With the addition of two renowned roots music groups – Los Lobos, considered by critics and fans as one of America’s most distinctive and original bands, and Assembly of Dust, known for their stellar live performances from Bonnaroo to Carnegie Hall – MerleFest 25, presented by  Lowe’s Hardware, firms up another diverse, crowd-pleasing collection of performers for the festival’s 2012 lineup. Los Lobos will perform on Friday, April 27, delivering the closing performance of the evening, and Assembly of Dust will perform on various stages on Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29.

Slated for April 26 – 29, 2012, MerleFest will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest is an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, gathering to celebrate the memory of musician Eddy Merle Watson, beloved son of American music icon Doc Watson.

Over the years, MerleFest has become known for spontaneous moments, collaborations and last-minute performance additions. To keep up with any additional changes and additions to this year’s lineup – even during the festival – MerleFest encourages fans to sign up for the e-newsletter and to follow the festival through Facebook and Twitter. Links are available at www.merlefest.org.

Rolling Stone magazine has said that, “With the exception of U2, no other band has stayed on top of its game as long as Los Lobos.” Now in their 38th year of making music, the three-time Grammy-winning band is still creating inventive and inspiring music. Though they may have come to the attention of many with their huge hit “La Bamba,” Los Lobos’ rich musicality has continued to evolve and expand with each project and with each tour. Drawing equally from rock, Tex-Mex, country, folk, R&B, blues, and traditional Spanish and Mexican music, this internationally renowned group of performers delivers a graceful, gritty sound that never strays from the musical traditions that form the heart and soul of the band. About their most recent album, the Grammy-nominated Tin Can Trust, NPR’s Ken Tucker said, “Los Lobos is a master of creating moods, of summoning up a setting and putting you in the center of it. From the band’s major-label debut Will The Wolf Survive to Tin Can Trust, the band has always sung about people who take their pleasures where they can find them and who lead rich imaginative lives.

All Music has described the New York-based Assembly of Dust as “melding the deep grooves of blues and R&B with guitar work that recalls J. J. Cale and Little Feat.” AOD’s 2011 release Found Sound represents a “behind the curtain” look at a band that has gained notoriety as a studio/live performance hybrid. The energy captured on Found Sound represents what fans from coast to coast have known for years: music’s best kept secret may have just been found.

Ticket purchases for MerleFest 25 can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. An early bird ticket discount is available through March 12, 2012.

With over 90 artists performing on 14 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest 25 is an excellent entertainment value. A complete list of confirmed performers is available at www.merlefest.org.

MerleFest, considered one of the premier music festivals in the country, is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson and is a celebration of what Doc Watson calls “traditional plus” music, meaning the traditional music of the Appalachian regional plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.” The annual festival has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition Opening Reception takes place on Friday, February 3, 2012 along with the start of voting for the AMPC People’s Choice Award.  49 finalist images will be on display from February 3 through June 2 at the Turchin Center for the Visual arts on the Campus of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina.

Cast your vote for the coveted People’s Choice Award via a kiosk at the exhibition or online at www.appmtnphotocomp.org.  Voting officially begins with the public reception opening at 7:00 pm, Friday, February 3 and voting will close at 5:00 pm on Friday, March 30, 2012.  The winner of the People’s Choice award receives a $350 cash award furnished by Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitter in Boone and Blowing Rock.

Winners will be announced after March 30, 2012 once votes have been tallied for the People’s Choice Award.

Visit Virtual Blue Ridge to read more about the press release for this year’s People’s Choice Award. We wish everyone the best of luck in choosing your favorite for this year’s PCA, it definitely won’t be quick and easy!

You all probably know most of the benefits of hiking (physical, mental, and financial), so you can think of this as a refresher course:

-An increase in muscle strength and bone strength (and therefore a decrease in osteoporosis)

-A decrease in hypertension

-A healthy dose of Vitamin D from the sunlight (as always, though, make certain to wear sunscreen so that this “healthy dose” doesn’t decline into sunburn)

-A loss of excess weight (“When hiking a comfortable 2-MPH, a person weighing 150 pounds will burn 240 calories in one hour.” –ATFiles.org)

-A decrease in cholesterol levels

-A decrease in depression and an overall increase in mental health

-A decrease in the risk for colon cancer and breast cancer

-An increase in your sense of accomplishment

Overall, hiking is an inexpensive way to exercise, stay in shape, and relax the mind. For further information, ATFiles.org has a wonderfully detailed article that you can read that covers most of the points above. Find a trail near you and start blazing.

Also, did you know that you can leave a Trip Advisor Review of the Blue Ridge Parkway? Click here and do so!

© Zainubrazvi

Vince Gill, one of the most  popular and honored performers in country music today – and one of the most respected musicians in Nashville – has been added to the MerleFest 25 lineup. Gill will perform on Thursday, April 26, delivering the closing performance of the evening. MerleFest 25, presented by Lowe’s Hardware, is slated for April 26 – 29, 2012, and will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest is an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, gathering to celebrate the memory of musician Eddy Merle Watson, beloved son of American music icon Doc Watson.

Such blockbuster hits as “Go Rest High on That Mountain,” “Whenever You Come Around” and “I Still Believe In You” have helped Vince Gill sold more than 26 million albums over the course of his highly successful career. He has earned 18 CMA Awards, including Entertainer of the Year in 1993 and 1994. He is tied with George Strait for having won the most CMA Male Vocalist Awards (five), and is currently third only to George Strait (22) and Brooks & Dunn (19) for accumulating the most CMA Awards in history. Gill is a member of the Grand Ole Opry and has received 20 Grammy Awards to date. Just last month, Gill scored his 41st Grammy nomination as a co-writer on “Threaten Me With Heaven,” nominated for Best Country Song. In August of 2007, the Country Music Association inducted Gill as a member of the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame.

Gill’s most recent project, Guitar Slinger (released in October 2011) is a favorite of both fans and music critics across the country, with iTunes proclaiming “Vince Gill’s superlative work in the ‘80s and ‘90s remains a high standard to reach, but he exceeds expectations on Guitar Slinger… When it comes to musical finesse and pure feeling, nobody does it like Vince.”

An avid golfer, Gill helped create the annual Vince Gill Pro-Celebrity Invitational Golf Tournament (“The Vinny”) in 1993 in order to help support junior golf programs throughout Tennessee. Besides being known for his talent as a performer, musician and songwriter, Gill is regarded as one of Country Music’s best known humanitarians, participating in hundreds of charitable events throughout his career.

Ticket purchases for MerleFest 25 can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. An early bird ticket discount is available through March 12, 2012.

With over 90 artists performing on 14 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest 25 is an excellent entertainment value. A complete list of confirmed performers is available at www.merlefest.org. Additionally, up-to-the-minute lineup additions for the festival can be obtained through the festival’s e-newsletter and through Facebook and Twitter.

MerleFest, considered one of the premiere music festivals in the country, is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson and is a celebration of what Doc Watson calls “traditional plus” music, meaning the traditional music of the Appalachian regional plus whatever other styles we were in the mood to play.” The annual festival has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

The 11th annual music and arts festival that bears the moniker of its hometown of Floyd, Virginia, kicks off a second decade in July of 2012 with a bursting-at-the seams line-up of genre-spanning entertainment. FloydFest, which celebrated its tenth birthday in 2011 with an at capacity crowd of 14,000 daily patrons over the marathon 4-day event, is already slating for another success year as early ticket sales are up 97% and with festival promoters receiving honorable recognition by the National Endowment for the Arts.

“2012 is promising to be a reiteration of FloydFest’s mission statement,” notes FloydFest co-founder, Erika Johnson.  Which is “to be the best music festival experience of our time. To sell a limited quantity of tickets to the highest quality event experience, bar none, celebrating music, art and life in an intimate, visually stunning environment. To showcase a singularly fresh, unique line-up nationally recognized and under-the-radar musicians to an annually sold-out audience of diverse, music-loving people, and to remain committed to an authenticity and sustainability.”

More than a music festival, FloydFest is a forum for all things progressively feel-good and has garnered a niche in the festival scene as a haven of good vibes and family friendly recreation. Located at milepost 170.5 off the breathtakingly beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, the event boasts ten unique stages, several of handcrafted timber frame construction, panel discussions on sustainability and social concerns, a variety of workshops, Healing Arts offerings, an Artisan’s Village and Children’s Universe, a smorgasbord of organic food offerings, and even a 5k morning trail race and guided hikes along the trails that run through the bordering National Park.

The much-anticipated FloydFest initial artist line-up includes: Alison Krauss & Union Station feat. Jerry Douglas, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Brandi Carlile, SOJA, Leftover Salmon, Matisyahu, Bruce Hornsby & the Noisemakers, Ozomatli, Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder,  Sam Bush Band, Galactic with Special Guest Corey Henry, Punch Brothers, Gary Clark Jr, ALO,  Conspirator, Garage A Trois, Toubab Krewe, Locos Por Juana, David Wax Museum, Trouble Funk Go-Go Band, The Mighty Wonders, MarchFourth Marching Band, Pedrito Martinez, Steep Canyon Rangers, Darrell Scott Trio, Orgone, Anders Osborne, Corey Ledet, Drew Emmitt Band, The Rogues, Hoots & Hellmouth, The Dead Kenny G’s, Marco Benevento Trio, ArtOfficial, Joshua Panda Band, Morwenna Lasko & Jay Pun Quartet, Love Canon String Band, L Shape Lot, Kings of Belmont, Gregory Alan Isakov, The Situationist, The Trapeze Show and MANY MORE to come!

Tickets and information available at www.floydfest.com or by calling 888-VA-FESTS.

Congratulations from the organizers and sponsors of the AMPC to all the selected photographers and a sincere thank you to everyone who submitted photographs for consideration sharing their vision of the people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.

And the finalists are . . .

Remember, the exhibition at the Turchin Center on the campus of Appalachian State University opens on Friday February 3rd, 2012 and the images selected for exhibition will be posted on the High Country Photos website as soon as the People’s Choice Award voting begins on February 3rd. This night also marks the opening reception of the 9th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition.

To all of this year’s participants: thank you for your support and participation. Together all of you keep raising the bar. Proceeds from the annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition support Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions (SOLE Trips) at Appalachian State University. Visit www.op.appstate.edu to learn more.

The five ladders are all in a row and transport hikers along a steep rock cliff while providing unbeatable views of the surrounding landscape.  The section of trail, part of Grandfather Mountain State Park property, is under a trail easement that assigns responsibility for upkeep to the Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation.

Members of the Stewardship Foundation Interpretive Staff worked for months in the planning process.  Wood, cables and bolts had to be purchased, ladder posts and rungs had to be cut to size and corners and edges had to be smoothed before each piece of equipment was carried out to the Mountain’s backcountry.

Chief Interpretive Ranger Gabriel Taylor estimates that close to 200 hours of work were put in during the three days in early November when the ladders were actually installed on the trail.  Those helping out included Stewardship Foundation employees, State Park rangers and volunteers from Appalachian State University and the Boone Climbers Coalition.

“The old ladders weren’t dangerous but it was time for them to be replaced,” said Taylor.  “Hikers will notice subtle differences on the new ladders, one being that they are sturdier.”

Carriage bolts were used in place of nails on the new ladders.  The carriage bolts run through the rungs and posts and are much thicker and stronger than the nails that had a tendency to rust or bend. In addition, the cables that provide extra support for the ladder’s placement are now anchored in the rock more than an inch deeper than in the past.

The ladders along the Grandfather Trail allow many visitors the opportunity to traverse a rugged mountain top while offering up a great sense of accomplishment.  MacRae Cliff is located .7 miles up the trail when starting from the Grandfather Mountain nature park.

The special December Dollar Days admission is offered to residents and those working in the six counties represented by the NC High Country Host regional travel promotion organization:  Mitchell, Avery, Watauga, Ashe, Alleghany and Wilkes.  The discount is also extended to students of colleges and universities in the High Country and to guests traveling in the same vehicle with those eligible for the December discount.  Please present a driver’s license, college ID, or local utility bill as proof of High Country residency.  An employee identification badge or pay stub can be used to show employment at a High Country business.

A slight change has been made to the Dollar Days rates to encourage guests to plan their visits for times when lines are shorter or nonexistent.  Admission for eligible Dollar Days guests will still be $1 per person on weekdays and on weekends before 10 am.  On weekends after 10 a.m., Dollar Days admission will be $2 per person.

