North Carolina Mountains - Beautiful Vistas & Great Retreats!

[giradman]

You've certainly got some spectacular views and scenery there. I like the angled rock outcrops that seem to be everywhere.

Actually, although going to the town of Blowing Rock once or twice annually for years, we have not visited the 'Blowing Rock' attraction for several decades - I was rather astounded by the spectacular views there and will recommend to friends and also visit more often despite the admission fees (only $6 for seniors - tee shirts overpriced, though - ADDENDUM: tee shirts same price in the town shops, so just dealing w/ pricing at a popular resort and some unique tees).

Reading about the formation of the Blue Ridge Mountains HERE and quoted below - these mountains were formed hundreds of million years ago (ties in w/ my West Virginia travelogue recently regarding the New River), but through erosion and weathering, the rocks now exposed, i.e. the jagged ones mentioned date back over a billion years ago - quite amazing. For those traveling in this area of North Carolina, don't miss 'The Blowing Rock' attraction (nor Grandfather Mountain). Dave

At the time the rocks of the Blue Ridge Mountains were being thrust up by tremendous forces that slowly squeezed the rocks of the region like a huge vise, other natural processes of weathering and erosion started tearing down the young mountains. Now, after more than 250 million years have passed, mountain building has ended and erosion has gradually stripped off the uppermost miles of rocks that were originally here. In the process, rocks that were once buried and squeezed under the weight of miles of rock are now exposed at the top of the Blue Ridge Mountains where we see them at The Blowing Rock and other areas in this region.

These old rocks were drastically changed (metamorphosed) by high pressure and temperature during the hundreds of millions of years while they were still buried. Geologists have classified these metamorphic rocks as GNEISS (pronounced “nice”). The age of the gneiss has been determined to be 1,055 million years by the geologists of the U.S. Geological Survey. This age is based on the amount of radioactivity still present in the small crystals of the mineral zircon found in the rock. This particular rock is officially designated THE BLOWING ROCK GNEISS by Geological Survey of The United States.

 

[giradman]

Chetola Lake Walk - Susan at the Spa

Well, Susan set up a spa appointment for the morning (not my thing), so instead of the fitness room, I decided to stroll around Chetola Lake w/ my camera - closeup of the entrance to Timberlake Restaurant at the Lodge (ate there our first night and had an excellent medium rare elk tenderloin) - other views below of the lake, lodge, and boat house; a small dam/waterfall at the far end. Some new construction on the lake started last year I believe - ask at the check-in desk, apparently a house for the owner's mother on the top and office space on the bottom - was hoping for another restaurant or a new fitness center!

Plenty of wildlife to be seen, including some ducks, several swans, and a LOT of Canadian geese w/ juvenile goslings - fishing is permitted in the lake - the condos have full kitchens w/ plenty of kitchen pots, pans, dish wear, and utensils, so cooking in is always an option.

Finally, there were a bunch of old vintage Triumph cars (took a few pics - like the one w/ cars crossing the bridge to leave the resort) - likely a convention and probably headed out for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway; Susan and I have seen a long line of these cars several times before on the parkway. Dave
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[giradman]

On the way home today - and like last year (back HERE - post #142 of this thread), we visited several wineries to sample their 'new' vintages - went to Laurel Gray Vineyards and Shadow Springs Vineyard - at Laurel Gray, we purchased the wines shown below, plus their Artisan Vinaigrette; the barrel-fermented chardonnay is one of my favorite from the area (bought 2 bottles this time); the rose & sangria are Susan's picks - she often likes to mix these w/ soda and pieces of fruit for a spritzer. Our favorite use of the Vinaigrette is as an overnight marinade for a lean pork loin, cooked just medium and still pink - so tender the meat can be easily cut w/ a butter knife.

At Shadow Springs (love their label - also, they offer nearly 2 dozen different wines and fruit- fermented beverages/mixtures) - the wines purchased there are listed - again 2 for Susan - the 'Shortcake' made from strawberries and is berry-intense and 'Shadow-Rita', a blend of wine wines w/ citrus juice, mainly lime - almost tastes like a margarita w/o vodka, of course - both tasty by themselves and as mixers.

