mountain sunrises

Hi everyone!

Our favorite wake up activity is checking out the sunrise on sunny days, which there are many of here in the western North Carolina Mountains. There are almost as many sunny days a year in the High Country of North Carolina as there are on the Low County of South Carolina and Georgia. Hard to believe but true. The sun combined with a large amount of rainfall that comes down in buckets (it rarely sprinkles) creates a temperate rainforest that allows all the rhododendron and laurels to flourish.

this morning's sunrise

We are loving sunny winter days as there were so few of them in Northeast Ohio where me moved from. Lake effect weather from Lake Erie makes winters dreary there, of course the temperate summers and warm colorful autumns are wonderful, but the winter is very longggggggggg.  

The mirror on the porch, seen though the French doors of our bedroom, reflects the mountain view and the sunrise as it appears over Whiteside Mountain. 

Here are a few (iPhone quality) recent sunrises....

A few days ago we were greeted with this beautiful sky!

Every sunrise is beautiful and it is interesting to see the sun's position as it moves through the seasons.

Hope you are enjoying sunrises or sunsets in your neighborhood this winter!

Thanks for visiting!

Cindy

the Blue Ridge Parkway

is a National Parkway and a beautiful way to see the Blue Ridge Mountains that is part of the Appalachian Mountain range that traverses the Eastern U.S. from Georgia to Maine.My husband and I explored it after first touring Skyline Drive in Virginia.

Views like this are around every bend.

 There are lots of places along the way to stop, rest and explore.

Overlooks pop up frequently. This road is NOT for hurrying, the speed limit is usually 45 mph, plan to take it easy so you can take it all the views.

Our first stop for the night was this place in Blowing Rock, NC. It sits on the crest of the highest point in the area. 

Sunrise outside the dining room window before breakfast.

The view from the inn.

The view from Moses Cone Estate/Folk Art Center, at Parkway milepost 294

We then headed to Asheville where we stayed at this popular resort. Although there is a lot to like, there were too many guests and too many rooms for our taste, we will stay somewhere smaller next time.  The service and food were very good though.

Our room looked over the golf course and the city of Asheville, which has so many art galleries, architecture(Biltmore), good food, music and outdoor activities.