“We are pleased that people respond so positively to our Dollar Days promotion,” said Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation President Penn Dameron. “One of the side effects of this popularity, however, has been that we have seen long lines develop at our entrance gate during peak hours.  We hope that this slight change to the promotion will reduce traffic congestion in the middle of the day, and will result in a more enjoyable experience for everyone.”

Due to an immediate need at local food banks, Grandfather Mountain is once again adding an extra way for those who work and reside in the High Country to take advantage of December Dollar Days.

This December instead of paying $1 (on weekdays or weekends before 10 a.m.) or $2 (on weekends after 10 a.m.) in cash for admission to Grandfather Mountain, you can choose to donate 1-2 cans of food per person for Grandfather’s December Food Drive.  All donations will be distributed to High Country food pantries.

“We encourage everyone who wants to take advantage of our Dollar Days offer to donate cans of food as the price of admission. This will double the benefit to the community,” said Dameron.

Many regular visitors believe that winter is the most beautiful season at Grandfather and visitors can expect to see 360 degree views from the Mile High Swinging Bridge that seem to go on forever.

Although the bears will be hibernating in December, the Mountain has four other animal exhibits where guests can see and photograph cougars, river otters, a golden eagle and white-tailed deer from close range in their natural surroundings.

The Nature Museum is a cozy place to duck into for a break from the chill. Mildred’s Grill offers homemade vegetable soup and chili, as well as salads and sandwiches.   Just down the path, Grandfather’s Fudge Shop has 20 savory flavors to choose from including peppermint stick, pumpkin pie and caramel peanut bar.

Another great opportunity while visiting the park during the winter is to visit the Mountain’s gift shops.  Many holiday presents for all age ranges can be found among the dozens of memorable items and collectibles stocked in the gift shops especially for the winter months.

The Mountain is open every day in December, weather permitting, with three exceptions.  The park will have reduced hours December 8 and 24 with ticket sales ending at 2 p.m. and the park closing at 3 p.m. The park will be closed all day December 25.   The hours of operation for the month are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with ticket sales ending at 4 p.m.  For current weather conditions, phone the Entrance gate at 828-733-4337.

 
Some of the most well-known and beloved performers in acoustic music, Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, have been added to the Sunday, April 29, schedule as the closing performance of MerleFest 25. MerleFest 25, presented by Lowe’s Hardware, is slated for April 26 – 29, 2012, and will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest is an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, gathering to celebrate the memory of musician Eddy Merle Watson, beloved son of American music icon Doc Watson.

Throughout her remarkable career, which spans a quarter century, Alison Krauss has earned a record-breaking 26 Grammy® Awards. The members of her renowned band Union Station—Jerry Douglas (Dobro, lap steel, vocals), Dan Tyminski (guitar, mandolin, lead vocal), Ron Block (banjo, guitar) and Barry Bales (bass, vocals), with Krauss on lead vocal and fiddle— have each earned artistic notoriety and critical acclaim with their own active careers, but form an airtight unit devoted to the process of making music when they come together as a group. Alison’s most recent project, Paper Airplane, is the artist’s first album of all-new recordings in partnership with Union Station since 2004’s Lonely Runs Both Ways. Alison and several members of Union Station also performed on this century’s best-selling soundtrack, O Brother Where Art Thou, recently reissued to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the groundbreaking album.

Alison Krauss has performed at MerleFest numerous times in the past, with 2007 being her most recent appearance. Jerry Douglas has performed at every MerleFest, with the Sunday, April 29, appearance being his 25th appearance at the festival.

Ticket purchases for MerleFest 25 – an excellent idea for holiday gifts! – can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. An early bird ticket discount is available through March 12, 2012.

With over 90 artists performing on 14 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest 25 is an excellent entertainment value. A complete list of confirmed performers is available at www.merlefest.org. Additionally, up-to-the-minute lineup additions for the festival can be obtained through the festival’s e-newsletter and through Facebook and Twitter.

MerleFest, considered one of the premiere music festivals in the country, is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson and is a celebration of “traditional plus” music. The annual festival has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

Tickets on Sale November 8th.

MerleFest 25, presented by Lowe’s Hardware and slated for April 26 – 29, 2012, is proud to announce the initial lineup for the music festival’s 25th year. The four-day event, which USA Today described as a “happy, family friendly festival that’s loved by musicians who come to play and those who come to add their energy by listening, as well,” will once again take place on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest is an annual homecoming of musicians and music fans, gathering to celebrate the memory of musician Eddy Merle Watson, beloved son of American music icon Doc Watson.

The initial lineup reflects the diversity and quality of performers that have become the hallmark of the four-day festival. MerleFest is known for its unique mix of traditional, roots-oriented music from the Appalachian region, including bluegrass and old-time music, and expanded to include Americana, blues, country, Celtic, Cajun, cowboy, zydeco, rock and many other styles that Doc Watson has referred to as “traditional plus.”

“This year’s initial lineup will bring back a little nostalgia for the core MerleFest audience, those fans who return year after year to hear the traditional sounds of roots music. We have some of the leading names in the music industry, of today and yesteryear, lined up to perform at the historic 25th festival,” says Ted Hagaman, director of the festival. “The MerleFest 25 lineup is made up of many of the artists who have helped make this festival the premier, internationally-recognized event that it has become. And, we are thrilled to welcome back that core fan base that has been with us for the ride all along… and welcome a whole new generation of fans to experience the music, moments and memories that make MerleFest so special.”

The following artists will join host Doc Watson at MerleFest 25:

“The initial lineup is already incredibly exciting and diverse, but it is dynamic. We will be adding to the lineup in the days and months to come,” says Hagaman. “MerleFest fans can get up-to-the-minute lineup additions and other festival news through our social media ventures. So, staying in touch with us via our electronic newsletter, website, Facebook and Twitter is crucial.”

The MerleFest box office will open for 2012 ticket sales on Tuesday, November 8, at 2:00 p.m. EST. Ticket purchases can be made on the web at www.merlefest.org or by calling 1-800-343-7857. With the estimated 90 acts performing on 14 stages during the course of the event, MerleFest is an entertainment value. An early bird ticket discount is available through March 12, 2012.

“Throughout the years, one of the major factors that has built MerleFest is the quality of the artists and performances that our guests see over the four days of the festival,” adds Hagaman. “That, in turn, creates another important element of MerleFest’s success: people truly feel that the festival is a great value. That’s probably best expressed by the fact that so many music fans and families return year after year, making MerleFest a regular spring tradition. We’re tremendously proud of what we’ve built – and at MerleFest 25, that tradition will continue.”

MerleFest, considered one of the premiere music festivals in the country, is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson and is a celebration of “traditional plus” music. The annual festival has become the primary fundraiser for the WCC Endowment Corporation, funding scholarships, capital projects and other educational needs.

Chris Austin Songwriting Finalists at MerleFest 2011

Entries will be accepted from November 1, 2011 until February 18, 2012.

MerleFest 25, presented by Lowe’s Home Improvement, is proud once again to host the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Now in its 20th year, the contest is an extraordinary opportunity for aspiring writers to have their original songs heard and judged by a panel of Nashville music industry professionals, under the direction of this year’s volunteer contest chairperson, Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter Jim Lauderdale. MerleFest 25 takes place from April 26-29, 2012.

Contest entries for the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (CASC) will be accepted beginning November 1 via two methods:

1. U.S. Mail (P.O. Box 121855, Nashville, TN 37212)
2. The Sonicbids website

The deadline for submissions is February 18, 2012.

“The Chris Austin Songwriting Contest is an incredible opportunity for songwriters to get their works heard publicly and by professionals in the business,” says Laurie Brintle, CASC coordinator. “We encourage all amateur songsmiths to take advantage of this contest. Don’t miss this chance to compete at MerleFest 25 and be a part of this historic event!”

The contest recognizes winners in four categories—country, bluegrass, gospel/inspirational and general. To be eligible to enter, a songwriter must not derive more than 50 percent of his or her total income from songwriting or music publishing. Details about entry fees, eligibility and other requirements are available at the Chris Austin website.

Once submitted, songs are judged by a volunteer panel of Nashville songwriters, publishers and other music industry professionals. Judging is based on a song’s originality, lyrics, melody and overall commercial potential. Twelve finalists, three from each category, will be announced during the first week of April 2012. Each of the twelve finalists will enjoy admission and lodging for three nights at MerleFest, will receive a mentoring session with Jim Lauderdale, and will compete on the Austin Stage at MerleFest 25. In addition, the first place winners will receive a performance slot on the Cabin Stage on Friday of the festival.

Previous winners of the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest include Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, Michael Reno Harrell, Adrienne Young, Martha Scanlan, David Via and Johnny Williams.

Net proceeds from the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest support the Wilkes Community College Chris Austin Memorial Scholarship. Since its inception the scholarship has awarded over $35,000 to 73 deserving students.

For additional information about the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest, call the contest hotline at 1-800-799-3838 or email Laurie Brintle, CASC coordinator.

About Chris Austin:

Chris Austin, from Boone, North Carolina, worked as a sideman for Ricky Skaggs for three years, singing and playing guitar, banjo, mandolin and fiddle. During that time he was discovered by executives at Warner Bros. Nashville, who offered him a recording contract. While releasing singles including “Blues Stay Away From Me,” “I Know There’s a Heart in There Somewhere” and “Out of Step,” Austin also developed his songwriting skills, as evidenced in “Same Ol’ Love,” recorded by Skaggs in 1991.

On March 16, 1991, Austin’s life was cut tragically short when the private plane carrying him and six other members of Reba McEntire’s band, as well as her tour manager, crashed in the mountains near San Diego.

Pete Fisher, then of Warnersongs and currently general manager of the Grand Ole Opry, and Kari Estrin, then MerleFest consultant and Pickin’ for Merle video associate producer, initiated the songwriting contest to honor Austin’s memory.

View the detour map for this project.

The Historic Stone Guardwall Reconstruction Project (Milepost 217 to Milepost 245) involves 28 miles of the 469 mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway and contains 32,000 linear feet of historic rock masonry walls. A significant portion of the walls are severely deteriorated due to settlement and the effect of freeze-thaw cycles over the past 75 years. This project rehabilitates and reconstructs the most deficient wall sections.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is recognized worldwide as an international example of landscape design achievement. Designed and built to provide a leisurely recreational driving experience and showcase the scenic resources of the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, this section of the Parkway displays the historic rock walls that line the motor road. Constructed during the late 1930s, these rock walls are now an important historic Parkway resource. Built in the rustic style used throughout other American national parks, the walls are a significant feature that defines the visual and historic character of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This project will restore the structural integrity and historic appearance of this important cultural resource.

Blue Ridge Parkway management regrets the inconvenience or delay these closures may cause Parkway visitors.

You can see all Blue Ridge Parkway road closures on Virtual Blue Ridge.

The detour will direct visitors off the Parkway north of the closure at Milepost 384.7 to US Route 74 north, then to I-40 west, then to NC Route 191 south and back to the Parkway at Milepost 393.6 where NC Route 191 passes under.  The detour is approximately 11.5 miles long and expected to take approximately 25 minutes to drive.  The Parkway will remain open between US Route 74 and US Route 25 for the duration of the project. (see below for turn-by-turn detour directions)

This Parkway closure is necessary for contractors to repair deteriorating conditions on the south approach of the bridge over Interstate 26.  Repairs are expected to be complete no later than Monday, December 5, 2011.

You can also see a list of all Parkway road closures on Virtual Blue Ridge.

Alternate Route Information
From US Route 74 (MP 384.7) to NC Route 191 (MP 393.6)

Southbound Traffic

• After passing Parkway Headquarters, turn right onto the Parkway ramp at US Route 74
• Follow ramp to stop sign, turn right onto US Route 74
• Turn right onto access ramp for I-40 West
• Take Exit 47 Brevard Road / NC Route 191, turn left at the top of the ramp
• Cross over I-26 and continue on NC Route 191
• Turn right on Parkway access ramp; return to Parkway at MP 393.6
• Turn right to continue South on the Parkway

Northbound Traffic

• At Parkway closure barricades at Milepost 393.6, turn left onto Parkway ramp
• Follow ramp to traffic light
• Turn left at traffic light onto NC Route 191
• Cross over I-26 and continue on NC Route 191
• Turn right onto I-40 East ramp and continue on I-40 East
• Take Exit 53A, US Route 74, turn right at the stop sign at the end of the ramp
• Cross under the Parkway and turn right onto the Parkway access ramp
• Turn right to continue North on the Parkway

Fallingwater Cascades is a beautiful 1.6 mile hike near Bedford, Virginia. It is an overall moderate trek with a few steeper, more strenuous areas thrown in, but the difficulties of those areas are lessened by stone stairways and bridges. The average amount of time that it takes to traverse this lovely loop is 1.5 hours.

