We had a great day today at Chimney Rock, the pseudo-state park here with a wonderful, chimney-like, er, rock. We started our tour of the park with the Hickory Nut Falls trail, winding our away around the mountain to reach the waterfall. Since Western North Carolina (WNC) has been suffering from a drought, the waterfall wasn’t much more than a trickle. One unimpressed visitor called it “some guy pouring a bucket over the top.” The water did reach the ground, however, and provided a nice backdrop as we snacked on trail mix and watched idiot park visitors attempt to scale the sheer cliffs near the falls.
We returned to our car to get to the entrance to the Chimney Rock part of the park. As you may know, an elevator which whisks you to the top of the park. While that may sound like cheating, the ride is the equivalent of 26 stories, so it is the way to go if kids are in tow. At the top we went directly to the Chimney Rock outcropping and took in the view. The weather was crystal clear in all directions, with a nice breeze blowing and little-to-no humidity.
The entertainment was provided by a fire-fighting helicopter working to contain the Chimney Rock wildfire. The helicopter, a Bell 204/205 (the civilian version of the Vietnam-era UH-1 Huey), would scoop water up from Lake Lure into a bucket below and ferry it around the mountain and back. We couldn’t see the fire itself but enjoyed watching the helicopter make its runs.
We then ate our picnic lunch at the outdoor Sky Lounge tables before heading back down the mountain. A quick stop n Moonshiner’s Cave was called for before we returned to our car for a trip down the mountain. Before we left we did a circuit on the Woodlands Great Adventure nature-education trail, which was great fun for kids who should’ve already been exhausted.
I called Chimney Rock a pseudo-state park because the state bought it last May but the Chimney Rock Management LLC company still manages it. So the state is the landlord, leasing the park back to the original management company. Thus we paid a whopping $14 for each adult and $8 for Hallie (Travis squeaked in for free being under 6). The only sign of state ownership were the frequent postings reminding visitors that “smoking is now prohibited in state government facilities.” Wikipedia tells me the management company will continue to run the park until 2009. Until then, though, its a weird mix of public and private.
After our rock experience, we went across the street to get gelato. Though it was counterfeit gelato we enjoyed it just the same. Then it was on to neighborhing Lake Lure to get the kids some promised swimming.
Lake Lure has suffered from WNC’s drought, losing 3-4 feet of depth according to one local. It was immediately obvious, too. The kids’ water park side was closed, few people populated its beach, and those in the water were lucky to get up to their knees. A promise is a promise, though, so we turned the kids loose in it and waded around a bit. While the kids built a castle with moat on the muddy bank Kelly and I took in some sun. Right about the time we had had our fill of the shallow lake, the helicopter ferrying water had returned to base.
Starving more than we knew, we went up the hill to the Italian restaurant and enjoyed a great dinner overlooking the lake. Then we rode along the winding mountain roads back to our rented house, played a board game on the patio, got showered, and got the kids tucked in bed. It was a great day, and the kids didn’t whine or complain much at all. They were fantastic hikers!
Tomorrow we bid adieu to our mountain home and head east to Linville Caverns. When we’ve had our fill of the subterranean world we’ll return to Raleigh for the night. Wednesday morning we leave for a few days at Carolina Beach. How’s that for variety in a vacation?