Starting mileage: 2871 Starting time: 9:00 am
Ending mileage: 3164 Ending time: 5:30 pm
Travel mileage: 293
We decided to take the route north around Atlanta to avoid the traffic although Vicky (our GPS) kept on trying to put us on the Interstate beltway. We prevailed!
The terrain was similar to traveling in Dutchess county, low rolling tree-covered hills with horse farms. There were small quaint towns and ugly sections of strip malls. Lots of churches and many more baptist churches.
As we went through northern Georgia and entered North Carolina, it was more like Ulster county with higher wooded hills. The rhododendrons were in full bloom. We stopped at the Smoky Mountains information center to have a picnic lunch. It was nice to have cooler temperatures and it was comfortable sitting in the sun.
The town of Cherokee is just outside the Smoky Mountain National Park in an indian reservation that borders part of the park. This is the last commercial area and has many souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels - a bit tacky.
Just inside the park we stopped at the park visitor center to use the facilities and get our bearing. We decided to drive up to Clingmans Dome which is the highest mountain in the park at 6640'. It is a very winding route through heavy forest, in many places lined with wild rhododendron although not yet in bloom. While the trees at the bottom are fully leafed out, at the top they were not even starting - quite a contrast. It was also much colder, 44 degrees at the top while it was 64 degrees at the visitor center. There is quite an expansive view of the mountains from the parking lot at the top. We decided not to walk up to the observation tower as we needed to get to Asheville before too late.
On the way down we stopped at a restored grist mill that is still being used to grind corn into corn meal which one can purchase there. It still uses the same mill stones from the early 1900s. It is an example of an early mill which was partially automated, using a water turbine to run belts for an elevator bringing up grain, sorting it and then dropping it into the mill stones.
As we came out from the grist mill we saw two elk along the side of the road - quite exciting.
From there we got on the starting point of the Blue Ridge Highway which we took for about 20 miles but not all the way to Asheville. It is very winding and there are quite a few short tunnels - the views were exceptional.
In Asheville we met our friend David Anderson who is the organist and music director at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. We knew him at our church in Woodstock since he was just a few years old - he is two years older than Amy. We had dinner at an interesting small restaurant in Asheville.
One of our headlights was burned out but fortunately we had an extra bulb and I was able to replace it at the hotel.
We decided to take the route north around Atlanta to avoid the traffic although Vicky (our GPS) kept on trying to put us on the Interstate beltway. We prevailed!
The terrain was similar to traveling in Dutchess county, low rolling tree-covered hills with horse farms. There were small quaint towns and ugly sections of strip malls. Lots of churches and many more baptist churches.
As we went through northern Georgia and entered North Carolina, it was more like Ulster county with higher wooded hills. The rhododendrons were in full bloom. We stopped at the Smoky Mountains information center to have a picnic lunch. It was nice to have cooler temperatures and it was comfortable sitting in the sun.
The town of Cherokee is just outside the Smoky Mountain National Park in an indian reservation that borders part of the park. This is the last commercial area and has many souvenir shops, restaurants and hotels - a bit tacky.
Just inside the park we stopped at the park visitor center to use the facilities and get our bearing. We decided to drive up to Clingmans Dome which is the highest mountain in the park at 6640'. It is a very winding route through heavy forest, in many places lined with wild rhododendron although not yet in bloom. While the trees at the bottom are fully leafed out, at the top they were not even starting - quite a contrast. It was also much colder, 44 degrees at the top while it was 64 degrees at the visitor center. There is quite an expansive view of the mountains from the parking lot at the top. We decided not to walk up to the observation tower as we needed to get to Asheville before too late.
On the way down we stopped at a restored grist mill that is still being used to grind corn into corn meal which one can purchase there. It still uses the same mill stones from the early 1900s. It is an example of an early mill which was partially automated, using a water turbine to run belts for an elevator bringing up grain, sorting it and then dropping it into the mill stones.
As we came out from the grist mill we saw two elk along the side of the road - quite exciting.
From there we got on the starting point of the Blue Ridge Highway which we took for about 20 miles but not all the way to Asheville. It is very winding and there are quite a few short tunnels - the views were exceptional.
In Asheville we met our friend David Anderson who is the organist and music director at St. Mark's Lutheran Church. We knew him at our church in Woodstock since he was just a few years old - he is two years older than Amy. We had dinner at an interesting small restaurant in Asheville.
One of our headlights was burned out but fortunately we had an extra bulb and I was able to replace it at the hotel.
Day 13 route
David Anderson at St. Mark's Lutheran Church
View from Clingman's Dome
Grist Mill
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