MARION, N.C., Oct. 20 - We bypassed the Big Orange scene in Knoxville on the way here, so our spotlight for the next few days will be focused on the autumn color in the mountains. We also heard tell of some gold in these hills, left when the Gold Rush swept all the serious minors west to California in the 1800s.

In addition to its unique location in the Catawba River Basin at the eastern foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, Marion is near the first gold mining site in the original colonies, and the home territory of a large band of Cherokee Indians before the Trail of Tears. It is 35 miles east of Asheville and serves as a gateway between the mountains and the piedmont sections of North Carolina.

The color on the way across U.S. Highway 40 looked near peak, so it appears we picked the right time to make this run. And we have an excellent guide lined up, a local adventurer, entrepreneur and real estate man we will introduce later.

It's a quiet night in the valley here - except for a couple of yap dogs. Made friends with one dog and one cat already. And we hear there are bears not far from here. Maybe elk too?

The plan is breakfast on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the a.m., photos ops in the fog on the way and a host of sites, which will include a float down the Catawba River before the weekend's done…

Say no more. It's off to the smoking porch and then the guest bedroom before midnight.