There are two different places at which you can begin your hike. The first is the Blue Ridge Parkway’s milepost 83.1 at the Fallingwater Cascades Parking Lot, and the second is at milepost 83.5, the Flat Top Parking Area. After beginning on the well-traveled path that is rimmed with rhododendrons and hemlock, it is approximately 0.6 miles to the cascades.

The purling cascades serve to enhance the brilliance of the natural scenery, making this a lovely hike for the intermediate traveler. (It is particularly beautiful with the red, brown and gold of autumn.) Grab a friend, a bottle of water, and a camera, and enjoy the sights and sounds of Fallingwater Cascades.

Photo by Tara Stoll

Click here for original post.

“All of our jurors this year are passionate about the outdoors, possess a significant and varied photographic background, and have been committed to the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition in some way over the years,” states AMPC Competition Director, Rich Campbell. “We are thrilled to have these individuals be a part of the AMPC who are dedicating their time, talent, and expertise to the competition this year.”

William A. Bake

William A. Bake has photographed the South for over 35 years and has created five successful books as well as booklets, prints, and posters. Considered one of the South’s premier landscape photographers, Bake has captured many of the unique landscapes found in the southern Appalachians.

Among his published photography books are Wayfarer: A Voice from the Southern Mountains with James Dickey; The American South: Four Seasons of the Land and Towns and Cities, both with James J. Kilpatrick; and The Blue Ridge. In addition to being a well-regarded photographer, Bake is also an accomplished writer and interpreter of the natural and cultural heritage of the United States.

Ellen Gwin

Ellen Gwin grew up in a family full of artists and fell in love with photography in middle school. Having graduated from Appalachian State University with a double major in Technical Photography and Communication, Gwin has been working professionally as a photographer ever since. She enjoys shooting photography in both film and digital formats.

Passionate about her home in western North Carolina and the amazing natural and outdoor resources available, Gwin strives to promote these resources at every given chance.

Andrew Miller

Andrew Miller developed a passion for photography in the mid-nineties when he began capturing the wild and unique places he found himself working in as an outdoor educator and guide. He continues to work as a freelance photographer capturing the work of artists for print, web, and archival purposes and has had images published in fine art catalogs and WNC Magazine.

While working at Appalachian State University, Andrew developed the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition and Exhibition and oversaw the competition through the first 8 years.

This year’s competition deadline is fast approaching! Be sure to get your photos uploaded by 5:00 pm Friday, November 18, 2011.

It is mid-October and true to form the Parkway has peak color in many areas. It has come on very fast in the last week or so. Although it looks as if some areas will peak later in the month at lower elevations, this may be the best weekend to hit the Parkway to see fall color.

The north end from Rockfish Gap through the Peaks of Otter is certainly at peak color with brilliant yellows, oranges, deep scarlets, and reds being reported. South of Roanoke through Rocky Knob and in Mabry Mill, all the way down to the Blue Ridge Music Center is at peak color. Some rain this weekend may have brought some of the leaves down.

Higher elevations in North Carolina through Grandfather Mountain or south of Asheville may be beyond peak, but not without some great color remaining.

As always we recommend driving some distance on the Parkway so that you change elevation and north/south orientation to be sure to get the best view of fall color. It will be a crowded weekend on the Parkway so be careful and take your time visiting America’s Favorite Drive.

Enjoy October in the Mountains and visit some of the harvest time activities in our neighboring communities. Enjoy the view, but watch the Road.

Fall Color and Woodland Harvests

This field guide includes over 240 full-color photographs of fall trees, shrubs, leaves, and fruits, all clearly identified.

Weekly updates at 828-298-0398 will keep you informed of what’s being reported throughout the Parkway.

Click here for a list of Blue Ridge Parkway tree species and their colors.

Have a safe parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Rich Campbell

The AMPC has grown into one of the most prestigious regional photography competitions and we aim to strengthen that position. We have developed a very strong partnership with local entities such as the Turchin Center, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, Virtual Blue Ridge, Appalachian Voices, the Mast General Store, Bistro Roca, Footsloggers, Peabody’s, Stick Boy Bread Company, and others.

Connections in the community create so many opportunities for us as a competition. We really want this to continue to be a true community event. We want people who visit the exhibition in the Turchin Center between February and June to feel like they have just seen the best collection of images available that depict the unique character, people, places, and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.

I have been Associate Director at ASU Outdoor Programs for 15 years, and am thrilled to be more closely linked to the competition. I have directed the Banff Film Festival every year since its inception and I am excited to work closely with both the photography competition and film festival this year. The two events complement one another so well that it is a natural progression.

2011 Banff Film Festival Audience

We have intentionally created the AMPC to be a part of the Banff Film Festival weekend. That weekend has really turned into a celebration of mountain culture. The Banff Film Festival brings films from all over the globe highlighting mountain culture. The AMPC is a way for our community to interact, in a very personal level through photography, with our own mountain region and community. We have Banff bring us films from all corners of the globe, and we have our own community showcasing new aspects of our beloved Southern Appalachian region through the AMPC. It is a great ‘local to global festival’ on mountain culture every spring, right here in Boone.

Our Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions (SOLE) are programs and trips that are longer and they travel to more diverse locations in North America and abroad. SOLE programs emphasize discovery of self and expedition team members – as well as discovery of the landscapes and cultures of the wilderness areas and countries we explore. We travel in regions of countries that are seldom visited, remote and exceptionally beautiful. Traveling in these settings through adventure education, students learn valuable skills in leadership, perseverance, group dynamics, teamwork, responsibility, wilderness ethics and global perspectives.

[Video for New Zealand SOLE Trip]

Proceeds from the Banff Film Festival and the AMPC make these experiences, that many students share with us as life changing, more accessible to more students.

We encourage photographers to enter this competition regardless of their previous experience. We do have professional photographers who enter, but we have also had plenty of success with amateur photographers in the past, including amateurs who have captured Best in Show. Photographers who capture a unique perspective of a familiar landscape or an interesting take on a familiar subject tend to do really well in this competition.

One of the primary goals of the AMPC is to encourage photographers to grab their camera and create their own story that they want to share with our community. When hundreds of people do this, the end result is a powerful exhibition and an important archive of what is so special to our own mountain community that we call home.

Deadline for submitting entries is Friday, November 18, 2011 at 5:00 pm. Follow Virtual Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition on Facebook for all the latest updates and news.

This is the Blue Ridge Parkway Fall color report for October 13th, 2011. Typically, the Parkway experiences the much anticipated change in fall color around the middle of October. But remember that many factors contribute to variations in when and where the color will peak. The Parkway stretches 500 miles from North to South and meanders from East to West facing slopes. Most importantly, it varies in elevation from just under 650′ at James River in Virginia to over 6000′ south of Mt Pisgah in North Carolina.

So many visitors have been frustrated trying to get to one spot on one day hoping to find leaves in full color. A far better plan is to drive some distance on the Parkway changing elevations and the North/South orientation. If you do that around mid-to-late October then you will catch at least some of the pretty colors we are famous for. You may also choose to review the Virtual Blue Ridge Fall Color Report Archive where you can view the fall color reports from prior years.

In the Northern Districts of the Parkway in Virginia, there are pockets of good color throughout, although not peak color in any place currently. You can find a good mix of red and yellow and green on most slopes including Maples, Sour Gum, Dogwood, and Poplar.

At the Peaks of Otter in Virginia, look for colorful Dogwood, Sourwood, Sumac, Sassafras, Tulip Poplar and Birch.

Around the Blue Ridge Music Center near the North Carolina and Virginia state line, nice yellows coming from the Birch, Tulip Poplar, and Fraser Magnolia. Red is showing on Maples as well.

Lots of fall color reported in the Grandfather Mountain Corridor along with the fall wildflowers of Goldenrod and a variety of Asters. Things are changing fast around Mt Pisgah in the Asheville Corridor with peak color expected next week.

Beyond the French Broad and up to Mt Pisgah the color is nice and close to peak at about 4000′ in elevation.

Enjoy October in the Mountains and visit some of the harvest time activities in our neighboring communities. Enjoy the view, but watch the Road.

Fall Color and Woodland Harvests

This field guide includes over 240 full-color photographs of fall trees, shrubs, leaves, and fruits, all clearly identified.

Weekly updates at 828-298-0398 will keep you informed of what’s being reported throughout the Parkway.

Click here for a list of Blue Ridge Parkway tree species and their colors.

Have a safe parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

“We wanted to create a fun event that would give kids a chance to be more involved in the animals’ day and provide us with the opportunity to raise awareness about the improvements that we hope to make to our eagle habitat,” said Christie Tipton, habitat manager.

Halloween activities take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are included with regular admission. Kids in costume will get in at half price.

The day begins at 10 a.m. with Halloween-themed crafts in the Nature Museum. At 10:30 a.m. kids can go trick or treating in the animal habitats, which will be decorated in mummy, werewolf, ghost and graveyard themes.

At 11 a.m. Naturalists will meet by the Mildred the Bear statue in the Nature Museum to lead an interactive program titled “Going Batty for Bats.” Participants will learn all about bats and their importance to the environment.

Prepare to be captivated by ghost stories at 11:30 a.m. in the Nature Museum Auditorium. Local storytellers Maggie Christenbury and Owen Gray will lead scary tales to thrill the whole family.

At 12:30 p.m. kids get a chance to compete in a costume contest and vote on their favorite costume worn by the animal habitat staff. Voting takes place in the Nature Museum lobby.

Immediately following the costume contest, guests have a unique opportunity to participate in the animal enrichments by decorating pumpkins and other treats that will later be given to the animals. An enrichment is anything different that can help to break up the animals’ day such as a scent, a new toy or a treat.

Join the Mountain’s Naturalists in the Nature Museum at 1 p.m. for the “Creepy, Crawly Critters!” program. Participants will learn about creatures of the night, creatures that bite and other spooky animals.

At 2 p.m. the Habitat Staff will begin the animal enrichments.  Meet at the deer overlook to watch the animals enjoy their decorated treats.

The last of the day’s programming will take place in front of the fudge shop at 2:45 p.m. An “Owl Encounter” allows guests to meet and learn about the spooky night prowlers that can be found in the High Country.

Throughout the day guests can learn more about the eagle habitat, special programs offered by habitat staff and additional opportunities to get involved on the Mountain. For more information, contact the habitat staff at 828-733-8715.

Grandfather Mountain is a globally recognized nature preserve famous for its 360-degree vistas, native wildlife habitats and Mile High Swinging Bridge. The attraction is located on US Highway 221, two miles north of Linville, NC, and one mile south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305.

The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation established to preserve Grandfather Mountain, operate the nature park in the public interest and participate in educational research activities.

For more information phone 800-468-7325 or plan a trip at www.grandfather.com.

Gateway Community Reception
Chestnut Creek School of the Arts – 6:00 – 6:45  p.m.
100 N. Main Street – Galax

Ed McMahon “Protecting Community Character” Presentation
Rex Theater – 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
113 East Grayson Street – Galax

Held in conjunction with the 3-day “Taking the High Road Workshop”, we invite you and your community leaders to come hear Ed McMahon, noted author, attorney, lecturer and expert on creating and sustaining livable and prosperous communities. Asset based economic development, tourism promotion, and historic preservation are among the themes of Mr. McMahon’s publications and programs. He has been providing guidance to communities and local leaders on issues facing “gateway communities” for more than a decade in work with the National Park Service capturing this work in a book he co-author entitled, “Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities.”

Attendees will learn about the economic, social and environmental benefits of protecting community character, and the value of open space and historic resources. Learn about major tools that can be used to protect community character, including education, voluntary initiatives and other non-regulatory action, as well as alternatives to conventional residential and commercial development. The session will address the challenges in preserving community character and ways to generate public support and the political will to use available tools.

Says McMahon, “The truth is that development is inevitable, but the destruction of community character and natural resources that too often accompany growth is not. Progress does not demand degraded surroundings.”

The evening events are free of charge, but please register here.

