North Carolina @en
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Mecanical work and…
Arrived in North Carolina, I quickly began preparations for the export of VLV: modifications and adaptations required for the future registration in Switzerland, maintenance and preventive work, especially to improve the engine cooling which is still difficult as the big 6-liter diesel is confined in the engine compartment…
1. Cleaning the moving parts of the variable geometry turbo.
2. Re-install of the turbo. Contortionist session ensured to achieve some bolts! 😀
3. Taking the front apart.
4. After removing radiators, intercoolers, fans etc, a part of the work is done to reach the front cover of the engine.
5. Here it is, the cover is removed after a day and a half of work! For the record, I will have to repeat it as a big oil leak appears at the restart. Guess why? Ford had delivered the wrong Semmering gasket! What a f..!
6. That damn little joint earn me the removal of all theadmission for replacement. A full more day of work…
7. plasma cutting in the winch holding plate to improve cooling.
8. Removing the front brake for installation of new calipers. In the end, I will go back with the same, the new calipers being too large for VLV’s wheels…
9. VLV in U-Joint Offroad workshop.
10. U-Joint Offroad fair in Asheville “Van Life Rally”.
VivaLaVida had a real success – I could have sold her several times!
After the fair, it’s camping time with U-Joint team.
11. Nice campsite!
12. Davidson River…
13. On my way to Baltimore where I will drop off VLC for its first transoceanic crossing, I drove in Washington DC.
14. Last night on US ground with the wooden wall that will isolate the interior of VLV and thawing the fridge before stopping it for a few weeks…
15. Last picture at the entrance of Baltimore harbor. Have a good journey VLV! See you in Antwerp in a few weeks. 😉
At the time you will read this update, VivaLaVida will be undertaken its Atlantic crossing…
To be followed soon for the “pick up” in Antwerp and the road to Switzerland. 😉
Back in North Carolina
After almost a year and a half, VivaLaVida found back the place where he had left.
1. Last stretch of winter roads in Smoky Mountains.
2. Wake up in the snowy forest.
Before returning to Switzerland for a few days, I spent a relaxing day with the U-Joint Offroad crew in an unusual snowfall in the region.
3. Assault of forest roads!
4. Neil is warming up!
5. First paddle strokes.
6. Surf.. 😉
7. He tries to stand up…
8. Done ! 😀
9. We must help each other, right?
10. V4, Chros’s very special vehicle.
My stay in Switzerland went well despite the sustained pace of meals with family and friends. A period of a little more frugal meals is required now… 😉
I met some people to a group camping organized by U-Joint Offroad over the Easter weekend.
11. Camping with many vans in an almost spring atmosphere.
12. Mathys, Chris and Jennifer’s eldest daughter. Cute, isn’t she? 😉
13. And the twins: exactly one year old today!
14. Nathan and his eldest enjoying the campfire to grill some marshmallow 😀
That’s it for this little update. However, the blog will still remain quiet some time since some parts take longer than expected to arrive, making me stay in the area to finish the work on VLV.
See you here soon… 😀
Tennesse (2)
Here is the continuation of my first visit to Tennessee. On the way back, I made a quick stop to meet Eric, the owner of a van and member of the Sportsmobile forum. We ate together at Maryville and he told me about a few places worth to visit. So I went to sleep in the wetlands of the Little Tennessee River, meadows and swamps in which the small Tennessee River meander…
1) Twilight…
2) Going up the Citico River…
3) Morning atmosphere…
4) Small country road…
5) Typical house…
6) Reflections…
7) Approaching the Skyway…
The Skyway is a kind of Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic route traced on the ridges, connecting Tennessee to North Carolina. Better than Highway 40 to return to Fletcher! 😉
Tree leaves are now almost fell, the atmosphere is different, more austere…
8) Last colors…
9) Vegetal waves…
10) This gorgious forest, everywhere…
11) South Appalachian
12) In this Cherokee territory, I saw several totems…
Back to North Carolina, Justin and Heather met me in the forest for a rainy camping week-end…
13) Forest camp…
14) In the morning, looking for wood, I saw him looking at me…
15) Fungus (1)
16) Fungus (2)
And finally, Justin posing in front of our protective fire teepee (it was raining so much!). Done with a few branches and an old air mattress found in the river … On this last image for today, Justin poses casual while raining verses! 😀
17) Justin and the fire teepee!
