Hey, thanks so much for posting this! So interesting to read...very loft ambitions. I went there as a kid a couple of times - it was definitely a special treat for my family. Decided to take my kids when they were young and we were visiting family in the area - prob around 2008 - closed for 6 years at that point!. lol
I was thinking about Ghost Town a few months ago and ended up finding this place: https://roadtrippers.com/magazine/autumn-at-land-of-oz/
Interesting theme parks in NC. :)
Swanson’s Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of the Southern Appalachians: A Field Guide to the Trees and Shrubs of the Southern Appalachians https://www.amazon.com/dp/0801845564/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_GF7A4HDYC4SNKQ3WB26K
It’s worth every penny and is focused exactly on WNC.
Holy shit. I live at the base of Celo Knob and see both wishbones every day! They are quite beautiful when the sunlight hits them. I asked a neighbor what caused them and it was apparently landslides caused by the blizzard in 93. CN is my favorite in the Black range. Feels like a very defined mountain even though multiple named summits make up its profile. Celo/Burnsville and Yancey County are just absolutely beautiful. Another fun fact: CN seems to have its own weather similar to Mt Ranier and is often clouded on sunny days and we get a good bit more rain in Celo than in Burnsville.