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!