That’s it for today. To be followed with a new trip to Tennessee in a few days… 😉
Hello Tennessee!
As anounced, here is a short return about my last week in Tennessee. I went there to discover two nice natural bridges and two spectacular waterfalls, quite different from the preceding ones, you will see…
To go there, I drove through extreme western North Carolina and stopped at Catochee Lake, so nice with the last fall colors…
1. Arrival at Catochee Lake…
2. … Nobody there in this season…
3. … and nice fall colors.
I drove further and arrived late in the night at my camp to be on site for the sunrise on the Sewanee Natural Bridge.
4. To go under the bridge, no other way than crossing it. I say hello, can you see me..?! 😉
5. Sewanee Natural Bridge (1)
6. Sewanee Natural Bridge (2) : what a wonderful natural bridge!
Then on the way to the second natural bridge, I made the tourist and stopped at the Ruby Falls. This waterfall is in a cave and is 145 feets high! Rare and spectacular at about 1’000 feets under the mountain. It was discovered in 1926 and open to the public in 1936 after a 29 stages elevator was built.
7. Ruby Falls
8. The cave we go through tout access to the falls have nice formations.
Then I drove again to go discover the Craw Creek Natural Bridge. It wasn’t easy to find an access, the forest road I noticed on my map was closed by a gate. The 10 miles forest road I drove was washed out by thunderstorms in some places but it’s not a problem with VivaLaVida.
9. Forest roads…
I finally started late for the 2:30 hours hike to go to the bridge. I arrived there as the sun was just disapearing. Light was then difficult…
10. Arrival under the bridge in a steep slope… Rather impressive like that, isn’t it?!
11. Just under tons of rock…
12. A more standard picture taken in very low light.
The hike back was quite unusual, in the night with the only light of my flashlight, in a roaring forest by the strong wind and a temperature of about 40 degrees. I saw my first rattlesnake, dark brown and about three feets long, which desappear when I walked. I was surprised to see one with such low temp.
Another funny story, I saw pairs of small bright spots in the beam of my flashlight, sometimes ten at a time. As I approached to see what it was, I found that it was reflection of my light in the eyes of small spiders that live in dead leaves. I had the impression of being watched from all sides! 😉
But I found back VivaLaVida safely at around 20:30, not without having to use my GPS to find two directions not so easy to find in the dark forest at night ..! I slept there with the feeling of being away from all…
Wake up in the rain and cold with a very low ceiling of clouds … But VivalaVida doesn’t care of that, it led me to a beautiful waterfall by small “dirt roads” found on great topographical maps that the GAIA apps allows me to download (I’m not doing advertising but it is really great!).
13. Dirt roads…
And guess why I went to see the waterfall in particular? … Can you not find it? 😀
It is called “Pinot Falls”! Yeah Caro, I do not know if you have ancestors in Tennessee … 😉
This waterfall is beautiful, nestled at the bottom of a deep ravine, at the end of a steep and really wild trail, jumping off a semicircle cliff. The rain hadn’t left me, so the light was really not optimal but it’s the vagaries of traveling photographer …
14. Arrival at “Pinot Falls”
15. Semicircle view…
16. Last fall leaves against the cliff…
I will present the second part of that Tennessee trip in my next article… 😀
Dupont State Park (NC)
I’m a little behind with the processing of my images… Here is a series I took a few days ago. I went to a nice little State Park allowing access to two beautiful waterfalls, the Dupont State Park. Christian, I didn’t know you’re so well known over here! 😉
1) cold early morning…
2) arrival at the very beautiful Triple Falls
3) the top two jumps
4) upstream, the great High Falls
5) liquid sculpture (1)
6) liquid sculpture (2)
7) liquid sculpture (3)
8) contrasts…
9) overview
In my next update, I’ll bring you take a tour in Tennessee… 😀
Lake Jocassee area…
This update is a special dedicace to Janet & Jonathan who adviced me to go discover this area during a great diner together at their house. Remember, it’s the couple I met some weeks ago at North Mills River and who are real friends now, with who I had a great mountain bike ride.
