Today I drove 147 miles traveling from Boone, North Carolina to Hendersonville, North Carolina.
This most scenic day on the parkway includes Linn Cove, Grandfather Mountain and Mount Mitchell. |
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Hello folks, To say that I was pissed when I wrote yesterday's email would be an accurate assessment. I had arrived at the most scenic section of the Blue Ridge Parkway and I was probably going to have to leave without seeing any of it due to the bleak weather. When I got up this morning it was pouring down rain. I checked the forecast online and it said that the rain would end at 2:00 this afternoon. So I kept my room until noon, check-out time. When I left the hotel it was still raining. I drove seven miles back to where I got off the parkway yesterday. When I got there the rain stopped and just a few miles more down the road not only had the skies cleared, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Amazing! I soon arrived at Linn Cove. This seven-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway was completed in 1987. It was delayed for twenty years as environmentalists, adjacent landowners, engineers, and architects sought a design that would preserve and protect the fragile habitat of adjacent Grandfather Mountain. The Linn Cove Viaduct hugs the face of Grandfather Mountain and is recognized internationally as an engineering marvel. This was the last section of the Parkway to be completed. Below is Grandfather Mountain looming over the parkway.  Below is a wider view. You can see part of the viaduct on the left.  And below is a closer look at the viaduct itself.  Below I am standing on the viaduct looking at the spectacular fall colors.  I spent about 26 hours in Boone, North Carolina waiting for the weather to clear so I could see this. It was worth the wait. Below I am in the middle of the viaduct looking over the side. {Click HERE to watch my video of Linn Cove.}  Some of the pictures didn't come out too bad. But they still don't do it justice. It looks like I got here right at the peak time. It's hard to believe it was pouring rain less than an hour ago. I hated to leave Linn Cove but I was already six hours behind schedule so I had to move on. Next I made the steep climb up to Grandfather Mountain.  The Mile High Swinging Bridge, America's highest suspension footbridge, has been in place since 1952 at the top of the mountain. The 228-foot suspension bridge spans an 80-foot chasm at more than one mile in elevation.  The wind was blowing at gale force up here. Below is another picture of the bridge along with some of the surrounding view. {Click HERE to watch my video of Grandfather Mountain.}  Again I couldn't stay too long. I had a lot more ground to cover and only a few hours of daylight left. I continued on my way down the parkway and stopped at the spots that interested me. I like the shot below.  Below is a picture of the parkway and some more fall colors.  Below is one of the many scenic overlooks on the parkway. There are so many of them it's hard to decide which ones to stop at.  Look at all the colors on the mountain below.  Next I drove to the top of Mount Mitchell.  Mount Mitchell is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in mainland eastern North America. Mount Mitchell's elevation is 6,684 feet. It sure was cold up there. The temperature dropped about fifteen degrees on the short 5 mile drive up there. The picture above was taken about half way up. The picture below was at the summit's observation platform.  It was just a little over an hour until sunset as I made my way down the mountain. I had sixty more miles to drive to my motel in Hendersonville. My last stop on the parkway was at Craggy Gardens. You can see the tunnel I just went through on the right.  I got to my Best Western motel in Hendersonville just as it got completely dark shortly after 7:00. After getting settled I got me some dinner at the Chick-fil-A next door. Now I'm up late writing this email. I hope you didn't have trouble opening it due to the large number of pictures. There were about a dozen more I wanted to include but I managed to restrain myself. Goodnight, Tim |
I drive 147 miles traveling from Boone, North Carolina to Hendersonville, North Carolina. |
Click on the arrow above for tomorrow's adventures.
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