Scenes from Grandfather Mountain

**Rex_Tremende** · 12th July 09, 07:31 PM

I didn't take too many photos beyond the gates to the fairgrounds, but here are a couple:

There were several music groves - I counted at least three.

Here is a medium sized one, Grove 1:

And the larger one, Grove 2:

On Saturday night, this one was packed to the rafters - if there were in fact rafters - the evening music concert was moved from the main viewing area to this space on account of program delays and rain. The crowd was difficult to contain, and in between bands someone kept lecturing the audience on having a good attitude and keeping the aisles clear. The back third of the audience didn't care much, since there was nothing for them to see.

The music both Friday and Saturday nights was awesome.

A view of the field during the herding demonstrations on Friday, with dancing competition in the background on the little stages:

It's a big field and there's a lot going on all at once - it's a bit of a three-ring circus.

The massed band on Saturday morning:

The double-row of tents ringing the field are the various clan tents. Many had one on both sides - one for information, and the other for the clan groups to assemble, view the proceedings, and have a little hospitality.

More to come...

**Rex_Tremende** · 12th July 09, 07:49 PM

My partner, David, arrived on Friday. I was helping him find his way to the site and get settled and shuttle cars around the time of the group photo, so I wasn't able to make it.

Later we went on a hike through the rowdy side of the campground (1:00 a.m. curfew) to a spot known as the point. From here you could see a great vista that included the fairgrounds:

We took turns documenting that we were there:

I managed to get David into the Utili-clan this weekend with a black Mocker. He says he'll wear it.

My sporran was too low for my taste on account of my losing some weight lately. I got a vendor who was selling leather things to punch a new hole in the sporran strap for me. I also stopped waxing my mustache for the week. Getting out to that spot was not scary, but getting back was - there was a huge crevasse between the rocks which was much easier to traverse one way than it was the other.

More to come...

**Rex_Tremende** · 12th July 09, 07:58 PM

On Saturday, David and I went for a drive to Blowing Rock, NC, and back, following the Blue Ridge Highway out and the wildly curving Blowing Rock Highway back.

On the way there, we passed a very large grove of rhododendrons that were in bloom (which were in bloom everywhere). We got out for a short hike.

The bushes formed a blooming arch over the path.

I'm disappointed that this photo doesn't really show the mounds and mounds of rhododendron growing up the hillside.

This cluster of flowers on a branch in a beam of light caught my eye.

That's all I have. Hope you enjoyed the show.

Regards,
Rex.