NC HIGHPOINT REVISIT
Finally, views from a hp mountain top...

This is HP #4 of 4 to take a look at the new "wheelchair accessible" tower. From Asheville, the Blue Ridge road that would ordinarily take us to Mt. Mitchell, was detoured. We agonized awhile over taking 1 1/2 hrs to reach it this route. Our pioneer spirit won out and, with gas at 2$/gal, what the hell...? And, the weather was in our favor for a change. Doing the detour turned out ok: a winding mountain road and, with little traffic this time of year, an enjoyable, cut-the-butter drive.

While we miss the original NC hp stone tower, this new mountain topper was quite nice, though more like an observation deck. The sky was clear and the views spectacular.

There were no original marker disks to be found. Before, one was centered in the floor of the tower and another on a close-by rock cropage which was, supposedly, the highest natural point. Excavation for the new masonary topage, it turns out, negated those. Based on the recent Four Corners fiasco, who knows where's what?