I know this challenge is about our area where we live, but I spent many years growing up not far from the Atlanta area in North Carolina. I still consider this state my home even though I have not lived there in years. This past week my wife and I spent two days roaming on the Blue Ridge Parkway, a scenic byway that follows the Appalachian Mountain range all the way up into Virginia.
The picture accompanying this post was taken by me this past Wednesday and shows the parkway as it goes around Grandfather Mountain. The fall colors were out in force. There was very little motor traffic as well since it was in the middle of the week. The weekends this time of the year on the parkway can be busy with motorists out to enjoy the color.
While I was in college, back in the black and white days (Color had not been invented yet), I would drive up these mountains, leave my car at an overlook with a message in the windshield stating where I went and when I would be back, and then I would strike out down a trail into the wilderness. I would often be gone for days, enjoying the mountain solitude. I also would camp in the mountains every new years day.
These days, I am lucky to get through a 1 hour walk in the woods, but the enjoyment of the solitude is still there. The North Carolina mountains are my happy place. Camera in hand, I am happy to set off and not care where I end up.
The very best thing about these mountains is that they are only about an hour or so car ride from where I live now. A quick day trip or even over-nighter will put you in the thick of the mountain beauty.
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