After riding our bikes down from Whitetop to Damascus - Virginia Creeper Trail we went to Tennessee for a Cabin Stay.
On our second day stay at The Hill by Cherokee Lake, we drove to Gatlinburg, Tennessee which is only a good hour driving distance.
Yep, a WeFie of both of us as we are climbing to the top of Crockett Mountain to walk one of North America's longest suspension bridges!
Getting way up Crockett Mountain...
Sky Lift Park existed since 1954 but a deadly Wildfire destroyed it in the end of 2016...
It got rebuilt though and since the end of May it is again open to visit the newly constructed Sky Deck with its fabulous Rocky Mountain overlook and restaurant.
Two lines, coming down and going up so they help pull each other...
While I still was studying all this, they unexpected took a photo from us near the Sky Deck!
So we went ahead and purchased it, had it scanned into my iPhone...
Modern Technology!
The entire landscaping looked beautiful!
Behind Pieter you can see the length of the Sky Bridge
Sky Lift Park existed since 1954 but a deadly Wildfire destroyed it in the end of 2016...
It got rebuilt though and since the end of May it is again open to visit the newly constructed Sky Deck with its fabulous Rocky Mountain overlook and restaurant.
So we went ahead and purchased it, had it scanned into my iPhone...
Modern Technology!
Behind Pieter you can see the length of the Sky Bridge
5' Wide or 1.5 m
140' High or 42.6 m
680' Span or 207 m
Oh, I'd bought the tickets on the Internet, so we could skip the line!
They put this band around our wrist that is valid all day.
It was close to 14:00 when we started our walk across.
680 feet or 207 meter...
They have a canopy to shield against the sun and for seating, and to purchase some water or soft drink if needed.
Remember we were visiting Clingmans Dome in April? That peak is seen to the right.
Panoramic views of the Smoky Mountains are fabulous from up here.
We ALL had to walk back to the SkyDeck for danger of lightning and being on an all steel bridge.
So we sat near the restaurant vendor area and here Pieter is getting a nice warm fanning from behind those beverage machines that needed cooling by fan, thus sending the warm air his way!
Now around 15:45...
The Park is open from 7:00 till 21:00
We thoroughly enjoyed it, even if the rain did surprise us all!
Kudos to the install team that erected those footers, towers, cross arms and sheaves using a helicopter and also for flying in all of its parts!
Hope you enjoyed it too and thanks for your visit and comment.
Our Cabin Stay at The Hill by Cherokee Lake in Tennessee | previous post by me
Our Bike Ride from Whitetop to Damascus - Virginia Creeper Trail | previous post by me
Gatlinburg SkyLift Construction - Rebuild | After the wildfire destroyed the original one from 1954
Gatlinburg SkyLift - SkyDeck Construction, Part 3 | showing how the DkyDeck got made
SO Proud of my NONAGENARIAN | previous post where we went to Clingmans Dome together
Hello Mariette, You and Pieter are certainly active and adventurous. While I would have liked hiking in the park, I am not sure that the skybridge would have been for me. I do admit that those cables and sturdily engineered parts have a beauty all their own.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Dearest Jim,
DeleteLuckily both of us have no fear for heights! Never had...
Oh, one can only admire the engineering here! Quite a work of precision and well carried out.
Hugs,
Mariette
Liebe Mariette,
ReplyDeletevielen Dank für deinen schönen Post.
Alles Liebe
Elisabeth
Liebe Elisabeth,
DeleteJa aber gerne und es freut mich!
Liebe Sonntagsgrüße,
Mariette
Mi piace salire su uno Sky Lift e farmi trasportare e ammirare il paesaggio.
ReplyDeleteBuona domenica
Caro Giancarlo,
DeleteGrazie e anche noi ci è piaciuto camminare lì. Buona domenica da soli.
Abbracci
Mariette
We need to take another trip back to Tennessee and this time a stop in Gatlinburg. I would love to take a sky lift and see the country side like this. The bridge and especially with the glass bottom part would be nice to take too. This is something to see. Hats off to the workers who rebuilt this. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHappy Sunday to you
Betsy
Dearest Betsy,
DeleteOh you no doubt will enjoy this and from your area it is not too far away...
Hats off to those workers for doing it in record time also!
Hugs and happy Sunday!
Mariette
Hi Mariette! Looks great! Did the bridge swing? The scenery in the village is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteDearest Anne,
DeleteNo, the bridge did hardly swing due to it being anchored to the ground with more metal cables.
People are NOT allowed to jump though... Just walk.
It is so worth it to enjoy the view all around!
