Perhaps you saw my image here www.flickr.com/photos/snapdraggin/30494945821/in/datepost... of Grandfather Mountain. It points out many things, not least of which is the Linn Cove Viaduct… it’s one of the most famous stretches of road anywhere, which is quite a feat, as it is found along another famous road, the Blue Ridge Parkway. Until the viaduct was completed in 1987, the Blue Ridge Parkway was effectively unfinished. Hugh Morton, who owned the mountain at that time, would not allow cutting into the side of the mountain to complete the road… you had a rather long detour to reconnect going either north or south along the parkway. The Linn Cove Viaduct was the answer to that problem, as it was minimally invasive to the mountain causing no damage whatsoever to the ecosystem of the mountain wilderness. The complex span of nearly a quarter-mile across involves two turns of tight radius, so tight in fact, that it took a powerful computer and 1,500 pages of specifications to get it right. At his death, Hugh Morton willed the mountain to North Carolina. It is now a state park.

This was taken from the ideal spot for the most iconic view of the viaduct, a rise of rocks on the north end of the viaduct. It’s a steep, though short climb to a precarious perch on those rocks, but it’s well worth the effort. I’ve worked my way up there for years (even at night, as seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/snapdraggin/21874790584/in/datepost...), but for one reason or another, I never quite got the shot I was after… until now. I’m so happy about that, as I don’t have to climb up there anymore… yeah, right.

Grandfather Mountain is quite a rise over its surroundings, as you can see here. Much of what you see in the distance, is the escarpment that surges up to the highlands. The two sharp rises that can be seen above the end of the viaduct here are quite iconic, too… Table Rock is on the left, and Hawksbill Mountain is to the right. Just the other side of them is Linville Gorge. There’s a lot to be explored here… but you still might find me sitting on these very rocks next year. There must be a way to top this shot, after all.