BLUE Ridge Parkway from Dad-fresh from the car on Laborday
Hey Kids!
Just walked in the door from a great driveabout, the blue ridge parkway from the south to midway. What a Beeautiful mountain chain these Appalachans are. The trees are mostly
hardwoods with the density of a rainforest. The first day was spent getting there, 4hrs, but well worth it. E-Lizabeth came with us and had a great time and we enjoyed each others company. The ride there is equally as scenic, afterall, we're in South Carolina! The mountains were clouded in in the am, but cleared nicely by noon for us as we got there.
We went to Ruby Falls first just below the corner of the SC/NC state lines in Georgia. This is all just west of Greenville SC, if you're following along in your Atlas Reader.
We got some great pics of the falls and the scenery all the way up the highway, that climbed above 5000 feet! (our ears popped even!) We came upon a hamlet called Helen, and it had been converted recently to a quaint Octoberfest-like format (Helen 2.0), well, the traffic just backed up about a mile to what we didn't know,
come to find the tourists were lined up to get thru the alpen-haus fun town one lane at a time! once we got thru gawking at the 
tubbies strolling the autobahn, we had no more traffic problems.
We spent that first night in Clayton GA, in the same area, as we closed down the falls at 6:30! a one horse town set in the foothills, and one room for us. Got going early, after pillow fights till midnite, and set our sights on Asheville to the northeast. We had some
Amazing vistas all the way up, as the clouds cleared we had to stop at every turnout to look and take pics-just like real tourists! Just in case YOU cant imagine what the Appalachains look like.
For eating habits, well, we just pack junk and eat till we start to feel sick on these roads, so when we get to the motel, we don't necessarilyhave an appetite for a big dinner (money savings) and then we're ready for the next morning in a flash!
When the second day started, the clouds were down on the deck, so we had a time seeing the sights on up the mountains, but the drive up to Asheville was spectacular. These woods are like nothing weeve seen before, as they dont have palms in them, and there is no standing swamp like Charleston. The hardwoods, Hickory, Ash, Buckeye, all Oaks and some pine scattered about, (all about 100 feet high) give a thick canopy that the sun kinda penetrates. We saw the sun hit the road frequently on the climb to the summit. The mist in the trees makes the road damp as we drive,
and cool weather made it very comfy. We came to a lake in the mountains that had a beach associated, so we had to see.
Still as can be, the lake reflected the trees and sky like a mirror. The kids playing on the sandybeach could be heard echoing across the lake. Really cool.
When we get time to take trips like these it reminds us that we live in a great part of the country, and we need to take the time to explore. We did the same thing in WY with the kids when they were young, and I hope that they do the same with theirs. Just remember that life is short, and these pictures in your OWN mind are all you take with you- Get out and make pictures!Thanks for reading- Tim
Just walked in the door from a great driveabout, the blue ridge parkway from the south to midway. What a Beeautiful mountain chain these Appalachans are. The trees are mostly
hardwoods with the density of a rainforest. The first day was spent getting there, 4hrs, but well worth it. E-Lizabeth came with us and had a great time and we enjoyed each others company. The ride there is equally as scenic, afterall, we're in South Carolina! The mountains were clouded in in the am, but cleared nicely by noon for us as we got there.We went to Ruby Falls first just below the corner of the SC/NC state lines in Georgia. This is all just west of Greenville SC, if you're following along in your Atlas Reader.
We got some great pics of the falls and the scenery all the way up the highway, that climbed above 5000 feet! (our ears popped even!) We came upon a hamlet called Helen, and it had been converted recently to a quaint Octoberfest-like format (Helen 2.0), well, the traffic just backed up about a mile to what we didn't know,
come to find the tourists were lined up to get thru the alpen-haus fun town one lane at a time! once we got thru gawking at the 
tubbies strolling the autobahn, we had no more traffic problems.We spent that first night in Clayton GA, in the same area, as we closed down the falls at 6:30! a one horse town set in the foothills, and one room for us. Got going early, after pillow fights till midnite, and set our sights on Asheville to the northeast. We had some
Amazing vistas all the way up, as the clouds cleared we had to stop at every turnout to look and take pics-just like real tourists! Just in case YOU cant imagine what the Appalachains look like.For eating habits, well, we just pack junk and eat till we start to feel sick on these roads, so when we get to the motel, we don't necessarilyhave an appetite for a big dinner (money savings) and then we're ready for the next morning in a flash!
When the second day started, the clouds were down on the deck, so we had a time seeing the sights on up the mountains, but the drive up to Asheville was spectacular. These woods are like nothing weeve seen before, as they dont have palms in them, and there is no standing swamp like Charleston. The hardwoods, Hickory, Ash, Buckeye, all Oaks and some pine scattered about, (all about 100 feet high) give a thick canopy that the sun kinda penetrates. We saw the sun hit the road frequently on the climb to the summit. The mist in the trees makes the road damp as we drive,
and cool weather made it very comfy. We came to a lake in the mountains that had a beach associated, so we had to see.
Still as can be, the lake reflected the trees and sky like a mirror. The kids playing on the sandybeach could be heard echoing across the lake. Really cool.When we get time to take trips like these it reminds us that we live in a great part of the country, and we need to take the time to explore. We did the same thing in WY with the kids when they were young, and I hope that they do the same with theirs. Just remember that life is short, and these pictures in your OWN mind are all you take with you- Get out and make pictures!Thanks for reading- Tim
just here for a sec, to thank you for that nice comment you left me...more later (but not today).
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Anonymous |
9/12/2006 6:41 PM