whitewater and sapphire mountain

Yesterday evening, after a long drive, Morgan and I arrived at Fairway Forest.
I had never been and was curious about this resort on Sapphire Mountain. After checking in and buying groceries, we perused the pamphlets and brochures. What to do for the next three days?

'Twas a lovely day, so we took a drive.
We thought we were going to Cashiers.
We wound up in South Carolina instead.
The way these roads wind around,
you can only truly keep track of going up and down, not north and south.
We saw a sign for a waterfall and turned
to investigate.

After several miles, we came to
a steep parking lot.
Sure enough, there was the sign.

Whitewater Falls
Viewing Area
1/2 Mile

Up yet another hill, y'all.
In for a penny...
... so up we hiked.

This was one of the incredible
views along the way.
There was even a nice bench
for folks to take a load
off their feet for a spell.
We did not.
An older couple had already
laid claim to the seat.
Hike on, hike on!

We could hear it long before we saw it.
Heck, we heard it out on the road.
(Click the link to hear for yourself.)
But what a sight it was!!!
It's actually a double waterfall,
having upper and lower sections
bracketing a bit of rapids.
And, oh! The humidity! Wow!

Knowing nothing could top that for our first day, we headed back toward town.
Morgan had spotted Cornucopia earlier,
so we pulled in for lunch.
Very nice!
Huge, open room, combined with a very high ceiling and open walls gave an "outdoor at a picnic" feel to the place.
I loved it! So did she!

We started with the Fried Green Beans.
Great choice!
Best I've ever had of those!
The soup (a white bean chili)
was good, too,
and I loved that the half-sandwich
was my creation,
but those green beans...
yowzah!
Highly recommended!



After that, we were ready for the pools!
There were three at the Sapphire Valley Recreation Center and we had full access to their heated depths.

We played the Hillbilly mini-Golf, too, admiring the carved animals bedecking the various holes.
An eagle, a couple of fish, a fawn, a trio of owls, a huge bear, a hound dog... even a trio of bird houses!
The hardest hole, by far, was the one with the whiskey still. With its side entry, you were pretty well guaranteed to end up under part of the still... and we did. Both times, each of us, too.
Still, it was a fun way to wind down, and drip dry, before getting in the car to return to our "villa".
Not "condo". "Villa".
We showered off and hung out for a while, trying to decide what to do about supper.

"Supper! Supper!"
(That's an inside joke, y'all.)
Well, we ate in last night.
"Why not try the place just up the hill?
It was in walking distance, too, so no need to drive anywhere.
I could even have a beer!"
So, that's how we ended up with this view at the Sapphire Mountain Brewing Company.

That's also how I ended up with this view in front of me.
That's the Sapphire Pulled Pork BBQ, mounded high, with a sassy coleslaw and crisp fries.
I also had a Beer Flight, served in a log!
Very cute array of five tastes, but it reaffirmed my dislike of pale beers.
Especially the IPA.
But the Chimney Top Stout?
Marvelous, simply marvelous!
I ordered a full one of those to accompany my meal.

Morgan had the pizza.
Theirs is an award-wiinner, and she confirmed that it was scrumptious.
How did she do so?
Is that what she said?
No, not in words, but she did eat every bite.
And that is definitely sayin' somethin'!

Fully sated, we headed outside.
Didn't we see some rocking chairs?
We did!
And we sat in the refreshing evening air as it swirled gently around the mountain, and we basked in the glory of the sky above us.
Life is good.
Then, to the villa before the black bears came walking...