Check Out "Forrest Gump Curve"
More special weekends. Spring birding and wildflower weekends will be expanded in April and May because the panoply of spring wildflowers can't all be seen on a single weekend, and spring bird migrations bring many species through over several weeks. A geology weekend, aptly titled "The History of Hard Rock," was a new feature in 1995, and will be repeated this year.
Wildflowers at Grandfather Mountain. Curtis Robbins of Native Landscapes Co., in Pineola, opened a shop selling native plants between the museum and the deer habitat in July 1995. He's also planted and labeled more than 50 species of wildflowers along pathways in the habitat area.
New trail. A trail from the summit parking lot to the Black Cliffs Trail parking area, added in fall, 1995.
"The Forrest Gump Curve." Not really new, and as yet unlabeled. If you've seen "Forrest Gump," you've seen Grandfather Mountain Ü for a couple of seconds. Forrest's run across America included Grandfather's summit. The location was suggested by a camera crew working on the movie that had filmed a Cadillac commercial in the same place.
New pamphlet. A 10-page, informative and attractive booklet welcoming visitors to the mountain. You receive a copy at the entrance gate. It includes a bloom calendar, a guide to the mountain's lower, middle and upper sections, and answers to commonly asked questions.
Exhibits. On the Highland Games, Singing on the Mountain, and Celebrity Visitors on the second floor of the summit visitor center, scheduled to open in spring, 1996.
Publication. A semi-annual "News-letter for People Who Appreciate Grandfather Mountain." First issue appeared in September, 1995.
Yikes! A new wind record of 175 mph, set on February 24, 1995, eclipsing the previous record of 173 mph set on April 6, 1988.
--EH |
