Chimney Rock, North Carolina

The temperature when I got up yesterday was 49 inside and 46 outside. So, the fireplace was turned on to warm it up in here. I don't like getting out of bed to such chilly temperatures but it's better than being to hot. I'm finding I like the cooler weather better than hot afternoons.

We decided to take one of the scenic drives yesterday and we enjoyed it very much! I would have liked to seen more flowering bushes and trees but I guess we're a bit early/late for that. We did see some pretty colors in the yards of homes we passed and apparently North Carolina has planted up their interchanges. The flowers were blooming there.

The route Jim choose took us into Chimney Rock Village.
http://www.rutherfordtourism.com/aboutus/chimney_rock.php Since we were hungry we stopped and had lunch at a diner, Genny's I think. I had bbq pork sandwich with fries and Jim had a breakfast. It was to cool to sit outside on the deck overlooking the Broad River.

Both of these pictures were taken at the gate of Chimney Rock Park. Gardens flank both sides and there's a lot of rosemary along with other plants that will look lovely later in the season.

After lunch we headed down to the river. There is a path you can follow along the bank. The water is crystal clear but shallow. Jim and I both took pictures

If you look in the lower left corner of the picture above you can see the bottom. There are pockets that are deeper and I looked for fish but didn't see any

Watching the water rush over the rocks is simply refreshing! I love the sound it makes

Here you can see the river rushing over the rocks in the background while the foreground is relatively calm. I'll bet the water is icy!

Looking upriver, this was taken with my phone camera

one of the calmer sections. I think the bridge is the road to Chimney Rock Park

We strolled the shops but didn't stay much longer. We headed over to Lake Lure to check it out,

http://www.townoflakelure.com/. What a gorgeous area! The lake is quite big and the activity we saw at the public park indicated they were getting ready for the Memorial Day Holiday. As we drove around the area we saw lake homes perched on the hillsides overlooking the lake. I'll bet the views are well worth it!

Highway 9 is a winding, undulating road with hairpin turns and has to be fun in a sports car or on a motorcycle. If you're in the area, try driving it. The scenery is gorgeous and I'll bet in the fall breathtaking with the changing leaves.

The drive took us back into Asheville near the Biltmore Estate and Village. We thought we'd check out the Village but didn't stop. Looks modern and I'm sure all the shops are overpriced. We just headed home. Jim asked about dinner and I gave him his options and he chose pizza. So we stopped at Bi-Lo. What a nice store. I got one of their cards so I could get in on the savings. Jim found his favorite beer Leinenkugal's sunset wheat. I got some Dos Equis along with the pizza.

At home we changed clothes and put away our purchases. It was to early for dinner so I stuck the pizza in the fridge. Jim sat outside with a cold beer then came in and took a nap. I watched my soaps and had a cup of coffee.

We had our pizza around 1730. It was very tasty! We both showered and settled in for an evening of TV. NCIS, I sure didn't like the way the season ended! The Mentalist and the last hour of Dancing with the Stars. You could have knocked me over with feather when Shawn won! She must have a huge fan base because the other finalist were better dancers in my opinion.

Our bed was calling to us and we climbed under the comforter just after 2300. It's great sleeping in these cooler temperatures.