After all, it took the young Miami, Fla., couple eight years to find the perfect land on which to build their dream resort in the Blue Ridge Mountains. They found their 54 acres of wilderness, with trout-filled streams and cascading waterfalls, between the towns of Wilkesboro and Boone.

Buying the land was just the beginning of their long-distance love affair with North Carolina.

The couple then spent another four years using vacation and money saved from their Miami jobs to clear property, build a road and construct a bridge over Green Branch which joins Fall Creek - the creek for which the cabins are named.

Fall Creek has its beginnings at the Cascades, a 30 to 40-foot waterfall attraction on the nearby Blue Ridge Parkway.

They oversaw construction - largely by phone from Miami - of three two-story cedar log cabins. Again, they made the 14-hour drive to spend precious days off painstakingly decorating each cabin in a unique country theme. Their family and friends helped out whenever they could get away.

They saw their dream come true when Fall Creek Resort opened in the summer of 1992.

"There were times when we thought we wouldn't be able to finish what we had started, when money was tight, or when we couldn't just leave Miami because of our jobs even though we needed to be at Fall Creek to oversee the work," said Beverly Thompson, a medical education assistant at a Miami hospital.

"But with the help of the people in North Carolina who made sure everything was done and people like my parents who spent their vacations working with us, we got through the bad times. Seeing the cabins and hearing from our guests about their experiences make it all worthwhile."

Thompson is a manager for a construction materials company and knows what's needed for quality construction. That's why the couple had their log cabins built from western red cedar, a fragrant, hearty fine-grained wood.

Each cabin has two bedrooms, two baths, stone fireplace, living room, kitchen and perhaps best of all - French doors leading out to a private heated hot tub on a covered porch that offers scenic wooded views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The cabins are built far enough apart to afford guests total privacy. Each offers all of the amenities of a modern home, with dishwasher, microwave, washer/dryer and even a VCR.

All cabins have oak and pine furnishings and hardwood floors, but each is decorated in a different decor: Serenity Ridge offers a peaceful rose and raspberry color scheme; Blueberry Hideaway has a tranquil country blue scheme; and Mountain Laurel is a restful country green.

"We fell in love with this property because of the streams. We have our very own waterfalls, so from the cabins you can hear the sounds of water flowing and we often see deer and other wildlife right outside our doors," said Beverly Thompson.

Guests such as Adrienne and Mike Sylver, also of Miami, have enjoyed the setting so much they have rented all three cabins for a family reunion this Christmas, with family coming from Hawaii, New Jersey, Maryland and Florida.

"The best thing I liked about Fall Creek was its location," said Adrienne Sylver. "We felt secluded in our private hideaway and yet you're just a short drive away from so many things to do."

That meant taking their 2-year old son to Tweetsie Railroad, antiquing in the many nearby shops and hiking atop Grandfather Mountain.

The hardest thing now for the Thompsons is having to limit their visits to vacations. A local management company oversees the cabins' operation, assuring that guests have everything they need.

What's the next dream the Thompsons want to make come true? :

No more vacations in North Carolina for the Thompsons who hope to make a permanent move to Fall Creek in the next two years.

Fall Creek Cabins are located approximately 37 miles from Interstate 77, one mile off U.S. 421 and just five miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information or a brochure, write to Fall Creek Cabins, 3701 S.W. 107 Ave., Miami, Fla. 33165 or call 305-553-7170.

Fall Creek Cabins was established in 1992 and we are members of the following organizations:

    

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