person. I never took any political science courses and even living in one of the most political states in the union, I manage to stay out of most political discussion. But I can’t help but think that any amendment that took 200 years to get ratified can’t be a good idea.

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I don’t think John Q Public is free of blame either. We elected these morons. So maybe we deserve what we get but basic negotiating skills are learned in the sand box. Maybe we need to send Congress back to kindergarten so they can learn to play nice together.

Comments are welcome. Is anyone else embarrassed and annoyed by Washington?

It’s October!

October 1st. Once again I want to share  my favorite Poem with you.  I first learned it in 5th grade and still remember it!

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October’s Bright Blue Weather

O suns and skies and clouds of June, And flowers of June together, Ye cannot rival for one hour October’s bright blue weather;
When loud the bumblebee makes haste, Belated, thriftless vagrant, And goldenrod is dying fast, And lanes with grapes are fragrant;
When gentians roll their fingers tight To save them for the morning, And chestnuts fall from satin burrs Without a sound of warning;
When on the ground red apples lie In piles like jewels shining, And redder still on old stone walls Are leaves of woodbine twining;
When all the lovely wayside things Their white-winged seeds are sowing, And in the fields still green and fair, Late aftermaths are growing;
When springs run low, and on the brooks, In idle golden freighting, Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush Of woods, for winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country haunts, By twos and twos together, And count like misers, hour by hour, October’s bright blue weather.
O sun and skies and flowers of June, Count all your boasts together, Love loveth best of all the year October’s bright blue weather.

Helen Hunt Jackson

Gator Boys Memorial to J-Mart

Just a brief update.

At the end of last night’s episode (Big Croc Rescue) of Gator Boys, a short video clip, very short (10 seconds?) was played in Memory of their friend, John Martinez. The video was nice but short. I really thought they would do more. But maybe they just didn’t have time.

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There were no still photos used so my pictures were not included but you can see those at www.dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com.

Rest in Peace, John.