As our trip winds down, our blog updates will also come near a conclusion. Today was fairly quiet, compared to what we’ve experienced the past seven weeks. We left our campground outside Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and drove back up through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and stopped at Newfound Gap. It was early enough that some parking spaces were available — unlike yesterday — and we got to see another amazing view of clouds below the peaks.
Also at Newfound Gap, we walked up the Appalachian Trail for about a half mile, bringing to an end my AT adventures.
From the Gap, we drove on to Cherokee, North Carolina, and spent a good part of the day driving across the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Asheville, North Carolina. The top image from this blog is along the Blue Ridge.
Our only stop was at the Graveyard Fields Overlook and hike to the High Falls. It is so named because many years ago the stumps and trees across the area resembled gravestones in a graveyard. A massive fire in 1925 changed the landscape which now features wildflowers and blueberries (in season). It was a 2.3-mile hike back to the High Falls which unfortunately it was very muddy, but rewarding once we reached our destination.
Along the way, we met Santa Claus, who showed us his credentials from the North Pole and gave Carol a $1 million bill because he liked her smile. He said I looked grumpy and didn’t give me anything. Look for some coal in my stocking in a few months.
We also met two dogs dressed up for Halloween.
Carol also spent part of the day working via texts and cell calls with our daughter back in Maryland. We needed her to set up an appointment for when we arrive on Thursday to have our windshield fixed. A few days ago a stone gave the windshield a small chip, but when we turned on the defroster this morning, the crack expanded to about 3 feet. We will be arriving at Melissa’s two days early to have it fixed.
Tomorrow we’re driving across Carolina to Durham, but I doubt we’ll be able to have lunch with Coach K at Duke.
T&C Southwest Adventure 2021 
Sorry about the windshield. Nice to do some hiking in the Blue Ridge. Think about a visit with the lemurs at Duke if you can get an appointment or at least the Duke Gardens. Coach K might be busy being his last season and all….
Best wishes the rest of the way and thanks for sharing.
LikeLike
I guess it wouldn’t be an adventure without something happening to the vehicles. I remember a long day in VA waiting to have new tires put on because of a flat with a nail in it. So glad you are close to Melissa’s so you don’t have to drive all the way home with a cracked windshield. You certainly have had the trip that you had dreamed of for all those months. Good planning equals a quality time and you have certainly taken advantage of everything your trip had to offer. We will be happy to see you home when you are ready to be back in the great state of Maine. Safe travels and carry on.
LikeLike