This weekend, Paige, Jim (a guy I work with) and I all took a trip over to Boone, NC. I have really wanted to get out and drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is one of the top road trips in the US. It is a beautiful, scenic road that winds through the mountains all the way from eastern Tennessee all the way into Virginia. With the leaves changing colors, I figured this would be an ideal weekend to get out and drive, check out the trees and just get some great scenery. I underestimated how pretty this drive was going to be! It was absolutely beautiful. It is a winding road that weaves through the mountains with look-outs every couple of miles. It was the perfect weekend to check it out and we were not alone! There were literally hundreds of cars out on the parkway with us and each lookout was packed with people taking pictures and enjoying the views. So, I joined everyone and took a bunch of pictures.
We also went on a 5 mile hike right off of the parkway, which was a lot of fun.
Paige has a friend that goes to Appalachian State University for grad school and is the cheerleading coach there. So we decided to go to their football game Saturday, stay the night and go out that evening. Apparently, App. State is really good. They've won the National Championship (D-1 AA) 3 of the last 5 years and win their conference about 80% of the time. So, it was a fun game to watch, a really nice stadium (carved into the side of a mountain) and they won!
Overall, it was a great weekend and a lot of fun. I drove probably 50 miles or so on the parkway, hiked 5 miles and had a blast partying at App State!
- This is the "Viaduct" on the Parkway. The color is a little off, so when I get a better version of it, I'll update it. I just wanted to get this loaded on here becuase I thought it was pretty cool.
- Just another bridge along the Parkway.
- I finally got this pano put together and finished. This is the same spot as the "Viaduct" above, but just an extended view of it. I was up on a rock, across the parkway with about 5 other people and quickly snapped 9-10 pictures making this pano. Since it's taken in mid-day sun, the sky is pretty blown out, but I didn't have much of a choice, so it's as best as I could get, given the circumstances. Luckily, I was able to catch a break in the traffic and there was no one on this section of the road for about 10 seconds. It doesn't quite compare to actually being there, but it's an impressive view nonetheless.
We also went on a 5 mile hike right off of the parkway, which was a lot of fun.
Paige has a friend that goes to Appalachian State University for grad school and is the cheerleading coach there. So we decided to go to their football game Saturday, stay the night and go out that evening. Apparently, App. State is really good. They've won the National Championship (D-1 AA) 3 of the last 5 years and win their conference about 80% of the time. So, it was a fun game to watch, a really nice stadium (carved into the side of a mountain) and they won!
Overall, it was a great weekend and a lot of fun. I drove probably 50 miles or so on the parkway, hiked 5 miles and had a blast partying at App State!
- This is the "Viaduct" on the Parkway. The color is a little off, so when I get a better version of it, I'll update it. I just wanted to get this loaded on here becuase I thought it was pretty cool.
- Just another bridge along the Parkway.
- I finally got this pano put together and finished. This is the same spot as the "Viaduct" above, but just an extended view of it. I was up on a rock, across the parkway with about 5 other people and quickly snapped 9-10 pictures making this pano. Since it's taken in mid-day sun, the sky is pretty blown out, but I didn't have much of a choice, so it's as best as I could get, given the circumstances. Luckily, I was able to catch a break in the traffic and there was no one on this section of the road for about 10 seconds. It doesn't quite compare to actually being there, but it's an impressive view nonetheless. 
- Finished with the fake matting and some words. I got it framed out so that it would fit inside a 12"x36" picture frame.
- Just a wooden fence and a barn along the parkway.
- I caught a break in traffic long enough to get out in the middle of this tree-lined street and snap this photo! 
- A picture I took while we were on our hike.Let me know what you think!
T