Motorcyclists from around the world have come to see the best leaf colors in years on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Blessed with outstanding weather for motorcycle riding in the Blue Ridge Mountains, hardly a day has passed I’ve not made some excuse to get out on the bike. It’s been warm, the sun has been brilliant, and the skies clear and deep cobalt blue. Finally, the leaves at the highest sections have started one of the best fall color shows in years.

I spent Sunday riding the section of  the Blue Ridge Parkway between Waynesville and Maggie Valley admiring the colors. Hundreds of other bikers were out doing the same.

A view of riders enjoying the dramatic scenes below Waterrock Knob near Maggie Valley

I met some riders from Florida at the Mt. Lynn Lowery overlook. I spoke with another couple of travelers from Ontario, Canada a little further up the road. At Waterrock Knob I recognized a dialect I’d last heard in the Czech Republic and stumbled out a greeting in my broken version of Russian with an offer to take a group photo.

Motorcyclists have traveled from around the globe to see this spectacular sight and this year it’s worth the effort, the leaves are exploding with brilliant color.

These riders from Ontario, Canada were loving the spectacular views from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

There’s still time to pack up the bike and make a trip, the colors start at the highest points then creep down the slopes a bit more each day extending the show over several weeks. The lower sections are still green and waiting their turn.

Don’t miss out on one of the best fall seasons in a long time on the nations most popular motorcycle ride.

It’s an easy trip, there a plenty of affordable rooms available, and this year it’s a sight to be seen!

Fall Gathering Days
Saturdays, October 8, 15, and 22
10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Wood smoke and the smell of apple butter boiling signal fall. Come help with chores associated with the fall season, like making apple butter and making and drying fruits and vegetables. See other chores common to the area in the early 1900s such as wheel-making, chair-making, basket-making, and fiber arts demonstrations.

Mabry Mill Bands
Sundays, October 2-23
2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Enjoy traditional string band music of the Carroll/Patrick/Floyd county areas. Bring a lawn chair and your flat footin’ shoes.

October 02 Mac Traynham and the Blue Ridge Thunderbirds
October 09 Mountain Ivy
October 16 South Fork Ramblers
October 23 Mountain Ivy

Author Book Signings
Saturday October 15 & 22 at the Gift Shop

Fall Color Special All October at the Restaurant
Chicken Pot Pie Dinner with spiced apples, fried green tomatoes, coffee or tea – $6.95

Corn Grinding and Mill Talks Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
11:00 am, 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm
September 30 – October 30 and

Building a water-powered mill was Ed Mabry’s dream, and he accomplished it in innovative ways. Learn about this icon of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the role the mill and the Mabrys played in the community. See the grist mill in operation.

Halloween Party at Mabry Mill Restaurant
Ghosts and Goblins are welcome for Halloween haunting and special treats!!

Mabry Mill Restaurant and Gift Shop is open from 8 am to 6 pm, 7 days a week through the end of October.

For more information, contact: Mindy deCesar, (540) 745 9680 or Mabry Mill Restaurant, (276) 952-2947

The first weekend of October is upon us, and the mountain foliage, true to form, is beginning to make the transition to the color that brings so much attention here in the fall.  Typically the Parkway experiences that change in fall color around the middle of October, but many factors contribute to variations in where and when the color will peak.  The Parkway stretches almost 500 miles north to south.  It meanders from the east to west facing slopes.  Most importantly, it varies in elevation from just under 650 ft at James River in Virginia to over 6,000 ft south of Mt. Pisgah in North Carolina.

Many visitors have been frustrated trying to go to one spot on one day in October, hoping to find the leaves in full color.  A far better plan is to drive some distance on the Parkway, changing elevations and north/south orientation.  Anyone who does this around mid to late October will catch at least some of the peak color that we’re famous for.

In the northern most districts in Virginia, colors are definitely under way, although probably less than 20% showing right now.  Mainly showing are Dogwoods, Tulip Poplar, Virginia Creeper, Sourwood, Black Gum, and a few other species.  Mostly red and yellow colors are showing right now.  Try the section around Clark’s Gap at milepost 40 which is showing nicely along the road edge with color frosting to a rich green backdrop.  At the Peaks of Otter at milepost 80-90, visitors will find Dogwood, Sourwood, Sumac, Sassafras, Sour Gum, and as always Virginia Creeper and even some Poison Ivy which is nice and red.

Around the Blue Ridge Music Center near the North Carolina / Virginia state line, there is a touch of yellow coming from the Birch and Tulip Frasier, Magnolia, and some red splotches showing on Maples as well.  In the North Carolina district around Grandfather Mountain to Linville falls, the color is beginning to show on the mountainside, with elevation as always playing a big role.

Fall wildflowers are Sunflowers, Jewel Weed, Goldenrod, and purple and white Asters around the Julian Price Loop.  In the high elevations north of Asheville around Craggy Gardens and Mt. Mitchell, the color should be delightful this next week, perhaps even close to peak color.  The drive through the Asheville area will still be showing red Sourwood, Dogwood, maybe some early Maples, and even Virginia Creeper.

So enjoy October in the mountains, enjoy the harvest time activities in our neighboring towns, and as we always tell visitors, enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Click here for a list of Blue Ridge Parkway tree species and their colors.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Behind the Scenes tours take place daily at 1 p.m. and additionally at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays. Each tour lasts approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes. Guests will see where the cougars and otters sleep at night, meet black bears that are not commonly on display and even observe a training session. Animal keepers will also answer any questions that may arise during the program. Participants must be capable of walking up and down steep, rough terrain. Closed-toed shoes are required.

In addition to the daily opportunity for a behind the scenes look, the cost of the program has been reduced for October. Behind the Scenes Tours cost $25 per person in addition to regular admission into Grandfather Mountain. Annual pass holders can participate for $20 per person.  For more information, or to reserve a tour in advance, call 828-733-8715.

Grandfather Mountain is a globally recognized nature preserve famous for its 360-degree vistas, native wildlife habitats and Mile High Swinging Bridge. The attraction is located on US Highway 221, two miles north of Linville, NC, and one mile south of the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 305.

The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation is a not-for-profit corporation established to preserve Grandfather Mountain, operate the nature park in the public interest and participate in educational research activities. For more information phone 800-468-7325.

Here in late September, the fields of the Parkway are full of Black-eyed Susan, Joe-Pye Weed, Queen Anne’s Lace, Ironweed, Goldenrod, and some Butterfly Weed.  There are great displays of Cardinal Flower in a few wet areas.  The staff at the Peaks of Otter is reporting Ironweed and Jewel Weed, Woodland Sunflower, and Pink Turtlehead in addition to all the above species.

Some fall color is showing around milepost 80-90 with Dogwood, Sourwood, and Tulip Tree, along with Virginia Creeper and Sassafras.  A few striped Maple and Sweet Birch are also beginning to show some color.  The meadows and agricultural lands in the Rocky Knob/Mabry Mill area are showing nice displays of Joe-Pye Weed, Black-eyed Susan, Goldenrod, and even a few early signs as well of fall color here and there.

Touch-Me-Nots, Jewel Weed, Spotted Knapweed, Coreopsis, and Goldenrod are all common throughout the North Carolina section, especially around Price Lake.  From Linville Falls through Gillespie Gap around the Minerals Museum, look for Ox-eye Daisy, Phlox, Angelica, Jewel Weed, Yarrow, Ironweed, Coreopsis, and Black-eyed Susan, all common in this area.

Mountain Ash is coming in along around the Craggy Gardens area.  Things seem to be gearing up for a splendid fall showing.  Tall Coneflower, Fleabane, Ox-eye Daisy, and Goldenrod can be found on the Craggy Garden trails as well.  Blueberry bushes on the Pinnacle and Mountain Ash seem to attract visitor’s attention right now.  The beginning of fall color is also beginning to show around milepost 400 with Sourwoods and Dogwoods turning red as well.

As always, we remind you to drive carefully along the Parkway. Keep your eyes on the road as you enjoy the view. In a few weeks, more indications of fall color will be showing up with peaks commonly coming in early to mid-October.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

The OVNHT preserves and commemorates the route used by patriot militia in their 1780 campaign that led to victory over loyalist forces led by Major Patrick Ferguson at the key battle of Kings Mountain.  Working with a variety of partners, the National Park Service (NPS), as administrating agency for the trail, continues to identify trail segments and open them up for public use.  The newly opened 1.3-mile section of pathway is actually an original part of the route and is a roadbed that is centuries old.

On September 29, 1780, this section of historic roadway saw the passage of hundreds of patriot militia on horseback heading east through Hefner Gap and towards North Cove.  Led by Colonels John Sevier and Issac Shelby, these Overmountain men had come from frontier settlements in present day east Tennessee some days previously.  They would play a key role in the victory at Kings Mountain on October 7, 1780.

In 2008, the Conservation Trust for North Carolina was able to purchase the 534 acre Rose Creek tract, preserving land which borders the Blue Ridge Parkway, as well as containing the newly certified OVNHT segment.  In April of this year, the land was conveyed to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, which has worked with NPS officials to have the trail section certified.

The event is free and open to the public.  Members of the Overmountain Victory Trail Association in period colonial dress will participate.

In the event of inclement weather, the program will be held at the nearby covered pavilion at the Historic Orchard at Altapass, located at Parkway milepost 328.3.

For further information, please contact OVNHT Superintendent, Paul Carson, at (864) 936-3477, or Blue Ridge Parkway Ranger, Jonathan Bennett, at (828) 765-1228.

It is mid-September and depending on your location you may find a few signs of fall color on some trees along the Parkway. This is just a reminder to the display that always arrives here in the mountains around the middle of October.  Generally the fields full with this time of year with Black-eyed Susan, Joe-Pye weed, Queen Anne’s Lace, Ironweed, Goldenrod and in some places great displays of Cardinal Flower in wet areas.

The staff at the Peaks of Otter in Virginia is spotting Ironweed, Jewel Weed, Woodland Sunflower, and Pink Turtlehead in addition to the above species.  The meadows and agricultural lands in the Rocky Knob/Mabry Mill area are showing nice displays of Joe-Pye Weed, Black-eyed Susan, Goldenrod, and even a few early signs of fall color here and there.

In North Carolina, around the Julian Price Lake loop trail, Touch-Me-Nots, Jewel Weed, Spotted Knapweed, Coreopsis, and Goldenrod are common.  Purple and white Asters are particularly nice on the trail around the lake.  From Linville Falls through Gillespie Gap at the Mineral Museum, look for Ox-eye Daisy, Phlox, Angelica, Jewel Weed, Yarrow, Ironweed, Coreopsis, and Black-eyed Susan.

Mountain Ash is coming on around the Craggy Gardens Visitor Center.  Things are gearing up for a splendid fall showing.  Tall Coneflower, Fleabane, and Ox-eye Daisy, Goldenrod, and White Snakeroot can be found on the Craggy trails as well.

As always, we remind you to drive carefully along the Parkway.  Keep your eyes on the road as you enjoy the view.  In a few weeks, more indications of fall color will be showing up with peaks commonly coming in early to mid-October.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Shenandoah Moon presented by the Waynesboro Players

Some people enjoy the factual aspects of history while others prefer the drama. Those who enjoy a combination of the two are probably those who enjoy reading historical fiction. If you are one of these individuals, then perhaps you should have a look at the novel Shenandoah Moon, penned by the late Duane Hahn.

The novel takes place in the 1930s during the creation of Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive. It follows the story of Kathy Shifflett and her conflicted attraction to a member of the Civilian Conservation Corps, and it also presents the struggles between the CCC and the families that were being driven from their homes in order for the park to be established.

Not only does Hahn’s novel present a multitude of facts that would rival any history book, it also illustrates the personal struggles that everyone faced during the Depression Era. This area of Virginia is rich with history, and to read this narrative of characters so similar to the people who once lived here is to almost feel as though one has had a firsthand experience of that history. It certainly lends itself to a greater appreciation of this beautiful area as we see it today!

(One note of interest: Duane Hahn helped to transform his novel into a script which was then performed by the Waynesboro Players Community Theater in April of 2009.)

In 2010, 88 people died walking or cycling on our Virginia roadways. 621 cyclists and 1,585 pedestrians were injured. By contrast, 84 people died walking or cycling in 2009.

Drive Smart Virginia and Bike Walk Virginia want Virginia motorists to ‘Share the Road’ with cyclists and pedestrians and are partnering for the third year in a campaign designed to save lives and reduce the number of injuries.

Lack of knowledge and risky behavior often leads to crashes between roadway users. Taking time to learn the laws and safety practices can save a life, especially with area schools starting back up and many students walking, cycling and driving on the roadways.