For those visiting Piedmont North Carolina w/ an interest in wine, there are MANY just west of our home in Winston-Salem centered in the Yadkin River Valley. Dave

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[giradman]

Asheville - Biltmore Estate - NEW Trip - August 2018 - Son's BD Present!

We invited our son & DIL from Indy to fly into Asheville and then spend some time on the Biltmore Estate - stayed at the Biltmore Inn (shown & discussed earlier in this thread) - just had his 45th BD (can't believe where the time has gone?) - we had 3 full days of activities; the first 2 days were spent on the Biltmore property and included two of the numerous tour options (described briefly below): 1) Upstairs-Downstairs Tour; and 2) Legacy of the Land Tour - the first emphasized the serving staff at the house and the second concentrated on the property - highly recommended for those who may be visiting the estate. We lunched at the Stable Cafe, which was a restaurant in the former stables - ate in one of the horse stalls.

An added attraction was a major exhibit of the famous glass artist Dale Chihuly - samples of his wonderful large-scale sculptures were located in multiple sites on the estate, including the house and gardens - after our 'Upstairs-Downstairs' tour and lunch at the Stable Cafe, we walked the gardens to see the Chihuly art works in daylight; also purchased tickets to view the same structures at night lit up for a much different perspective - see the video below for a nice review - if you live nearby, then yet another recommendation - next post will show some of my pics of these artworks during the day. Dave
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[giradman]

Biltmore Estate - House - Chihuly Exhibit

After our Stable Cafe lunch, we toured the gardens and greenhouse mainly to look at the wonderful large glass works of Chihuly - all are my own pics of these structures in daylight - the next evening we had tickets to see the same exhibit at night - just wonderful. Dave
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[giradman]

Biltmore Estate Rides - Segway & Carriage

On our first afternoon, my son, Stephen, and I did a Segway tour w/ a guide - paved walking paths along the French Broad River (3rd oldest river in the world), a stop at the Lagoon Lake w/ the Biltmore House in the background, and return to the Outdoor Center - we both survived and had a great time - weather was perfect - pics of the lake & us on our Segways - Stephen became a BIG boy (Susan's side of the family)!

Second afternoon a carriage ride for the four of us - carriage shown below is from the web (forgot to take a similar pic) but the same one and same course w/ a beautiful look at the backside of the Biltmore House - the carriage is drawn by two LARGE Belgian draft horses, which are trained by the Amish in Ohio and purchased from them; the older 'de-commissioned' horses are put to pasture near Antler Hill Village; horse riding is also available at the Carriage & Rides Center. Dave
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[giradman]

Biltmore Inn & Antler Hill Village

As in the past, we stayed at the Biltmore Inn up the hill from Antler Hill Village - our adjacent rooms shown below w/ great views of the mountains, the village, and even the Biltmore House, 5 miles or so in the distance - convenient shuttle service is provided w/ 15 minute dropoffs and pickups.

Antler Hill Village has a new 'Village Hotel' w/ the Village Social restaurant (the diagram below does not yet show the new addition, but the aerial map is more up to date - hotel opened in late 2015) - attractions there include the Winery, Bistro restaurant, Cedric's restaurant, Biltmore Heritage Exhibit, Outdoor Center (Segway and river rides), and other shops. The Biltmore Winery (in the old Dairy) is the most visited in the United States, and offers tastings, tours, and wine purchases (and other related products).

Each morning we awoke to fog in the Village and valley, i.e. 'smoke' in the Smoky Mountains - see the last pics below which I took the second morning. Dave
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[suenc]

Asheville - Biltmore Estate - NEW Trip - August 2018 - Son's BD Present!

We invited our son & DIL from Indy to fly into Asheville and then spend some time on the Biltmore Estate - stayed at the Biltmore Inn (shown & discussed earlier in this thread) - just had his 45th BD (can't believe where the time has gone?) - we had 3 full days of activities; the first 2 days were spent on the Biltmore property and included two of the numerous tour options (described briefly below): 1) Upstairs-Downstairs Tour; and 2) Legacy of the Land Tour - the first emphasized the serving staff at the house and the second concentrated on the property - highly recommended for those who may be visiting the estate. We lunched at the Stable Cafe, which was a restaurant in the former stables - ate in one of the horse stalls.

