Mark's Photo Travels

Delayed, but not denied. I wanted to visit Glenn Springs after visiting Whitestone Springs two weeks ago, but I ran out of daylight. My second attempt failed last week because of misty, rainy weather on my available days. This week on my third try I finally made it. But between my first and second attempts, my adventuring friend Tom Taylor briefly stopped here to explore on his way to Pacolet where he then explored the ruins of a hotel (which I'll have to check out sometime). He recounts this most interesting adventure in The Allure of Old Masonry . Glenn Springs, like Whitestone Springs and Chick Springs , was a resort spring touting water that could supposedly cure many ailments. Like these other resort springs, Glenn Springs featured a large hotel where capable of housing many guests. Glenn Springs also had its own railroad for a time to transport guests to and from the hotel. The Glenn Springs hotel operated well over 100 years before fire destroyed the hotel on July ...

Yesterday I traveled up to Caesar's Head to revisit two relatively unknown waterfalls, Misty Falls and Mashbox Falls, and visit the area where Caesar's Head Hotel once stood. Misty Falls and Mashbox Falls are on tributaries of Oil Camp Creek and are located not far off of U.S. 276. I had already visited these falls back in the spring, but foliage was too thick then photograph well. No trails are available to either Misty Falls or Mashbox Falls, and despite their nearness to U.S. 276 neither one are easy to get to. I chose to park at a pulloff at a bend in the curve as shown on the map below. View To Caesars Head in a larger map Just beyond the pulloff at the next curve is Oil Camp Creek Road, now mostly hiking trail. I decided against parking here because getting back out seemed too risky. Misty Falls is the less difficult of the two to reach, so I made that one my first stop. Ignoring the sound of rushing water from Mashbox Falls, I followed Oil Camp Creek road do...