The second very technical track that I mentioned in the previous update was heading to discover the Mill Creek Falls that Janet & Jonathan – I will call them J&J now 😉 – had told me about. Since the season of the canoe rental company was done now, I had to get there by land. By studying the detailed forest service maps, I discovered what appeared to be a dirt road. In fact, it is probably an abandoned forest road, a good ten miles long, climbing steep hillsides to go down on the other side just as steep!
0) Morning light on Horsepasture River
1) Small creek crossing…
2) Banked turn…
It took me almost three hours to go 7 miles – crossing South Carolina border – before being stopped by a large fallen tree in the way that I couldn’t cut with my handsaw. So I took the bike to continue but after 2 miles pushing and carrying more than riding it, I left it to continue on foot. The last 2.5 miles held more rainforest than anything else as the vegetation was so dense. Without machete, I took almost two hours to finally arrive to the lake, without open area to photograph the waterfall falling in the lake. So I took off my hiking shoes and got wet feet for taking what is really not my best picture! But I post it anyway for Janet & Jonathan… 😉
3) Mill Creek Falls
The way back was just as long and I was out of the forest late afternoon. I still did a short stop beautiful Whitwater Upper Falls, with the advantage that Sunday evening, I was almost alone there…
4) Upper Whitewater Falls
The next day I continued exploring the surroundings of this beautiful lake. First by visiting the pretty nice Twin Falls…
5) Twin Falls
Then taking a new forest road way more accessible than the previous one, reaching one of the only open promontory of the area as the forest is everywhere, named Jumping-Off Rock. The sighting of the Lake Jocassee is just gorgious and I pulled the pan head to show it to you in two panoramas taken about fifteen minutes apart…
6) & 7) Lake Jocasse from Jumping-Off Rock
Having slept close, I went back there the next morning and it was freezing…
8) Lake Jocasse
Still thanks to the USFS maps downloaded on my iPad, I spotted a trail down to the lake, at the end of a peninsula. I discovered a small very nice beach here…
9) Last land of the peninsula!
10) & 11) Vegetal…
12) Small hidden beach…
That’s it for my small Jocasse trip. I will show you other waterfalls in my next update… 😀
Thanks to all who follow that blog – and for the comments you write; I really enjoy to read them after each update… 😉
See you soon
PS : I almost forgot: Janet makes the best brownies I’ve ever eaten! Yes, you can be jealous… 😉
Rainbow, Thurtleback and Drift Falls
Still waiting for my driver license, I decided to leave for three days and discover some new places South-West from Fletcher, not far away from South Carolina border.
The first day, Justin et Heather joined me to share the boondocking spot I found and we went together discovering the Dawson Falls.
1. Dirt road heading to Dawson Falls
2. VLV at sunrise, before the clouds arrived…
3. Dawson Falls with a very poor light…
4. Boondocking with Justin’s Ambo in afternoon light
The next day, after a nice mountain bike ride with Justin, Heather and one of their friend, I continued alone. VivaLaVida had his first real 4WD time : two forest roads with very steep portions! Average speed : 2:30 to drive about 6 miles in 4WD and low range of course. Definitely uncrowed roads since I had to cut and remove three times dead trees Fallen accross the road.
