NC Mountain Rentals

14/10/2024

Mark your calendars. This looks like fun.

14/10/2024

There was a hurricane. It's gone now and many towns are ready for visitors. Y'all Come On! :)

14/10/2024

A bit of storm history for our region....

History: Helene set to shove aside 1916 event as area’s worst

By Jim Buchanan

A frequent question heard in these parts after Helene swept over us, sparing a good chunk of Jackson County but wiping a large chunk of Western North Carolina clean off the map, is how Helene stacks up to the big historic storms in Jackson – Frances and Ivan in 2004 and the floods of 1940 and 1916 (hurricanes didn’t receive names until 1950).

In a nutshell, Helene didn’t do the most damage to Jackson, but it did the most damage by far to the region.

And it isn’t even close. We’re not talking apples-to-oranges comparisons, we’re talking elephants to oranges, with Helene the elephant whose damage has yet to be fully quantified.

About the only things the historic storms have in common is that they all packed a one-two punch.

In 1916 a tropical system swept in from Alabama and dropped torrential rains in the mountains, followed about a week later by a system that hit Charleston, S.C. and charged inland. The saturated ground couldn’t hold the second storm and caused heavy flooding in the mountains, leaving around 80 dead and damages estimated at $22 million in 1916 dollars. Asheville suffered heavy damage; at Altapass near Grandfather Mountain, rainfall of 22.22 inches fell in one day, at the time the heaviest rainfall ever recorded in the U.S.

In terms of loss of life and property damage, the 1940 flood was the worst in Jackson history. Again, it was a two-stage event, with heavy rains from a tropical system in mid-August followed by a freak localized system that hit the Caney Fork and Canada sections. Four people were swept away in Canada, three in the same McCall family. Five-year-old Journey McCall’s body was found on Governor’s Island in Bryson City. Young Dale McCall’s body was never recovered, nor was the body of his father, Albert.

Reports from the era describe devastating landslides, and that “people in that part of the county say that all the water did not fall from the skies in the torrential rains, but that explosions like the discharges of dynamite were heard and the water gushed from the craters in the earth. Explosions and the roar in the mountains was said to be deafening… gardens, crops, livestock, and feed prepared for the winter and places in houses, barns, springhouses and smokehouses were all carried away…”

Every bridge across the Tuckaseigee was destroyed. Rains were so hard in other parts of the county that East Fork Creek in the Savannah Community, which normally runs mere inches deep, carried away a heavy-duty truck.

There were some miraculous stories of survival, and one involved Jim Ed Norton’s cow.

The cow was contentedly safe in her barn when the flood came, and she was found carried 10 miles downstream, past East LaPorte and Cullowhee, to the home of Burke Painter. She was led back home the next day.

The 2004 floods hit Jackson hard, and hit neighboring Macon, Haywood and Buncombe harder. Helene knocked the entire region back to the Stone Age with another soaking of heavy rain before the main event.

North Carolina’s Climate Office writes, “Helene exceeded the coverage and calamity, along with the heaviest rainfall totals, from that (1916) event. During Fred, the National Weather Service issued one Flash Flood Emergency – used only rarely during life-threatening and catastrophic water rises – along the Pigeon River. By comparison, portions of 21 counties in North Carolina had those Emergency warnings issued during Helene.

"At the few river gauges in the region that observed both Helene and the 1916 storm, the crests since Helene have broken those long-standing records. The French Broad River and Swannanoa River – which collided at high speeds and high volumes in 1916 to overtake Biltmore Village – both saw new record crests during and after Helene. The French Broad River in Asheville rose 1.5 feet above its previous highest crest, and downstream at Blantyre, the river surpassed its 1916 crest and was still rising when the gauge stopped reporting on Friday afternoon.

"The Swannanoa River at Biltmore crested at 26.1 feet, more than five feet above its 1916 maximum and slightly above the apparent 26-foot crest in April 1791, making this effectively the worst flood along the river since North Carolina became a state.”
Again, Helene’s effect have yet to be fully quantified. But it’s one that certainly is writing tragic new chapters in the area’s storm record book.

PHOTO CAPTION: The 1940 flood wiped out every Jackson bridge crossing the main body of the Tuckaseigee River.

14/10/2024

Bryson City is ready for visitors!
Bryson- Hooper Farm Suppply and Natural Food Market

Send a message to learn more

10/10/2024

Thank you NC DOT!

They have crews out assessing and fixing the road and ditches today! This is so helpful to prevent further erosion of the road.

04/10/2024

Please share with anyone who needs a break or a chance to catch up. We'll have childcare, wifi, and coffee! Please share with any kids who need to run around and play with other kids. All ages welcome.

04/10/2024

Don't forget! FREE meals will continue to be served daily through Friday, October 4th from 11:30-12:30 at Blue Ridge School, Smokey Mountain Elementary, and Smoky Mountain High School. Members of our staff and volunteers have been hard at work this morning prepping meals. We can't wait to see our families!

¡No lo olvides! Se seguirán sirviendo comidas GRATUITAS todos los días hasta el viernes 4 de octubre de 11:30 a 12:30 en la escuela Blue Ridge, la escuela primaria Smokey Mountain y la escuela secundaria Smoky Mountain. Los miembros de nuestro personal y voluntarios han estado trabajando arduamente esta mañana preparando comidas. ¡Estamos ansiosos por ver a nuestras familias!

