Chimney Rock

Took a family day trip to Chimney Rock Park in North Carolina several weeks ago and had a fantastic time. We were about a week too early for the foliage to change but there were hints of natures wonder beginning to bloom vibrant colors of orange, yellow, red, and burgundy. This park has roots deep in our Country's history. In early 1870 a man by the name of Jerome Freeman purchased Chimney Rock and 40o acres from speculators for a whopping $25.00 (yes twenty-five dollars) with ambitions of opening a trail and public facility to the top of the rock. But it was in 1902 when things really began to take shape. A Missourian by the name of Lucious B. Morse, a physician, and his brothers purchased 64 acres of land including the Chimney and Cliffs for $5000. The Park now encompasses over 1000 acres and until 2007 was owned and operated by the Morse family. The State of NC and other partners purchased the park late in 2007 for $24 million dollars to serve as the main stage of a new state park. Several movies have been made over the years in the park such as: The Last of the Mohican's, Firestarter, A Breed Apart, and Dirty Dancing.

The truly amazing feature is the "Chimney" which is solid granite and houses a 198 foot tunnel leading to a 258 elevator shaft. Construction of this project took 18 months to complete with the aid of 8 tons of dynamite and no fatalities. Pretty amazing for something that opened to the public in 1949. It was honestly a bit unnerving walking into the tunnel leading to the elevator. It would not have been so bad but we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes (under ground) to take a 12 second ride to the top. Upon exiting the elevator we were treated to unbelievable views that even the pictures don't do justice.

The kids were in Heaven, running around, peering over the edge of the railing, making me very, very nervous. I had Jackson on my back in a pack which was great expect for the fact that I really don't like heights and he was very intent on getting out and running around with Tanner and Charlee. Now to put this in perspective, the top of the Chimney is about the size of let's say an oversized two car driveway. Only it is a rock, not a flat rock bit more like a giant wierd shaped mushroom. Now put another 40 people with you on that little piece of real estate and you have yourself one of those moments that is very difficult to smile for the camera. Obviously I was the only one this seemed to bother. From the top we hiked down the trail through the diverse plants and land features to the water falls which was one the the most breathtaking sights I have seen. Beathtaking on two levels, one the sheer beauty of the park and two the fact that I had Jackson on my back, thank God we were going down hill. Being the geek that I am I counted all the steps, man made, we walked down to the bottom...748! What a work out, my legs were shaking the whole drive home, thankfully the cruise control worked.

After leaving the park we had a great Italian dinner complete with two ice cold beers a piece to relax the legs at a place that overlooked Lake Lure. We watched the sun set over the mountain and had the literally thousands of lady bugs fluttering throughout the rays of sun around the outdoor deck. Amazing.

The ride home was rather quiet and everyone slept like the proverbial "rock". If you are ever in the area put this trip on your planner.

More updates to come, thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.