# Pics from Blue Ridge Parkway, NC



## indyzhp (Mar 29, 2004)

My wife and I took a trip a couple weeks ago to western NC. We were too early to really see any of the leaves turning but still had a good time.

We stayed at the Balsam Mountain Inn, which itself had a neat history. Nice place to stay, since they didn't have TV's or phones. Neither of our phones got service, so it was cool that I didn't get any calls from work. I didn't even check my email while we were gone.

The first day we were there, we just hung out on the porch and read. I got to finish 1776 (good read, but I was eager to hear about the rest of the war) and my wife finished the latest Harry Potter.

The second day we took a train ride on the Great Smoky Moutain Railroad, which was pretty neat. I was hoping for the steam engine, but it is out of service this year. It took us through the mountains to the Nanthala Outdoor Center, which was located in an amazing part of the river. With the mountains and the fog, it reminded me of Switzerland.

The next day we took a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was a little too foggy, but we did manage to get some good views. The Inn was fortunately located near the highest point on the parkway. We drove up to the 6000 foot peak. On the way down the other side we seemed to have less fog, and then drove up north along 215, which wrapped around Cold Mountain. One spot along that drive offered lots of color on the trees, so it gave us what we wanted.


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## Chris90 (Apr 7, 2003)

Fantastic pics, especially the last one.


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