More Bad News About the Slide

As the NC Department of Transportation reviews the major landslide across Interstate 40 the stabilization of the mountain and clearing of the debis seems more major than first reported. It now seems likely that this section of I40, a few miles from the NC/TN border is likely to remain completely closed for three months. And that is assuming good weather.

Two methods are being considered by the DOT. A helicopter (or possibly a crane) would be used to deliver hand drilling equipment to the top which would then be used to bore holes for dynamite blasting. The other method involves building a secondary road to the top of the area to allow of bringing heavy equipment. The slide must be stabilized from the top down.

Aerial view of the slide from Asheville Citizen-Times

West to east view - photo from Asheville Citizen-Times

Direct view - photo from the Asheville Citizen-Times

Why is this rock slide deserving of so much attention? Because this section of I40 sees about 25,000 vehicles every day with about half of them being commercial trucks traveling to and from the southeast to the midwest. There is no other Interstate to use as an alternative.

---------------Why am I writing this? To encourage the readers who follow this blog not to change their plans to visit western NC during the next several months. All you need to do is to plan a little extra time to allow for the detours. You will be rewarded with more views of our lovely mountains and small towns. And you will still reach your destination of ski resorts, the Biltmore House, the waterfalls, and all the other wonderful attractions we offer.

The Beach in the Fall Part Three

While very disappointed with the excessive building along the coast of the Outer Banks, we were delighted to find that the Cape Hatteras National Seashore still provides miles of unspoiled beaches and marshes to explore. It is a place of wonder and beauty.

Here are some shots during respites from the rain.

The ocean attracts me like a magnet no matter what the weather. I think part of it is the ever-changing nature. While our mountains do indeed change their garb it is a slower process. The sea changes from minute to minute and I love it.

I was delighted and surprised to find (of all things) a persimmon tree. I recall gathering persimmons (or 'simmons as my grammy called them) and helping Grammy make persimmon bread and persimmon puddings. Every single year my brother would dare (I mean D-Double-Dog Dare) me to bite into one that wasn't quite ripe. And yes, every single year I did it knowing full well it would "turn your mouth inside out." (Hey, you can't just walk away from a D-Double-Dog-Dare, now can you?)

A sunrise on the ocean was a rare occurrence during our visit. The sky is red and predictably we had more rain that day.

Our trip to the Outer Banks was a good one, despite our disappointment in the over-developed shore and the rain. The place holds very special memories of earlier times and helps to ground us and to remember where we came from. Our next beach trip will more likely be to the Georgia Golden Isles, another special place.

Life was made more difficult for the leaf lookers (peepers) and everyone else when a major rockslide closed all lanes of Interstate 40, the major artery from western NC to the north. The landslide is in neighboring Haywood County just a few miles from the Tennessee border. All lanes will be closed for several days (to several weeks) until the slide is stabilized. After that the traffic will likely be re-routed on the east-bound lanes with one lane of traffic in each direction (if we're lucky). Makes travel much more difficult since there is hardly a reasonable detour.

Photograph from the Asheville Citizen-Times

The lookers are already struggling with a Blue Ridge Parkway closure. An unstable area has closed the BRP between Asheville and Mt. Pisgah at mile markers 399.7-401.1. This is a heavily traveled area in the fall and will likely be closed for months.

I hope your Monday starts on a good note and signals a good week for you no matter what you will be doing.