On the Blue Ridge Parkway

Joyce and I did not do too much walking today..only a couple of short hikes to a small waterfall and then to the colonial farm display at the entrance to Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  I think it was better to walk than to ride for most of the day.   But then maybe not!

We got on the Parkway at Asheville  about 9am and drove the 87 miles to the end of the Parkway at Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  This took about three and a half hours.. 35 - 40 mph only on the parkway, stopping at overlooks  and then stopping at the Graveyard Fields area for a walk to the lower waterfall.   This was about a half mile walk downhill and then back up.  The river there is full of rocks and boulders just like the other waterfalls we have seen only very rough and tumbled.   A nice walk there though in a rhododendren forest which is probably spectacular when they are in bloom.   We probably spent an hour here. There were many other trails there but no time to check them out.   

  The Blue Ridge Mountains are so beautiful.  Photos do not do them justice as they go on for as far as we could see but the blue haze was so hard to photograph.   

After a visit to the visitor center at Great Smoky Mountain Park entrance (yes, that will be another trip in the future!) we drove back through Cherokee and Maggie Valley area (3 elk walked out in front of the car!!) on our way to the Pisgah Inn which is on the Parkway but there is a quicker way to get there than driving so slowly.   The reason for going there was to eat!  We only had M&Ms and some pretzels and almonds since breakfast.  We really wanted to eat at the Inn restaurant.    When we got there at 4:20 we found they were closed until 5pm in order to clean up and prepare for the dinner crowd.   So we got on the wait list as #2 to be seated and waited around in the gift shop and outside on the porch.   The view and the weather were fantastic so it was not a bad wait.  (I am really loving the cool air at the top of the mountains!  Feels like fall on the top!)

Dinner was fantastic also.    

I wish I had more extras to show more of what we saw today but this is it!  

Tomorrow we both head to our homes but we have already talked about some other places to go and adventures to have!    Tired out today for sure!