Deb and I are in Bryson City, NC this week vacationing with her sister and their family.

We brought the motorcycle down and have been hiking in the mornings with family and then going for motorcycle rides in the afternoon.

On my rides I have noticed that so many of the little stores, gas stations and restaurants that were in the area are no longer open.  It is sad to see so many little businesses gone.

Today it was raining hard all day so Deb and I drove to Waynesville and did a bit of shopping - then we ate at the Haywood Smokehouse and it was just as good as I remember.

We then left Waynesville and drove out to see the Blueridge Motorcycle Campground and continue on to the Blueridge Parkway for the ride back to Bryson City.  As we got Cruso, NC where the Blueridge Campground is located we witnessed the creek was flowing full and nearly coming out of the banks - the fish hatchery was completely underwater.  We saw a lot of what appeared to be a lot of buildings, cars and other debris in piles along the other side of the creek bank.  We stopped and took some videos of the swollen creek, and you could hear the loud booms of large boulders being moved along the bottom of the Pigeon River.  As we got to the Blueridge Campground we discovered the bridge was gone!  There were some people looking at the water and I stopped to talk to them - they told me that last August there was a flash flood that wiped out homes and bridges, and also a large landslide that came down the mountain.  If you go to YouTube and search for flooding in Cruso or Canton, NC or Haywood County you can see videos of the flood damage.

The campground was flooded, the bridge washed out, and cabins were damaged or washed away.  I don't know when things will be repaired - but it most definitely won't be open anytime soon!

I remember some GOOD TIMES at that place !  

I could not see the office/house from the road - I could only see one cabin well and the grass area.  I believe both cabins next to the creek are gone, and the entire bridge and earth ramp near the road where gone.  The grass camping area had high grass as they are not currently mowing it.  I talked with one of the local men and he didn't recognize the name "Phil" as being the current owner.

I have a video of the creek that I will post when I get back home.

Wow! Did not expect that.