Thursday, July 27, 2006

Vacation Time

This summer with my exhibit at the Contemporary in late June and with our passports due for renewal I scheduled no major vacation. Instead we went on three short excursions In June and July

Blue Ridge Parkway

After closing down the exhibit we jumped in the sedan and headed to North Carolina. Our first night was at Hot Springs, the only true hot springs in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This spring did not feature the standard communal pool; instead visitors booked time in private individual tubs fed from the springs. The water was fine but the 70’s vintage sign at the entrance promoted something other than soaking in healing mineral water. After a visit to Linwood Falls we camped at North Carolina’s Stone Mountain State Park. Living near Georgia’s more notable Stone Mountain I looked for comparisons. The Georgia granite giant has a big carving, a train running around the base, a laser show, a riverboat and a place where kids can shoot foam at each other. NC’s exposed mass of hard rock has pleasant campsites, dangerous hiking trails, views of the Blue Ridge Mountains, copious herds of deer and far more greenery. I expect Georgia to try and claim a copyright infringement case and make the northern site change its name.

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