The Blowing Rock......

I had to drive down the mountain for a doctor's appointment in Hickory today. On my way back up i on the spur of the moment decided to stop by The Blowing Rock. What is The Blowing Rock (the town it's located in is also called Blowing Rock) you ask?

The Blowing Rock

The 250 million year old cliff formation is North Carolina's oldest tourist attraction. Located at 4,000 feet above sea level, The Blowing Rock is the town's namesake. The phenomenon is so called because the rocky walls of the gorge form a flume through which the northwest wind sweeps with such force that it returns light objects cast over the chasm. 

The view is simply gorgeous! Notice the Mountains really do look blue from a distance hence the name The Blue Ridge Mountains!

The legend of the blowing rock:
It is said that a Chickasaw Chieftain, fearful of a white man's admiration for his daughter, came far from the planes to bring her to The Blowing Rock. One day she was dreaming of the craggy cliff, she saw a Cherokee brave wandering in the wilderness far below and playfully shot and arrow his direction. The pair soon become lovers.
One day an unusual reddening of the sky brought the the pair to The Blowing Rock. To him it was a sign of trouble commanding him back to his tribe on the plains. With his lady not wanting him to leave her and torn by staying with her or returning to his people, he leaped over the rock into the wilderness below. His grief stricken maiden prayed daily to the Great Spirit until one evening with a reddening of the sky, a guest of wind blew her lover back onto The Rock into her arms. It is said from that day a perpetual wind has blow up onto the rock from the valley below. 
For the people of days gone by this was the explanation enough to explain the mysterious winds that even causes snow to fall upside down!

I loved this picture the trees make a little heart shape around the view

I actually live about and hour and a fifteen minutes from Blowing Rock. Sometimes i take for granted the beauty of the area and all the little tourist attractions.

I loved the little cottage looking gift shop. It looks very old i wonder if it was built in the 30's thru the Works Progress Administration back in the 1930's that help build The Blue Ridge Parkway allot of other buildings along the park way were built in a similar rock style.

The building was so beautiful!

This was the out towards the garden! loving the stone, the very french looking windows, and that shade of blue. It would make a beautiful home.

This was in the gift shop. It made me laugh, i guess this is supposed to symbolize a "Hillbilly" a patched hat, corn cob pipe, and American flag.

A box or corn cob pipes at a whopping $5.98 a piece!