Chimney Rock and Area, September 11, 2010

Another wise man - house on rock

Vern standing on Chimney Rock. It started raining right after
we got there, so we went inside the little gift/snack shop and had lunch
and watched it rain.

Top of Chimney Rock

Tunnel to 26 floor elevator to Chimney Rock

View from top

Chimney Rock Gift Shop

Chimney Rock - about 25 miles south of Asheville, NC

Mountain stream

Picturesque little cabin on way to Chimney Rock

Smoky Mountain Nat'l Forest Drive, September 10, 2010

Another tunnel in the Smoky Mountain Forest


Vern took a close-up shot of this guy at the
wax museum in Gatlinburg. Not bad for a drive-by shot.


Gatlinburg, TN = Tourist Trap on Steroids!

Smoky Mountain National Forest

Smoky Mountains on a cloudy afternoon

Smoky Mountain National Park

Cherokee Indian Reservation - wonder how
long before the kudzu grows over The Herb House

River along the road

On the reservation, they have these decorated bears
here and there

Harrah's is building a gigantic casino on the
reservation

After leaving Maggie Valley, we drove on the
Blue Ridge Parkway on the way to the Smoky Mountain park

View of Maggie Valley from a tower we climbed

Maggie Valley

The Grizzly Grill BBQ in Maggie Valley (where we had lunch)

The Biltmore Estate, September 9, 2010

Pretty flowers in the "Village" at Biltmore

The winery at the Biltmore - Each tank holds from
2900 to 3900 gallons of wine and there were a bunch
of them

George Vanderbilt's Duryea - only 10 of them left in the world

The winery - used to be the dairy

We had lunch at the Bistro - by the winery

The mountains make a pretty backdrop for the gardens

This garden is at the south end of the mansion
and replicates a stained glass window of the house

Windows in the staircase of the house

The back porch

View from the back porch

The Biltmore - built by George Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbilt. It was finished in 1895 and took 6 years and 1000 men to build. There are 250 rooms, including a bowling alley and heated swimming pool in the basement. It is the largest private home in the US and has 175,000 square feet. It has 65 fireplaces, 43 bathrooms, 34 bedrooms and 3 kitchens. The banquet hall is 74 x 42 feet and the dinner table could seat as many as 64 guests. The meals served there were usually 8 courses and required 15 untensils per person to eat.

Photos weren't allowed inside the house, but here's a site that has a few pictures of the inside:

http://gosoutheast.about.com/od/photoswebcamspodcasts/ig/Biltmore-House-Photo-Gallery/