We supercharged in Asheville, NC before we started on our journey to Grandfather Mountain, which will probably be our last adventure of our trip. We are visiting Ronnie’s brother and his family, Paulette, son Joey and daughter, Nichole tonight. I took this photo outside of Swananova, NC.
Outside of Black Mountain, NC, I took this photo:
It was slow going on highway 221 but we finally arrived at Grandfather Mountain. It was $20 per person to enter the park and we received a usb stick with a guided tour. It made the visit so much more memorable and enjoyable.
We saw three deer just after we entered the park. I tried to take a photo, but they were too fast for me. It was great to see them. The views from everywhere within the park as spectacular. This was from one of the Half Moon Overlook.
Next, we visited Split Rock and Sphinx Rock. This is how the park explains them: “Sphinx and Split Rock have greeted guests since the park was founded in 1952 and well before that time. In fact, these rock formations are older than the mountain itself. Exploring Split Rock is best done on foot in order to get the best vantage point of the great split or crack in the rock that runs all the way down the formation. This huge split in the rock is due to weathering over millions of years that resulted in small cracks in the rock due to the formation of ice. Walk down the pathway to see additional vantage points of Sphinx Rock, as well.
Similar to how Grandfather Mountain’s rocky peaks and ridgelines resemble the face of an old man looking toward the heavens, Sphinx Rock also best resembles its namesake: the ancient Egyptian monolith of a pharaoh’s head on top of a lion’s body. While it may take some squinting and a little imagination upon first glance, you may see a face stuck in a perennial kissing motion!
The Sphinx Rock is much older than the man-made Egyptian Sphinx — and weighs more than 2 million pounds.”
We ate lunch at Mildred’s Grill at the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery. We ordered chicken strips that came with French fries. The meal was big enough for two. We shared the dish, and it was very tasty. We visited the gift shop and bought some shirts and continued our journey.
You didn’t need to look far to see beautiful scenery.
The road to the top had many sharp turns and I was very careful negotiating the twists and turns.
We arrived at the top and viewed the mile-high swinging bridge. Here is how it is described by the park: “One of the top highlights and memories of visits to Grandfather Mountain nature park is walking across the famous Mile High Swinging Bridge. Since 1952, visitors have “oohed” and “aahed” at the bridge’s 360-degree panoramic views. America’s highest suspension footbridge gives easy access to the spectacular views atop Grandfather Mountain’s Linville Peak, elevation 5,305 feet.
The 228-foot suspension bridge spans an 80-foot chasm at more than one mile in elevation (hence the name!). To reach the Mile High Swinging Bridge, drive the two-mile, winding scenic road up the mountain to the summit parking area by the Top Shop. Climb 50 stairs adjacent to the parking area or inside the Top Shop to reach the short pathway to the bridge. Also, an elevator in the Top Shop takes you to the third floor for a level walk to the bridge.”
The altitude was not so forgiving for Ronnie, and she did not attempt to walk over the bridge.
So, Mr. ‘I am so afraid of heights’ did it.
It really does swing and I even stopped to take some photos looking down from the bridge.
Here is a view of a place that can be climbed after crossing the bridge.
I went to the edge of the mountain top and took a few more photos.
It was time for us to leave the mountain and begin our journey to Charlotte, NC to visit Ronnie’s family. Part of our drive was on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is loaded with beautiful scenery.
We entered the Julian Price Memorial Park and stopped at Sims Pond to admire the pond.
We knew that we were close to the end of our day when we encountered the “Welcome to South Carolina” sign.
Although Ronnie’s family lives in Charlotte, NC, the South Carolina border is so close that it is not unusual to go from one state to the other and back again.
We checked into our hotel, dropped off our stuff and made our way to visit Ronnie’s brother, Ken, his wife, Paulette, their daughter, Nichole and their son, Joey, who we had not seen in a long time. We had dinner at the house. The time went by too fast and it seemed like we had just gotten there and it was time to leave.
We traveled the next day (today for us) and it was all driving and no adventure. We are overnighting in Oxford, NC. I am going to see if I can add something interesting for the rest of the trip home. After all our adventures, just driving is totally boring.
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