In Virginia, a bicycle is considered a vehicle. “Many people don’t realize that,” said Janet Brooking, Executive Director for DRIVE Smart Virginia. “Bikes, just like cars, have to obey all the traffic signs, signals, lights and markings.” A bicycle should always travel in the same direction as motor vehicle traffic.

Motorists must leave at least two feet when passing a bicyclist and pass at a reasonable speed. Bike Walk Virginia Executive Director Kimberly Perry said, “Whether you’re on a bike, walking or in a car, if you behave in a predictable manner you can reduce the risk of crashes.” Whether riding in a car or on a bicycle, all safety precautions should be used, including a safety belt in a car, and a helmet on a bicycle.

Cyclists can also protect themselves by wearing bright clothing, using flashing lights during day and night, and by securing loose clothing.

Pedestrians can improve safety by wearing bright colors during the day and reflective material or blinking lights at night. Light colored clothing is slightly helpful in making you visible at night, reflective tape or reflective fabric is much better.

For more information please contact Rob Richardson, Public Relations and Outreach Manager at Drive Smart Virginia at (804) 929-2988. Shane Cusick, Programs and Outreach Manager at Bike Walk Virginia (804) 859-4820.

One can find 42 different species of amphibians along the trails, and of course, this includes the salamander. According to the National Park Service, the Southern Appalachians are the “center of of salamander diversity on earth.” Not only that, but the Blue Ridge Parkway is at the “heart of this zone.”

One can also find more than 250 species of birds along the parkway, including bobolinks, eastern meadowlarks, American kestrels, great blue herons, kingfishers, and peregrine falcons. This is an ideal setting for the avid bird-watcher!

Along with amphibians and birds, the Blue Ridge Parkway is also home to 50 different species of fish, 22 species of snakes, and 7 species of turtles.

We’re approaching mid-September, and depending on your location, you may find that a few signs of fall color are on the trees along the Parkway.  This is just a reminder to a fall that’s display always arrives here in the mountains in about a month, the middle of October.

Generally fields on the Parkway are full this time of year with Black-eyed Susan, Joe-Pye Weed, Queen Anne’s Lace, Iron Weed, Goldenrod, and in some places you’ll see great displays of Cardinal flower, especially in moister wet areas.  The staff at the Peaks of Otter in Virginia is reporting Iron Weed, Jewel Weed, Woodland Sunflower, and Pink Turtlehead, in addition to the above species.

The meadows and agricultural land in the Rocky Knob/Mabry Mill area are showing nice displays of Joe-Pye Weed, Black-eyed Susan, Goldenrod, and a few early signs of fall color here and there.  If you’re in North Carolina around the Cone Estate, Spotted Jewel Weed is nicely in bloom around Trout Lake.  Yarrow is also common along with Bee Balm and Bellflower.  Look for nice Purple-Headed Coneflower just around the visitor’s center at the Linn Cove Viaduct.

From Linville Falls through Gillespie Gap at the Mineral Museum, Ox-eye Daisy, Phlox, Angelica, Jewel Weed, Yarrow, Iron Weed, Coreopsis, and Black-eyed Susan are all common.  Some purple Aster should be in bloom through the Craggy Gardens area and Mountain Ash is coming on.  Everything seems to be gearing for a splendid fall showing.  Tall Coneflower, Fleabane, Ox-eye Daisy, Asters, and White Snakeroot can be found on the Craggy Gardens trail as well.

As always, we will remind you to drive carefully while on the Parkway.  Keep your eyes on the road as you enjoy the view.  In a few weeks, more indications of fall color will be coming with the peak commonly coming mid to early October.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

An action-planning workshop building on community input gathered during the Parkway’s 75th Anniversary.

November 15—17, 2011
Crossroads Institute
Galax, Virginia

Make plans now to participate in this 3-day workshop that will provide community and business leaders with an opportunity to turn ideas gathered during the Parkway’s 75th Anniversary into action and to explore significant issues facing the region. Through case studies, presentations, exercises and work sessions, participants will develop work plans for regional implementation. Based on the highly acclaimed Gateway Training Workshops and planned in conjunction with The Conservation Fund.

Workshop Highlights:

• Examine Case Studies of Innovative Partnerships between Public Lands and Partners
• Identify Regional Collaborative Strategies
• Introduction of New Economic Impact and Vitality Index Tools
• Protect Community Character (featuring public presentation by Ed McMahon)
• Access Information regarding Financing Strategies
• Explore Interdisciplinary Approach to Strategic Conservation Planning
• Participate in Action Planning Work with Parkway Staff
• Identify Regional Approaches to Wayfinding and Connectivity

Potential Participants Include:

• Community Leaders
• Engaged Citizens
• Elected Officials
• Business Owners
• Tourism Partners
• Planning Council Members
• Parks and Recreation Managers
• Land Managers
• Economic Development Professionals
• Anyone interested in Community Development

Important Dates to Remember:

September 30—Participant Applications Due
October 10—Confirmation of workshop acceptance

Direct Questions or Scholarship Inquiries to:
Leesa Brandon, Community & Partnerships Coordinator, Blue Ridge Parkway—828.348.3420 or send an email.

Weather Page Preview

Virtual Blue Ridge now has an updated Blue Ridge Parkway weather information page.  Previously, weather information was being extracted from a daily report that the National Park Service emailed to interested media outlets and park employees. In August, the National Park Service decided to discontinue offering weather reports in the daily broadcast so we had to work on a permanent, more accurate solution.

The biggest problem we had to overcome in developing the new weather content was that we previously offered only a general forecast for North Carolina / Virginia. A general forecast by state is extremely difficult as the elevation changes and geographic conditions can present quite a difference in climate.  You can travel less than 30 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway and experience temperature changes of 10 degrees or more.

The new weather page pulls real-time data from The Weather Channel and allows you to get specific weather details for over 20 cities and towns along the Parkway.  The forecast on the page is currently for 24 hours, but you can click within the weather box for more details and get maps, multi-day forecasts, and more. This system provides a better representation of the weather for the area of the Parkway you will be visiting.  The interface is easy to use and we look forward to expanding it in the future.

Please leave comments below to help us improve the content of the weather information page.

Grandfather Flash Mob

There will be a flash mob at Grandfather Mountain Tuesday, September 13 and we need your help! We need as many people as possible to come and be a part of the event to make it GREAT!

This flash mob will consist of a large group of people (that’s you guys and ladies!) converging on and around the Swinging Bridge and singing “The Hills Are Alive.” A team from ASU will be on hand to help us capture the event and produce a video for YouTube. We hope to have some local celebrities make cameos as well.

The event should be a lot of fun! Our goal is for the flash mob and subsequent video to promote the High Country, Grandfather Mountain, and a Balsam Range concert we’ve got planned for later in the month (details about this are on the Grandfather Mountain website).

PLEASE SHARE THIS EVENT INVITE WITH YOUR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND COWORKERS IN THE AREA.

Those taking part in the flash mob need to arrive at Grandfather on September 13th between 5:30 pm and 6 pm. We’d like for the flash mob to begin as close to 6 pm as possible. Those taking part will not need to pay admission. We hope to have everything wrapped up and the park cleared at 7 pm.

The rain date for this will be September 14.

Quick Facts About Best Easy Day Hikes – Blue Ridge Parkway

  » Author :: Randy Johnson
  » Maps:: 35
  » Pages :: 154
  » Size :: 8.96″ x 6.32″
  » Format :: Paperback

The author, Randy Johnson, is a widely published photojournalist who has helped design Parkway trails and lives near the Parkway. He’s the author of Hiking North Carolina, Best Easy Day Hikes Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and other books.

Purchase this book online at the Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore.

Jerry Butler and the Blu-J's

Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center’s Fall Concert Series will present three concerts in September, premiering on Friday, September 2 with a performance by Jerry Butler & The Blu-J’s. All the concerts begin at 7:00 pm and are presented in the Heritage Center’s outdoor amphitheater which has a roof over the entire amphitheater so that concerts take place rain or shine.

Based in Knoxville, Jerry Butler & The Blu-J’s are bluegrass festival favorites. Their repertoire consists of original and traditional bluegrass songs, familiar classic country songs and heartfelt gospel.

Band leader/guitarist/vocalist Jerry Butler began playing and singing bluegrass music at the age of twelve.  His first band, The Knoxville Newgrass Boys, included Phil Leadbetter, a classmate and dobro virtuoso. They started out playing at high schools and then played at festivals around the South and even performed at the White House during the Bicentennial. Butler has also performed with Lynwood Lunsford & the Misty Valley Boys, The Joe Isaacs Band, and Pine Mountain Railroad.

The Grassabillies

On September 9, The Grassabillies are returning to the Heritage Center after making a big splash at their Fall Concert Series debut last year. Hailing from Gatlinburg in the Great Smoky Mountains, The Grassabillies are a musical group of family and friends that plays bluegrass music with no rules and no apologies. The star of the show is vivacious vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Kata Hay. A native of Oklahoma and a talented yodeler, she holds the distinction of being the youngest person to win the Ed McMahon Star Search at age five. She then went on to tour the country, opening concerts and working with such artists as LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Ray Price, Kitty Wells, Mickey Gilley, and Barbara Mandrell. In 2005, she took a job in one of the music theaters in Pigeon Forge, TN, where she met Robbie Helton, her future husband, band-mate, and co-writer. They later became featured performers at Dolly Parton’s Dixie Stampede and formed two bands, Kata Hay & The Blaze and The Grassabillies.

The Lonetones

The Fall Concert Series will conclude with a performance by The LoneTones from Knoxville. Also making their second appearance at the Heritage Center, The LoneTones are a very talented group of songwriters and musicians with a unique acoustic sound. They play original, Appalachian roots-based music that stretches the “tradition.” They’ve been called modern folk, Americana, folk rock, folkadelic, and more by various music writers attempting to describe their music. At the center of the band are married couple Steph Gunnoe (guitar and vocals) and Sean McCollough (banjo, mandolin, guitar, keys and vocals). They are backed by the strong rhythm section of Maria Williams (bass and vocals) and Steve Corrigan (drums and glockenspiel).

The Fall Concert Series is sponsored by Boyd’s Jig & Reel. Admission to each concert is $5.00 per person at the door, with Heritage Center members admitted free. Food and beverage concessions are available for purchase on site. No coolers, food, drink, or pets are allowed. For more information, call the Center at 865-448-0044 or visit their website.

The first hints of color near Asheville yesterday

While it’s just a teaser now, the first hints of coming fall color are starting to appear on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Photos from my motorcycle cruise yesterday -

It’s been a beautiful summer on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The lush green mountain views which envelope the entire 469 mile ride on warm summer days have drawn me to ride the park road more than usual this year on my motorcycle. I just can’t seem to get enough of it.

Warm sunny days and clear blue skies make for spectacular riding

As August draws to its close, cooler morning temperatures and clear blue skies announce the start of the change of season. Yesterday, taking the roundabout way home from Asheville to Waynesville, I made the long Blue Ridge Parkway climb from the French Broad River to the heights of Mt. Pisgah and noted the first real evidence of the fabulous leaf show to come.

While the experts predict the cold winter, early wet spring, and warm summer will yield a spectacular fall leaf show, motorcycle traffic in the park has been strong all summer. It’s such a close and affordable trip that many riders have already come to enjoy the splendid scenery and relaxing ride.

Put your bike here! It's easier than you think.

If you haven’t started making your motorcycle vacation plans yet or are just wondering about how easy it is to make a Blue Ridge Parkway motorcycle trip, http://blueridgemotorcycling.com will show you the easy way to put together a memorable and enjoyable vacation with motorcycle friendly places, lots of great rides to enjoy along the parkway, and how to get the most out of your precious vacation time.

Go to http://blueridgemotorcycling.com now and see how easy it is to visit the nations favorite motorcycle ride!

Grandfather Mountain’s

“Hiking 101″ is designed to teach beginners how to successfully complete a day hike.  Presented Saturday, August 20 at 11 am, the class will cover equipment, clothing, footwear and what to pack for a day in the woods.   Whether you consider yourself a seasoned outdoorsmen or a novice, everyone should find this class a great planning discussion before striking out into the unknown.

“There are a lot of variables that one should consider while planning a hiking or camping trip,” said Chief Interpretive Ranger Gabe Taylor. “Having the proper equipment and being prepared for a variety of weather is a must.”

