Trillium - Found a patch of these down by the club house too for an added bonus!!!
exposed to an abundance of wildlife but…it was a first for us when Floyd the dog ran into the house excitedly proceeding to rub his burnt rubber, onion, garlic stir fry smelling snout all over our carpet. It was 10 at night so our reaction time was on the slow side but even though the dog was only inside a mere 20 seconds…lets just say things got real. 
Rough Ridge Trail is has a really great hike to view ratio. It only takes about 10 minutes to get to the big vista and it's a big one folks. It goes way up from where these pictures were taken and connects to the Tanawha trail as well. The round trip is 2 miles but you don't have to do all of it to get a big pay off!
starting to turn, the days are warm, and the nights are down right chilly. The cool temperatures seem to wash away the summer haze and now several more layers of distant mountains appear in our views. I appreciate the beauty of the land here at any season, but there's no question that this is the High Country's "last fling," and you just don't want to miss it if you can help it. Excitement is in the air with this turning of the season. Travelers from near and far seem to descend on these mountains at peak summer levels to catch a glimpse of our brief but glorious "leaf season." There's also the 30th Annual Woolly Worm Festival this weekend in Banner Elk. Another big event is the Carolina in the Fall music festival in North Wilkesboro hosted by the Kruger Brothers, an amazing Bluegrass band from Switzerland who actually moved here a few years ago. Take a listen. Or, you can pick a pumpkin, take home some local apples, and find other Fall goodies at the Watauga County Farmers Market. 
There is no better way to drink in the rainbow-colored landscape than to take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This incredible stretch of road, begun in 1938 and completed over 50 years later, is one of America's most scenic drives. The 45 mph speed limit throughout guarantees a pace that's perfect for viewing the scenery and the abundant wildlife. 
section that heads South from here. One last thing to keep your eyes out for if you travel through Ashe County is Omni Highland Cattle Farm which backs right up to the eastern side of the Parkway. These beautiful (at least I think they are) animals can be seen grazing peacefully. Although the farm isn't open for tours, you might pull off and sneak a picture or two! 
plus the stately mansion Flat Top Manor which now houses a rotating craft exhibit sponsored by the highly touted Southern Highland Craft Guild. No trip to the High Country is complete without a trip to Grandfather Mountain and the realized dreams of the legendary environmentalist, photographer, and naturalist Hugh Morton who passed away just last year. Too much can be written about the Mountain and the Man so a future blog is in order. Finally, the area in and around Linville , including the unique Linville Caverns, and famous Linville Falls. Although the area itself has gotten a bit touristy (folks flock for a reason), the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area, sometimes called the "Grand Canyon of the East," offers some of the most remote backcountry hiking and camping in the Southeast. 
High Country area. Now I'm scratching my head trying to figure out what I'm gonna do. My only advice is to not try and do it all, but to see what you can and savor the moment. Winter will be upon us before you know it. "And the seasons.....they go round and round.
you go to "get away from it all"? Well, the answer to that question this year was about 30 minutes outside of Burnsville, NC for my family. When I asked my Mom, "why Burnsville", she candidly replied..."well, none of us have ever been there before". Well, I guess that was good enough for me and the other 14 or so members of my extended family, all of who trekked from the far reaches of North Carolina and Virginia to the off the beaten path "cabin" that was big enough to house our rambunctious clan for a whole week.
various nooks and crannies of the mountains all my life, I just assumed that I had been there at some point. Turns out I hadn't, nor had my husband who grew up in nearby Morganton. We ended up having a wonderful day trip pretending to be tourists an hour and a half from home. We stopped at all of the overlooks on the parkway and took pictures of trees and butterflies. We set the camera to a timer so that we could have a pictures with both of us. We even bought the touristy blackberry jam at the little concession stand at the top of the mountain. It was a wonderful sunny day with the temperature at least 7 degrees cooler than when we set out at the base of the mountain. 
0% complete so it shouldn't be too much longer but I doubt they'll have it open before next spring. The good news is that you don't have to fight the crowds. The bad news is that, while you can drive up and have nice views from the main parking area and wilderness trails, you're not going to experience that huge unobstructed panoramic vista from the tip top. 