Stephanie and I had a wonderful time in Florida, but it was time to head home. We had wonderful weather the entire time we were there. We were getting to leave at 5:00AM and at 4:55AM we got our only rain while we were there. It rained really hard, but by the time we got down to the lobby and walked outside, it had already stopped. We drove north towards Asheville, North Carolina. We planned on hiking Chimney Rock and having lunch at Lake Lure. We got to Chimney and they closed the state park due to high winds. We ate at Lake Lure, but the lake was down about 15 feet for maintenance. So instead of eating across from the beautiful beach, it looked more like a marsh. So far we were zero for two.
We headed up to Little Switzerland to check out the views and hop on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Little Switzerland was still closed for the season, which I did know, but I wanted to show Stephanie the views. As soon as we got out of the car in our shorts and sweatshirts, we realized why nearby Chimney Rock was closed. It was 39 degrees and 60 MPH winds. We quickly took a selfie and ran back to the car. Running against 60 MPH winds was a lot slower than when they were at our back!
On top at Little Switzerland
Little Switzerland, North Carolina
We headed down the Blue Ridge Parkway with our destination being Cherokee at the end of the Parkway and through the gap to Gatlinburg. With the high winds we were dodging large limbs and branches that were all over the road. We got out at only one lookout and took some quick pictures before we froze! We decided we struck out on the Blue Ridge Parkway and got off after only 10 miles.
Typical Stone Bridge on the Blue Ridge Parkway
It was a wonderful trip and I had a great time with Stephanie. She started me on some hard workouts and I feel like I am almost back to where I was a few weeks before Christmas before my back problems brought me to a screeching halt.