“How High Is That Tree?” will teach visitors to identify the types of trees they encounter and how to use a clinometer to measure the height of a tree.   Participants will make their own clinometers (an optical device for measuring elevation over horizon) and apply the tool not only to trees but also to a variety of other calculations. The program will be offered Saturday, August 27 at 11 am.

Programs with Grandfather’s interpretive rangers last approximately one hour and are free with the price of admission to Grandfather Mountain ($15/adult and $7/children ages 4-12).

The Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation merged its trails and naturalist departments in June in order to create an interpretive ranger staff that provides visitors with additional ways to experience and learn about the mountain’s diverse environment.

The rangers are also offering guided hikes along the Mountain’s famed Grandfather Trail. A half day hike to MacRae Peak and back (0.9 miles) is $15 per person and a full day hike to Calloway Peak and back (2.4 miles) is $30 per person. A minimum of two people are required to book a guided hike.

These hikes allow participants to learn more about the history, geology, flora and fauna of Grandfather. The Grandfather Trail is strenuous and has some extremely steep sections where hikers use in-place cables and ladders.

To book a guided hike or for any questions on interpretive ranger programming please call 828-737-0833 or send an e-mail.

“We actually sold-out on Friday and Saturday, reaching 14,000 attendee capacity on those days,” notes Svetlana Nikic, VP of Sales and Marketing for FloydFest. “This was a first for us and it is really rewarding to receive all the wonderful feedback from our patrons over the past few weeks.”

New for FloydFest X was free drinking water to all festival goers. With the support of Klean Kanteen, Across-the-Way Productions installed a commercial well to help attendees save money and the environment. Patrons were also able to purchase a Klean Kanteen reusable stainless steel pint emblazoned with the logo of this year’s FloydFest for water, beer, and wine. These pints eliminated the use of more than 64,000 single-use plastic cups throughout FloydFest.

FloydFest included an array of eXtraordinary offerings, which made the festival so unique. In addition to the music, the 80-acre mountain plateau offered a progressive ‘Global Village’ area of workshops and demonstrations, free trapeze lessons, over 100 artisans and crafters, incredible food selections from pulled-pork BBQ to fresh sushi, organic pizza, and hand-churned ice cream, a comprehensive healing arts area, and a Children’s Universe. It is the family-friendly atmosphere and these original offerings that bring in new and veteran attendees year after year.

FloydFest frequenter, Jim Hughes of Port, Virginia, shared these praises with the Across-the-Way Productions team, “Thanks for FloydFest and all you and your dream team do to promote such a wonderful, glorious, magnificent, warm, loving and happy musical experience!  FloydFest to me is like a kid in a musical candy store with hungry eyes and limits on what can be consumed on so many stages (with something for everyone) and each year the benchmark keeps growing higher and higher.  My goal is to keep attending until I’m taken from this earth, so keep doing what you’re doing cause it sure feels right!”

As another FloydFest has come and gone, the Across-the-Way Productions team is already prepping for next year and is committed to making the next ten years of FloydFest even more eXciting while staying true to its roots.

For more information please visit the FloydFest website or call 1.888.VA.FESTS.

7 Walkers Featuring Bill Kreutzmann and Papa Mali, Infamous Stringdusters, Possum Jenkins, Simplified, Major Sevens, Strange Lady, and Great Funktier Added to Performer Lineup.

Music On the Mountaintop has confirmed the second round of artists slated for the fourth annual two-day music festival outside of Boone, North Carolina this August 26-27, 2011. The newest artists joining the performer lineup at the camping festival includes: 7 Walkers featuring Bill Kreutzmann and Papa Mali; Infamous Stringdusters; Possum Jenkins; Simplified; Major Sevens; Strange Lady and Grand Funktier. These latest additions to the environmentally conscious festival join previously announced performers: Sam Bush; Railroad Earth; Greensky Bluegrass; Acoustic Syndicate; Yo Mama’s Big Fat Booty Band; Frontier Ruckus; Town Mountain; River Whyless; Naked Gods; the Mantras; the New Familiars; the Lazybirds; the Native Sway; Simplified; Uncle Mountain and Secret B-Sides.

Music On the Mountaintop is held at the Grandfather Campgrounds in Foscoe, North Carolina. The first year at the new location, the venue is located approximately ten miles from Boone, North Carolina, providing potable water throughout, several public restrooms and bathhouses, a public store, and over 200 shaded campsites. The campgrounds provide the perfect setting for the ecologically driven festival, which focuses on educational awareness on pressing environmental issues. Music On the Mountaintop will work closely with Mountain Alliance and Appalachian Voices, to continue efforts for a cleaner more sustainable world.

“It is important that Music On the Mountaintop is trying to give back,” states festival veteran and 2011 headliner Sam Bush. “It’s not just a music festival, it’s helping out with environmental issues and helping their community.” Bush recently created a video message in support of Music On the Mountaintop, which can be viewed in it’s entirety below:

Tickets are on sale now and begin at $40 for a single day ticket and $70 for a weekend pass. You can purchase tickets online or at the gate. There will be two levels of camping this year. Level One, standard camping will be made available for  $15 in addition to the festival pass and Level Two is primitive camping, available for $12 in addition to the festival pass. Car Camping Tickets are limited.

Music On the Mountaintop is produced by Yellowdog Entertainment. Visit the Music on the Mountaintop website for the most up to date information.

Those who wish to review and comment on this document may do so by visiting the NPS Planning, Environment, and Public Comment (PEPC) website at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/roanokevalleytrailplan. Even though using this website is recommended, written comments may also be submitted to:  Blue Ridge Parkway, ATTN:  Suzette Molling, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803.  Comments must be sent by September 12.  Ideas and concerns expressed by those who comment will be used to prepare the final proposal and impact analysis.

Comments are typically treated as a public record and made available for public review.  Individuals may request that the National Park Service withhold their name and address from disclosure.  Such requests will be honored to the extent allowable by law.

Comments will also be accepted at a Public Meeting to be held on Thursday, September 1, 2011. The public meeting will be held from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Virginia’s Explore Park Visitor Center Auditorium, Milepost 115.1 on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Members of the public may stop by at any time during these hours to meet with Parkway staff and provide comments.

This is the Blue Ridge Parkway Wildflower Report for the first week of August.  Beginning on the North end around the Peaks of Otter in Virginia, visitors will probably find Jewel Weed, Butterfly Weed, Common Milkweed, Yarrow, Black Cohosh, Woodland Sunflower, and Deptford Pink. All of these are common summer varieties here in the Blue Ridge.  Turks-cap Lily and Joe-Pye Weed are showing nicely now around the Peaks.

Throughout the plateau district which extends from Roanoke to the North Carolina state line, summer blooms are prolific with Black-eyed Susan, Queen Anne’s Lace, Coreopsis, and the bright orange Butterfly Weed common throughout.  Rosebay Rhododendron is still nice in a few places.

In the Grandfather Mountain area, moving into North Carolina, look for Yarrow, Queen Anne’s Lace, and lots of Rosebay Rhododendron blooming along the Parkway.  Spiderwort, Phlox, and Morning Glory are common in the Moses Cone area along with Turk’s-cap Lily and St. John’s Wort.  Joe-Pye Weed is nice around Trout Lake.  Look for Bellflower and Basil Balm around the figure eight trail at the Cone Manor,  Sundrop at Bass Lake, and  Coreopsis in many areas throughout this region of the Parkway.

In the high elevations north of Asheville, Rosebay Rhododendron is in bloom along with some displays of Bee Balm along the higher elevations around milepost 360-370.  Turk’s-cap Lily is common along the road from Mt. Mitchell heading down into Asheville.  There are nice displays of Butterfly Weed around milepost 380 and again close to the Parkway Visitor’s Center in Asheville.  Black-eyed Susans are becoming more noticeable along with Brown-eyed Susan, tall Coneflower popping up between milepost 350 and 370, and Coreopsis is noticeable between the picnic area and Craggy Visitor’s Center.

The Parkway is a beautiful and cool place to spend these very hot days of summer , but it’s not like most other roads. Please take some special precautions while driving.  Above all, slow down, take your time, and use the overlooks to let other traffic that backs up behind you get by.  As we often tell visitors, enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Professional and amateur photographers are officially invited to participate in this year’s Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition! Every year the competition gets more fierce as photographers from all over the world submit hundreds of entries for review. What will you be submitting this year?

There are a couple of new developments for this year’s comp that we’d like to make everyone aware of.

The prize for the Our Ecological Footprint category is larger than ever, totalling $450. Appalachian Voices will be furnishing $200 cash while Mast General Store will be contributing a prize package worth $250. That makes this category the 3rd largest prize! If you need inspiration on capturing imagery that shows negative impacts on the environment in Southern Appalachia please visit the Appalachian Voices website for the latest news.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s category, Blue Ridge Parkway — A Ribbon of Road, will focus on images of the Blue Ridge Parkway that incorporate some aspect of the roadway itself.

Please note that this year’s timeframe for submissions is a bit different as well. This year’s contest starts August 1, 2011 with a deadline for submissions on November 18, 2011.

As usual, please help us spread the word! We have press releases available on our Media  page, and this nifty banner that you can use on your own websites and blogs. If you’re promoting the comp on Twitter, please use the hashtag #appmtnphoto.

<a href=”http://www.appmtnphotocomp.org/”><img src=”http://www.appmtnphotocomp.org/images/banners/ampc-banner-9th-annual.gif” border=”0″ alt=”9th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition” width=”525″ height=”116″ /></a>

Remember that a portion of the proceeds raised from the AMPC support Outdoor Programs Student Learning Expeditions at Appalachian State University. SOLE trips take students around the world on educational journeys of discovery. Visit the Outdoor Programs website to learn more about this exciting program.

Thank you for your support this year and Happy Shooting!

I love the festival’s dedication to the arts, from the vaudeville acts to the music performers to the spiritual aspect.  Congrats guys.

Some stand out performances were of course some of the headliners like Donna the Buffalo, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Railroad Earth, Sam Bush, Old Crow Medicine Show and Del McCoury Band. Other standout performances were some of the “Under the Radar” bands like James Justin & Company, Kings of Belmont and the The Brand New Life. Some of my other personal favorites were Shane Pruitt ( WOW ), Thousands of Ones and Yarn.

I have produced or attended over 300 music festivals & concerts and can honestly say that overall it does not get much better. It had all the ingredients of a top notch music festival including an incredible line up of performers, a good organization plan and a really nice venue located along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Great job!

Also the National Park Service Rangers did a great job handling the massive amount of traffic on the Parkway and deserve a Big Thank You.

I am already looking forward to next year’s event and encourage all that did not make this year’s event to put it on your calendar and try to attend. Next year’s dates are July 26-29. Let’s go!!!

Want to make sure the Blue Ridge Parkway gets that grant? Vote as many times as you can between now and September 6th, and be sure to tell your friends and family to vote too!

VOTE NOW!

The Doughton Park Campground and Brinegar Cabin are open and accessible by traveling the Parkway from the south.

Beginning the Spring of 2012, additional closures and detours will follow between Milepost 218 near Cumberland Knob and Milepost 230. The Bluffs Lodge and Coffee Shop will remain closed for the season.

The Historic Stone Guardwall Reconstruction Project will involve 28 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway (Milepost 217 to Milepost 245) that contain 32,000 linear feet of historic rock masonry walls. A significant portion of the walls are severely deteriorated due to settlement and the effect of freeze-thaw cycles over the past 75 years. This project rehabilitates and reconstructs the most deficient wall sections.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is recognized worldwide as an international example of landscape design achievement. Designed and built to provide a leisurely recreational driving experience and showcase the scenic resources of the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, this section of Parkway displays the historic rock guide walls that line the motor road.

Constructed during the late 1930s, these rock walls are now an important historic Parkway resource. Though built in the rustic style used throughout other American national parks, the walls have become a significant feature that defines the visual and historic character of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This project will restore the structural integrity and historic appearance of this important cultural resource.

Blue Ridge Parkway management regrets the inconvenience or delay this closure may cause Parkway visitors.

This is the Blue Ridge Parkway Wildflower report for mid-July.  Around the Peaks of Otter in Virginia, visitors will probably find Jewelweed, Butterfly Weed, St. John’s Wort, Butterfly Pea, Common Milkweed, Yarrow, Black Cohosh, Woodland Sunflower, and Deptford Pink, all of which are common summer varieties here in the Blue Ridge.

