Again, for those who might be going up to Mendo, we can heartily recommend the B&B we stayed at. The Agate Cove Inn is located on Lansing Rd., right by the ocean, about 1 mile just north of the town of Mendocino. It was far and away the best place we stayed during our long trip! They are duplex cabins, all with patios, full baths with jetted tubs, comfortable beds, nice little breakfast in the morning, extremely quiet and peaceful. We stayed in Zircon but really liked all of them - we were the only ones staying on a Sunday so hosts Roger and Lorraine gave us their master key so we could go into all the cottages to check them out. Emerald and Obsidian are the biggest and most luxe; Garnet has an extra twin bed for those who are traveling with a small child. As mentioned above, all of them have gas-fired stoves or fireplaces for heat, very easy to work (unlike some we've encountered) and the cabins are extremely well insulated and toasty-warm. The view from their front lawn, where they have two separate patios with lots of lawn furniture, is stunning. Bundle up, though, weather can be wildly changeable up there. The winds can be icy-cold one hour then warm up again the next! We made good use of Agate's blankets when sitting outside, even though we were all bundled up in Polarfleece, gloves, and hats, LOL. Here is a link that might be useful: Agate Cove Inn's website

I would also suggest Waynesville, Cashiers/Highlands, Lake Glenville, Hendersonville, etc. I could go on and on. A beautiful area - especially that time of year. You may have difficulty finding places to stay as that is probably the most popular time of year for that area. Fall colors can be amazing. Transylvania County has many waterfalls. Many lakes are in that whole area. Hiking is abundant in there in the mountains. Biltmore has a spa I believe and I am having trouble remembering the other old inn with a spa. There in Asheville also. Many bed and breakfasts in the area, if you are interested. Hmmm, Hendersonville had it's apple festival this past weekend (or always has in the past), I'm sure there are harvest/pumpkin type festivals. I'd go to the webpage for the chambers of commerce in specific cities. tina

whoa...what fabulous pictures and the guy's only been doing photography for two years...he has the knack that's for sure!

Forboystoo, I had no idea! I always check the CL ads to see if they have been updated since their original posting, as some people in Maine put up the same ads every day. This one didn't have an earlier posting date, just this 'original' one below. Oh well, I thought it was a riot! Posted: 2013-07-09, 7:59AM EDT