The Parkway road is narrow, but fairly well maintained. It's twisty and curvy, as you would expect from a mountain road. Max speed is posted at 45, with slow curves and narrow bridges from time to time.
The road is dotted with scenic overlooks spaced close enough together to almost overwhelm the senses. One of our first stops gave us a classic view of the Blue Ridge Mountains stretching into the distance.
We had to stop at Graybeard Mountain overlook for obvious reasons, but quickly returned to the beauty of the Parkway!
Early in the Spring, millions of native Rhododendrons are in bloom! We found a few still showing their colors along the road. It must be an incredible sight to see all the flowers!
A five mile side trip at mile 355 took us to Mount Mitchell.
The parking lot is almost in the clouds!
But 300 yards (almost straight up) got us to the observation platform at the very top of the mountain.
The concrete floor of the circular observation tower shows where in the state the mountain is located.
The views were spectacular!
A pretty day with puffy clouds soon changed.
The clouds came drifting in, fighting with the wind rising out of the valley for a few minutes before finally enveloping the entire mountain top!
We continued north, enjoying the drive and the wonderful green, green, green landscape until we came to Grandfather Mountain. This is a famous rock outcropping with awesome views of three states. Unfortunately, the entrance to the park seems to be operated by a concessionaire, and the entrance fee is $20 per person! It was after 3 in the afternoon, so we decided that we wouldn't get our money's worth today, so we passed on visiting Grandfather Mountain. Sad.
We took a different route back to our camp, taking Highway 221 through Marion, Old Fort (home of Ethan Allen!), Black Mountain, and Swannanoa. We finally got home at about 5:30, after a 7 hour, 198 mile day trip. Whew!
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