An added attraction was a major exhibit of the famous glass artist Dale Chihuly - samples of his wonderful large-scale sculptures were located in multiple sites on the estate, including the house and gardens - after our 'Upstairs-Downstairs' tour and lunch at the Stable Cafe, we walked the gardens to see the Chihuly art works in daylight; also purchased tickets to view the same structures at night lit up for a much different perspective - see the video below for a nice review - if you live nearby, then yet another recommendation - next post will show some of my pics of these artworks during the day. Dave
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Breathtaking exhibit, along with the other pleasures of Biltmore Estate.

 

[suenc]

Biltmore Estate - House - Chihuly Exhibit

After our Stable Cafe lunch, we toured the gardens and greenhouse mainly to look at the wonderful large glass works of Chihuly - all are my own pics of these structures in daylight - the next evening we had tickets to see the same exhibit at night - just wonderful. Dave
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So much beauty--including our son and daughter-in-law in the back, blue shirts.

 

[giradman]

Lake Lure & Chimney Rock

On our third full day together, we drove to Lake Lure and Chimney Rock about a 45 minute drive from Asheville - the annual Dirty Dancing Festival was taking place (CROWDED! Unknown to us) - we took the boat ride - below is a repeated post from a year ago which describes the lake - go to post #117 for images of the houses on the lake, if interested. The pics below are a mixture from my previous postings and new ones. Dave

Lake Lure - Introduction & Some Stories From the Boat Ride - NOTE - from #116 Post in this thread

We parked at the marina for a pontoon narrated boat tour (about 50 mins and our fourth one) of Lake Lure, just a beautiful man-made mountain lake with gorgeous vistas and lakefront properties that range from old & modest to multi-million dollar estates. We've stayed in the Lake Lure area several times, including the renamed Rumbling Bald Resort - their restaurant offers views that reminded me of a visit to Lake Como, Italy in the early 1970s; below some history of the lake and town founded by Dr. Lucius Morse and others in the 1920s (see first two quotes).

The town of Buffalo, North Carolina lies at the bottom of Lake Lure (likely named after Buffalo Mountain - see pic below); of course, much was flooded by the rising lake waters, including an old 1917 Reo truck, which after 45 years under water, the owner's son recovered the truck - after a restoration, the car was moved to a nearby museum (see link and pic). Just one of the fascinating tales heard during the tour.

A number of movies were filmed in the area, including parts of the Last of the Mohicans (Chimney Rock area, Biltmore House, et al); but regarding Lake Lure, scenes from the film Dirty Dancing (Patrick Swayze & Jennifer Grey) were done on locale in Firefly Cove, which was a boy's camp previously - many of the buildings from that movie no longer exist but the beauty of the cove and the background mountains remain to enjoy.

A final story (but certainly not the last told on the boat) concerns a small island which attracted numerous snakes (many venomous) during the filling of the lake - this was prime real estate and the snakes had to go! The solution suggested by a hog farmer was to put a bunch of pigs on the island - after a year or so the pigs were much BIGGER and the snakes were gone - take a look at the short video HERE (brief ad before).

The images pretty much parallel these stories - another post to follow. Dave
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In 1902, Dr. Lucius B. Morse and his brothers purchased 64 acres around Chimney Rock (within present-day Chimney Rock State Park) for $5,000. They later acquired enough land in the area to bring the total to 8,000 acres. Lucius Morse's wife Elizabeth is credited with naming the lake (and the town). Included in the area that became the lake was the town of Buffalo, believed to have been named for a nearby mountain that resembled a buffalo. In 1925, the Morse family created Carolina Mountain Power Company and funded the construction of a dam on the Broad River which produced the lake after which the town is named. The full impoundment of Lake Lure was completed in 1927.

