 Dear Traveler,
I recently had the great good fortune of being part of an amazing photo shoot that was sponsored by the Transylvania County Tourism Development Authority. Its purpose was to capture images that show the wonder and magic of Transylvania County. The most remarkable aspect of the two-day shoot was the incredible support by the community. Over forty volunteers and a host of local organizations worked behind the scenes and in front of the camera to help make the project a success. Photographer Tracy Turpen and her husband Lance Elzie braved everything from drenching thunderstorms to the chilly waters at the base of Sliding Rock to bring back images that are truly special. Many of these photographs can be found on the new visitwaterfalls.com website. In addition to great photography by Tracy and Lance, visitwaterfalls.com is full of useful information to help you make the most of your visit to the county. I believe you'll find this "virtual tour" of Transylvania County entertaining and enlightening -- and I hope that it inspires a real visit. Happy trails, 
PS - If you would like to see a slide show of the shoot, click here.
  Watch the wood chips fly at The Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest when lumberjacks and jills from four colleges compete in events like "Team Log Roll," "Horizontal Speed Chop," "Pulpwood Toss" and "Pole Fell."
Cindy Carpenter, Education & Interpretation Program Manager at the Cradle, assured me that the events will be as exciting as their descriptions. And once you get your fill of axe throwing and bolt splitting you can check out over 50 traditional craftspeople, exhibitors and musicians who will be on hand to celebrate the heritage of our nation's forests. If you've ever had a hankering to try your hand at horseshoe making, open hearth cooking, wood carving, tree felling or fiddle making, here's your chance. Or you can just tap your feet to some great Americana, old time and bluegrass music by some standout musicians, including the unforgettably-named "The Mason Jar Drinkers." For more information, click here.
  I've met a lot of fascinating people in my travels around Transylvania County. Right up there at the top of the list is Todd Branham. He's one of my go-to sources when I have a question about mountain biking. Often, he answers the phone from some exotic location where he's attending a big mountain bike event. But his real passion is the trails of Transylvania County and he promotes several notable local bike races through his company Blue Ridge Adventures.
This year, Todd has come up with a doozie. It's call the Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race. And if you're a serious mountain biker, this is your kind of event. This four day competition covers 130 miles and 31,000 feet of elevation gain. With $15,000 in prize money, the PMBSR is the richest cash purse stage race in the country, drawing championship riders from such far-flung locales as South Africa and Guatemala. But even if you're not a hardcore fat tire freak, you can and your family can still get in on the action. Blue Ridge Adventures is sponsoring a free Kids Race on Thursday, October 15 at 5:30. It's a great chance for the kids to have some fun and meet some of the best mountain bike riders in the world. For more information about the event, click here.
As a huge fan of DuPont State Forest, I never miss a chance to encourage friends and visitors to visit one of the jewels of our state's forest system. However, not everyone possesses the mobility to get out and hike the trails and experience the spectacular waterfalls of the forest. Enter the amazing volunteer group, Friends of DuPont Forest. Twice a year, they sponsor the Tour de Falls, a 12-mile tour by shuttle bus to Triple Falls, High Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Lake Julia. Shuttle buses will run continually from 9 am to 3 pm between the four sites, allowing visitors to spend as much time as they'd like at each site, many which have shelters, picnic tables and benches. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to see DuPont State Forest at its very best. For more information, click here.
 Kerrie Cassani-Levick, a field producer for the Weather Channel, was in town recently to shoot a feature on the waterfalls of Transylvania County. She interviewed Steve Pagano, Park Superintendent of Gorges State Park, Ranger Larry Johnson, and Debi Whitmire of Headwaters Outfitters. In addition, Kerrie captured some great video of Upper Bearwallow, Toxaway, French Broad, Mill Shoals and Bird Rock Falls. Thanks to recent heavy rainfall, the waterfalls were spectacular. According to Kerrie, she'll be back with in Transylvania County in mid-October with Meteorologist Jim Cantore who will be shooting a story on the fall color. I'll keep you posted about when the waterfall and fall color features will air.
 
Local landscape architect Charlie Landreth, who's always keeping his eye on the skies, likes to say "When it rains it pours. And when the rain stops, the waters fall."
The truth of his adage was underscored by last week's epic rainfall. Gorges State Park, in the southwestern area of the county received over 32 inches of rain over a four day period. And I can personally attest that I've never seen the waterfalls look more spectacular. I was fortunate enough to spend time in Pisgah National Forest, DuPont State Forest and Gorges State Park over a two day period and every waterfall I encountered was breathtaking. Levels will drop off in the coming days, but if you're planning to come up to the mountains this weekend, you're sure to still see an impressive display. For avid waterfall watchers, there's never been a better time for waterfall watching.
Fortunately, the only damage has been to opposing football teams. The Brevard College football team is off to a 5-0 start this year and just won their first South Atlantic Conference game last week. To keep up with the torrid Tornados, go to BCtornados.com.
If you're a fan of fall football in the mountains, make plans to attend the Tornado's next home game against Tusculum on Saturday, October 10 at 6 pm.
Would you like to contribute to The Adventurist? If you've got a story about your vacation experience in Transylvania County that you'd like to share, email me at The Adventurist. | 
