Day trip to Grandfather Mountain
It’s easy to think you’ve seen ‘everything’ after numerous trips to different locations in whatever area you live … but sometimes you can be surprised.
Yesterday I decided to take my lovely wife and beautiful daughter on a day trip to Grandfather Mountain, which we had ‘seen’ when passing by once or twice before. But it’s Autumn/Fall now and thought we would have a closer look.
However, the day started with a crisp chill in the air, and quite foggy – and the idea of staying home and starting the first fire of the season was a real temptation. Still, we left the house with hopes that the day might improve during the 2 hour drive. It turns out that we timed ‘everything’ perfectly … as we only had to wait for one car upon arriving at the entry gate.
We were given a CD to play (USB was an option), and which gave a great commentary of the things we passed on our drive up the hill. The views were progressively better at each vantage point, and we felt compelled to stop at each one we reached. There wasn’t much room at some spots, so I’m glad we arrived early and didn’t have any problems finding space to park.
We especially loved the stop immediately after the ‘Forest Gump’ curve (from the running scene in the movie). It was a bit windy to use the picnic facilities, but on any other day it would be an amazing place to spend some time for a scenic lunch.
There is a Split Rock and Spinx Rock which are popular spots to stop for a photo, just before the Museum, gift-shop, cafe, and animal habitat. If you haven’t seen a Black Bear before, this is a great chance to see one up close.
It was also a great chance to see a Bald Eagle from close range, although I’m sure this one would have much rather had freedom to roam the skies.
If you follow the road to the end, you arrive at the Mile High suspension bridge – although there’s also a short walking track from a larger car park part-way up the hill. It was very windy and a little chilly, so make sure you take multiple layers … just-in-case.
If you’re up for some rock-hopping, you can scramble out to a rock promontory with 360 degree views. It’s a great place for some photos, but be very careful of your footing.
The hills of Western North Carolina have a wistful beauty that pulls you in, and makes you feel at home. The people who live here are amongst the nicest I’ve met anywhere on this planet, and I would highly encourage you to come and visit.
Dad’s Recommendation: Arrive early when visiting Grandfather Mountain … there was a massive queue to get in by the time we were leaving (shortly after lunchtime), and parking spaces seemed scarce!
Surprising Views and Peaceful Get-Away
Arriving at your destination after dark, is always a risk … mostly due to worries about finding the right place OK. However, it can be great fun to open up the blinds in the morning and see where you are?? The glaciated Hooker valley greeted us on a spontaneous trip to Aoraki / Mt Cook last week.
Making the most of a nice day, we hiked up to see the Hooker Glacier. The scale of the valley is hard to describe, and photos do not do justice to the mountains. The next photo shows the view down towards The Hermitage hotel, with the inset picture providing some context of scale.
The return hike from the campground at the end of the road, is just 12 km (7.5 mi), but included three swing bridges over the raw river roaring below, and many, many vantage points for fantastic views of Aoraki / Mt Cook – the tallest mountain in New Zealand at 3,724 m (12,218 ft) – it lost about 30-40 m during a major rockslide in 1991.
Still pictures don’t capture the ferocity of the river, but this short video clip helps make it more real: Walk Over Suspension Bridge
We were fortunate to have spectacular weather, but noted that the sun was very strong (due to Ozone hole). Still it made the rugged peaks seem more vibrant.
But the best part for us was the waterfalls from the various glaciers that clung to the upper slopes, seemingly impossible not to slide off at any moment.
Dad’s Recommendation:
This trip was a spontaneous day away … because we had to postpone a longer Anniversary trip due to a family bereavement and subsequent funeral a week later. Considering the stress of life circumstances … the mountains seemed such a peaceful retreat, a welcome respite for those who are weary. Whatever stress you have in your life … perhaps a trip to the mountains are in order.
Edoras
It’s not often that you get to visit iconic locations from Middle Earth, but that’s what I did with my family this past weekend. It reminded me how easy it is to ‘overlook’ the great hidden locations that might be tucked away near where you live, where-ever that may be. This place is actually called Mt Sunday, since the locals used to meet here on Sunday’s … back in the old days.
Of course it’s been some time since the dwarves, elves, hobbits and ‘men’ -bustled about the village of Edoras (featured in the Lord of the Rings movie, The Two Towers). However, watching that portion of the movie again … I can promise you that it truly is a windy place to visit.