Throughout the plateau district, which extends from Roanoke to the North Carolina state line, summer blooms are prolific with Black-eyed Susan, Queen Anne’s Lace, Coreopsis, and the bright orange Butterfly Weed common throughout.  Rosebay Rhododendron is also very nice right now.

In the Grandfather Mountain area in North Carolina, look for Yarrow, Queen Anne’s lace, and lots of Rosebay Rhododendron blooming along the roadsides of the Parkway.  Spiderwort, Phlox, and Morning Glory are common in the Moses Cone area, along with Turk’s-cap Lily and St. John’s Wort.  Coreopsis is also in bloom in many areas throughout.

In the high elevations north of Asheville, Rosebay Rhododendron is in bloom along with some new displays of Bee Balm popping out along the higher elevations from around milepost 360 to 370.  Wild Bergamot is starting to show also.  These should provide a colorful drive for the next month.

St. John’s Wort is thick from milepost 355 to 360.  There are nice displays of Butterfly Weed right around milepost 380 and again close to the Parkway Visitor’s Center in Asheville.  Wild Hydrangea are on display in the Asheville area, Black-eyed Susan, Ox-eye Daisy are more prominent each day.

The Parkway is a beautiful and cool place to spend a July weekend or anytime in the summer, but it’s not like most other roads. Please take some special precautions while driving.  Above all, slow down, take your time, and use the overlooks to let other traffic that backs up behind you get by.  As we often tell visitors, enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

This year’s theme is “Rock Your Park!” NRPA and its grassroots initiative, America’s Backyard, encourage Americans to show the country how parks and recreation make life extraordinary! NRPA will support park and recreation agencies and citizens as they plan special events and initiatives that remind local decision makers and the community of the exciting and vital role that parks and recreation play in the lives of Americans.

This year is particularly motivating as there are five weekends in July, giving citizens a record number of opportunities to get out to their local parks and recreation areas and get active. NRPA, in coordination with park and recreation agencies nationwide, is inspiring people to create a healthy weekend habit by getting out to a park, trail, playground, swimming pool, natural area or other public space every weekend this July. To make a personal commitment to get outdoors, citizens can sign the Five in July Park Pledge.

“According to recent studies, about one-third of Americans struggle with inactivity, obesity and associated health challenges,” said NRPA CEO Barbara Tulipane. “Now is time for change. Through Park and Recreation Month, we’re encouraging Americans to get out, get active and get healthy. By signing our Five in July Park Pledge, citizens can become a real part of the movement toward wellness.”

Park and recreation agencies are at the forefront in the fight against obesity and in the campaign for health and wellness; however, their services and programs are dangerously at risk due to budget cuts. National Park and Recreation Month is just one way citizens can develop healthy habits and get out locally to show their support of this vital resource.

To spread the word and demonstrate the power of parks and recreation, NRPA is hosting a national “Rock Your Park” Flash Mob Contest. Citizens are encouraged to put together a group of people and show the power of parks together in Flash Mob form. Also, NRPA is hosting its second annual July Social Media Project. Individuals are encouraged to take photos with the official “Rock Your Park” social media sign and post them on their favorite social media sites.

Through efforts by NRPA, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an official resolution for Park and Recreation Month in 2009. The association supports the national park and recreation community and the general public by advocating for federal support for park and recreation programs and legislation.

As a President’s Challenge Advocate, NRPA is also pleased to promote the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award program in support of the Let’s Move initiative. For those looking to extend their physical activity commitment, the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award, or “PALA,” can be earned by taking part in 60 minutes of physical activity for kids (30 minutes for adults), five days a week for six weeks. For additional information, please visit www.millionpalachallenge.org.

Around the Peaks of Otter in Virginia, visitors will probably find lots of Jewel Weed and Butterfly Weed, St. John’s Wort, Common Milkweed, Yarrow, Black Cohosh, and Woodland Sunflower, all of which are common summer varieties here in the Blue Ridge.

Through the plateau district, which extends from Roanoke to the North Carolina state line, summer blooms are prolific with Black-eyed Susan, Queen Anne’s Lace, Coreopsis and the bright orange Butterfly Weed common throughout.

In North Carolina, in the Grandfather Mountain area, look for Yarrow, Queen Anne’s Lace, and lots of Rosebay Rhododendron blooming along the Parkway. Spiderwort, Phlox, and Morning Glory are common in the Moses Cone area, along with Turk’s-cap Lily and St. John’s Wort. Coreopsis is also in bloom in many areas throughout.

In the high elevation north of Asheville, Rosebay Rhododendron is in bloom along with new displays of Bee Balm popping out along the higher elevations from milepost 360 to 370. Wild Bergamot is starting to show also.

St. John’s Wort is thick from milepost 355 to 360 and there are nice displays of Butterfly Weed right around milepost 380 and again close to the Parkway visitor’s center in Asheville. Wild Hydrangea is on display in the Asheville area. Black-eyed Susan, Ox-eye Daisy seems to be more prominent each day.

The Parkway is a beautiful place to spend your holiday weekend, or anytime in the summer, but it’s not like most other roads. Please take some special precautions while driving. Above all, slow down, take your time, and use the overlooks to let other traffic that backs up behind you get by. As we often tell visitors, enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Mid-summer is a great time for blooms here in the Blue Ridge, and remember that your elevation change can make a great deal of difference in what you find blooming along the roadside or down your favorite trail.  If you think you’ve missed a favorite bloom at one favorite spot, head up the mountain and you may find it still on display.

In the Peaks of Otter area, north of Roanoke, Daylily, Butterfly Weed, and common St. John’s Wort are being reported.  Milkweed, Yarrow, Ox-eye Daisy, and Daisy Fleabane are common summertime blooms and are also nicely on display throughout this area.  Don’t miss Black-eye Susan and Woodland Sunflower as well.  The Rosebay Rhododendron, which is the white to pink bloom, is popping nicely in the area of Rocky Knob south through the Blue Ridge Music Center area down to the state line.  Nice displays of the bright orange Butterfly Weed area also showing in this area of the Parkway.

In North Carolina, around the Linville Viaduct Visitor’s Center, you’ll find Bee Balm, Fly Poison, and nice displays of Black-eyed Susan along milepost 297 to 299 and again at milepost 304.  Rosebay Rhododendron is nicely in bloom in many areas around the Cone Estate, and look for St. John’s Wort, Sundrop, and a few remaining Fire Pink.

The far southern end of the Parkway is recovering from some nasty storms lately.  Flowers are still popping up in bloom in many areas.  Look for Fly Poison, and Galax, Purple-Fringed Orchid, Bee Balm, Turk’s-cap Lily, Sundrop, Phlox, and Wild Hydrangea.

The Parkway is a beautiful place to spend your summer, but it’s not like most other roads. Take some special precautions while driving. Above all, slow down, take your time, and use the overlooks to let traffic that backs up behind you get by.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Summer is a great time for blooms here in the Blue Ridge and remember that your elevation change can make a great deal of difference in what you find blooming along the roadsides or maybe down your favorite trail.  If you think you’ve missed a favorite bloom at a favorite spot, head up the mountain and you may find it still on display.

In the Peaks of Otter area, in Virginia, around milepost 80-86, Day Lilly is especially nice right now.  A little further south, look for the bright orange Butterfly Weed, St. John’s Wort, Canada Lily, Milkweed, Yarrow, Ox-eye Daisy, Daisy Fleabane, and Black-eyed Susan.  The Rosebay Rhododendron, the larger white or pink blooming variety, is blooming south of Roanoke to the North Carolina state line and is perhaps nicest through the Mabry Mill area.  Many areas of North Carolina are reporting some remaining Flame Azalea, causing some visitor comments along the way.

In general, look for Sundrop, Columbine, Phlox, Fire Pink, Wild Hydrangea, and Black Cohosh, especially between Parkway headquarters in Asheville and the Craggy Gardens Visitor’s Center.

The Parkway is a beautiful place to spend your summer, but it’s not like most other roads.  Take some special precautions while driving.  Above all, slow down, take your time, and use the overlooks to let traffic that backs up behind you get by.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

Early summer is a great time for blooms here in the Blue Ridge. Remember that your elevation change can make a great deal of difference in what you find blooming along the roadside or down your favorite trail.  If you think you’ve missed your favorite bloom at a favorite spot, just head up the mountain and you may find it still on display.

In Virginia through the Peaks of Otter area and across the high elevation of Apple Orchard Mountain look for Mountain Laurel, Columbine, Wild Bergamot, and perhaps a few remaining Catawba Rhododendron.  Bowman’s Root, Yarrow, and Common Milkweed may be on display as well.  Daisy Fleabane, Ox-eye Daisy are very common throughout this area.  Around the Peaks of Otter, look closely for some remaining Fire Pink.

From Rocky Knob down to the Virginia/North Carolina state line you may find Laurel, Catawba, Yarrow, some Fire Pink, Ox-eye Daisy and Elderberry in bloom.  In North Carolina there are reports of Mountain Laurel at Trout Lake and Fire Pink, Spiderwort, Daisy and Coreopsis around milepost 273.  And some great Flame Azalea displays at milepost 274.  Look for St. John’s Wort at Sim’s Pond overlook.  If you’re driving the Parkway in North Carolina from Linville Falls out to Gillespie Gap, look for some displays of Mountain Laurel, Flame Azalea, Fire Pink, Columbine, and especially in the meadows behind Crabtree Falls campground.

In high elevations around Craggy Gardens and Mount Mitchell in North Carolina there are still some Rhododendron on display.  South of Mount Pisgah, reports of Catawba Rhododendron are common.  Some remaining Mountain Laurel and Flame Azalea also are evident in the high elevations.  Graveyard Fields to Devil’s Courthouse is very pretty right now with Laurel and Rhododendron.  Other things you may find as you drive along this area of the Parkway are Fire Pink, Goat’s Beard, Fly Poison, Spiderwort, Sundrops, False and True Solomon’s Seal.

Obviously the Parkway is a beautiful place to spend your summer but it’s not like other roads so take some time and special precautions while driving.  Above all, slow down and take your time.  Use the overlooks to let traffic that backs up behind you get by.

Regular updates for color reports will be posted to our web site home page. You can also use the National Park Service information line at 828-298-0398 to keep informed of what’s being reported on the Parkway.

For more nature and science information, visit our virtual resource center, http://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway/general/nature.asp, which will provide you with much more information.

Have a safe Parkway visit! Enjoy the view, but watch the road.

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Around the Peaks of Otter in Virginia, look for great displays of Mountain Laurel and Catawba Rhododendron along the roadsides from mile post 80 to 82.  Golden Alexander, Yarrow, Beard Tongue, Bowman’s Root, and Ox-eye Daisy are beautiful as well.  Some Fire Pink is still in bloom around milepost 86 to 88.  Laurel and Azalea, Spiderwort, Rhododendron and some Foam Flowers are showing in the section of the Parkway between Rocky Knob to Mabry Mill.

Read the full Wildflower Report for June 7th, 2011 on Virtual Blue Ridge.

There are so many great rides out there and sharing these routes is a great way to foster camraderie among the online community. We look forward to getting your submission!

Click here to submit a motorcycle ride for the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Floyd Fandango

If the true definition of ‘Fandango’ is a lively dance done in triple time, then Floyd Fandango, a weekend-long Independence Day celebration, is not too far off the mark. This unique event, which is held annually off the Blue Ridge Parkway near Floyd, Virginia, has garnered somewhat of a cult following since its 2004 inception. Unorthodox festivities are often the headline, including past performances by Junior Brown playing under an Italian carnival tent with snake charmers and a trained dog show, and other carnival-themed attractions. This year’s attendees can expect an equally solid roster of non-traditional entertainment and merriments.

Upon arrival at the pristine mountain venue, located at milepost 170.5 off the beautiful, and non-commercial, Blue Ridge Parkway, attendees exchange a ticket for a commemorative wine or beer glass and wooden pogs for beer tasting (wine tastings are free throughout the day). Meander along a shady garden path, past a small stage of string musicians, and onto the main field- a 40-acre expanse culminating with a jaw-dropping, timber framed stage set against the tree-lined backdrop of Rock Castle Gorge. Set up a chair or shade tent and relax to the alt-country sounds of the aptly-chosen band These United States and Big Easy musical favorite Anders Osborne, both opening acts for headliner JJ Grey and Mofro, a southern-born crooner with a large southwest Virginia following.

