Mingus Mill, Museums, and CRAZY Weather at Clingman’s Dome

The weatherman did not lie and we awoke to a drippy Friday morning. No worries, it was perfect weather for huckleberry (from Glacier NP!) pancakes and a slow start to the day. We decided to visit the Mingus Mill and the Farm Museum which are near the Oconaluftee Visitors Center (say that three times fast). Lol.

Mingus Mill is a water powered grist mill that is still operational, we didn’t get to see them grinding but we did pick up some cornmeal so we’ll have fresh cornbread to go with our chili for dinner. Yum. Educational and delicious.

Mingus Mill

Loved the huge grist stone.

View from the mill window.

The mill from the nearby trail.

Caught a break in the weather, perfect time for a stroll. (photo:Rian)

The Farm Museum is a collection of buildings that were relocated from around the park and depict farm life circa 1900. Like Shenandoah, there were many families living in the area that had to relocate after the park was created. Many of the original buildings were razed until the park service finally realized there was historic value in preserving some of the original structures.

Farm Museum buildings.

I like the kitchen in the RV much better! :)

We can see who rules the roost!

Caught a bit of a rainbow over the Farm Museum. 

The drizzle continued off and on throughout the morning so we decided to drive some of the Blue Ridge Parkway and then visit the Cherokee Museum in Cherokee, NC. Appropriate, eh?  The Blue Ridge Parkway was lovely and way more fun in the car than trying to navigate similar roads in the RV! We spent a couple of interesting hours in the Cherokee Museum, Rian’s degree includes a minor in ethnic studies with a concentration in Native American history so she was very familiar with a lot of the information in the exhibits. Powerful and tragic.

Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Cloudy with a few sun breaks today.

The weather front that brought the rain was also supposed to bring cooler temps. Considering it had hit 90˚on Thursday we weren’t too concerned. A little brisk weather would make the hiking that much more enjoyable. Well were we in for a surprise! 

We got up early on Saturday and headed for Clingman’s Dome. At 6,643 feet, the dome is the highest peak in the park. There is an observation tower with a long, spiral concrete ramp to the top which has 360˚ views of the mountains. As the road began climbing towards Clingman’s Dome we noticed white on the hillsides. Hmmmmm… heavy frost, freezing fog, what’s up? Well the “cooler” weather had translated into 28˚ temps with SNOW and ICE at 6000 feet! We couldn’t believe it! The road near the top was slick and the parking lot was a solid sheet of ice. The observation tower was closed and while we were there the Rangers came around and said they were closing the road up until it could be plowed and suggested we head back down. It was so unexpected – we were really glad we had a chance to see it, it was beautiful but really, really cold and windy! We heeded the Ranger’s advice and headed back to camp – we’ll try the Dome again tomorrow when it’s hopefully a little warmer!

Heading up to the Dome we saw frost...

...and then it got colder and whiter.

We weren't dressed for an arctic expedition!

About midway, it was clear it was more than a heavy frost.

Nature is pretty dressed in white.

From the Dome parking lot.

Beautiful... but only 28 degrees and windy!

View from the top - or as high as we could get today!

Back at the campground the temps were in the 50’s, it felt downright balmy. Lol. We hiked the Smokemont Loop Trail and hunted in the creek for salamanders. Rog and Rian found one, but he made a quick getaway, the crawfish wasn’t as fast. Lol.

No snow here - just sunlight through the leaves.

Rian carefully navigates a log bridge.

Salamander hunting... none here...

... or here...

Hello! Not a salamander, but a fun find anyway.  (Photo: Rian)

Tomorrow we’re planning another early start - sunrise pictures at Newfound Gap and another shot at Clingman’s Dome are on the agenda.