From Christchurch, it is about two hours drive – the first 90 minutes was on sealed roads (although virtually no cars were travelling the same roads once turning off State Highway 1 in Rakaia … so an hour of peaceful drive), with the last half hour on gravel roads (again with very little traffic). The first glimpse of Edoras is shown below.
We elected to take a picnic lunch with us, rather than simply take some obligatory photos and leave. From the road, it was about 45 minute walk up to the top (although we took a bit longer since we stopped to take a lot of photos). It was fairly steep in some places, so I expect it would be quite slippery in the wet (since the track was generally over grass). We purposefully picked a nice day, and that made the picnic much more enjoyable.
It was a peaceful place to visit, and provides some of the best 360 degree alpine panoramic’s that you will ever see. Photos don’t do justice to this mountainous valley, and even the video clips can’t quite capture the enormity of the place. The rivers are clear, clean, fast flowing, and make a merry bubbling noise that soothes away any worries you may have.
Mt Potts Lodge is well advertised as you get closer, although when we went to investigate – were met by someone who didn’t speak English (which made it difficult to find out more). There are a delightful cluster of holiday houses at Lake Clearwater, en route, and with two lakes within walking distance … makes for somewhere to visit again in the summer (and a good option for a place to stay).
There are a variety of walking tracks in the region, and I’m keen to explore a little more.
Amsterdam
I’ve been to Amsterdam a lot. Most of the time it was simply passing through the airport, but often times I had several hours layover … enough to go into town for a visit. So, oddly, I have accumulated quite a lot of time visiting this city without ever having stayed a single night. While this might sound somewhat silly, it actually a great idea when you consider that the alternative is to sit around in an airport.
Amsterdam is an easy train ride from the airport, and doesn’t take long at all. I often would go into town for a quiet breakfast at one of the local cafes, before strolling along the picturesque canals, shopping if needed, and then jumping on the short train ride back to the airport.
Bikes along an Amsterdam Canal, ready for the morning commute.
Many years ago I nearly moved to Amsterdam to live on a houseboat, but choices were made and other paths pursued (like many watershed decisions we make throughout life). However, I think there’s something intriguing about the idea of living so close to the water, somehow separate from the very heart of the city where you may reside. It seems peaceful in many ways (like on the quiet mornings I would visit), yet it also seems that it could be loud and noisy from a vibrant city life (I am speculating). Perhaps I missed my calling, or perhaps I would not have liked it at all – I cannot say.
Houseboats on a canal in Amsterdam
Did I say that there were a lot of bicycles in Amsterdam? What an understatement … they were everywhere! I liked that there were so many different types, representing the different character of the local residents. If I had been staying for any decent amount of time, I absolutely would have planned on renting one!!
Everywhere you looked there were bikes parked – everywhere!
To some the city has a reputation for certain activities, however, I found that morning life in Amsterdam started much the same as anywhere else in the world – with promise of adventure.
Morning life in Amsterdam
Dad’s Recommendation:
Get out of the airport if you have time on your long layovers! However, make sure you have enough time to get through any customs, immigration and security protocols … so check these things out ahead of time (if possible, ask someone who has done it before).
P.S. Don’t do what Matt Barnes and I did one visit – to take tons of photos, then lose the camera before downloading the greatest pictures ever seen!!
Bullet Proof Glass
In some parts of the world you must be much more concerned about safety than in others. Generally it’s not a good idea to go into places where there’s conflict or danger unless you have a very good reason that can’t wait until after the smoke has cleared.
Bullet proof glass is a little extreme in most places – but sometimes it’s prudent to be prepared (this photo was taken in Baghdad at the height of 2007 internal conflict).
Security companies can be found in virtually every part of the world, and they usually will have various levels of protection (and associated cost). These firms are likely to have several ‘hardened’ vehicles available if you need a high level of certainty that you can safely get from point A to point B. That said, you probably want to be safe at point A and point B as well, so static security is also an important consideration in dangerous parts of the world (usually provided by higher end hotels – at various levels of rigor). I’m not going to write more about this today, but be assured that there are many more things that could be said.
One thing most people don’t realise about hardened car doors with bullet proof glass … is that they are very, very heavy to open and close.
Dad’s Recommendation:
Plan ahead – and consider safety before you journey. Bullet proof glass really does work, but isn’t a substitute for good planning. Safety is a sensible thing to consider, no matter where you travel.