One last post for the vacation series and then it is back to my own garden. Not really a garden but during our stay in Asheville, we drove to Chimney Rock State Park. I had always wanted to visit and the last time we were in Asheville (back in the 90s), we had planned to stop there on our way home and they were closed.
Chimney Rock is a dramatic 315 ft. monolith with 75-mile views. The elevator was being worked on so the only way up to the top was climbing a series of newly built steps. There are 419 steps and it takes about 20-30 minutes to get there.
Michael, afraid of heights, stayed below, so I took the journey up alone.
One of my favorite movies, "Last of the Mohicans" was filmed here. Hickory Nut Falls, one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi, is not visible from Chimney Rock but you can hike to it. Since I didn't want to keep Michael waiting too long, I didn't make the trip to the waterfall.
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| On the way up |
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| Almost there |
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| Atop the rock - that is Lake Lure in the distance. |
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| Far down below you can see the road we took to get here |
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| A dramatic view looking toward Asheville |
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| Looking back you can see that you can go even farther up the mountain. Note the "Opera Box" on the lower right in the crevice of the rock. |
Text and photos by Phillip Oliver, Dirt Therapy
Comments
Never visited this place. Drove by it daily building log cabins nearby. The movie Fire Starter was being filmed when I was driving by, the crews jambed up the road there.
I realized this morning that I hadn't visited in quite awhile; I'm going to come back later when I have more time and see more of your travel photos. What a fantastic vacation the two of you must have had!
Sandra