After leaving Columbia, SC early on Sunday morning, we had a very uneventful :-) drive into Western North Carolina. Two friends of ours recently bought a place in Chimney Rock and as luck would have it, Tony was there for the weekend so we stopped by on our way into Asheville.
If you've ever been to Chimney Rock, NC you know that it's very small. It's the kind of town where if you blink, you'll miss it. The main attraction to this particular area is Chimney Rock itself. It towers 2280 feet above the Hickory Nut Gorge and can be accessed either by stairs/trail or by an elevator that travels 26 stories inside mountain. For me the latter is the only way to go, but the adventure is still far from over. Upon exiting the elevator into the gift shop you will need to cross a bridge in order to climb the stairs to take you to the summit,shown here in a stock photo.
We've visited Chimney Rock several times over the past 20 years and it's definitely not for the light-hearted. If memory serves me correctly there is more than one viewing point and I don't think I've ever ventured up to this particular area. (Umm...many times I just hang out in the gift shop. LOL!)
One memorable visit was in the summer of 1992 when Jay was only was only nine years old. He and Randy hiked the trail. Not being nearly that adventurous, Jay's little friend Adam and I chose to meet them up top via the elevator. After the initial oohs and ahhs of the views, I distinctly remember waiting forever in the gift shop while Jay browsed for the perfect rocks to add to his growing collection. His precious box of rocks is still in one of my closets and you have no idea how much I cannot wait to give it (and scads of other treasures) to little Fin. LOL!
In February of 2006 we took Meg up to the same spot. Notice that she's placing her hands in the exact same holes that were under our feet almost 15 years earlier.
Sadly, Meg doesn't remember being there or forcing me spend yet many more hours in the gift shop so she could have a rock collection like her older brother. *sigh* I was hoping some of the memories would come back to her but as luck would have it, the elevator was closed last week. Even if I could have overcome my fear of climbing open stairs, there is no way my hip would have allowed it so unfortunately we didn't get to visit this year.
All of this brings me back to Tony's place. Like I've said, we've been here several times over the years so it was rather ironic that our good friends purchased a cabin with this view of the rock.
Their cabin sits directly behind the main street within walking distance to all of the shops and restaurants that are located on the single road that runs through town. Umm...how very convenient for visiting friends who like to party. *wink*
We just love the area and if you're ever in the area it definitely bears a stop. If time allows we may try to sneak up again this summer (or fall) for a visit, perhaps as a gathering of our mutual friends.
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