These beautiful falls appear in a scene in the movie The Last of the Mohicans, but due to the magic of cinema look much taller and fearsome than they seem in person! We’ve walked from the visitors center about three-quarters of a mile to sit and ponder the beauty of our surroundings. A chat with a ranger gave us a bit of history about this place. Early in the 20th Century this was a privately owned tourist attraction. In the 1940’s admission cost the princely sum of fifty cents. Thanks to the generosity of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. we can all enjoy Linville Gorge as part of the National Park System. Another tidbit of information we learned is that one of the loops at Crabtree Meadows campground is closed. That’s probably where we camped with David in 1979. Have you seen the photo of a tiny David blowing on the campfire? As we drove through the area earlier today, it did not look the way we remembered it so most likely we stayed in the section that remains closed due to underfunding!
It was an incredible experience to actually walk the streets of Pompeii, once a bustling resort town in the Roman Empire until 79 AD when an apocalyptic explosion buried it under 20 feet of volcanic ash. Archeological excavations since the 19th Century continue to reveal evidence of a thriving community.
Once the largest cruise ship in the world, Allure of the Seas will be our home for the next seven nights as we cruise the Western Mediterranean and explore the eighteen decks of this behemoth.
Our recent travel misadventures seriously curtailed our time in Rome pre-cruise but we did get to visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel before making the trip to Civitavecchi for an overnight in the port city of Rome preparatory to departing on Allure of the Seas tomorrow.
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