Today I drove 160 miles traveling from Hendersonville, North Carolina to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
North Carolina's most dramatic scenery is seen from the 315-foot spire overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge. |
I drive the final 80 miles of the parkway ending at The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. |
Twenty-three minute video of my visit to the park on a very busy autumn day. |
In this forty-three minute video I visit the Gatlinburg SkyBridge and the Space Needle. |
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Hello folks, I left my motel in Hendersonville this morning at 8:00. I drove about twenty miles to Chimney Rock.  You have a choice of hiking to the top or taking the elevator. Guess which I did?  Some of North Carolina's most dramatic mountain scenery is found at Chimney Rock State Park, with the signature 315-foot spire overlooking Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure.  I didn't have any trouble handling the nearly fifty steps up there but I did find it difficult walking on the uneven rock surfaces of the chimney itself.  Next I drove back to the Blue Ridge Parkway for the final 80 miles. The parkway was a lot more crowded today than it has been on my previous four days. Maybe it was the absolutely perfect weather.  I'd pause to admire the spectacular fall colors. But the closer I got to Smoky Mountain Park, the leaves were just barely starting to turn.  I passed over the highest point on the parkway shortly before it ended at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  Smoky Park was a madhouse. I tried to go to Clingmans Dome but there was a line of cars about a mile long just waiting to get into the parking lot. So I turned around and left. I snapped the photo below from the road to Clingmans Dome.  When I got to Newfound Gap there was a line waiting to park there too but not as bad. Newfound Gap is on the Tennessee/North Carolina state line.  I arrived in Gatlinburg at around 4:00. I quickly got out of the traffic because the Hampton Inn where I am staying is one of the first places in town. I didn't use the car again.  I walked down to the Sky Lift. They have benches all along the street. So I was able to walk around town and rest my feet when needed. I rode the chairlift up to the SkyBridge.  Once on top I had to climb sixty stairs to the SkyBridge. I know that I am going to pay for this when I try to lie down tonight.  There are rocking chairs all over the place making it easy to sit down and take a load off. Below is looking down on the plaza where you get off the chairlift.  The Gatlinburg SkyBridge is the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in North America. The SkyBridge quite literally crosses the sky as it stretches 680 feet across a deep valley in a single span. And I actually made it across and then after a bit of a rest back again.  The picture below is Gatlinburg as seen from the SkyBridge. {Click HERE to watch my video of the SkyBridge.}  By the time I got done with the SkyBridge it was almost dark. I walked across the street and went up the Space Needle. Below is the view from the top. {Click HERE to watch my video of the Space Needle.}  The sun had set by the time I got down from the Space Needle.  It was now time to call it a day. The final picture was from the top of the Space Needle looking down on my hotel and where I got my dinner at Friday's next door.  Good night, Tim |
Today's drive includes the final 80 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Smoky Mountains National Park. |
Click on the arrow above for tomorrow's adventures.
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