On day 45 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Colombia to Robbinsville in North Carolina. Along the way we drive through beautiful nature reserves with beautiful parks, beautiful nature and many lakes, rivers and waterfalls. You can stop along the way to take beautiful pictures.

We leave Colombia west and drive past Finlay Park, with its 57,000 m2, it is the largest and most visited park in central Columbia. The park opened in 1991. Originally called Sidney Park, it was renamed in 1994 after former mayor of Columbia, Kirkman Finlay. There are picnic tables, two playgrounds and a cafe. The park used to be a favorite for families, but is now home to the city's largest population of homeless people. The problems with the park are ongoing and have prompted local charitable organizations to deliver food on a weekly basis to the people living on the park's benches. During the summer months, films are shown outdoors on Friday nights and the park is also host to numerous events and festivals, including the Sizzlin' Summer Concert Series. The free outdoor concerts (7pm - 10pm) will run for 13 weeks starting May 24 and include blues, beach, classical, contemporary, top 40, country, bluegrass, reggae and more styles of music. Admission is free and you can picnic glass, BBQ grills, pets and radios are not allowed.

We drive south of Lake Murray, a reservoir of about 20,000 hectares with 1,050 km of shoreline. It was dammed in the late 1920s to provide hydropower to the state of South Carolina. When the lake was completed it was the world's largest artificial reservoir. In addition to serving as a source of hydropower, the lake has become a recreational attraction. We will drive along the shoreline several times and cross the foothills of the lake.

The first stop is scheduled at the Ninety Six National Historic Site, also known as Old Ninety Six and Star Fort. This is a South Caroline National Historic Site that was listed on the National Register in 1969, declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973. Settlers fought for survival against the harsh backcountry. Cherokee Indians hunted and fought to keep their land. Two cities and a trading post were formed and then left to the elements. The two battles in the Revolutionary War claimed more than 100 lives. Discover South Carolina's 18th century history. The 1,022-acre Ninety Six National Historic Site is located 2 miles south of the present-day town of Ninety Six on South Carolina Highway 248. The National Park Service maintains a visitor center with a small museum featuring artifacts found at the site, as well as other historical artifacts and oil paintings of the battle and local leaders of the American Revolution. There is a video of the battle and there is also a gift shop. Visitors can rent a self-guided audio tour of the park.

A 1-mile interpretive trail begins at the Visitor Center and takes visitors to the remains of Star Fort and the original site of Ninety Six. There are dirt trails that wind through the woods, leading to Star Fort Pond, an old unidentified cemetery (believed to be a post-colonial slave cemetery), and to the graves of Major James Gouedy, a trader who was influential in the establishment of Ninety. Six, and Major James Mayson, who captured a substantial supply of gunpowder for use by the Americans.

The next stop is scheduled at the Erskine College Campus located in the academic village of Due West, home to 1,200 people in historic Abbeville County, South Carolina, an area rich in colonial, revolutionary, and Civil War history. The village offers a calm and quiet atmosphere for studying.

The village and campus, with several antebellum buildings, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. An annual spring festival brings together a large number of tourists to share in the cultural and historical heritage of the province.

Erskine's spacious campus offers both classic and modern facilities. The distinctive towers of the Erskine Building are complemented by a state-of-the-art science facility and a music and math education complex. Central to the campus is the Bowie Arts Center, a modern museum and gallery. The Galloway Activities Center contains two gyms, an aerobics room, a gym and an athletic training facility. The Literary Societies, as old as the college, are located on campus. Students and travelers can eat in one of the award-winning cafeterias and campus cafes. Take the time to visit this special place and enjoy lunch.

We drive through the Sumter National Park to the next short stop. This one is planned at Issaqueena Falls and the Stumphouse Tunnel, an unfinished rail tunnel for South Carolina's Blue Ridge Railroad. The tunnel, along with the nearby Issaqueena Falls, is now a Valhalla City Park and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Nice place to stop, take a walk, and take some photos.

