Black Balsam Knob to back home!

Black Balsam Knob 

For our last day, we finally got to go to Black Balsam Knob off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We were going to go several times, but the weather had other plans for us.  Which, as usual, the timing, when not based on my time but God's, was absolutely perfect!!
What a glorious day we had on this vista walk.  We got to "take in the medicinal air" as Jan would say as we were huffing and puffing up previous walks!  And truly enjoy God's great creation as we gazed upon the vista.

In this first picture, you can see someone we met on the path.  He is from Spain.  We failed to get his name, but he was very kind and got us excited about our plans for Spain.  He told us that there will be some wonderful picturesque views on hikes.  His pace was, of course, a lot quicker than ours, so we had to let him go it alone.

This picture does not grasp the beauty of these red flowers.  They were spectacular.

The obligatory picture of me, sitting down.

We fell in love with the fauna up here.  The fields were incredible.

Some parts of this hike, we were walking on a path only inches wide.  It made us feel as if we were going to be the only ones walking on the path, though we did meet several other hikers.

We love how the wind has shaped this tree/bush.

 

We did not get to Tennant Mountain, after two miles in, we decided to turn around because it was getting late. 

Here is proof that Roger was with me on this hike!  

Along the hike we met up with some wonderful people, whom instantly became friends.  Jay and Lori were hiking with their beautiful greyhounds, Mia and Luca.  We enjoyed their company as we descended the mountain.  We met up with them again at Pisgah Inn and enjoyed dinner together.

After dinner, on our way home, we realized that we were seeing a lovely sunset, so we stopped at one of the pull-offs and took it in.

We arrived at our Home Away From Home (HAFH) Saturday afternoon.

We only truly felt like we were home upon entering our church.  We so appreciated the loving embraces and the catching up.  We also were so fortunate to have been able to celebrate the Ordination Service to a dear friend, whom we will miss terribly.
So, now as we prepare for our next portion of our journey, we have been given several things to mull over in our hearts and minds.   One statement that I continue to hear in my thoughts was that no one is below our dignity to serve.  Our Lord bent down to wash the apostles' feet.  The Lord of the Universe washed feet.  And I am to do likewise, metaphorically.  I pray that I remain open to opportunities to serve.