A long time ago, I thought I’d been to a National Park called Chimney Rock. Thus, I decided to take me, myself and I on an outing to Chimney Rock. It transpired in the end that it wasn’t Chimney Rock but Ceaser’s Head (which has probably featured in another entry here). Having said that, I went off to Chimney Rock.
As my normal workday starts at 4AM with my alarm I figured I could leave at a more relaxed 6AM and be there in time to spend the better part of the day wandering around with my camera. Thus I started out at probably about 8:30AM, going on 9AM. Funny how that kind of thing happens...
The drive up was pretty easy - aside from my GPS wanting to route me along some crazy route rather than taking the most obvious route via the interstate. After a swift kick up the GPS’s arse, it decided to give me the route I wanted. That took me to the smaller roads around Lake Lure. Now Lake Lure looked wonderful. In fact it looked like a picture postcard. It also looked EXPENSIVE. Needless to say as that was not my final destination I continued on. That took me through the town of Chimney Rock which looked very pretty, very touristy and very expensive. Then it was a case of driving up a narrow, winding track into the park.
The road into Chimney Rock itself was tortuous. Some joker had put a 35mph limit on a road that twisted and turned so much that 25mph was really pushing it. Then on the straight lengths the speed limit changed from 55 to 35 to 25 to 35 to 25 to 20 to 45 to 25. In some places the speed changes were very close together and in one instance a 25mph sign was 10 feet behind a 35mph sign. Does that tell you that the town needs the revenue from speeding tickets?
The winding track into the park was jam packed with cars and was terribly steep. It was there that I found my SUV didn’t have an anti-roll-back feature unlike my work vehicle and that the handbrake didn’t hold it all that well unless I really jammed it on hard.
Anyway, I got through the massive line and found there was an extortionate park entry fee of $15. I had not been expecting to have to pay that much but oh well. So I ponied up my $15 and was directed to park on some scrubby looking grass that doubled as a car park. From there, I was directed to take a ride on a park bus to get to the bottom of the steps up the mountain.
That, believe it or not, is an old school bus. It lacks the important cross-view mirrors and the mirrors in general were pretty awful. Heaven knows how the driver managed to get it up and down the narrow, winding path without plunging off the edge of the cliff but driving that up that track must surely have taken some stainless steel balls!
At the top, I headed for the steps totally neglecting to notice that there was actually a lift (elevator) that would have saved me about an hour’s agony. According to Wikipedia there are 500 steps from the base to the top but I didn’t go straight to the top. There were various little trails running off to different viewpoints with steps and like the masochist I am, I followed each one.
That was one of the vantage points and there were several. One was called the “Opera Box” which consisted of a vantage point beneath a ledge. At the back there was a bench which was very comfortable. By the time I stood up, I’d forgotten I was under a ledge until it reminded me when I stood up. Clonk! I just hope the National Parks people don’t come after me for the dent I put in their rock!
All along the trails and up the stairs there were stern warnings. It seems they have probably had a few people discovering how really well gravity works. There were other warnings that people sitting on fences and climbing over fences would be ejected from the park. That gave me visions of them being dropped into the bucket on a medieval siege catapult and fired Buggs-Bunny style into Lake Lure.
There was a cave called the Gneis cave which just seemed to go down and down and down. I looked at that and thought about all the people I would quite happily have dropped down the crevasse. Nobody would ever have been able to find the bodies!
The view from the top was quite spectacular in all directions. If the day had not been so hazy, the view would have been much clearer. I’d gone with the intent of photographing autumn colors but with the unseasonably warm weather this year, the leaves are just going yellow then dropping off the trees. There just are no red leaves anywhere. According to the forecasting websites this is the optimal time for autumn foliage but what I saw was just disappointing. Nevertheless I was determined to enjoy my trip and it morphed from photography into an adventure.
When I reached the top of the vantage points I found the trail and steps continued upward. Wanting to get to the top I climbed and clambered, slipped and slithered along the frequently muddy path. Following the trail further it went down a slope and up another slope. Before long I found I was on a trail toward a waterfall.
All the way I was looking at interesting features like moss-covered rocks, rotted tree stumps and other things. I didn’t ever actually see any animals. I suspect that there were just too many people on the paths that day. Truth be told, it was pretty crowded on the trails and I often had to stand to one side to let others pass. Having said that since I lead a fairly sedentary life at sea level, I was getting pretty puffed at 4,000 feet. It really was a case of going a few hundred yards then stopping to take a breather.
Eventually I reached the end of the trail to find some of the waterfall. Apparently there was another trail that gave a much better view. By the time I got back to the beginning though it was 5pm and I could hear Park Rangers talking about closing the gate. Thus I didn’t get to look at the other side of the waterfall.
