The photos of the fog inversion were lovely - we used to enjoy similar images
at the New River Gorge in Fayetteville, WV.
I believe your "strange plant" is a member of the Aster family, commonly called
Rattelsnake Weed, Hieracium venosum. Here is a link:
http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/hieraciumveno.html
Cheers, Stuart