"Where in North America is this?" Section VI

[jayree]

I think it might be Grandfather Mountain, located in western NC near Blowing Rock and Boone.

This was taken from the Grandfather Mountain website:

"The original Cherokee name for the mountain was "Tanawha," meaning "a fabulous hawk or eagle." It was named "Grandfather" by pioneers who recognized the face of an old man in one of the cliffs. Many vantage points reveal different faces, so there is no one official profile of the mountain, but the most popular can be seen from the community of Foscoe, seven miles north of Linville and 10 miles south of Boone on NC 105".

Jerry.

[Foy]

That's Grandfather Mountain, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains in northwestern North Carolina. The English name arises from the "profile" suggestive of an older man in repose and can be envisioned in the picture with the forehead at the summit and the brow, nose, and chin descending to the right of the summit. Indeed, NC 105 ascends to Linville Gap just barely out of view on the right of the frame and the "profile" is rather more distinctive from that angle. The Native American name is in fact Tanawa and is recognized by a trail of that name roughly paralleling the Blue Ridge Parkway for several miles along its slopes.

At 5,947', Calloway Peak is the highest of several summits atop Grandfather. The Blue Ridge Parkway skirts the eastern slopes just out of view to the left of the frame here, with the famous Linn Cove Viaduct carrying the Parkway for +1,200 linear feet over some very rugged territory.

The snapshot here was taken at 0700 on a Sunday morning in late October 2008 so shows the pinkish early morning light illuminating the mountain from behind the photographer.

The shot was taken from the deck of our family's vacation home near Blowing Rock. That house happens to be where much of Charles Frazier's novel "Cold Mountain" was written as he sat just inside from the deck and took in the view exactly as depicted here. Although Frazier's Smokey Mountain hometown and Cold Mountain itself are well over 100 miles to the southwest of this spot, he drew much inspiration from the view here and said as much in the credits in the book.

I expect to arrive at this spot (the house) not long after sunset this evening. Weather permitting, by around 2pm Sunday afternoon, I'll be atop Calloway Peak, having hiked up from the Boone Fork Trailhead along the Parkway. It's only some 3.5 miles to the summit, but that route gains 2,000' of elevation so is a less-than-easy hike. Wish me luck!

Foy

[Mark Sedenquist]

When I popped on here, Grandfather Mountain was my first thought -- but I see the Jayree beat me by three hours or so....

Mark

[jayree]

This is not a rock, but a parking lot. There are two questions:

1) Where is the parking lot located?
2) From what location was the picture taken?


Photo by: Jerry Kendrick

I can provide some hints, if needed. The number of cars and the trees may be a clue. Also, a 10x zoom was used for the picture.
Jerry.

[CalOldBlue]

Curry Village parking lot taken from Glacier Point?

[Mark Sedenquist]

I like the concept -- nice shot. (and good job on figuring out the coding issue on the photo display!)

Curry Village? I gotta go look at my maps...Is that the correct angle?

Wow, good memory -- that does look right!

[jayree]

Wow! You guys are really good! I'm going to have to find something really hard next time!

Here is a picture of the parking lot without the zoom. It's good to have a neck strap for shots like this in case the camera slips.


Photo by: Jerry Kendrick

Jerry.

[CalOldBlue]

Did you hand-hold that 10x shot, or use a tripod?

If hand-held, you must have nerves of steel. Shot seems tack-sharp.

[CalOldBlue]

What is this?
Where is it?
Why is it like this now?


Photo: Don Casey

Yes, this IS a tourist attraction, of sorts.

[jayree]

No tripod used on either picture. But there was a very sturdy railing that you could lean on. Yosemite NP is a beautiful place!
Jerry.