a trip on the parkway

last saturday was an absolutely beautiful day here and jay and i took the dogs up for a drive on the brp (blue ridge parkway). we decided to drive up to mt. mitchell, now that the road is repaired (it had previously washed out, and down, the mountain) and now that they have finished rebuilding the observation tower on mt. mitchell. wecouldn't have chosen a more perfect day, as there were so few clouds in the sky. the leaves are already changing a bit, too. i took lots of pictures, so sit back and relax and enjoy the views.

View from the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center

the leaves were beginning to change (this was oct. 3)

Glassmine Falls

the falls don't run very often, but with all the rain we've had, they were definitely flowing

more lovely, changing leaves

views from Mt. Mitchell

jay with the (cooperative) girls

me with a cooperative barley and a distracted cotton

it was a rare, clear day on top of mt. mitchell

you could see all the way to clingmans dome in the gsm's (great smoky mtns)

there are some funny signs on the parkway... for instance, one of the most popular hiking trails has this name...



and this is a purchased "copy" of a sign that is no longer on the parkway, but was so popular (and frequently stolen) that they now sell them at the craggy visitors center...

... it warns of a decreasing radius turn. but, of course, i'm sure you knew that.

so come on over for a visit and see the views for yourselves.