I happened upon this pickup truck that caught fire earlier today around 4:30. This was just off Hendersonville Rd about a mile south of Biltmore Village. The cause of the fire was unknown at the time and no one was in the vehicle or injured, as far as I know. Hats off to Asheville Fire Rescue for extinguishing the fire and doing what they do. It was neat seeing them in action (again).
Mt. Mitchell State Park in North Carolina lies in the Pisgah National Forest and boasts the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. It’s elevation reaches to the sky at 6684 feet (give or take an inch, I’d imagine).
The first photo is a view from the observation deck at the summit. The road in the photo is 128, which is just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Beautiful view from Mt. Mitchell
This is the observation deck atop the summit of Mt. Mitchell:
Signs don't lie. That's over a mile high!
And here is a photo I took just off the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way down from Mt. Mitchell.
Lovely view of the mountains
One of the many benefits of Asheville and Western North Carolina is enjoying the good ol’ outdoors. There are activities that appeal to all enthusiasts: climbers, mountain bikers, cyclists, or even casual hikers. This post is dedicated to kayakers, so I dove in to my photo archives and found a few kayak photos to blog. Not knowing a lot about the sport (except that “kayak” is a palindrome and it’s a thrill to photograph) I am going to refrain from giving advice on the subject. Instead, I provided you with a few useful links after my photos.
Enjoying a sunset on Lake Tomahawk, just north of downtown Asheville
Kayakers in Bryson City, NC
Kayaker going over Hooker Falls in Dupont State Forest
Here are a few resources if you are looking for WNC kayaking info:
Here are a few shots of downtown Asheville from tonight. The fountain in Pack Square Park has been popular as of late for children and families. Even with a storm brewing in the background the water entertainment went on.
Photo of the fountain in Pack Square Park
Fun before the storm
Children having fun in the fountain in Pack Square Park
The Jackson Building with a storm brewing behind it
No more dropped calls! I have reason to celebrate because of today I am no longer with AT&T. Now I’ll actually get all my calls and texts and have service in more places. I could write a novel on how bad AT&T’s cell coverage is in Asheville (and beyond) but I’ll sum it up in one word: terrible.
Here is a photo I took with my new Droid X. The image quality is great for a smartphone and, of course, is much better than my iPhone 3G was. I processed this using Lightroom 3 and did a few adjustments to get it looking sharper and more contrasty.
Photo of plant taken with the new Droid X
Also see it on flickr
A few months ago I visited Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia, a park known for having wild ponies. They aren’t completely wild, per se, as they graze and roam in the boundaries of the park. The ponies were very tame, so much so you could walk right up to them. Unfortunately a lot of visitors feed the ponies carrots and other pony grub. It’s obviously not a good idea to feed brown bears in the Appalachian Mountains, so just because a wild pony can’t bite into your flesh, does that mean you should feed it? No?
Here is one of the photos I captured of a pony in the park. The weather was chilly and a surreal frost covered the ground and trees, but the greenery and colors still came through.
Beautiful wild pony in Grayson Highlands State Park