Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-30


IN All Her arnna Formations--A a Trip That
viii Ever ba Remembered by Those Who
Participated.
Special Correspondence of Gazette and Journal
Asheville, N. c., Nov. 90. Thinking
q letter partially descriptive of my trip
might interest some of your readers
venture the following:
We left Asherille, the beautiful
land of the sky" on November 9th.
for a ride of d5 miles over the Blue
Ridge Mountains to Casar's Head in
South Carolina. Our travelling outfit
consisted of one six-passenger surrey,
two carriages containing the balance of
the party, baggage, ammunition, &C.,
one mule, which our coored man rode,
soyen hounds and two bird dogs. The
day was q perfect one-the roads in ex
colent condition, and everything favor
ablo for pleasant trip. Our colored
man had the horn hung on him, and
when hc blew it as we staI tod, the
hounds responded with their familiar
baying and seemed eager for tho sport.
Our first stop was at Fletcher. die
tanoe of ID miles over a winding road,
from which the view is delightful, at
almost every turn of the road. We fed
our horses and took dinner here, and
after resting for an hour, the caravan
got in line again and the next stop was
ut Calhoun, which we reached after a
ride of 30.miles. We had quarters in
two farm houses and were well enter
tanned by our host, who seemed anxious
for our comfort. After supper We
gathered around the old time fire
places, and spent the evening in smols-
ing, story telling and enjoying tho
music and singing. We retired early
aud the next morning the party di-
yided, and some went for birds, and
some for other game, ard the day ended
with the bird shooting being the most
successful.
The next day some of the party went
for wild turkey and succeeded in CAP
turing five of these birds. Thursday
| five of the party started for deer hunt
on horseback, early in the morning,
and after long hunt returned without
getting a deer. Friday morning, before
the break Of day, four of the party,
with a guide, started for wildcat
hunt. They succeeded in having an
exciting chase after the cat, but were
unable 10 bag the game. Saturday we
started for Cesar's Head and reached
| there in the evening the end of our
| journey ey-having travelled through Bun.
| combe, Henderson and Transylvania
counties. We had crossed over the
| Blue Ridge Mountains before we reach
| ed this roint, and passed some hotels
\ or resorts which once attracted the
beauty and chivalry Of the South. but
| which now are deserted and in o dilapi-
dated condition. 4. We passed through
some good farming sections on the trip,
but most of the country was mountain
GUS and covered with timber and rock
| At Cesar's Head the altitude is
| about $500 feet, but there are 81
mountains in North Carolina above
\ 6,000 feet high, Mount Mitchell be ing
the highest east rof the Rockies.
4 Cesar's Head is ope of the most inter-
esting and wonderful sections of coun-
Try in the Blue Ridge system. 1t is
formed by spur of the Blue Ridge,
from which one may look down an
abyss 1900 feet below, and view the
| picturesque valley in South Carolina,
as far as the eye can reach. From this
dizzy height also Z. the peaks of the
Blue Ridge may be observed for scores
of miles in each direction, Looking
northeast you may SEQ the famous
Kings Mouratin, 70. miles away, while
in the opposite direction you can SIZE
Stone Mountain, near Atlanta, Ga. +,
over 100 miles away. 1t is called
1 C@sar's Head on account of project
ing spur Of the moupatin which has a
Resemblance TO a human face, but
which requires a ereat effort or stretch
of the imagination to discern the
slightest resemblance to characteristic
Roman fare, as in the case of Caesar.
We arose early to view the orb of day
rising IN ull his beauty and grandeur,
and there is no grander sight to behold
than view from this point at sunrise.
Here you can sit and watch nature in
all her grand formations, With pano.
ramas OF floating beauty in ever chang
ing clouds. No nen or tongue can de-
scribe the wonderfully grand or majestic
scenery from this mountain top, and
who will say after gazing on the won
derful foI nations of nature here that
the hand that made the world is not
disines
There is d large hotel at Caesar
Hoad which is filled with Southern
people in the summer, but is closed in
the winter. We succeeded in getting
an annex building TO the hotel with five
beds on the first floor. Soon the old
time fire places were blazing with hoi
fires. and after supper guide was so,
cured and coon hunt was started.
2, The dogs seemed anxious for a moon.
Il light hunt, and soon got on track of Q
coon, and after a chase of a few miles
captured the coon, as well as another
animal with very offensive odor
Wc retired at reasonable hour for .
good nights rest, and the next morning
after taking long and lingering lool
at the majestic view from Cesar's
Head, we bade farewell to all its won
derful attractions and commenced ou
journey over the mountains, homewarc
bound. We got lost on our way ant
drove l3 miles in the wong direction
which brought us to Hendersonville
where we took dinner at the Wheele
House, a new and fashionable hotel
, completed a few months ago. W,
started for Asheyille after dinner, anC
, the ride down the mountain, will
precipices, chasms and circling turns
reminded me that had talon an acci
dent policy before / started. and tina
!, some one might reap benefit from it i,
the near future. The trip would be
: grand one when the Pink and white o
, the royal ihododendrons, which lin,
, the roads for miles on each side, are il
| bloom, as well as the graceful azaleas
I bending Under their load Of red ant
yellow lilyslike blossoms, and the pinl
clusters OF the ivy with their darI
evergreen foliage for a background