“The Blue Ridge Parkway Viewfinder” illustrates and describes the views from eight different overlooks along the parkway in North Carolina.

Created by Haywood County resident Myron Gauger and printed by The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation (BRPF), the viewfinder is available in parkway shops, bookstores, and other related outdoor locations. It is also available from the foundation itself.

According to Gauger, the specific overlooks were chosen because they provide vistas of most of the mountains in North Carolina. The overlooks chosen were, Raven Rocks milepost 302.4, Bear Den milepost 323, Three Knobs milepost 338.8, Licklog Ridge milepost 349.2, Craggy Dome milepost 364.1, Pounding Mill milepost 413.2, Richland Balsam milepost 431.4 and Waterrock Knob milepost 451.2.

It took Gauger two years to complete the project. He said all the overlooks required four to five trips and some took as many as eight to 10 trips to “tie down the images.”

According to Gauger one of the reasons the venture took so long was because, “it was difficult to find enough clear days to map out the views.”

“This is a very unique interpretive tool, I have never seen anything quite like it. I am personally pleased that it contains a message about the diminished air quality in our mountains,” parkway superintendent Dan Brown said in a press release.

With good visibility, most of the technical data could be assimilated on one visit, according to Gauger. Getting the proper aesthetic and visual imagery required multiple visits. The technical information was gathered using GPS (global positioning system) and GIS (geographic information services) technologies along with surveying equipment and photographs. Local names, when available, are used for features depicted on the viewfinder. If local names were not available U.S. Geological designations were used.

Gauger, a sculptor, relied on his artistic knowledge and instinct to create the images. He said if the images were compared to photographs of the same views, they would not be exact matches. The human eye focuses on distinctive features. Gauger said he tried to embellish or emphasize these features when doing the viewfinder to aid in the identification of the landmarks.

The viewfinder gives the name of each landmark, short descriptions of more prominent ones, the elevation of each, the compass bearing from the overlook and the sight-line distance. Locations of cities on the horizon are shown by an arrow.

The eight panels of the viewfinder fold accordion style and it is printed on waterproof, tear-resistant synthetic paper.

Visitors will be able to use the viewfinder as an informal guide to air quality because of the referenced distances to the landmarks, Gauger said.

“This guide will educate and entertain the parkway visitor for hours. The information is well laid out and informative,” said Houck Medford, executive director of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
Publisher’s profits from the viewfinder will go to sponsor projects benefitting the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Viewfinder was produced by ViewFinder, a view identification service founded by Gauger in 1996. Gauger has produced viewfinders for individual homeowners, Grandfather Mountain Visitor’s Brochure, The Swag, Cataloochee Ranch and now the Blue Ridge Parkway.

For information regarding “The Blue Ridge Parkway Viewfinder,” contact the BRPF by phone at 336.721.0260; email foundation@brpfoundation.org or visit their website at www.BRPFoundation.org.
For information on ViewFinder check out www.viewfdr.com.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News