A Summer Mountain Get-Away

The oppressing, extreme summer heat continues in our area. 

Visions of cool mountain air proved to be the only ingredients necessary to spark two retirees 'Summer Get-Away Trip' to the mountains of North Carolina, North Eastern Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, and Eastern Kentucky.

The entrance to The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC.

(Click Pictures to Enlarge or Links)

Following the cool, heavily forested road into the estate.

We centered our Summer Get-Away Trip around a Thursday night, open air concert at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, featuring The Steve Miller Band.

With over 250 rooms, the Biltmore is the largest private home in the United States, and was constructed by George Vanderbilt between 1889 and 1895.

The concert was held at sunset on the South Lawn, with a panoramic view of the Smokies. The late evening, mountain air temperatures began in the low seventies, and dropped into the high sixties. Absolutely wonderful!


The concert began at 8:00 pm, and lasted for 2 1/2 hours. The Steve Miller Band. played many of their hit songs such as Take the Money and Run, The Joker, Fly Like an Eagle, and Jet Airliner, in addition to songs from their new CD titled Bingo. Three thousand fans danced and sang along until the last encore. As lovers of the sixties and seventies music, Carolyn and I thought the concert was AWESOME!

Leaving the concert provided yet another magnificent evening view of the Biltmore Estate illuminated for the night.

Saturday morning, after exploring Asheville proper, we traveled 30 miles south for a day trip exploring the Chimney Rock, Lake Lure area. Along the way, we crossed the Eastern Continental Divide. Arriving at Chimney Rock, we found the entrance packed with tourists, which was more than enough reason to put off that adventure for another time.

Lake Lure is nothing short of stunning! This peaceful lake is surrounded by The Smokey Mountains, and luxurious summer homes. We spent the morning driving the winding roads surrounding the lake, taking in the scenic views and appreciating the expensive summer retreats.

A mid-afternoon lunch came at the waters edge at Larkins on the Lake

Larkins is the only restaurant actually waterside. It features a dock that surrounds the local eatery.

Eating outside under the shade trees and unbrellas, we watched all manner of pleasure boats arriving for lunch throughout our meal.

The views from the higher elevations were beautiful. After a full day of exploring, we made our way back to Asheville for the second night. 

It is not everywhere that boasts a Bat Cave!

Saturday morning we turned north from Asheville, following the Blue Ridge Parkway. In the past, we were not able to see the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway around Mount Mitchell due to highway construction. Unfortunately, as anyone who has ridden the Parkway knows, you never know what the weather will be atop the Blue Ridge. 


Today was no exception. We found dense fog and light rain. The rain was actually refreshing, after the long hot dry spell we had been experiencing back home, but it did not enhance the views from the mountain. Considering the fog, we decided to defer the trip to the top of Mount Mitchell and Grandfather Mountain to another time.

Along the way, we had to make a quick stop to allow a family of turkeys, complete with a large brood, to cross the fog covered road.

The light rain continued while we were in Blowing Rock, NC. After visiting a few of the downtown shops, we had lunch at The Best Cellar, which is  a favorite from our previous visits. It was wonderful to dine on their covered terrace, enjoying cool temperatures without the stifling humidity we had back home. Just the reason we came to the mountains!

After leaving Blowing Rock, we continued north to Boone, NC, where we picked up Hwy 421, ('The Snake') and turned northwest. I had ridden parts of 'The Snake' previously, but this trip had other goals. The first was a visit to Backbone Rock in The Cherokee National Forest.

The Backbone Ridge juts out of the nearby Iron Mountain and is about 75 feet high and 20 feet thick, though it narrows near the top. 

In 1901 The Empire Mining Company was contracted to lay train tracks for the Tennessee Lumber Company. When the team building the railroad reached Backbone Rock they had to come up with a way to get around the stone ridge. They quickly decided that the easiest and cheapest way was to simply go through it! So they blasted a hole through the rock creating the World's Shortest Tunnel. The rail bed became the roadbed which, today, continues on towards Mountain City, TN. 

The Backbone Rock is located between Damacus, VA and Shady Valley, TN on TN State Hwy 133, nine miles north of Shady Valley, TN.  
N36 35.641 W81 48.905

The lush, green vegetation of The Cherokee National Forest surrounds The Backbone Rock and was cool and inviting.

After returning to Hwy 421, we stopped at The Shady Valley Country Store. Shady Valley, TN

Late Saturday afternoon we arrived in Bristol, TN and found a room in its sister border town, Bristol, VA. 


Later that evening, we explored both border towns to check out the sights. One of their major attractions is the legendary Bristol Motor Speedway. It is an amazing facility which draws thousands of fans every year. 

We also found this home decorated for a wedding. We never were sure if it was a private residence or something public. Nonetheless, it was beautiful and quite interesting.

The View From Pine Mountain

Sunday morning we continued our northward exploration of Hwy 421, through extreme Southwest Virginia, to Pennington Gap, and on to Harlan, KY. This is a beautiful, winding mountain road, well worth the time to visit. It would definitely merit a return visit during the fall leaf season.

From Harlan, we drove over the scenic Pine Mountain to Whitesburg, and on to Hazard. We then turned west for the drive home, following The Daniel Boone Parkway, and The Louie B. Nunn Parkway to Bowling Green. After a quick dinner, we continued to Paducah. 

This short trip was just what we needed. The mountains were cool and refreshing, with spectacular views! 

We both look forward to the next adventure!

Route Map (Click Picture to Enlarge)

Wisdom is knowing the right path to take. Integrity is taking it. ~Unknown~

Never argue, never justify, never defend. ~Unknown~

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