Grandfather Mountain

This afternoon we decided to ignore a bad weather forecast and head to Grandfather Mountain for the afternoon for some hiking.  We haven't been there in years and it is such a special place.  Well, the weather didn't cooperate very well, but we had a little while to spend there between showers and storms.  Grandfather has been instrumental in saving the black bear in western NC and we visited the wildlife habitat to see the resident bears and other creatures native to this part of the state.  Since the bear population is now healthy in western NC, Grandfather no longer participates in a breeding program, but they do have a few black bears that have been rescued.  They also have a few playful otters, some deer and a rescued Golden Eagle.  We briefly saw the cougar before it hid behind a rock.  Unfortunately, these magnificent cats are thought to be extinct in this area now.  What a pity we haven't protected our indigenous predators.  We also walked across the "mile high" bridge although a thunderstorm forced us back across before we could explore very much.  I was proud of George going across the swinging bridge since he is so afraid of heights.  I took a photo of him standing on the bridge as proof, but he didn't want me to post it.  Hopefully next time we visit we'll have a chance to do some hiking as well.