Ranger

In loving memory of Ranger. 

1-2000 to 7-2016

I
feel blessed to have had Ranger in my life at for 15 of his 16 years.
He was a smart, loving and kind Labrador retriever. He had a huge
personality and could always make me smile. He was sweet but definitely
the alpha dog in the house. We adopted him from Pet Orphans in Van Nuys,
California. They found him at a local animal shelter. One of my
favorite memories of him will always be… During our adoption home check I
showed them our dog doors and the dog-run where he would go potty. I
was told "that dog will never do that". I said , "give him 10 minutes ". I
was wrong, it only took him 5 minutes. I really can't take any credit
for that. Ranger was scary-smart.

He was a known escape artist
who love to explore. If we weren't careful, when a door would open he
would wander out. Luckily he loved people and people loved him.
Neighbors would escort him back home and strangers would call us after
reading his tags. His wandering spirit never stopped.



After we
started traveling in the motorhome, Ranger could not have been happier. He
got to travel and explore with his family. He got to visit many state
and national parks. He left his mark in countless forests, lakes and
trails. Truck stops and rest stops were equally fun. He traveled in and
out and through so many different states. He clocked in an estimated
20,000 miles.  Definitely, a life well lived!







I will forever miss my love puppy.

Rest in peace, Ranger. 

Brevard, North Carolina

While staying in
Asheville, we stumbled across another treasure. From that point on we
found ourselves making daily trips. Brevard is located approximately 20
miles south of Asheville,  Even though the population is under 8000,
with the exception of downtown, everything is pretty spread
out. I recommend a good road map and an idea of what you want to see each
day. To say this city is beautiful would definitely be an
understatement. Brevard has gorgeous green mountains, forests, lakes and
waterfalls. In fact, Brevard is known as The Land Of Waterfalls.





  

The
DuPont Forest is located here. To be precise, Dupont is southeast of
Brevard, between Hendersonville and Brevard. Officially, it is The
Dupont State Recreational Forest. This is where scenes from the movies,
The Last of the Mohicans and The Hunger Games were filmed.


DuPont
is loved for its miles of hiking trails, mountain biking, horseback
riding, and swimming etc. If your a wheelchair user (like I am) there is no
reason to feel left out. When you present your Access Pass to the ranger
in the main office, you will be allowed to drive through the park. Triple
Falls, High Falls and The Bridge are set up for wheelchairs. They all
have parking, a picnic areas and wheelchair accessible Andy Gumps. Be
warned… I could see everything and should've been perfectly happy, but I
thought I could get a closer look. My front wheel got stuck in a rut and
I took a tumble out of my chair. A lot of people came running to give
me a hand. No harm no foul… Except for my ego nothing was hurt. After my
husband finished giggling, he told me that on the previous day both he
and two of his friend fell off their bikes in the same area. I became a proud member of the "I
wiped out here club".





















  















Also
adjacent to Brevard is The Pisgah Forest. I think this is one of the
most spectacular places on the planet. Every moment took my breath away.
I literally felt like I was living inside a beautiful oil painting. The
lush forest is full of high peaks and cascading waterfalls. Most of the
sites have areas to pull your car over and take pictures. Also, pack a
lunch because there are picnic tables everywhere.

 

On Highway 276, as you enter The Pisgah National Forest you will find Dolly's Dairy Bar. This is a MUST STOP for great ice cream. 





A little further up 276 is the Ranger Station and Visitor Center. Continue up 276 and you will see Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock Falls and a Vanderbilt hunting cabin. 

You can see Looking Glass Falls from the road. There is an accessible overlook for a better view. Stairs go down to the bottom of the falls but they are not very accessible.

Sliding Rock is a fun activity spot. For just $1 per day you can
actually slide down and play in the waterfall. This is not an accessible
activity, but the viewpoint is.

 







One of Vanderbilt's hunting cabins still stands.















Topping 276 is The Blue Ridge Parkway with several accessible overlooks.

Downtown
Brevard is relatively flat and touristy. There are many fun little shops, restaraunts and a retro movie theatre. While you
are there I recommend eating and Millberry's café.







 





The co-ed movie
theater is a retro experience with first run movies for only $7 during
the day and $8 at night.
The popcorn is pretty great, also!



 









*
Sidenote… Another reason that I love this place could be because my
favorite holiday is Halloween, and Brevard is the County Seat  of Transylvania county.