Flowering Bridge

I decided to drive up to the apple orchard today because I was out of apples from the last visit and I really wanted to get some of the new varieties that were being sold...Crimson Crisp and an heirloom apple that was first noted back in 1923..a Macoun.   Plus they have hot apple cider donuts!   And apple cider slushies!  

A two hour drive!  By myself.  Four hour round trip!   Yes,  I am weird that way.   I didn't even tell the hubby I was going.  He was gone to work on his tractor tire that went flat.    He would be gone all day anyway.  

 I traveled up the interstate which was very busy so when I crossed into North Carolina I got off at the first exit, Columbus ( saw a junk store so going back there!)  to go along the backroad that would bring me to the apple orchard from the opposite direction.   This route took me by Lake Lure, where they have a flowering bridge.  This is the old highway bridge that has been repurposed to be a flower garden.   

And oh my, it was fabulous!    I took over 100 photos and then took some with my phone since my camera battery was dying.  I had planned to walk the orchard and take a few apple photos for today but that did not happen since I had all the flowers.    So I made a collage of some of my favorites..dahlias, zinnias and roses and some that were new..a turmeric plant..the white flower in the middle row,  a white beautyberry and the yellow "sweet" black-eyed susan.   The bees and other pollinators were having a grand time. It was magic!!

 I did not see any butterflies(there were so many ascelpias..even a yellow)  but this area is cooler as it is in the mountains so they may have already left the area.  The mountain in the background of the last photo is Chimney Rock State Park.  If you ever watched the movie Last of the Mohicans with Daniel Day Lewis, this is the mountain where the Natives marched the people and where the young girl threw herself off the cliff.   There is also a waterfall, HIckory Nut Falls,  coming over the cliff but it is not visible.    I have walked this cliff walk but it has been a long time ago.  I need to do it again.

While on the flower bridge I had to stop because a dog came up to me for a pat on the head so I talked with the dog owner for a few seconds. His wife was talking with another couple and the dog owner told me they were one of the founders and developers of the flower bridge.   They asked me to take a photo of all of them with their phone (of course I did! ) and I had a good conversation with the founder about how they maintain the beds on the bridge since it is all concrete under.  He explained that there is a black liner but that each bed has a soil that has been developed for specific plants that are grouped in each bed.   They also have different watering lines buried so that each bed gets the appropriate water in the hot summer.   He also said that the state of North Carolina has been naming a wildflower of the year since 1984 and those flowers are all in the beds somewhere.   Some only bloom for a short time mostly in early spring.   If one dies out, they replant.    There is a master plan that shows what is in each bed and of course there are volunteers and paid people to maintain the flowers.  

As the bridge is free and funds are made through donations, each year they have some kind of art auction.  This year they gave a cutout bear to local artists to decorate with paint, etc for the auction that will take place at the end of October  (I think).  I have put my favorite bear in the extras.

I believe in magic!