From Chimney Rock to Grandfather Mountain
On Wednesday, October 9th, I went to the top of Chimney Rock, then drove to the Blue Ridge Parkway below Grandfather Mountain, with a few stops in between. Fall colors will be about ten days late this year because of a very hot September, and no rain for five weeks. That just gives us a little more time to enjoy Summer.
Chimney Rock Gift Shop
Hickory Nut Gorge to the west…
Northwest Rutherford Mountains to the east…
Lake Lure at east end of the gorge…
Lake Lure with Bill’s Mountain to the east…
Yours truly atop “The Rock”
Oldest tourist attraction in the Mountains…
Lake Lure looking northwest…
Rumbling Bald Mountain above Yacht Club Island. Exposed granite is part of the Sugarloaf earthquake fault.
Northwest Rutherford Mountains ten miles north of Lake Lure, looking to northeast…
North entrance to Linn Cove Viaduct on the Parkway below Grandfather Mountain…
Looking south toward Linville Gorge… A cloud bank covered the entire area with a temperature of 57 degrees.
The “Viaduct” was visible below the clouds at 4,800 feet…
For an instant, the clouds parted to reveal the distant peaks of Table Rock and Hawksbill Mountain on the northern rim of Linville Gorge.
Along The Parkway…
Granite retaining wall built in 1986 to keep cars from plunging 1,000 feet below.
Living in The Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina- A Blog 
Thanks for the beautiful pictures from Chimney Rock to Grandfather Mountain……..great picture of decorative storefront. I can see the changing of colors is a bit later this year…..Patsy