If Thunder the Wonder Dog is going to get me up at 5:30, I might as well do something with the time. Leia Cator posts a picture of the sunrise over her ridge every morning at her blog. Her faithfulness in this and the pictures she posts inspired me to try to capture a sunrise this morning. The view from my house is fine but not really a good one for capturing a sunrise, so I decided to hoof it over to the Royal Gorge.
In addition to having a great name, the Royal Gorge was the route for most people who came up the Blue Ridge to the French Broad River Valley until the completion of Interstate 40. The roadbed for old Highway 70 still exists, and thanks to the efforts of Judge Allen Thornburg, a path of asphalt was laid down a couple of years ago. Now it is possible to go by foot or bike to Point Lookout which was once a midway point and tourist attraction on the way up Old Fort Mountain. The sunrise this morning was more amazing than these pictures convey. You should go check out the show for yourself.