On to North Carolina

We had a very nice drive through Kentucky and Tennessee to western North Carolina.  Rolling hills covered with colorful fall leaves on a sunny day, very pleasant.  We stayed at a campground about 25 miles from Asheville and 15 miles from Great Smoky Mountain National Park.  The area is hardwood covered hills (mountains?) with streams flowing in all the valleys between.

Great Smoky Mountains

We took a beautiful drive through the National Park but Ann thought the miles of up and down winding road was a bit nerve racking.  We hiked to the highest point in the park and a few other view points.  The Appalachian Trail goes right down the center of the park along the ridge of the mountain which also happens to be the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina.  We walked the trail for a bit just to check out the condition for future hiking.  We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while and it was also very beautiful.

Another wonderful time was spent touring the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.  What a magnificent place!  It is hard to think of it as someone's home when it is so large - the house alone covers 4 acres.  It made me think of a palace in Europe, which I guess makes sense since that is what it was modeled after.  I highly recommend a visit to anyone that hasn't seen it.

Biltmore Estate