Sunny Saturday at Lake Fontana

The morning started with chilly, low 30's temperatures.  So we began the day in a local coffee shop.  (Waiting here on the delicious crepes....)

We arrived at Lake Fontana and were greeted by our tour guides, friends of our hosts.  Ellen is shown below skillfully propelling our pontoon up and down the shores of this grand lake created by the damming of the Little Tennessee River.  There are 400 miles of shoreline!

 I can't imagine that there would be anyone more knowledgeable about the history of this lake, the towns that were buried when the river was dammed,  the location of the multitude of cemeteries in the mountains, and the identity of ruins along the paths than David--shown here tying up our boat prior to our hike.

Sites along the trail....

 A separate hike to one of the more easily accessible cemeteries after a picnic lunch on the boat resulted in these photos....

Returning to the launch site, David continued his informative dialogue. 

 

We were extremely blessed to have enjoyed such beautiful weather and to have seen the sites we did today through the eyes of a local couple who care deeply about the preservation and history of this incredible piece of the world!  Their diligence and action on behalf of this territory are admirable.  Their joy and interest in sharing it with us "outsiders" are qualities we will long remember.

Thanks, David and Ellen!