The first road took me to three nice waterfalls on the Horspasture River I discovered in upstream order… The light wasn’t really great but with patience, I managed to get some sun rays on each of them 😉
5 & 6. On the road, the Toxaway Falls
7. Saw cutting to allow VivaLaVida to go
Axle crossing…
9. Rainbow Falls
10. Some hundreds of yards above, the Thurtleback Falls…
11. Finally, at the top of the ravine, the Drift Falls
12. Mushrooms on the single…
Then I wanted to go to the Mill Creek Falls Janet & Jonathan adviced me. So I continued the road but was stopped after two miles by a closed gate at the border between North Carolina and South Carolina! After a perilous turn (it was tight and the ravine was very steep…), I go back and stoped boondocking on the banks of the Horsepasture River, sure nobody would bother me there during the night… 😉
13. Nice boondocking spot in side of Horsepasture River
14. Camp fire…
To be continued in a next update… 😀
Northern Appalachians
It seems that I’m legal again in the US! At least, I hope so. 😉 I had to drive to Charlotte International Airport and then got the explaination.probably to get me a better rate on my flight ticket, the traval agency booked a return flight which was registered in the custom computer system. Then my I-94 form was automatically canceled on the date of returne flight..!
Happy to have my I-94 number again, I went to the DMV again but they cannot find the number in the system, neither on Wednesday. I finally went once more on Thursday and asked them to call immigration services. They were only doing a wrong manipulation on the computer..!
Finally, I got my NC driver licence after havinf to do three tests : signs recognition, computer test adn driving test. But I have now a temporary autorisation to drive and will get the license itself next week. Then I should be able to register VivaLaVida, finally..!
Here are some pictures of my back trip from Grandfather Mountain.
1) A camp South of Lineville Falls,
2) & 3) Sunrise on the Linville River Gorge
4) Even in remote areas, I can see chruches…
5) This picture is espacially for Isa Belle who will recognize herself… 😉 just to show the size of some leaves.
6) et 7) Frome the single trail in the Linville River Gorge, nice colors in morning light…
8) The sun reaches the Upper Linville Falls
9) After 3 hours hike, I reached the Linville Falls, The biggest waterfall of North Carolina.
10) Colors Under my foots…
11) preparing wood for the camp fire…
12) & 13) New day : downhill to the gorgious Lower Falls of l’Upper Creek…
14) In the Upper Creek to the upper falls…
15) Here they are!
16) Details…
17) Sighting on the trail to a new camp…
18) Not much flower at this time of the year anymore, but I found this one in the forest…
19) Ready for the camp fire…
Have a good weekend all! 😉
Grandfather Mountain
Nothing to do before next monday to regularise my situation, I decided to head North in the Appalachian.
I slept near a small lake under Grandfather Mountain and enjoyed a gorgious sunrise.
1) Grandfather Mountain late afternnon. The night will be rainy and cool…
2) early Wake up, no cloud in the sky. I Wake up to enjoy the sunrise on the small lake.
3) The sun arrives…
4) … and brings colors with him!
5) Contrejour…
6) some hundreds yards further, what a spectacular sighting…
7) …Still Grandfather Mountain in the back.
8) At this altitude – about 3’600 feets high – leaves trees are everywhere.
9) VivaLaVida continues to head North on nice forest roads…
10) Clouds arrive but sightings are still awesome…
11) The spot I wanted to see is closed because of the shutdown. Never mind, I drive back, stopping sometimes to take pictures… 😉
12) Back to the Grandfather Mountain late afternoon when the rain comes back. I still did a hike in that wild area…
13) dawn is coming, time for me to go back to VivaLaVida and find a place to sleep…
I wish a good wwek to all of you ! 😀
Pearson’s Waterfall & Saluda general store
This update will maybe be the last one if I’m explused! 😀 In fact, I discoverd that the custom officer didn’t “open” my visa at my arrival. Then, I’m only allowed to stay 90 days before to have to leave. i then tryed to contact the Custom & Border security office but it’s closed due to the shutdown ! I finally sent an online form to apply for an opening/renewing of I-94 form, hoping I won’t be explused…
Has it rains today, I publish some pictures. Comming back from Charlotte, i stopped at the Pearson’s Falls, a nice waterfall near small historic town of Saluda.
On the trail to Pearson’s Falls…
Pearson’s Falls.
A tunnel on the road to Saluda, note very much higher that VivaLaVida ! There was only about two inches over the roof rack…
In Saluda, i discovered this nice General Store which exists since more than hundred years.
Entry…
Back of the shop…
See you later, if all goes well, with new pictures of fall colors… 😉
D5 Creation