The Sixth Day - Grandfather Mountain, The Bears

One of the attractions at Grandfather Mountain is a small zoo. The main attraction is the bears. At the time I was there, you could feed the bears a specially made food. They would wander up and you would toss the pellets to them which they would then wolf down. They stopped this practice the week after I was there.


















This bear was not allowed food by visitors. It was fed by the staff. Here it is face down at the trough.

The Sixth Day - Grandfather Mountain - views from the road

I decided to walk down the road rather than the trail on the way back. I figured since the road was supposed to be closed to traffic, it wouldn't be too much of a problem or too dangerous. I was right.

Below you'll find some pictures from the walk down. You can see why they don't want people walking along the road as well as why they don't want any long vehicles on it.






























Apparently they filmed a scene from Forrest Gump on this location.

The Sixth Day - Grandfather Mountain

At the top of the mountain, there is a bridge crossing a small gap. The bridge will sway in the wind and its claim to fame is that it is one mile above sea level. When you think of such altitudes, you usually think west of the Mississippi, but there are some lofty heights east of it too.


The Swinging Bridge.



The Blue Ridge Mountains with the Parkway stretching into the distance.



Calloway Peak.



Calloway Peak.



Looking West.







A couple of rare pictures of myself.

The Sixth Day - Grandfather Mountain

Grandfather Mountain is definately worth the time and money. The entrance fee was reasonable and I was there on what happened to be the nicest day of the entire trip.

What is that on the horizon? A condo or hotel project. I don't remember which. I read somewhere that after this was built it created such an uproar that a law was passed stating that no building could be higher than the skyline. I don't know if that is true or not, but after seeing this thing, I certainly wouldn't object to something like that.







Along the way there is a little pull off. I believe that this is called Split Rock.



The road to the top was closed as they were building a new gift shop at the top. I took the hiking trail to the top from the lower parking lot. Here the trail passes underneath the swinging bridge.

Day Six - The Linn Cove Viaduct

The Linn Cove Viaduct was the last part of the Blue Ridge Parkway constructed. It was constructed around Grandfather Mountain so that it wouldn't damage the unique and fragile ecosystem found there.

This day was one of the more anticipated portions of my trip. I've seen pictures of it and it is really a thing of beauty. It is almost a work of art. I also planned on spending some time at Grandfather Mountain.


First view of the Viaduct.











Starting across.



Crossing the Viaduct.



On the south side of the viaduct, there is a gift shop/information station. It was closed when I got there. I took a short walk down the path that leads underneath the bridge and took a couple of pictures. It is an easy 5-10 minute walk. When I returned, the shop was just getting ready to open, but since I had a lot to do this day, I didn't wait around.

The Sixth Day - Calloway Peak Area

Calloway Peak is the highest point in the Blue Ridge. It is the high point of Grandfather Mountain which is an International Biosphere Reserve. The mountain was privately owned until 2008 at which time it was sold to the state. It was, and continues to be run as a tourist attraction. There are many plants found on the mountain that are normally found much further north.














Another hazy morning. Unfortnately, nearly every day was hazy.

The Fifth Day - Price Lake

Originally I had planned on staying at the campsites that were part of the Parkway system. This was the first time where I came to a camping area around the time I wanted to stop for the day.

The campground at Price Lake was large and was split into 3 different sections, or loops, if I recall. Two of the loops were set on the far side of the Parkway from the lake. Driving through, I could have had my choice of campsites and could have been there all by myself. Or I could choose one of the few remaining sites by the lake. Although I really wanted the solitude, I opted for the lake view. A couple of minutes after I registered, the last waterfront site, the one next to mine, was filled.



Price Lake as it appeared when I arrived. Rainfall seemed likely.



After setting up camp, I decided to take a walk around the lake. This is roughly where the first picture was taken as I walked along the path.



Getting ready to head away from the road.



A small beaver dam along the trail.



The sun finally makes an appearance.



Looking over Price Lake towards camp.



Camp Sweet Camp.