For my birthday weekend we decided to head out of town for the weekend. It was going to be a relaxing weekend of hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have taught and seen pictures of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but never been there. I have heard stories about these beautiful places, but yet again never been. So it was about time we experienced these sights for ourselves.
On our drive to North Carolina we stopped off in Columbia (about 1 ½ away from home) to have an early birthday dinner at Melting Pot. It was delicious and helped us drive to North Carolina on a VERY full belly! After searching a few hotels, we settled into a hotel for the night right outside of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway.
The next morning we woke up ready for our day driving the parkway and hiking. We started going North on the parkway, which is something that a few people suggested. It was a beautiful drive up in the mountain and looking out at the overlooks. WOW! The views were amazing and definitely worth the trip! We finally stopped to hike Mount Mitchell which is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River (6, 684 ft.). The views from the top were once again amazing! After the hike, we grabbed a few drinks and a snack until we could get off the parkway to find something to eat.
Parkway drive...
very cool tunnels throughout the drive
one hike we took to the highest peak
Chad attempting to push the rock down the cliff
top of Mt. Mitchell
For lunch we decided to stop at a Chick-fil-A which was very unique. It was completely open to the outside. You walked up to a window to order…it was so cute I had to take a picture!
After we ate, we decided to head south on the parkway. Driving south you would experience more waterfalls rather than overlooks. I am glad we decided to go this was too because it was a very different feeling of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. We stopped at 3 different waterfalls, which were all very unique and pretty. After our parkway day ended we headed back to the hotel to wash up before dinner. Of course since we saw they have a P.F. Changs we had to eat there! This happened to be the same one we ate at on my spring break coming back from Tennessee. What a coincidence!
playing in an almost non-existent waterfall
2nd Waterfall...Looking Glass. This is the one of the most photographed waterfall in the country.
1 comment:
yayyy! happy birfday!
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