Having been to the waterfall at the end of the trail and facing met some very interesting people along the way, it was time to turn around and walk back over the trail. I’d met plenty interesting people from Russians to Hispanic people and some friendly and chatty airforce recruits who were enjoying their youth. In fact one of them didn’t look old enough to have left highschool. There was one 72 year old guy who was walking on doctors advice. There were several photographers, one who was using a very expensive digital medium format camera. Plenty ladies were on the paths too. It was pretty chilly but they seemed to find leggings were warm enough which surprised me. Great for maneuverability though - I was forever having to hike my jeans up. One pair of ladies was walking with bare legs and long skirts and didn’t the skin on their legs look purple from cold!
That was probably the best autumn color photo I got this time. Next weekend perhaps I should go someplace else. Not quite as far North - perhaps Ceaser’s Head in order to get the pictures I thought I’d be getting this time.
Believe it or not but somebody had actually build a lift/elevator inside the mountain. I tried to get a photo of it upstairs in the gift shop but couldn’t get a clear enough photo. I looked at it with the thought I might take the easy way down but there was a massive line of people wanting to take the easy way. Thus I concluded that since I had walked all the way up the stairs then I should walk all the way down. After all, despite living a sedentary life, I’m still supposed to be young and fit - even at 51! The picture is of the tunnel toward the elevator from the bottom of the mountain.
The amazing thing about that park is that there is plenty provision for people to dispose of their litter. The side of a mountaintop trail is not one of those places yet somebody seems to have done just that. Or perhaps they just left it there while they nipped into the bushes to have a pee? Mind, if they left the trail even to have a pee I’m pretty sure they’d have faced the wrath of the National Parks people for doing just that. Mind, it was so crowded that day that it was pretty hard even for me - master of disguise - to find somewhere to pee unnoticed.
So, having got to the bottom of the steps I went for the bus and took my journey back to my car. I have to say that all my leg muscles were complaining. Driving back was interesting as I had to contend with the crazy speed changes on the roads and with the fact that one road that my GPS wanted me to use was closed. I think I made it back at round about 9:30PM. Not too bad for 5 hours at the park and a 155 mile drive in each direction!
As my normal workday starts at 4AM with my alarm I figured I could leave at a more relaxed 6AM and be there in time to spend the better part of the day wandering around with my camera. Thus I started out at probably about 8:30AM, going on 9AM. Funny how that kind of thing happens...
The drive up was pretty easy - aside from my GPS wanting to route me along some crazy route rather than taking the most obvious route via the interstate. After a swift kick up the GPS’s arse, it decided to give me the route I wanted. That took me to the smaller roads around Lake Lure. Now Lake Lure looked wonderful. In fact it looked like a picture postcard. It also looked EXPENSIVE. Needless to say as that was not my final destination I continued on. That took me through the town of Chimney Rock which looked very pretty, very touristy and very expensive. Then it was a case of driving up a narrow, winding track into the park.
The road into Chimney Rock itself was tortuous. Some joker had put a 35mph limit on a road that twisted and turned so much that 25mph was really pushing it. Then on the straight lengths the speed limit changed from 55 to 35 to 25 to 35 to 25 to 20 to 45 to 25. In some places the speed changes were very close together and in one instance a 25mph sign was 10 feet behind a 35mph sign. Does that tell you that the town needs the revenue from speeding tickets?
The winding track into the park was jam packed with cars and was terribly steep. It was there that I found my SUV didn’t have an anti-roll-back feature unlike my work vehicle and that the handbrake didn’t hold it all that well unless I really jammed it on hard.
At the top, I headed for the steps totally neglecting to notice that there was actually a lift (elevator) that would have saved me about an hour’s agony. According to Wikipedia there are 500 steps from the base to the top but I didn’t go straight to the top. There were various little trails running off to different viewpoints with steps and like the masochist I am, I followed each one.
Having been to the waterfall at the end of the trail and facing met some very interesting people along the way, it was time to turn around and walk back over the trail. I’d met plenty interesting people from Russians to Hispanic people and some friendly and chatty airforce recruits who were enjoying their youth. In fact one of them didn’t look old enough to have left highschool. There was one 72 year old guy who was walking on doctors advice. There were several photographers, one who was using a very expensive digital medium format camera. Plenty ladies were on the paths too. It was pretty chilly but they seemed to find leggings were warm enough which surprised me. Great for maneuverability though - I was forever having to hike my jeans up. One pair of ladies was walking with bare legs and long skirts and didn’t the skin on their legs look purple from cold!
So, having got to the bottom of the steps I went for the bus and took my journey back to my car. I have to say that all my leg muscles were complaining. Driving back was interesting as I had to contend with the crazy speed changes on the roads and with the fact that one road that my GPS wanted me to use was closed. I think I made it back at round about 9:30PM. Not too bad for 5 hours at the park and a 155 mile drive in each direction!
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