Page 101 - USA ROAD TRIP SUMMER of 2000

enquire with all seriousness, “Who’s doing the cooking?” As I

howled with laughter, she saw my point and protested in good
humor that, “One must keep track of these important plot

details”.

It occurred to me that the vegetation was changing as we were

going up but the views to either side of the road remained the
same -- until. Suddenly as we came around a curve there loomed

Grandfather Mountain, the second highest east of the Mississippi
River. Mt. Mitchell, at 6067 feet, just a bit further to the south is

the highest. The entire Appalachian Mountain chain seemed to
leap out of the earth on that curve as we left the gentler Blue

Ridge behind.

We learned that Grandfather Mountain is privately owned. It’s

also a United Nations designated World Heritage Biosphere which
means it is actively involved in the preservation of plant and

animal life native to the area. It’s one of 324 in the world and the
only one privately owned.

They charge a per person fee to drive to the top. At the top is a
suspension bridge over a gorge leading to a promontory. We got

onto the bridge just as a wicked looking bank of black clouds
began coming up the north side of the mountain towards us.

Good sense prevailed. We didn’t go to the top.

We’re in Ashville, N.C. for the night. Plan a very early start
tomorrow in order to get to the Smokies quickly. We’ll be back in

our old stomping grounds where we first learned to love the out-

of-doors, hiking, and animal watching. Seems a fitting end to a
wonderful summer journey.

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