The Highlands, North Carolina

We had a lot of fun in the mountains and at the Chattooga River in North Carolina. Classic mountain roads meant lots of winding and a little car sickness for me. Between scenic overlooks, trails, and water, we stumbled upon quite a "happening place." I had never heard of Highlands, NC, but apparently it's something. It looked like everyone had decided to go to downtown Highlands for Memorial Day weekend! Oh my. Downtown Highlands was maybe similar to a Pendler's Village in PA, or a Camden, Maine type vacation hangout. There were upscale mountain cottages, shops, food, art, classy churches, and real estate! Anthony got a map and a small book of the area at one shop. We got some ice cream at another shop, and sat in the window overlooking the street. Shastya enjoyed watching all the passersby while we sat there, and all the passersby enjoyed watching baby Shastya. Back in the woods, we had fun hitting a bunch of hiking trails on foot. Then, in our car on the way down the mountain, we ran over a copperhead. We were glad we saw the snake on the road and not on a walk. We had a good time in Highlands, NC, and we do believe we have discovered a gold mine of waterfalls and trails that will need some revisiting.