Grandfather Mountain :: Two

While on our day excursion to Grandfather Mountain, we crossed the famous Mile High Swinging Bridge.

It used to be the classic wood and rope structure that you conjure in your mind when someone says "swinging bridge." Fortunately, that has been replaced with a much more sturdy and less death-inducing metal bridge. I would not have crossed the old bridge. Especially since inside the nearby building that houses memorabilia and the history of the mountain (and, of course, a gift shop) there is an old photograph of the wood/rope bridge after a storm. Let me see if I can describe the picture to you. ... There was the top rope used for hand rails and the bottom rope used to secure the wooden planks... and then there were about three or four dangling planks that were caught in the ropes. That is it. I don't mean three or four out of the hundreds of planks were dangling. I mean there were only three or four planks. Period. The rest had been carried off by the wind. YIKES!
It was very foggy and much of the view was obscured by fog. Which was probably a good thing when you are walking across a narrow bridge that reminds you at the exact point you are one mile above ground. On a narrow bridge. With no life-saving equipment in case of need. Fortunately we were not of need.
But we made it! And it really couldn't have been a prettier day!

The only thing that could have made it prettier would have been if I had worn make up. And therefore not looked like someone smacked me in the face with a hammer. But no such luck. Plus, I thought you should all have to suffer in the way DM did that day :) Seriously though, I just wanted to share what is quite possibly the worst picture ever taken of me. This is right up there with any photos taken during my 7th grade year. Fortunately - or unfortunately?- I'm not sure which is the proper way to go here- you don't really get to see the ever rounding mid-section that matches the ever rounding face. :)