Peaks of Otter

Peaks of Otter are two mountain tops in Virginia. We claimed up the Sharp Top. Great hike! Strenuous. Enjoyable. There is a nice lake at the bottom of the peaks - Abbot lake. Nice lodge is awaiting for those travelers who want to see at all from the window.

Peaks

Besides great hikes nicest thing about Peaks of Otter is - wild deers. The hunting is prohibited, so the deers are very friendly and not afraid of people. They are everywhere, and they are so peaceful. Very nice place! Pictures of me:) made by Nadia.

All pictures are copyrighted
©natalia-tuchina-2009

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where wild horses are

Here is my attempt to make a little movie about nice place -
Grayson Highlands in VA - where wild horses are
(paraphrase of 'Where the Wild Things Are' :)

Hope you'll like it! I don't encourage you go there. The less people there actually - the better :) This is my forth time in Grayson Highlands, first with the video ...


click here to watch

Grandfather, Grandmother

We went to Grandfather mountain." Nice! It is now a state park, but the mountain is still belong to the family of Mortons. The state has purchased the land around. Same entrance fee - $15.00 per a person (not a car). I talked to a ranger, he said it was around 4 000 people on the mountain that day! But we found a way where it was nobody - GrandMother point. You get up there using the ropes (i liked that). Super! Miles and miles of North Carolina 360 around you. And the skies up above!

Not hot (yet). Everyone - get outside! :)

in search of oxygen

After Alaska it is just not enough oxygen for me in the air. In search of oxygen i went to Pilot mountain today for a hike. This mountain was a landmark for indians. It is beautiful. Looks like like a green hat. Only eagles live on the top. No people allow to climb, but they can walk around in a ribbon trail. I also hikes 2 miles Ledge Spring trail, they say it is strenuous. Not with my camera :) I stop every inch to make my shots.

In several places i noticed a red ribbon, no go. Yellow jackets are nesting. We'd better not disturb them. They bite. It is their time to do their thing. I didn't know what these red ribbons are for till i came to the start of the trail - no wonder, i went the other way around, against the clock.

Have met two Romanians - Camelia and Alexandy. She works in our grocery store, and her husband is in electronics. Mesa is their last name. It means 'a table' in Spanish. Everything is so mixed up. I pictured them, and then gave my camera to Camelia, asking her to make a photo of me. She pressed the button, it was a loooooot of blue skies in the picture, but from the third try i got a chance to be in the picture to and didn't blink :))





me :)


the knob of the Pilot mountain, only eagles live on the top


trees grow holding to the rocks


lizard with a blue tail - probably prehistorical


Camelia and Alexandry from Romania


this is North Carolina and hwy 52 that i took to come to Pilot mountain


hwy 52 goes to Winston-Salem

orientation ))

bought a compass today!
real one, "old fashioned"
happy (kindergarten! in the age of GPS!)
now i am reading the instructions how to use it - figuring up where the sunset, where is north (there are two! ))) and what grid north is - sic!


saw a fish eye compass in the store - looks like a fish eye exactly

hung a big world map on the wall
russian word for "world" is "peace" (мир)
feels good like as if peace is with me now