At ordinary water levels, Lake Lure covers approximately 720 acres and has a shoreline of approximately 27 miles (43 km). The dam's power plant began operations in 1928 with the sale of electricity to Blue Ridge Power Co., a local predecessor of Duke Power. In 1929, the plans for development came to a halt with the advent of the Great Depression. A mortgage-holder, Stroud & Company, foreclosed on the lake and the dam. Stroud owned them and the power the dam generated until 1965. In 1963, the North Carolina General Assembly enacted the legislation that authorized the Town of Lake Lure to issue revenue bonds for the purpose of acquiring the assets from Stroud. The dam, power company, and real estate of Lake Lure were acquired by the Town of Lake Lure in 1965.

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[giradman]

Chimney Rock State Park

After our boat ride, we drove to the other end of the lake for lunch at Larkin's On The Lake, a favorite spot for Susan and me, BUT the parking lot was full and overflowing - sad for our son & DIL - they would have enjoyed. So, onto Chimney Rock - the elevator was NOW working! We had a quick 'hot dog' lunch at the top - the quote below is from earlier in the thread - the pics are again a mix of previous ones and my new ones, ending w/ our son, Stephen looking out at Lake Lure - a wonderful spot for a view and lots of pics! Dave

Chimney Rock & Lake Lure

Chimney Rock is is a 500+ million year-old granite monolith that offers fabulous panoramic scenes of the surrounding area, including the Broad River and parts of Lake Lure (see first two quotes below).

Chimney Rock is unique in having a 20+ floor height elevator, first opened in 1949 (check the links) - more detailed description in the last two quotes below - we've been up that elevator several times previously - about 10 years ago the State of North Carolina acquired the property which is now a State Park, however, the elevator has been a problem, as described below - has been 'out of service' for about 2 years and a 'brilliant' solution is needed - thus we did not enter the park, which offers MUCH - Chimney Rock can still be reached if one desires to climb, not a solution for us oldsters - the pics below show some 'web' views from the ROCK - also, during our boat ride on Lake Lure (upcoming posts), I captured a few nice images of Chimney Rock and a decent zoomed view showing a lot of people who made the climb today - we'll return once the elevator is operational. Dave

Experience the best of the North Carolina mountains in one place at Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park, just 25 miles from Asheville in the Village of Chimney Rock and Rutherford County. For the last 100+ years, tourists have journeyed to see this 500-million-year-old towering monolith, and the park's "one-stop shopping" for what the mountains are loved for: dramatic scenery, exhilarating hiking trails, rare plants, native wildlife and one of North Carolina's highest waterfalls (featured in the movie The Last of the Mohicans). (Source)

Chimney Rock, the 535-million-year-old monolith for which the Park is named, is considered one of the most iconic sites in North Carolina. From its top, you’ll soak in the 75-mile panoramic views of Hickory Nut Gorge and Lake Lure. You can hike to the top of this towering 315-foot granite outcropping located on the very edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. At an elevation of 2,280 feet above sea level, this mountaintop experience will take your breath away. The climb is well worth the effort! (Source)

Chimney Rock State Park is one of the few places in the world with an elevator inside a mountain! Our elevator has been around for quite some time; in late 1947, men began to blast a 198-foot tunnel out of a solid granite cliff which led to the 258-foot elevator shaft. It took eight tons of dynamite and 18 months to complete this massive piece of construction. The elevator was opened to the public in May 1949, the same year the entrance parking lot, three-mile drive to the top parking lot and upper parking lot were paved. Next, the Sky Lounge, a gift shop and snack bar, was built on top of the mountain.

The elevator has always been an important feature of Chimney Rock; it has allowed folks of all ages and abilities to access the top of the Rock. In recent years, the elevator has experienced power issues that have often rendered it inoperable to the public. Shortly after NC State Parks purchased Chimney Rock in 2007, they began to update and/or modernize the Park’s infrastructure. Modernization of the elevator, which had last been updated in the mid 80s, began in 2011. The new elevator reopened to the public in June 2012. However, continued power issues played havoc with providing consistent dependable service, so the decision was made to close the elevator in August 2015 until a permanent solution could be found. The State and Chimney Rock Management’s primary concern is the safety and well-being of our guests. The State is currently working diligently with Duke Power, engineers and technicians to get this problem resolved.

