Chimney Rock and Lake Lure Anniversary Trip

Roses past season on the Flowering Bridge at Lake Lure.

30th Wedding Anniversary Camping Trip

Dana & Kenny Koogler

married Saturday November 10th, 1984

 Chimney Rock Pix

   

  Kenny and I first ran into one another when I was 12 years old and he was 13.  We

were at Indian Bottom Campground. I was there on a youth campout with the Baptist church.

He was there with a cousin, Kenny Gordon.  I met both of them for the first time. I was shy and didn't 

want anything to do with them.   I ran into him again when I moved and started the tenth grade of high school.  He was wild and loud and I still wanted nothing to do with him.  Little did I know that was going

to be my future.  I had no idea then that I'd end up married to him and have a family with him. I'm sure 

glad we did end up together.   We've been together for thirty-three years.  

    We wanted to go some place different for our anniversary.  We wanted to camp and hike, but 

Kenny's stipulation was that we were not going to do any extreme hiking.   I wanted to make at least

one waterfall hike to work on my CMC waterfall 100 challenge.   We got to talking about it and realized

we had not ever visited Chimney Rock State Park and Hickory Nut Falls.   Crystal and Adam and the rest

of the family had been to Lake Lure many times and loved it.  We figured this was the place for us. 

We'd check out the Chimney Rock State Park and Hickory Nut Falls.  I'd be able to scratch one off my waterfall 100 list.   We could try some new restaurants and do some shopping.  It was going to be fun.

      The problem I had not expected in hunting up campgrounds in the area was the time of year.

Many campgrounds in the area close up October 31st.    We were heading over the weekend just prior

to our anniversary.  I finally found a Good Sam rated campground on past Lake Lure. It was Rutherford

Mountain Campground. The photos of it looked nice.  I spoke to the owner on the phone and he was 

very nice.   We'd stay there and it was a solution to our dilemma.   The drive through the area was gorgeous!

We got set up at the campground and decided to go through Rutherfordton just to see what it was like.

It is a quaint town and the mountains around it are too pretty!  Great views and the Autumn colors were peak there.   We got the few grocery items and a movie at Red Box in town.  On the way back toward

the camper we decided to stop and try a local eatery for a nice meal.   We ate our anniversary dinner at 

Scoggin's Steak and Seafood House.  Lord have mercy!  That place is great and we will make a point of going back!   They have light houses painted on the walls.  I went down through there looking and out of a dozen lighthouses I had visited nine.   I cannot recall which ones I still needed, but that was my growing up.

Outer Banks NC twice a year then still going there when I got to be an adult.

   Saturday morning was chilly, but clear.  We got ready and headed over to Chimney Rock State Park for the day.   We stopped by the Flowering Bridge in Lake Lure on the way.  It was quaint. The views from up top of Chimney Rock were incredible.

     

Chimney Rock

 

View from up top of Chimney Rock


One shot of the flowering bridge.


We hiked all we could at Chimney Rock. Up those stairs and out the mountain til it ended.


Here is a very bad shot of Hickory Nut Falls. I forgot and left the SD card out of the camera.
I had to do the best I could with what I had. I went back a second time and got shots of some stuff, but
the best I had for Hickory Nut Falls was a zoomed in shot from the parking lot across from it.



Another view of the Flowering Bridge.


     We had a great 30th wedding anniversary trip. We liked the little town of Chimney Rock.
Living near Gatlinburg though.. it is a lot like that.   I did love some of the funky antique shops and would
go back again.