We continue on the beautiful winding road through the Appalachians to the next stop, the Russell Homestead, which was a busy farm in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Vacationers flocked to the area that is now Highlands, NC, to escape the hot South Carolina summers. In the old log cabin, the Russell family provided overnight stays and good home-cooked meals for weary travellers.
The self-sufficient homestead included ten outbuildings clustered around the main house. Many of the necessities of life were made in the barns and blacksmith shop. The source house provided drinking water and served as a refrigerator.
A fire destroyed the main house and three outbuildings in 1988, leaving only a chimney of the main house. The farm is included in the national monument register. An interpretive board along the route describes the farm layout and historical information.

We cross the Chattooga River, which is also the state border of South Carolina and Georgia, now we're back into the mountains. We drive on GA-28 through Georgia, a beautiful winding road through Sumter National Forest. After about 13 kilometers we reach the state border with North Carolina, here the road turns into the NC-28, also called Walhalla Road, this is truly a paradise for motorcyclists, the road has nice curves and you can enjoy the beautiful nature. The road is also known to motorcyclists as the Moonshiner28.
We drive through Highlands towards Franklin. This road follows the winding course of the Cullasaja River. Along the route over a distance of 14 km you pass many beautiful waterfalls;

• Sequoya Falls, these are not a natural waterfall as the water flows over an artificial dam, but they are breathtaking.

• Bridal Veil Falls, famous for generations as the only waterfall in North Carolina that you can drive behind. However, the section of road behind the falls is now closed to cars for safety. You can park nearby and walk behind the waterfall and take nice pictures.

• Dry Falls, is a 20 meter high waterfall in the Nantahala National Forest. Dry Falls flows over an overhanging cliff that allows visitors to walk under the falls and remain relatively dry, hence the name Dry Falls. It has also been given a few other names, including High Falls, Pitcher Falls, and Upper Cullasaja Falls. Wear your rain gear, because you won't stay dry.

• Bust your Butt Falls, is a popular swimming spot and there is a natural slide (low tide only) on the Cullasaja River, also known as Quarry Falls. It is a short walk over some rocks from the parking areas. Be extra careful with all slippery boulders! The many large rocks also make a great place for picnicking and sunbathing.

• Cullasaja Falls, the last major waterfall on the Cullasaja River. This is a long waterfall of 300 meters with a height of 61 meters. It's easy to catch a glimpse of the falls as you drive by, but well worth stopping at the small pull-out and getting a closer look at the falls. Watch out for passing vehicles along the walkway to the waterfall.


We drive via Franklin to Robbinsville with a stop at the Cowee Mound viewing platform on the way. Across the river you can see the Cowee Mound (Cherokee trade and diplomacy center), a grassy knoll behind the treetops across the river and below the forest-covered Hall Mountain in the background. The Cherokee villages operate more like a collection of independent city-states than a single government. You can read about this on the information board. In the summer you can barely see the Cowee Mound due to the tall grass and trees, for a better view you can walk up the driveway and stand along the road.

The end point of the beautiful day is the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge & Resort in Robbinsville on Stecoah Creek. The resort is surrounded by the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains, this area has some of the best touring roads in the world.

Iron Horse is minutes from the famous Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, the scenic mile-high Cherohala Skyway, Moonshiner 28, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherokee, Fontana Dam and the Nantahala River Gorge. Whether on a cruiser, sportbike or dual-sport, Iron Horse is the place where bikers meet, stay and enjoy. Reflecting the free spirit of the Old West and modern motorcyclists, Iron Horse is designed with a Western flair and offers a wide variety of accommodations and facilities, including hotel rooms, cabins, RVs, and camping. It is definitely worth staying here for a few days and enjoying the beautiful routes.

The most beautiful routes in this area can be found in the MyRoute app RouteXpert Library and on the Iron Horse site (see the link in this review).