Crabby Gardens

It's fall and it's time for another field trip.  We all (even the dog) headed up near Asheville, NC and hit the Blue Ridge Pkwy.  Just a few miles East we arrived at Craggy Gardens.  I imagine this area would be much more popular in the Spring and fall when all the purple flowers are blooming.  That crowd scares me because there were a lot of people up there as it was.

Unfortunately we started out pretty quickly with a bad attitude coming from a kid. We pushed on.  Sometimes we let the dog run without a leash and she stays pretty close.  With all the people around on this trip we decided to hold her on a leash.  Randy held the leash and didn't quite control the dog to my standard.  This resulted in another kid developing a bad attitude.   The hike wasn't as relaxing as I had hoped.

BUT - It wasn't THAT bad and we still had an overall good day.  We also saw some amazing landscape.  Let me share:

At the top of this mountain there is an observation deck.  That's where we hiked to.

 This is a view looking toward the Blue Ridge Pkwy:

 This is the opposite direction, again of the Pkwy cutting through the mountains.  This is two photos stitched together.

 Is there anything better than driving through the mountains on a scenic highway?  How about driving through a tunnel on that same highway!

 Look!  Everyone smiling at the top of the mountain.  I told you it wasn't THAT bad.