Hugs,
Mariette
Both of you are looking good and it seems you had a lovely day trip. Just never know when those summer showers are going to pop up. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteDearest Tammy,
DeleteThank you and you bet we enjoyed this day, even with the surprise by sudden weather change.
Hugs,
Mariette
Dear Mariette - like you and Pieter I have absolutely no fear of heights and would have really enjoyed this trip and admired those lovely views across to Smoky Mountain.
ReplyDeleteDearest Rosemary,
DeleteWell that was already quite obvious from some of your excellent picture taking form certain heights!
Guess we're lucky for not being afraid of heights...
Hugs,
Mariette
Great engineering masterpiece. It all looks beautiful, not sure I would enjoy riding the ski car with my legs dangling, a bit scary.
ReplyDeleteDearest Sami,
DeleteAbsolutely great engineering masterpiece and we enjoyed it. No fear for dangling legs...
Hugs,
Mariette
Leuk, een kabelbaan!!!! Is erg lang geleden dat ik in zoiets gezeten heb... Mooie trip hebben jullie gemaakt.
ReplyDeleteEcht wel indrukwekkend wat ze tegenwoordig toch allemaal kunnen maken...
Ook De bergen met die 'smoke' zijn erg mooi om te zien zo.
Beste Marian,
DeleteJa een klasse constructie deze kabelbaan en in een record tempo ook nadat de vorige door bosbrand vernield was.
Een geweldige dag vonden wij het en door zo'n mooi gebied ook om te rijden, met plezier doe je dat!
Liefs,
Mariette
Hoi Mariette,
ReplyDeletePrachtige foto's!!
Ziet er heel indrukwekkend uit om daar zo hoog alles te kunnen bekijken. Schitterend.
Maar uhhh....je moet geen hoogtevrees hebben in zo'n bakkie...brrr...!! Haha...!!
Groetjes, Marco
Beste Marco,
DeleteJa, het was dubbel de moeite waard en God zij dank hebben wij beiden geen enkel probleem met hoogtes of wat dan ook!
We gaan nog een keer de oude trein rijden in de herfst, ook in de Smoky Mountains... Is wel niet de Rocky Mountaineer zoals we enkele jaren geleden beleefden, maar toch. Kijk maar eens onder mijn Labels bij Rocky Mountaineer...
Groetjes,
Mariette
The view looks spectacular! Definitely I'd go on the airlift. Whenever I do such activities, I realize I have a fear of heights. There are high-rises in New York City with observation decks for the public. When I look over and down over glass, etc, I am scared. I also have the thought that if you person didn't do their job right, the glass, structure or cables will give way and you will fall to your death! We take risks based on hope that everything is done right!
ReplyDeleteDearest Debra,
DeleteWell, here in the U.S.A. I do trust the quality of steel etc. used!
Not so much in certain countries where there is a lot of corruption and cheating on certain standards.
Glad that both of us have no problem whatsoever with heights.
Hugs,
Mariette
Oh I would love to ride that lift. It looks so much fun! Love the photo they took, it makes a great memory. And the suspension bridge is so long! I had to wonder how was the swing but guess that steel anchors kept the bridge quite stable. Love the statue of bear and cubs, and the view of mountains with fog behind them. What a great experience...I need to make a trip myself one day :-)
ReplyDeleteDearest Tamago,
DeleteYes, you both ought to go there, maybe to see the fall colors from above?! For you it is at least two hours closer by to get there... We LOVED it.
Sending you hugs,
Mariette
Drodzy Agnes,
ReplyDeleteTak, to na pewno była wielka przygoda i kochaliśmy widoki!
Uściski
Mariette
2 kids having the time of their lives:) I love doing different interesting things that make me feel like..yes I do still have adventure left in me:)Bravo you two!
ReplyDeleteDearest Monique,
DeleteYou bet we enjoyed doing this! It was by far not as dangerous as the down hill bike ride we did two days earlier...
It is great for having adventure left in you; that's what keeps us going!
Hugs,
Mariette
Wie schön, dass Ihr sowas noch unternehmen könnt! Mir wäre da oben auch nicht ganz geheuer, ich hatte schon in der Jugend Höhenangst, dann wird mir leicht schwindelig. ;-) Am liebsten habe ich dann ein Gehäuse um mich herum, aber so frei ist es mir unangenehm.
ReplyDeleteAlles Liebe
Sara
Liebe Sara,
DeleteWir beide haben glücklicherweise absolut keinen Höhenangst; nie gehabt!
Es war ein herrliches Abenteuer und so froh das wir es geschafft haben. Es war ja grad einige Monate geöffnet seid den Wildbrand und alles neu.
Liebe Grüße,
Mariette