Rivers aren't the only thing I've had to redefine in North Carolina.
As you can imagine, the swamps of Florida and the wide flood plains of the Midwest never afforded me much exposure to mountains - anything over 20ft tall qualified in my book. A few trips to Colorado during college took me from one extreme to the other, with 14,000 foot peaks soaring overhead with the same frequency as creeks flowed through my neighborhood.
The Rockies are relatively younger mountains; they are still jagged, tall, and only just now beginning to show the wear and tear of erosion. The Appalachians, on the other hand, are the veterans of geologic time. Their tops are more rounded, their waterfalls more deeply carved, and their history more steeped in legend.
Driving west on I-40 through North Carolina, you don't have much sense of your increasing elevation until you reach Burke County. As you crest over a particular hill just west of Morganton, the Appalachians explode in undulating ridges toward the horizon. It took my breath away the first time I made the trip; it did the same thing last fall when I returned; it will do it once again when I head back west this weekend.
My first trip west was several years after moving here; it was a quick overnight business trip to Asheville - just enough to whet the appetite with a morning hike off the Blue Ridge Parkway. My second trip started in Mooresville, from which I worked my way west through Hickory and Morganton before reaching Asheville once again.
This time, I was able to spend more time in Asheville, exploring the downtown and the botanical gardens. With such a rich culture of art, food, natural wonders, and history, this is a city which warrants an extended stay if you can do so.
North of Asheville, the Blue Ridge Parkway parallels I-40 for about 20 miles before turning further north towards Boone at NC-80 near Marion. As the Parkway winds through the mountains, overlooks offer views of stunning landscapes, while the flora along the roadside offers refuge for comparatively smaller wonders:
Before reaching the turnoff for Marion, you reach the road to Mount Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi River. Here, you can look out across the vista, with guides pointing you towards Grandfather Mountain and Boone, visible from the summit.
Western North Carolina is vast and varied - I still haven't made it to Boone or to Transylvania County, where waterfalls dance down the from the peaks. Linville Gorge - often referred to as the Grand Canyon of North Carolina - is one of only two wilderness gorges in the southern US. The Appalachian Trail winds along the border with Tennessee. Wildlife large and small make their home here. Clearly, I have my work cut out for me.
As you can imagine, the swamps of Florida and the wide flood plains of the Midwest never afforded me much exposure to mountains - anything over 20ft tall qualified in my book. A few trips to Colorado during college took me from one extreme to the other, with 14,000 foot peaks soaring overhead with the same frequency as creeks flowed through my neighborhood.
The Rockies are relatively younger mountains; they are still jagged, tall, and only just now beginning to show the wear and tear of erosion. The Appalachians, on the other hand, are the veterans of geologic time. Their tops are more rounded, their waterfalls more deeply carved, and their history more steeped in legend.
Driving west on I-40 through North Carolina, you don't have much sense of your increasing elevation until you reach Burke County. As you crest over a particular hill just west of Morganton, the Appalachians explode in undulating ridges toward the horizon. It took my breath away the first time I made the trip; it did the same thing last fall when I returned; it will do it once again when I head back west this weekend.
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| Bunker Hill Covered Bridge; Hickory, NC |
This time, I was able to spend more time in Asheville, exploring the downtown and the botanical gardens. With such a rich culture of art, food, natural wonders, and history, this is a city which warrants an extended stay if you can do so.
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| Pack Place; Asheville, NC |
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| Crocus, NC Botanical Garden; Asheville, NC |
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| Sunflower, NC Botanical Garden; Asheville, NC |
North of Asheville, the Blue Ridge Parkway parallels I-40 for about 20 miles before turning further north towards Boone at NC-80 near Marion. As the Parkway winds through the mountains, overlooks offer views of stunning landscapes, while the flora along the roadside offers refuge for comparatively smaller wonders:
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| Turkey Vultures over Licklog Ridge; Blue Ridge Parkway, NC |
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| Monarch Butterflies; Blue Ridge Parkway, NC |
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| Summit of Mt. Mitchell; Blue Ridge Parkway, NC |
Western North Carolina is vast and varied - I still haven't made it to Boone or to Transylvania County, where waterfalls dance down the from the peaks. Linville Gorge - often referred to as the Grand Canyon of North Carolina - is one of only two wilderness gorges in the southern US. The Appalachian Trail winds along the border with Tennessee. Wildlife large and small make their home here. Clearly, I have my work cut out for me.
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