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Monthly Archives: October 2016

See ETSN.News Bob Epstein is Senior Editor Covering All Major Business Conferences as well as Outdoor Events in America

img_6030AmericanPressTravelNews-Oct. 30th,–Check out ETSN.news in your browser or go on direct from our site.

Just yesterday covered Cookville, TN Pow Wow and educational convocation for the young and the old! Most Americans know little of the cultures of the Indigenous Peoples of America. This Pow Wow as others put on by cooperating Tribal Councils work to make sure “we never forget our past and its people of yesteryear and today.” See article and additional images.

Heading for the Pow Wow-An Indigenous American Indian Yearly Event in TN.

AmericanPressTravelNews.com-Cookville, TN. Oct. 29th,-Bob and Barb, yes, we are on the road again. This time we are heading for the Cumberland Plateau 15th Annual American Indian Pow Wow in Cookville, TN. 

Left to right_ Spider Woman, Spirit Hawk Bob and Awano, our new friends at the Pow Wow.
Left to right_ Spider Woman, Spirit Hawk Bob and Awano, our new friends at the Pow Wow.

We love American Indian programs and culture. It’s the “real” America in so many ways. Hand made knives, buckskin clothes, earth colors.

Lots of foods from Indigenous American Indian booths, all kinds of crafts, dances and music with plenty of drum-beats. Well, we weren’t disappointed. The host drum was by Southern Echo and the Emcee was Bert (Iron Turtle) Cox. There was flute playing, a childrens candy rush to the beat of the drums, intertribal dances, Sisters American Indians food, story telling, and lots of teaching and showing the cultures in their art and crafts. Veterans and all service members in both home and military, firefighters (I am a retired 18-years Firefighter, so I was included in the circle of honor dancing) Law Enforcement, EMT’s,  and teachers. A local non-profit Indigenous Intertribal Corp. hosted the Pow Wow. Barb and I had a very fine time and were honored to be amongst America’s first peoples in history. 

 drumming up the spirits both old and new!

drumming up the spirits both old and new!
Dances were a great part of the Pow Wow. They signified the relationship to earth, sky and all things in nature.
Dances were a great part of the Pow Wow. They signified the relationship to earth, sky and all things in nature.
Natural selection!
Natural selection!
Veterans of Vietnam War pray and remember their brothers! Lots of introspection was on display and in the spirit air.
Veterans of Vietnam War pray and remember their brothers! Lots of introspection was on display and in the spirit air.

 

Colorful and vibrancy was on full display!
Colorful and vibrancy was on full display!

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The Orchard Inn-A Place to be For Natures Colors and Great Dining

AmericanPressTravelNews–October 28th-Saluda, N.C. One of our favorite Places to be anytime, and especially in the Fall..
Treat your sweetheart or several generations of your family to a traditional and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. Join the convivial crowd at The Orchard Inn to hike nearby trails, watch the birds, rock on the porch, and find a piece of the jigsaw puzzle. Make reservations for the chef’s finest Thanksgiving Midday Dinner and hurry – seats are filling up fast!
When visiting the Blue Ridge Mountains, there is a myriad of activities found here that can be fun in any season. One such activity is visiting our countless, sparkling waterfalls. With so many options to choose from, you might have trouble deciding which of these gorgeous natural features you want to visit first. Pearson’s Falls, one of the best waterfalls near Saluda, is a spot you don’t want to miss.
Western North Carolina offers endless opportunities for adventure in the great outdoors! If you’re looking for a great place to explore in this area, make sure to visit the Chimney Rock State Park. Located near the peaceful Lake Lure, this 1,000-acre rock is a piece of history that is not to be missed. This is an iconic part of North Carolina that offers breathtaking views of the stunning, surrounding scenery.
If you want to get out and experience the great outdoors, then our North Carolina Adventure Vacation Package is made for you! Enjoy a delicious breakfast in the morning, have your outdoor adventure during the day with a delightful picnic lunch, then come back and relax in a Jacuzzi tub!

