re: Beech Mountain NC
I did not mention it since we have discussed that road before but I guess I have driven it so much that I don’t even think twice anymore. Once you pass the parking lot, the roads to the houses and condos are actually trickier and they often have snow cover. If you are ever there again try the dirt road that goes all the way around the back (south) side you where you will find the steep rock cliffs and begin to wonder if you will ever see civilization again.
There is a great book written 100 years ago by noted outdoorsman Horace Kephart, Our Southern Highlanders, that goes into great detail about how the steep mountain ridges divided families and communities and led to the isolation and deprivation of the area.
That was written near the Maggie Valley area where Catalooche ski area sits perched on the peak a few thousand feet above the town. I’ll nominate that road for consideration.