P.S. CLICK on the images to enlarge!
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[suenc]

Biltmore Estate Rides - Segway & Carriage

On our first afternoon, my son, Stephen, and I did a Segway tour w/ a guide - paved walking paths along the French Broad River (3rd oldest river in the world), a stop at the Lagoon Lake w/ the Biltmore House in the background, and return to the Outdoor Center - we both survived and had a great time - weather was perfect - pics of the lake & us on our Segways - Stephen became a BIG boy (Susan's side of the family)!

Second afternoon a carriage ride for the four of us - carriage shown below is from the web (forgot to take a similar pic) but the same one and same course w/ a beautiful look at the backside of the Biltmore House - the carriage is drawn by two LARGE Belgian draft horses, which are trained by the Amish in Ohio and purchased from them; the older 'de-commissioned' horses are put to pasture near Antler Hill Village; horse riding is also available at the Carriage & Rides Center. Dave
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Sonic father and son. Intrepid Segway pilots

 

[giradman]

Cherokee - Indian Reservation, Harrah's Casino Resort, Museum, Qualla Arts, & Oconaluftee!

On Sunday, our son & DIL had an early morning flight back to Indianapolis - we decided to stay another night and did a day trip to Cherokee, North Carolina; about an hour's drive on the routes shown in the first map below, but we took the Blue Ridge Parkway, which terminates in Cherokee at milepost 469 (length in miles of the parkway) or nearly an 80 mile drive from Asheville - I've made the entire trip before - this time we went about 60 miles and exited. For me, this is one of the most spectacular parts of the parkway w/ multiple tunnels, the highest points on the road (tops is just over 6000 ft), and vistas w/ rolling mountains - see some of my first pics below.

Cherokee is located w/i the Qualla Boundary, described in the first quote. The Cherokee Nation was one of a half dozen or so Native American 'civilizations' in the Southeastern United States - their original territory covered 8 current states, and is now just over 80 sq. miles around the North Carolina town (see additional maps). Despite being 'allies' under Andrew Jackson's leadership at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in now central Alabama in 1814, during his Presidential administration, the Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830, which led to the infamous 'Trail of Tears' - see second quote below.

After reaching Cherokee, our first stop (and a new experience having never visited before) was Harrah's Cherokee Casino Resort - first, the place is HUGE w/ over a 1000 units in their tall hotel - plenty of restaurant options inside the casino, so we had a light lunch. Hundreds of slot machines available, and also 'live' dealers/operators at the tables (e.g. roulette, black jack, dice, etc.). We played the slots for an half hour and left $25 ahead! Dave

The Qualla Boundary is territory held as a land trust for the federally recognized Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, who reside in western North Carolina. The area is part of the Cherokees' historic territory. As a trust, the land is technically not a "reservation" per se, as the land was not "reserved" by the federal government; it was purchased by the tribe in the 1870s and subsequently placed under federal protection. Individuals can buy, own, and sell the land, provided they are enrolled members of the Tribe of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians. The total land area of these regions is 82.6 sq mi, with a 2000 census resident population of 8,092 people. (Source)

The Trail of Tears was a series of forced relocations of Native American peoples from their ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States, to areas usually west of the Mississippi River) that had been designated as Indian Territory. The forced relocations were carried out by government authorities following the passage of the Indian Removal Act in 1830. The relocated peoples suffered from exposure, disease, and starvation while en route to their new designated reserve, and many died before reaching their destinations. The forced removals included members of the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Ponca, and others. The phrase "Trail of Tears" originates from a description of the removal of many Native American tribes, including the infamous Cherokee Nation relocation in 1838. (Source)

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[suenc]

Our casino winnings more than offset our trip to Biltmore!

 

[giradman]

Our casino winnings more than offset our trip to Biltmore!

LOL! Did not even cover a dinner tip! Dave