I’m back from visiting my parents in Linville Land Harbor, a private community nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. We went on some hikes, toured the area, celebrated the 4th of July, and even got a few games of pickleball in (okay, maybe more than a few). It was lovely!
One of the first days I was in North Carolina I visited Grandfather Mountain, a very tall (5,946 feet) and ancient mountain. Partway up the mountain is the Black Rock Trail, which was a nice hike. This is a view from one of the overlooks.The Black Rock Trail itself was quite rocky. It was wise to bring a hiking stick along.In order to get to the various overlooks along the Black Rock Trail I needed to climb small ladders or use cables.After hiking the Black Rock Trail I headed up to the top of Grandfather Mountain, where there is the Mile High Swinging Bridge, built in 1952 and spanning an 80-foot chasm. Some people were freaked out about crossing it but it seemed fine to me!Atop Grandfather Mountain. The winds atop the mountain can reach speeds of over 100 mph, and during the winter these gusts can blow ice into the foliage. As such, many of the trees atop the mountain are sheared on one side and tilted toward the other.One day I took a trip with my mom to Blowing Rock, which is a popular tourist town in the area. It was a nice place to walk around.The Bistro Roca restaurant in Blowing Rock has a room with pictures of people’s dogs all over the walls.On the way back from Blowing Rock we stopped at the Yonahlossee Overlook along the Blue Ridge Parkway.On another day my mom and I walked to the Linville Falls. While the falls were beautiful to take in, none of the pictures I took managed to capture it. However, here is a picture that I took downstream that seemed to work.Rushing water at Linville Falls.My dad and I hiked the Beacon Heights Trail near Collettsville. This is a view from the overlook.We visited the Snowy Mountain Christmas Shop & Sweets. It has a tremendous amount of “Christmas stuff”. It also had this decoration on the wall, which isn’t the sort of decoration I had on my wall growing up in Toronto.This water fountain was at the Ingles in Newland. I guess the sign was necessary?