Request Your Free Vacation Guide to Asheville, NC

If you are planning a visit to the Asheville, NC, area, you should request our free Vacation Guide. The Asheville/Saluda area has so many things to do for a romantic getaway, a family vacation or even a trip for “me time,” and we want to share our suggestions with you!
Click the link to download our complimentary Vacation Guide to see all that you can take advantage of in Asheville.Our Guide covers:

• Restaurants You Will Want to Visit Time & Time Again
• Festivals & Attractions You Don’t Want to Miss
• Outdoor Activities for All Skill Levels
• Shopping For One-of-a-Kind Items
• Orchard Inn Exclusives

Did You Have a 5 Star Experience? Our business is built on reviews and recommendations from past guests. We’d appreciate you sharing your 5 Star Review on TripAdvisor®!

100 Orchard Inn Lane, Saluda, NC 28773 | Call: (800) 581-3800 or (828) 749-5471
© Copyright 2016 The Orchard Inn. All Rights Reserved.

 

Treasure Coast A Bountiful Amount of Nature & a Beach That Goes So Far!

While this Canadian jaw drops, the locals on the beach barely look up. The small spinner sharks don’t worry anyone here too much.

A surfer ignores the half-hour “no swim order” after it’s spotted and runs back in after a few minutes: “The waves are too good,” he says, flipping his long bangs as he heads into the water off Hutchinson Island.

This 50-kilometre strip of Florida along the Atlantic — from Sebastian down to Stuart — is called the Treasure Coast, for the silver and gold left in the sea after a hurricane wiped out a Spanish fleet in 1715. But that’s not the only bounty here.

Related story: 6 Treasure Coast experience

In the state known for Disney World, spring-break parties and packed beaches, the Treasure Coast offers something else entirely. Long stretches of uncrowded beaches — with ample room in their parking lots — others that are preserved wetlands and plenty of opportunities to hang out with some of the area’s original inhabitants.

Such as alligators.

We see dozens of them lollygagging about during an airboat ride on Blue Cypress Lake, 40 minutes inland from Vero Beach.

“Their ancestors walked with dinosaurs,” our captain says after cracking the requisite joke about going waterskiing in the lake.

“A lot of people don’t realize this is the real Florida,” Capt. John Smith of Florida Airboat Excursions says of the 500-year-old cypress trees and magnificent birds that are soaring overhead — osprey, white egrets and great blue heron.

We’re the only mammals around while horseback riding on the beach on Hutchinson Island, although someone spots a few dolphins frolicking in the ocean. As we amble single file along the water line listening to the waves, soaking up the turquoise of the water and the blue of the sky, we keep our eyes peeled for turtles walking up from the Atlantic to nest on the quiet beach.

Kayaking through the mangroves in Indian River Lagoon — the body of water between Hutchinson Island and the mainland — we watch pelicans dive for fish and meet Larry, a heron minding his own business on a rock.

“He’s retired now,” says Billy Gibson, our Motorized Kayak Adventures guide and avid naturalist. “We know the names of the birds that stay here,” he explains, and grins.

At a visit to the Florida Oceanographic Society’s Coastal Center in Stuart, we hear about local restaurants donating mounds of oyster shells so the centre can build oyster reefs to boost oyster populations and improve the water quality in the area. We learn to keep the beaches “clean, flat and dark” to not upset sea turtles and their babies.

“We get families changing their behaviour on the beaches,” says Zack Jud, director of education and exhibits at the centre. “We teach them that the environment matters.” The big draw is “petting” stingrays in a pool. You hold your hand still and the patient are rewarded with a stingray swimming up against you.

“Ecotourism seems to be the new economic boom for Florida,” says Charles Barrowclough, our guide as we walk along the boardwalk into the Barley Barber Swamp to see a 1,000-year-old bald cypress tree. “People want something to do, something different, and a whole industry has been created around that.”

We pause to taste the salt that’s formed on the leaves of black mangroves and look down to try to spot imaginary faces in the cypress stumps below the boardwalk. “This is old Florida, a remnant of what it was like before the Europeans came here,” says Barrowclough over the choir of cicadas.

“You can ride a roller-coaster anywhere,” he says, looking around at the ancient and very much alive swamp. “You can’t see this anywhere.”