We thoroughly enjoyed our week in Franklin NC checking out the local sites. We hiked to Wayah Bald one of the higher points in western NC to see firsthand some of the devastation from last years wildfires. It was so sad to see the effects on nature caused by reckless humans. It also reminded us how close we came to losing the house in Franklin as the fires were less than 10 miles away. We are very grateful for all the men and women of the Franklin area fire stations that worked 24/7 to prevent the fires from spreading to our home – they are all truly hero’s. The Appalachian Trail crosses through Wayah Bald and we always enjoy talking to the thru hikers and hearing their stories of the Trail. We met a couple that have hike the complete trail (that is almost 2200 miles from Georgia to Maine) three times already and are planning to hike it up and back next year to celebrate their 10th anniversary. I quickly informed Greg that day hikes are my limit – I have no desire to sleep on the trail!
What else to do when in the land of waterfalls, than to keep chasing them and so we did. We had perfect weather for hiking to the waterfalls and I never tire of seeing the beauty of waterfalls. We also biked the Franklin Greenway which is an 8 mile bike path that runs through town along the Little Tennessee River. This is a wonderful asset to the community that is a collaboration of private and public funding and is a great example of what can be accomplished when people volunteer! It is beautifully maintained and a very scenic ride.
We spent most evenings around the firepit enjoying the gorgeous weather and all the animal visitors we had including deer, turkeys, and a wide variety of birds.
We even hit up downtown for the Friday evening concert, it was advertised as a rock concert, but as you can see from the crowd on Main Street it was not your typical rock concert!
Any of our friends or family that would like to visit Franklin, be sure to checkout our vacation rental at http://www.vrbo.com/655751 and contact me for special rates! It is currently rented through mid September and we are already getting inquiries for the fall leaf season so let me know if you are interested and I can hold your dates for you!
We are heading north tomorrow for the arrival of our first grandchild who should be entering the world on Tuesday or Wednesday! Can’t wait to me him!
Join us on our journey - Greg and Linda's Sabbatical! 
From Coleman and Joni. Finally looked at your web site. Beautiful pictures, looks like you are having fun. Wish we were there. Maybe me and Joni will get a land yacht when we retire and do it. Those picture of deer look good but they would look better hanging on my wall. Coleman
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