August 14 – 16 Roaring Gap, North Carolina
Stone Mountain State Park
What started out as a gorgeous sunny driving day, although slow, through some very mountainous areas, turned nasty, with a whopper thunderstorm. It was raining so hard; we pulled off at an exit and sat for a while to let the skies settle down a bit. Luckily we were only 30 minutes from our campground.
The area is quite full of many outdoor things to do – hiking, biking, boating….you name it…
We hiked to the famous (around here anyway) Stone Mountain. Such a site to see, my oh my!!! On the grounds of the campground made it easy to get to. Located at the base of Stone Mountain, was the Hutchinson Homestead. It was a working farm built by the Hutchinson family in the mid-19th century. It was restored in 1998 and bought by the state of North Carolina as part of the Stone Mountain Park, in 1979.
From there, we hiked in a different direction to Stone Mountain Falls. A breathtaking 200ft. waterfall in Big Sandy Creek that flows down a steep rock face into a shallow pool.
Surrounding the lower falls is a pool that makes a beautiful natural area full of boulders, branches, and rocks. There are 350 steps leading down from the top of the falls and an overlook along the way. Whew! We did it…..Yayyy!! We were a bit pooped when we got back to the truck.
Late in the afternoon we headed into the town of Elkin for supplies. I don’t think we’ve ever seen a pet Llama outside of a Llama farm. Well….we did today. Meet “Sipping Kalua”!!
The owner was asked multiple times – jokingly – “what kind of dog is that”? His reply –“he’s my Llamadoodle”. He proudly walked with a leash into the Tracker Supply Store and then into Lowes. Quite the site to see….