Ok, I posted this on another site and it only has one pic of the ML, but but is does show the fun that one can have in a proper off-roader. These photos were originally taken in January 2004.
This is another thead that demonstrates elevation snow. We rarely get snow in Charlotte as the snow/freezing line is ususally about 30 miles north of the city and mostly due to the increasing elevation into the NC mountains. Last Thursday I decided to take a day off and go skiing and my journey shows this effect perfectly. Just for reference Charlotte is about 500 ft above sea level.
It was still dark when I left and was just raining in Charlotte. About 50 miles north of town, I took this photo at a rest area on I-77. The rain has changed to snow, and is sticking on the greenery. It was 33 degrees here.
After traveling about 35 more miles, I stopped to buy gas (and paid an outrageous price for it too) and you can see it is starting to stick to the road. It was 32 here and this is just before the big rise into the mountains. This is probably about 1000 ft. above sea level.
Here at the continental divide, you can see there is much more snow. It is 31 degrees now. The second photo is the Blue Ridge Parkway crossing the Hwy I was on.
On the way to Beech, I passed through the town of Boone to get some breakfast. It is the largest town in the northern NC mountains and is also home to ASU (Appalachian State University). There are a number of great coffee houses and restaurants such as the Boone Bagerly and Angelica's Organic Vegetarian Restaurant.
I find the winter scenery between Boone and Beech Mtn absolutely beautiful. I thought I would share some of it with you.
This BTW is the Mast General Store in Valle Crucis. It has been there since 1883 and is a popular attraction these days.
More scenery.
It is a perilous journey as the road continues to wind up into the mountains. At this point the elevation is probably around 4000 ft. Better not slip off this road as it is a long drop. :o
Better heed this warning of this automatic warning sign and leave that sedan or cut-ute at home (the sign pops open when conditions are bad) This is at 4100 ft and is at the final road that leads to Beech.
Fortunately I was prepared. ;)
Arrival at Beech. It is 5500 ft. and there is snow everywhere. Surprisingly however, and this is a quirk of elevation, the temp quickly rose above freezing so it was warmer than when I left charlotte. Sometimes warm air masses rise above the cold ones and Beech is high enough to feel the effect.
The biggest thing going on in Beech these days is skiing in the winter, and summer homes where people escape the heat of summer. The temps rarely rise higher than the 70s at Beech. BTW, the mountain actually exceeds 6000 ft.
This is the only highspeed ski lift in NC. It is great.
These photos were taken from one of the lifts. I found it incredibly difficult to manage two ski poles, two gloves (which I had to take off), a camera, lens cover and camera bag with out dropping anything or falling out of the chair. Both of which would have sucked big time. :P
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