The Seventh Day - Graveyard Fields

Driving along the Parkway, I saw this waterfall. I stopped to take a picture, not knowing that a mile down the road there was a turnout where you could walk to it. Still, I'm glad I stopped.







One of the trails leading from the parking lot. This led to the the lower falls which were the ones I saw from the road earlier.



The lower falls.



The trail leading through Graveyard Fields.



The upper falls were about 1.6 miles from the lower falls if I recall. This is part of the trail to those falls.











The upper falls. There were half a dozen people there taking pictures. I'd run into the folks with the orange Avalance and we chatted along the hike to the upper falls and then while taking pictures.



The only time the sun came out while I was at Graveyard Fields was just as I was crossing the river.



Looking back towards the upper falls from the parking lot. You can see the cut the Parkway makes in the trees to the left.



Looking back on Graveyard Fields.



One of the informational signs.

The Seventh Day - Buck Spring Lodge

I stopped by the site where Buck Spring Lodge was located. This was a retreat that George Vanderbilt had constructed at the top a mountain. The lodge no longer stands, but you can still see the view that would have been visible walking out the front of the lodge.

The weather was cloudy and a bit rainy. I thought it might clear and waited around a bit, but it was not to be. Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out too well.

The Seventh Day - A waterfall

I found a campground to spend the night at. It was one of the nicer places I stayed and probably the most enjoyable evening I had. I was up early the next morning exploring. I passed this waterfall, then turned around and stopped for some pictures. Unfortunately, the sun was in such a postion that it limited where I could shoot from.

The Sixth Day - A roadside stop

There are a lot of roadside stops along the Parkway. Many times I felt compelled to stop and looks around, which led to it feeling like I wasn't making much progress and really detracted from the purpose of the trip, which was the drive itself. Still, many of them were nice worth stopping at.

When I arrived here, I was alone. During my hike, two vehicles arrived, one of them the orange Avalance that had been dogging me. As I was getting ready to leave, the owners returned and we talked for a few minutes. Nice folks.

The Sixth Day - A waterfall

Along the roadside.



One of the many waterfalls along the Parkway. A pair of binoculars or a true telephoto lens would have been nice. I'd have liked to have time to try to see if I could hike to this, but time was getting late and I still didn't know where I was going to stay.



With the digital zoom on my camera.



Again with the digital zoom.

The Sixth Day - Table Rock Mountain and Mount Mitchell

There was still much more to do on the sixth day. I stopped at Altapass Orchard which is a historic apple orchard along the Parkway. They make cider from trees on the property and have local musicians play there. It is a nice place to stop and visit. Unfortunately, it was not the season for cider and they had some faux cider they were selling. It was not particularly good. Still, it is worth checking out and I would like to go back there when they are producing real cider.


Altapass Orchard.


Table Rock Mountain.



Mount Mitchell is the highest point east of the Missisippi. While I was there, the weather started to cloud over and it began raining while I was at the top. The visibility was pretty poor. On good days you supposedly can see Clingman's Dome and Grandfather Mountain, but that was pretty much not going to happen while I was there.

Mount Mitchell also boasts the 'highest restaraunt east of the Mississippi.' Aside from the view, I can't say I recommend it. As expected, it was pricey. I chose the Ham and Cheese sandwich and have to say I was disappointed by three thin slices of ham on a grilled cheese. I'd been expecting some actual ham on the sandwich, but that was not to be.

I also had thought about stopping for the night at the campground there. The campground and sites look very nice, but you have to hike back to them a bit. This wouldn't be too much of a problem, but since the weather was iffy and my tent leaks, I decided to push on. I certainly wouldn't mind staying there again in better weather.



Views of Mount Mitchell and the surrounding area.















The observation tower at the summit.



The road leading to the summit of Mount Mitchell











The view back to the parking lot from the summit.

The Sixth Day - Grandfather Mountain

I spent quite a bit of time at Grandfather Mountain. The gift shop and museum were nice. The cafeteria is a bit pricey, but it was a nice setting. After not seeing it yesterday, I saw the orange Avalance again. Figuring how much I was stopping, I thought they'd be long gone ahead of me.


Departing Grandfather Mountain.


A last look.