Cradle of Forestry

The Cradle of Forestry was an unexpected delight. Here the Forest Service tells the story of the beginning of modern forestry in America.  Original buildings from the original school are maintained and the interpretation is first class. Narratives at each building tell details of student life — riding 20 miles a day cruising timber on horseback after a rigorous morning in a rustic classroom, life batching it in rustic quarters with local mountaineers and rangers.



 









Beautiful paved paths through Rhododendrons and mature forest are as spotless and well designed as Disney may have done it –- a perfect introduction to forest values for those who may never have walked a forest trail, still wild and untrammeled enough for experienced birders and nature lovers.


 
















Two of the original Ranger Cabins, build in the style of the Black Forest in Germany are on the grounds.




The exhibits along the trail are well done and inside the Discovery Center hundreds of hands-on exhibits would interest kids of all ages.  Al liked the helicopter “ride” which displayed a  film of a flight over a forest fire while we sat in the backseat of a chopped down Huey.  The seats vibrated and the radios squawked and rotor sounds made the flight seem real. Patty could hardly be coaxed out from the “tunnel” where she crawled through “dens” of several mammals. Security had to restrain her as she recruited toddlers to follow her in…

Dinner in the Clouds

We had missed lunch, and the trails were closing and it was Mother’s Day Weekend and for several other reasons it seemed imperative to drive four more miles up to the Pisgah Inn for another Silk Pie All The Way, proceeded by the appropriate entrée of your choice…
We scored a window table for the first seating, but in the time we parked, the clouds had surrounded the  Inn and visibility was zero.  The Dinner (and Dessert) was great, as was our server, but the treat was watching a young couple with a 3 1/2 year old girl and 2 year old red headed boy. So many memories of ours at that age and a look back at the serene and confident mom handling it all and the over anxious dad correcting too much and too often.  Al had a few little coy smiles from Herself when she wasn’t attending to little brother’s every need. We really need a grandchild fix soon.