Hannah Grace Cole

At the height of fall leaf color here in WNC, I had the pleasure of photographing some of SkyCove's most scenic views. The sun had just risen above the ridge line and traces of smoky clouds graced the valley floor.  Brilliant red, yellow and orange leaves shimmered in the first rays of sunlight, but Rebekah Franks of Healthy Alternatives stole the show that morning with her wise radiance.  Visit SkyCove online to learn more about the community and real estate investment opportunities.

The Cullasaja Gorge just outside the sweet little mountain town of Highlands, NC is simply gorgeous! The narrow winding road offers dramatic views with many opportunities to stop and take in the beauty of the mountains, the Cullasaja River and it's many waterfalls. I have the great pleasure to enjoy this route on my way to visit my client, The Bascom Visual Arts Center.  Here is a taste of what I enjoy, but these images do no justice.  I encourage everyone to visit this majestic gorge high in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina.

Petting a baby spotted leopard named Turbo was the highlight of my 30th birthday. Alan surprised me with a day trip to the Oregon coast where we visited the West Coast Game Park Safari, just south of Bandon and Coos Bay.   It's an accessible walk though park where you can see dozens of exotic animals like a white tiger, lemurs, cat bear, tatanka and chimpanzees (Yes! We say him throw pop). About every hour or so a trainer would bring out a baby cub for the visitors to pet and take pictures with.  What a treat!  We met a 6 month old tiger cub too. Roaming the property is a herd of friendly farm animals like llamas, goats, sheep, deer, geese, ect.  They are fun to feed and watch roaming around the property.  Enjoy the photos!

What a treat!  We stayed in a Tipi and visited an active paleontological Mammoth dig site in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  The Mammoth Site is the world’s largest mammoth research facility. We toured Ice Age fossils exhibited as they are found and our guide described the geology of the land and ice age flora and fauna. I bought a kick ass glow in the dig mammoth t-shirt and prairie flower seeds at the gift shop.  I highly recommend visiting the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota.

One of the highlights of our road trip was staying in this tipi, hiking around the hills and swimming in the sift watm creek that was feed by the hot spring...  Heavenly!

 Enjoy the photos and please leave comments!

This steel arch bridge in in the Appalachian Mountains extends 3,030 feet over the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia.  The arch  is 1,700 feet long and was for many years the world's longest arch bridge; it is now the third longest.

Alan and I stopped here briefly on our road trip and had a delightful picnic lunch provided by our gracious hosts, Tom and Karen Burg.  Thank you Uncle Tom and Karen!