June 18,19 2012 Blue Ridge Parkway Linville falls

Off up the parkway to Linville Falls.  60 miles of narrow, windy road. Beautiful views.

tiny tunnel coming up, rain coming in

Before the rain the rock faces ooze water, rhododendrons line the parkway. Good thing it is rhododendrons, not rocks, they are pretty close.  Colonial botanist Mark Catesby observed ‘The larger rivers in Carolina and Virginia have their sources in the Appalachian Mountains, generally springing from rocks and forming cascades and waterfalls, uniting into single streams, innumerable brooks and rivulets, all which contribute to form and supply the large rivers. ‘

We drove up into the cloud and fog, and rain.

Then it lifted and left tendrils of clouds

Upper Linville Falls, then the river swirls into a slot , down and around  to drop down two cascades to the river gorge.

The upper falls are in the top of this photo, then the swirls, and two more drops.  Here is the middle cascade in the slot.

John on the trail to the falls overlook. The bus at the campground

Sunset from the bus. The forest service information cabin. Not open. Guess there is no information today.

On the way down the plunge trail to the bottom of the falls.  You could see where these huge blocks  fell from the surrounding cliffs. Snake down  by the river. Long, long snake.

The bottom of the falls. I decided to sunbathe and read at the bottom, John chose the shade.

The Linville River gorge.  It is a rugged and spectacularly beautiful gorge. The Cherokee knew this river as  ‘Eeseeoh’ or ‘river of cliffs’ . Towering hemlocks, dense stands of rhododendrons and native wildflowers grow along the trails that encircle the falls. A forested gorge of virgin timber stands as pristine and primitive as in the days when only native Americans called this place home. So says the parkway guide.  John on the trail back up. They call in a ’difficult’, very steep. Lots of poison ivy, rocks and roots.

and stairs, and trees. . .

cool rocks, moss and lichen, a beetle that liked John’s shoulder and rhododendron bud opening.

Dugger falls, a side creek. John reading under the trees.

John Muir on rain. My masterpiece dinner,  spaghetti squash, with toasted pine nuts, pesto, topped with parmesan, roasted tomatoes and chicken. Garnished with basil leaves. Yum.

And chocolate with crispy peanut butter crust   pie for dessert, topped with whipped cream. John ate the pie. In two evenings.