October 11 - October 17, 2010 . . . back to fall galleries page

Oct 11, 2010

Grandfather Mountain is a must-see during the fall season. The folks there are predicting peak foliage this weekend but it's already beautiful, and will be for some time. The drive alone is worth taking the time. We took 221 out of Blowing Rock to Grandfather Mountain. It's winding and narrow in places, but absolutely breathtaking. The trees drape their branches over the highway to create a golden canopy of leaves and driving through it is quite an experience. For those visiting Grandfather in the fall, I always recommend taking Highway 221 one way and the Blue Ridge Parkway for the other. One offers a close, sun-dappled view of the foliage and the other opens up to amazing vistas of surrounding peaks. We arrived at the top of the mountain before sunset and there were plenty of other folks that had the same idea for Columbus Day. This is a view of the peaks of Grandfather and the southern slopes, where you can see a vivid display of fall foliage.

October 11 :: Grandfather Mountain :: elevation 5280 feet

The people standing on the Mile High Swinging Bridge are also visible. The long range views are breathtaking, but I found this view to be equally lovely. The elevator in the Top Shop will take you to a new walkway that gives a close-up view of this natural mountain-top garden.

 

 

 

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Oct 12, 2010

The color is making its way down the slopes more consistently now. Today's photo is a comparison to illustrate. The maples behind the Visitor Center are in full color right now. Compare today's image to the one of the same trees from September 29, at left. You can see more color in the background of today's photo, too.

 

October 12 :: Maples on West Cornish Road :: elevation 3550 feet

As I mentioned before, these trees are always ahead of all the others. Many maples in town look like these in front of the new Doncaster location on Main Street. Regardless, now is a great time for viewing the fall foliage.

 

 

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Oct 13, 2010

Today is overcast and chilly. There is rain and wind in the coming forecast. I hope the weather doesn't thin the lovely foliage displays too much. Today's photo is from Main Street Blowing Rock, along my walk to work. All the color is really picking up downtown. I'm posting a lot more photos from Main Street on our Facebook page. Check them out, too.

October 13 :: Blowing Rock Inn on Main Street :: elevation 3505 feet

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Oct 14, 2010

There are only a few maples with green left on them at this point. Usually among the first to change into their fall colors, maple leaves are the most plentiful on the ground right now. This big maple is on Green Street in Blowing Rock. The little green that is left on this tree is rapidly changing to a golden yellow. The sky was so clear yesterday afternoon, and the moon encouraged me to snap a picture of the sky.

October 14 :: Maple on Green Street :: elevation 3580 feet

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Oct 15, 2010

Driving down Main Street is such a pleasure this time of year, especially when passing by Chetola Lake. The trees create a canopy that turns a brilliant yellow each fall. Chetola Lake is equally beautiful, and there is a little spot to pull over and enjoy the view. There is still a lot of green on the grounds of Chetola at the moment, but that is not common around town.

 

October 15 :: Chetola Lake :: elevation 3472 feet

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Oct 16, 2010

A friend got married today, and the weather was perfect for it. The view from St. Elizabeth's church in Boone is glorious, and the maples on the property are really putting on a show. You can see Howard's Knob in the distance in today's photo.

October 16 :: Howard's Knob from St. Elizabeth of the Hill Country :: elevation 3314 feet

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Oct 17, 2010

Although the color has peaked here in Blowing Rock, there is still lots of color yet to come in the valleys below. Elevations below 3000 feet are still quite green. On the way to Hickory today I snapped some pictures from the road (don't worry- I was the passenger).

October 17 :: South of Blowing Rock on Highway 321 :: elevation 2620 feet

This one was snapped through the windshield, but you can still see how much green remains in the lower hills around Blowing Rock.

 

 

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