Sunday, October 9 – We took the road up to Mount Mitchell today. The description of the road up there is curvy, but Paul got more than he asked for. He gets sick on “spinner” type amusement rides, and this road ranked right up there with the best of them. It's one thing if you are a passenger on a curvy and hilly road but I was driving! I never got this car sick in the past. Thought I was on a fishing boat in rough seas. Marsha had to drive the remaining way up the mountain. There were a couple times I thought I was going to see my breakfast for a second time today. :=)
There was some beautiful pull-offs as we traveled up the mountain. The colors were spectacular. We were told the trees start turning a week or ten days sooner at the higher altitudes.
The mountain is over there somewhere.
As we drove up the mountain, it became clear that it wouldn't be clear at the top.
When we arrived at the top of the mountain, we were in the clouds, the wind was blowing, the temperature had dropped to 33 degrees, the air was thin, and we had a very steep walk up to the observation tower.
Marsha asked a nice lady to take her picture to prove she was actually at the top.
She saw nothing!
Add all this to Paul's very sick stomach, dizziness, and the fact he had shorts on instead of warmer longer pants, and you may have of guessed he choose to sit in the car. He did purchase some crackers at the snack bar which made him feel a little better. Just in time for the curvy decent. By the time we returned to the MH, he was on the verge of throwing up. Not a great excursion for Paul today!
Some Mount Mitchell Facts:
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Elevation 6684 feet
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Tallest peak east of the Mississippi River (Mount Washington in NH is 6288' – 396' lower)
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Established as a State Park in 1915
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North Carolina's first State Park
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Number of visitors (2010)...345,450
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Record high temperature: 81* in 1999
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Record cold temperature: - 34* in 1985
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Average winter snowfall: 104 inches
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Dr. Elisha Mitchell, a science professor at UNC used barometric pressure reading to determine the peak to be the highest in the east. This was in 1835. He was just 12 feet off from modern calculations. He is buried at the summit.
Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!
Not a fun day for Paul. Hope he's recovered. And Marsha - you look absolutely miserably cold. But you did it. There are just some days that you persevere no matter what the weather.
ReplyDeleteYes, but was the drive worth it? The scenery looks gorgeous. You can certainly tell that fall is here or rather there.
ReplyDeleteWe folks in the west are underwhelmed by the elevation of that mountain, but overwhelmed by the beautiful fall color. What a drive, thanks for the warning!
ReplyDeleteWow sorry to hear Paul got sick on trip. That must have been one curvy road. Hope he feels bette today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for warning me not to make that drive. I would have lost it for sure.
ReplyDeleteI feel Paul's pain...what a miserable feeling. Trusting that the world stopped spinning after sitting at home a while. I used to get deathly sick when Paul and I did road rallies and I was the navigator. We were on some WV back roads when I told Paul he needed to stop so I could throw up. His response? No time, we're on the clock. LOL Someone said that peeling an orange helps, but of course I didn't have an orange with me.
ReplyDeleteThe fall colors are beautiful where you are but 33 degrees and fog just says to us, "Time to move south"
Thanks for the Mount Mitchell visit. Good reminder to go in the summer since we have such an aversion to cold. :-)
You look like you're freezing to death at the top of the mountain!
ReplyDeleteThe pics of the trees driving up are spectacular - what great colors.
The pictures are awsome,sorry to hear Paul turned green going up and down.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about Paul. This trip looks like our trip up Mt. Washington this year...totally in the fog at the top and a very steep curvy road up. We did it on the motorcycle which was actually easier because we were smaller on the very narrow road. Our first trip up a few years back was on a clear day so we didn't mind that this one wasn't so good. You did get some beautiful color though. Great photography!
ReplyDeleteLove the Photos! Rode a Motorcycle there in the 80's. Man head to Yuma!!! Only in the 90's and Dry. Love the fall colors! Safe Travels! Hope your both feeling beetter!
ReplyDeleteI get car-sick too so I commiserate w/ Paul! But I DO love some of the pics you got going up. Lovely colors!
ReplyDeleteNina
Love the colors of the leaves. We saw them coming down I-81 and I-26 on the way back to our site in Dillard, GA. You're not too far from us-if in the area stop by River Vista and say hi!
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