The beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and Craggy Gardens trail, North Carolina

I,m so sorry to hear that both of your pets passed away at the same time, such a shock for you my dear. I'm sure that you did the best thing by going to such a beautiful place, such places have a healing of their own.

It looks stunning and I quite well understand forgetting your feet.....
What are the red flowers in photo 5 are they part of the tree or growing on it?

Hard for you to lose both like that, so sorry. Looks a beautiful trip, they really are blue.

Hi Laura ..
So sad to have to say goodbye to two cats in one day...

However, it is good to know that your trip away revived your spirits.
Such amazing scenery ! Looking forward to your blog about the Arboretum.

Did you hurt yourself when you fell ? Okay now I hope.

I to send my condolences on loosing your Cats so suddenly.
The scenery in the mountains is stunning, ferns being my thing are great to see is the wild, is the yellow flower wild Rudbeckia.

Sorry to hear about your cats, what a shock with the second one too.
You did the right thing having a break in those beautiful hills, those ferns are just stunning, what a fabulous place, wonderful how some places can help to calm you.
All the very best.

The red flowers are Monarda, Pamg.They were huge! There was also a white Monarda along the trail, but I'm not sure what the species was. I have a book on NC wildflowers so I'll have to research it.

Sticki, it was such a shock with the second cat, so unexpected, no one could believe it. She was 15 but in good health.

i think its so much worse when its a shock like that, especially when you were already trying to cope with the first sad one.

i hope you have many more trips to the lovely mountains and gardens, they sound and look very therapeutic to me.

Did you hurt yourself when you fell ?

no, I was lucky, TT, especially since no one really knew where I was! I had my cell phone with me, but as you can imagine, there's no reception there. It's a steep climb up the Douglas Falls trail, and much of it's on rock, which was wet and slippery that day. At least I fell in the right direction, too, and not down the mountain and into a tree! I'm just very sore, still, especially since Morgan and I went for a run that morning and he really made me work to keep up with him.

Sticki, no one could believe that the second cat died. How bad can someone's luck be????? At least she didn't pass away while I was gone, how horrible to have my friend come in to care for the animals and find one dead.

Glad you've no major injuries Laura.
I know you look after a lot of animals, and it is made that much harder when you're not fully fit !

So sorry to hear about your 2 cats. What a shock with the second cat, it must have been awful. The blue ridge mountains look lovely.

Very interesting. I am in the middle of reading the Lonely Planet guide to N & S Carolina so to see the pictures here is really interesting. Thinking about a holiday in the US but not to NY or Florida or the usual suspects but somewhere a little different. Sounds an attractive region.

You will absolutely love NC - probably one of the most beautiful states in the country, especially if you're like me and you enjoy being outside. Northern Georgia is lovely as well with a similar landscape.

That's a beautiful place :o)
I'm sorry to hear about your cats. It must have been very distressing for you.

thanks Hywel, it was terrible. I still feel numb.

Lauram, maybe it could comfort you to think of them curled up together in a sunny spot, or creeping up on a wee mouse.....

Don't make me cry, Pamg!!! They knew they were loved, and that's the important thing I guess. And at least Curly died suddenly and quickly. She felt good until the end.