St Thomas Episcopal Church ~ Bath, North Carolina

St Thomas Episcopal Church

Bath, North Carolina

Built in 1734, St Thomas Episcopal Church is the oldest church building in the state of North Carolina.

The history of the church – click here

The Schiele Planetarium

James H Lynn Planetarium

Museum of Natural History

The Schiele

Gastonia, North Carolina

The stars are always out and the climate always perfect in the James H Lynn Planetarium, which is named for its first director.  It is the largest operational planetarium in the Metrolina region.  For information go to http://www.schielemuseum.org

Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina

 

The Blue Ridge Parkway, sometimes called “America’s Favorite Drive”, provides both stunning scenery and close-up looks at the natural and cultural history of the southern Appalachian Mountains.  Generally, the Parkway sections of North Carolina are higher in elevation and more rugged in their beauty.

Beautiful Fall colors on the Blue Ridge Parkway!  From a Postcrossing pal.

 

Chimney Rock, North Carolina

 

The summit of the 225-foot Chimney Rock in Chimney Rock, NC, is reached by a beautiful walking trial or elevator.  All Seasons are beautiful, but autumn is spectacular.

Fabulous site from a Postcrossing pal.

A huge American flag flies at the top of the rock!

The Blowing Rock – North Carolina

 

Legend of the Blowing Rock

It is said that a Chickasaw chieftan, fearful of a white man’s admiration for his lovely daughter, journeyed far from the plains to bring her to The Blowing Rock and the care of a squaw mother. One day the maiden, daydreaming on the craggy cliff, spied a Cherokee brave wandering in the wilderness far below and playfully shot an arrow in his direction. The flirtation worked because soon he appeared before her wigwam, courted her with songs of his land and they became lovers, wandering the pathless woodlands and along the crystal streams.

One day a strange reddening of the sky brought the brave and the maiden to The Blowing Rock. To him it was a sign of trouble commanding his return to his tribe in the plains. With the maiden’s entreaties not to leave her, the brave, torn by conflict of duty and heart, leaped from The Rock into the wilderness far below. The grief-stricken maiden prayed daily to the Great Spirit until one evening with a reddening sky, a gust of wind blew her lover back onto The Rock and into her arms. From that day a perpetual wind has blown up onto The Rock from the valley below. For people of other days, at least, this was explanation enough for The Blowing Rock’s mysterious winds causing even the snow to fall upside down.

————————————–

The Blowing Rock is an immense cliff 4090 feet above sea level, overhanging Johns River Gorge 3000 feet below.  The phenomenon is so called because the rocky walls of the gorge form a flume through wich the northwest wind sweeps with such force that it returns light objects cast over the void.

Wonderful legend – from a Postcrossing pal

Website about The Blowing Rock and Blowing Rock, North Carolina

 

Tar Heel Born, Tar Heel Bred

 

North Carolina – the Tar Heel State

From a Postcrossing Pal