In Only One Week

I cannot recall the color ever bursting forth as quickly as it did this year.  Last week the Blue Ridge Parkway viewing areas gave us the beginning of color in the mountains.  When we went back up this week most of the yellows were gone from the higher elevations and the reds dominated the color.

The color in the higher elevations is still lovely with mostly reds and a bit of yellow.

 A treat for the eyes no matter the season.

Looking Glass Rock, so named because the water on the rock face freezes in winter and the sun makes the mountain shine like a mirror.

At slightly lower elevations, there is more color including the yellows and oranges.

At a drop of a thousand feet the color is more pronounced.  At John Rock the color is gorgeous.

Davidson River delights the trout fishermen and women.  They dot the river all along its way.

We will be making trips up to the Parkway until it closes for the winter.  When our children were younger we used to take them to the Cold Mountain Overlook where the gates keep automobile traffic from entering.  During winter it is such a treat to walk the Parkway in the snow.  Perhaps we will take the dogs up there this year.

The Parkway in Winter

Few people drive the Blue Ridge Parkway during the winter. Thinking the foliage makes the beauty, these folks do not appreciate the beauty of the mountains when the trees are bare.

Except for periods when the Parkway is closed because of snow and ice, we love driving to our favorite places in winter. There is something so refreshing about the crisp air and the relative isolation.

We keep hoping to find the north face of Looking Glass Rock covered with ice, giving it the glistening mirror effect for which it is named. So far we have not been successful.

However, if you look at this shot with the sun shining directly on the dry north face, I think you can imagine how lovely it must be covered with ice.

All along the roadside, trickles of water have become brilliant icicles. This one looks almost like a waterfall.

Cold Mountain does indeed look cold in the winter. But we love its beauty just the same.

It is a shame that more people do not appreciate the beauty of the outdoors in winter. They mistakenly believe that unless the mountains are full of foliage or covered with snow, there's no need to seek them out. I love the bare mountains and the isolation of driving through them in winter.

Looking Glass Rock

This morning was our weekly trip up the Blue Ridge Parkway to have breakfast at the Pisgah Inn. Afterward, we decided to drive west, to see the views of Looking Glass Rock.

Looking Glass Rock is a mere 5 miles northwest of Brevard. However, one must drive about twenty miles to see the north face. The Blue Ridge Parkway winds around several faces of the rock. Located within Pisgah National Forest, it is a popular destination for hikers and rock climbers.

Looking Glass Rock reflects the sunlight, especially when water or ice collects on the faces. (Hence the name.) It was formed by underground volcanic activity and is a mass of molten rock which hardened beneath the earth. Centuries and centuries of erosion exposed the underground rock and shaped it into the marvelous dome we saw today.

The mountains were blue and hazy again today. The Blue Ridge mountains have always been blue, thought to be due to the release of hydrocarbons from evergreens, especially pines. In the past, however, the mountains were blue but not hazy. They were blue and clear. There are still some very clear days, but not recently.

The haze we currently have is generally due to pollution. Several coal-burning power plants are located within the Blue Ridge mountains and they are the biggest polluters. In fact, in some areas of the Blue Ridge mountains, the air quality is worse than in some metropolitan areas. So much for pure mountain air.

The power industry lobbyists are seeking relaxation of the pollution guidelines. They want to have a "mean" yearly rate of pollution controls. With this proposed plan, the plants could far exceed safe pollution on some days as long as they are far under the maximum on others.

As one of our State legislators said, "They would like to have you think that if your right hand is burning, and your left hand is cold, it is all right because the average temperature is 'normal.' But the damage to the right hand is severe regardless of the average."

And I would add: this type of regulation is absolutely insane. Monitoring would be done after the fact. The damage would already be done before the mean pollution could be calculated.

Waterfall Wednesday

Located within Pisgah National Forest, Looking Glass Falls is one of the most visited falls in Transylvania County, if not in Western North Carolina (WNC). It is a pleasant falls, and no hiking is required for a good view. One can view the falls from the parking area on the roadside by stepping out of the car and walking a few feet.

Looking Glass Falls is a cascade that falls over a sloping 60-foot wall of granite, polished by the continuously falling water.

The wall of granite continues beyond the falls and is believed to be the largest single granite rock in the southern Appalachian Mountains.

The following picture was taken from my car and demonstrates the closeness of the waterfall to the highway. The waterfall’s spray is 30 feet wide at the top. Note the continuing granite far beyond the falls.

A series of steps leads to the bottom of the falls.

The name Looking Glass Falls comes not from the falls itself, but from nearby Looking Glass Rock. Looking Glass Rock is so named because the water freezes on the rock faces during the winter and glistens in the sunlight like a looking glass.

This picture was taken by a friend in February. Unfortunately, there was no ice formation.

You will be pleased to know that one of the hiking trails down Looking Glass Rock is closed due to peregrine falcon nesting. Hikers must return the same route they took up.