04/10/2024

Good afternoon WNC. The Boil Ordinance has been lifted and Foragers Canteen is back to operating at full scale with no limitations. This would not be possible without the hard work of the men and women who make up First Response Teams. Thank you so much to the Police Officers, Fire Fighters, EMS Workers, Rangers, and Linemen for your valiant efforts. Foragers Canteen will be offering 20% off to all First Responders in the area who need a well deserved warm scratch-made meal.

28/09/2024

East Fork is good. We have power.
We had a loss of power for 13hrs (1am-1pm).

For our guests and friends, please stay home as many of the major roads are not yet passable.
Our thoughts and prayers are with our local communities in western NC, Duke power and all first responders and road crews. 🙏🙏🙏

Our hearts are with the families and communities in our beloved North Carolina mountains, who have been devastated by this catastrophic hurricane.

These towns, which have always been a source of pride and inspiration for us all, now face a long and difficult path to recovering. Our October issue — traditionally a celebration of the mountains — now serves as a reminder of the strength and resilience that is needed in this challenging time.

We’re especially grateful for the dedication of emergency personnel, first responders, and volunteers who are on the ground, helping in any way they can.
—
📷: Alex Boerner

28/09/2024

⚠️Shelters open in Jackson County as of 5pm⚠️

Southern End: Cashiers Recreation Center
355 Frank Allen Rd, Cashiers NC 28717

Northern End: Department on Aging Center
100 County Services Park, Sylva, NC 28779

‼️ If you have a service animal you plan on bringing to the shelter please have a tag with a proof of registration, they will not be accepted inside the shelter without it due to limited space, thank you ‼️

We will have crates available for all animals at the shelters and transport services for them to be taken to the animal shelter in Sylva. In Cashiers we are going to have our CAMET trailer with resources for storing animals on an off site location.

For non emergency questions please call 828-631-"HELP"

⚠️Los refugios se abren en el condado de Jackson a partir de las 5:00 p. m.⚠️

Area del Sur: Parque de recreación de Cashiers:
355 Frank Allen Rd, Cashiers NC 28717

Area del Norte: Centro de Aging (local alado de Servicios Sociales, atrás de Inglés)
100 County Services Park, Sylva, NC 28779

‼️ Si tiene un animal de servicio que planea traer al refugio, traiga sus documentos de certificación, no se aceptarán dentro del refugio sin ellos debido al espacio limitado, gracias ‼️

Tendremos jaulas disponibles para todos los animales en los refugios y servicios de transporte para llevarlos al refugio de animales en Sylva. En Cashiers tendremos nuestro remolque CAMET con recursos para almacenar animales en una ubicación fuera del sitio.

Para preguntas que no sean de emergencia, llame al 828-631-"HELP"

23/07/2024

Step back in time and enjoy some stone ground grits from Mingus Mill.

12/07/2024

Have you stayed with us in the last year? Tell us what you love. We would appreciate your 5* review on Google maps.
https://g.page/r/CQWz7QTI-UfYEAE/review

In the last year, we've made quite a few nice changes. You'll get the same great "cabin in the woods" experience with a few updates.
Bookings can be made here or directly in the Air B&B link in the comments.

It’s always great to hear from our guests.
Feel free to say hi 👋 below. Thanks.

Post a review to our profile on Google

27/06/2024

This weekend! At Western Carolina University

The Mountain Artisans shows are famous for featuring just the biggest selection of authentic handcrafted art and craft in this area, with dozens of

27/06/2024

Getting excited for Folkmoot Summerfest 2024! We have three fun events in Haywood this year: Summer Soirée, International Evening, and International Day. Join us for all three! Thank you to Folkmoot board member and local artist Lauren Medford for designing our amazing posters and T-shirts. For more information about Summerfest 2024, go to www.folkmoot.org

27/06/2024

We are in the clouds this morning.

Here’s a glimpse at why they’re called the Smoky Mountains. 🎶✨

Maria Rock Photography- 2hr time lapse (9am-11am) … waiting for the clouds to lift.

06/05/2024

We love our wildflowers. 💓

We even buy the recommended “do not spray” signs from the DOT. (You have to buy their signs…. that’s another story. lol.)
Worth it to save them. 🤞

DID YOU KNOW??? You should never pick a Trillium, because:

1. It takes 9 years after germination for a Trillium to flower.
2. Each flower yields only ONE seed pod each year.
3. Each plant can live up to 25 years, and gains all of its nourishment for the remainder of the year during the spring when its leaves are present.
4. Trillium are propagated by ANTS. Not the wind, or birds. The seeds are covered by a sweet coating which entices the ants to carry seeds underground into their colonies. After eating the coating, the seed germinates in the perfect subterranean environment.
5. Every little colony of Trillium you may happen upon could be decades old.
Every Trillium in the forest is essentially a little miracle.

Photo of Trillium in Rockbridge County VA, right off the Blue Ridge Parkway, by Jason Rinehart.

26/09/2023

Come join us at White Moon on Friday, September 29th anytime between 6 and 8 for a our chocolate and coffee pairing. Five coffees specifically paired with our chocolates are sure to please. Cost is $20.00 and all profits will be donated to The Community Table. Treat yourself and your community!

26/09/2023

Happy first day of Fall! It won’t be long now before our mountains will begin their colorful transformation from 🍃 to 🍁

We’ll be posting updates on color changes as they begin to happen around the Franklin area. Have a great first weekend of fall!