Two large covered tents feature wine tastings on one side of the field and beer tastings on the other, with a competition for ‘best in show,’ ‘people’s choice’ and ‘judges choice,’ as well as best red wine, best white wine, and best light, medium, and dark beer. This year’s event showcases over 50 vintages of wine from local favorites Chateau Morisette, Villa Appalaccia and AmRhein wineries, as well as Cooper Vineyards, Davis Valley, Fincastle, Horton, Mattaponi, and Rockbridge vineyards. Craft beer options include Long Trail Brewing, Highland Brewery, Starr Hill, Blue Mountain Brewery, Breckenridge Brewing, Bull and Bones Brewhaus, Crispin Hard Apple Cider, Foothills Brewing, Dogfish Head Craft Brewed Ales, Old Dominion, River Company, Stillwater Artisanal Brewing Company, and Woodchuck Hard Cider.

With the 4th of July falling on a Monday, there’s no reason to rush back to school or work – weekend tickets include on-site camping and a low-key, high-octane Saturday night party, held after hours for those with a weekend camping ticket, extending the fun until midnight. All told, Floyd Fandango shares many of the attributes that might be used to describe the beverages it showcases- lively, full-bodied, and with a hint of blush.

For tickets or more information on this fine event, visit www.floydfandango.com or call 1-888-VAFESTS

Motorcycle Journeys Through the Appalachians

The best motorcycling in the East is tucked away deep in the mid-coast’s Appalachian mountains. Motorcycle Journeys Through the Appalachians will take you to the greatest roads and roadhouses that only the locals, like author Dale Coyner, know about. Packed with colorful photos and maps, tips on places to eat and play, and of course Dale Coyner’s humor.  [ More Info ]

The Essential Guide to Motorcycle Travel

This guide book is perfect for motorcyclists to help prepare for traveling long distances over extended periods of time. Whether you’re getting ready for a weekend trip beyond your home turf, or for a transcontinental odyssey lasting several years, this motorcycle travel guide details the fundamentals for riding in comfort, safety, and convenience.  [ More Info ]

Taking a Break on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Virtual Blue Ridge is announcing the launch of a new website focusing on motorcycling in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Joe Veler, president of Virtual Blue Ridge, said “The launch of the website is perfect timing since May is Motorcycling Safety Awareness Month, and the lack of motorcycling safety tips specific to mountain driving was astonishing – until now.”

BlueRidgeMotorcycling.com features tips for driving in the mountains, an important feature since 27% of motorcycle accidents in 2010 occurred in the mountain region where only 12% of the state’s population resides. “Coordinating with Sgt. Mark L. Brown with the North Carolina Highway Patrol was paramount in getting a lot of this safety information together,” said Veler.

Sgt. Brown, coordinator of BikeSafeNC, says the Highway Patrol is very interested in reducing motorcycle fatalities by partnering an education tool such as www.BikeSafeNC.com with an enforcement element. There is no one better to teach this than the motor officers that do it for a living every day. BikeSafeNC is funded by a grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) and partners with local departments to offer courses for motorcyclists. As a joint venture of the GHSP, the Highway Patrol, and local agencies, BikeSafeNC’s common goal is to reduce motorcycle crashes and fatalities statewide.

Enjoying a Sunset on a Mountain Ridge

The new site is dedicated to providing information on routes favorable to motorcyclists including scenic features, mile by mile directions and interactive maps, as well as tips to keep them safe.

Motorcycle-friendly businesses are highlighted on the site to provide information so motorcyclists will have an easier time finding the best places to stay, eat, and play.

Future phases of the website will include motorcycling videos, Road Journal posts, guest ride submissions, additional destinations, community interaction, and GPS downloads of the rides. “We know these features will be instrumental in growing an online Blue Ridge Mountain Motorcycling Enthusiast community, and everyone’s feedback will be instrumental in how well the site progresses,” said Veler.

In addition to Sgt. Brown’s contribution of content, other motorcycling enthusiasts have helped to provide valuable content and popular motorcycle routes.

Misty Journey on a Mountain Road

Wayne Busch, cartographer, explorer, and designer, is no stranger to two-wheeled adventures. Owner of AmericaRidesMaps.com, Busch provides insider info to motorcycle rides with interesting twists. He is also prolific in producing point-of-view videos for the enjoyment of all. Busch has been featured in several publications and worked with SpeedTV on the Speed Channel. Every year Busch travels thousands of miles, selects the best rides, and presents them in a series of motorcycle maps.

Dale Coyner is the author of two books geared for motorcyclists. His expertise and sense of humor have made him a popular author with motorcycle enthusiasts. Coyner has been riding and writing since 1989, and has been featured in dozens of publications, including Rider and Motorcycle Consumer News.

FloydFest

2011 marks the 10-year anniversary of an event that has become a model for the independent, grassroots, multi-genre family friendly outdoor music festival. In the way of marketing imagery, this anniversary edition of FloydFest X, the experience is aptly named.

The “X”, according to spokespersons for the Floyd, Virginia based Production Company, Across-The-Way-Productions, stands for all things ‘X’ (eXcept ‘X-rated’). It is eXponential, that ticket sales for the festival are hovering at 100% over last year, trending to an early sell-out for an event that started in 2002 with 3,000 people on a farm off the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway near Floyd, Virginia.

It is ‘eXtraordinary’ that the aforementioned parkway locale gives the venue a breathtaking beauty. Watching performers on the custom timber framed Dreaming Creek main stage against a backdrop of trees and stars, with not a commercial building or vehicle in sight is a near-spiritual experience for anyone attending.

The 2011 line-up could be called ‘eXtreme’. It’s being touted as the “best of a decade” and includes these performers: Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Old Crow Medicine Show, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Taj Mahal, The Tony Rice Unit, The David Grisman Sextet, Peter Rowan’s Bluegrass Band, Railroad Earth, North Mississippi All Stars, Sam Bush Band, Hot Tuna Electric and Acoustic, Del McCoury Band, Cyro Baptista & Beat the Donkey, Toubab Krewe, Carolina Chocolate Drops, and many more.

With over one hundred bands showcased on nine uniquely different performance stages and spanning Wednesday through Sunday, it could also be named ‘FloydFest the eXtended version’.

You can’t forget ‘X marks the spot’ – FloydFest X offers as much diversity in the non-musical arena as it does within it. Children are well occupied in a safe and central ‘Children’s Universe’ that features open-mic performances, stage entertainment, waterslide, martial arts workshops, free trapeze lessons, and a gaming tent. Alternative-trending adults (and those just looking for a great massage) will thrill at the array of workshops and variants of therapy from tai chi to qigong. Food offerings range from organic vegetarian to brick oven pizza to gator bites, solar smoothies, homemade doughnuts, local coffee, Virginia wines and craft beer including Magic Hat, Starr Hill and Foothills Brewing. Over 100 regional artisans offer a selection of superior products from handcrafted moccasins to instruments, clothes, jewelry and fine art.

‘EXponential, eXtreme, eXtended, FloydFest X is definitely shaping up to be all that it proclaims- basically the music eXperience of the summer.

For more information, please visit www.floydfest.com.

In planning for MerleFest 2011, challenges were faced given the economic climate. However, the festival team agreed that it would not cut back on the quality of the event or in any way diminish the experience their fans have come to expect. At the same time, they renewed their commitment to Wilkes Community College – determined to maintain the fundraising levels already established. After a year of hard work, we are presented with the 24th edition of the festival. It’s sure to be as good as every prior year where everyone enjoys the Music, experiences a MerleFest Moment, and makes Memories at MerleFest 2011!

Here’s a video preview:

And a photo gallery:

View the Merlefest 2011 lineup and purchase your tickets.  We’ll see you there!

MerleFest was founded in 1988 in memory of Eddy Merle Watson as a fundraiser for Wilkes Community College Endowment Corporation and a celebration of “traditional plus” music. Scheduled for April 28 – May 1, 2011, the event is held on the campus of Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.

Thanks to all of the photographers this year for participating, as well as the general public at large for helping us to get the word out with press releases, blog posts, blog comments, etc. If you, or someone you know, would like to participate as a competition sponsor or supporter, please contact Andrew Miller, Competition Director, at 828-262-4954 or contact us using the VBR contact form.

AMPC is funded through the generous contributions of our partners, sponsors and supporters. You can provide needed operational support to AMPC by choosing to make a donation and/or offering us feedback on your user experience.

Below we have listed the the winners for top honors, categories, and special mentions.

Your participation this year will help to make the Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions through ASU’s Outdoor Programs an experience of a lifetime for many students. Thank you for your unwavering support and enthusiasm!

Click here for AMPC press & media resource information.

It’s been a labor of love building this website, adding sections and content as the years rolled by, absorbing feedback offered by visitors to make it bigger and better, and in a lot of ways we owe our success to you guys! Our website visitors and advertisers have created a special kind of synergy to make planning your trip to the Blue Ridge region an easier one.

Thank you for taking the journey with us and we look forward to broadened horizons and additional features as the months roll on.

This special anniversary advertising offer is good through 4/30/2011.

If you would like to have a printable version of this promotion, please click here. This PDF file also contains our most recent website stats for the Virtual Blue Ridge Network.

You can contact us by visiting Virtual Blue Ridge’s contact page, or by calling the numbers listed on the advertising special PDF.

*this promotion excludes Top Banner ads.

Happy Travels!

This year it comes to Boone for the 15th annual “best of the festival” world tour on Friday April 1st and Saturday April 2nd @ 7:30 pm at Farthing Auditorium. The Banff Mountain Film Festival features the world’s best films on mountain adventure, culture, and the environment selected from hundreds of entries submitted from around the world. Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs choose screenings designed to educate, entertain, and inspire you. Tickets are currently on sale at Farthing Auditorium and Footsloggers in Downtown Boone for $7 (students) and $9 (all others).

It’s always been the case that the Boone stop for the tour has had the biggest turnout, and more importantly those that watch the films show the most enthusiasm for the festival and the filmmakers that make it possible.  It’s definitely a must-see event for the travel and outdoor enthusiast.

Here are some more clips from this year’s films:

I look forward to seeing you there!

By the way, Devil’s Courthouse is the closest the Blue Ridge Parkway gets to the South Carolina border.  As the crow flies, there’s about 20 miles between the two.  So, when you’re exploring that neck of the woods and you’re looking south/southeast, you will be seeing parts of the South Carolina countryside.  Here is a home video of the long range views this area affords:

Now, let’s get back to my adventure.  February is not the best time of the year to be in North Carolina mountains, but there are still several things to do.  Sapphire Valley Ski Resort (more like a hill than a mountain) offers snow-tubing and ski lifts.  It doesn’t attract a lot of people during the peak ski season, so it’s a good place to take the kids without the crowds you might have in the bigger ski areas located in the Boone area.

Transylvania County is known as the “Land of Waterfalls“.  The area is a sub-tropical rain forest receiving more rainfall per annum than any locale east of the Mississippi.  Couple that with the fact that the area is situated on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and you have the perfect conditions for over 250 waterfalls. In the winter, these waterfalls freeze up and provide for awesome ice formations and an area for local ice-climbers to gear up and have some fun.  Additionally, the barren trees afford the visitor relatively unobstructed views of the Blue Ridge Parkway area waterfalls themselves.

Waterfalls are just just one of the many things the area is known for.  Unfortunately for me, I was on a business trip and didn’t get to partake in any outdoor recreational activities. The high temperature was over 60°F, and I was disappointed I didn’t have more time.  I hope you get to enjoy the area to the fullest when you plan your visit.

My purpose was to visit a potential new client of Horizon Mediaworks and a sponsor of the Virtual Blue Ridge website:  The Preserve at Rock Creek.  They are in the heart of the Sapphire Valley with one of the most unique pieces of property to be found.

It’s now the end of March, and we are excited to announce our partnership with The Preserve at Rock Creek. In the coming months, we will be helping to showcase a truly conservation minded development in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Preserve is an example of a well-conceived earth friendly footprint, with emphasis on land conservation and large estate lots.

Here’s the low-down:

The Preserve at Rock Creek is 320 acres of beautiful forest land that rests on Toxaway Mountain-the highest privately owned mountain in the area with elevations up to 4400 feet.

By blending low density encroachment with nature, the Preserve makes the most of its natural surroundings in an organic layout where 115 species of flora and 100 species of animals make their home.

Large estate lots are cut to take advantage of the incredible long range views the mountain offers. Green minded homes are built to maximize the views for the occupants while minimizing the visibility of homes from adjacent lots. Views, privacy, and being a part of nature are paramount.

The Developer, Tim Bright, is a true land steward. He is creating an entire community using conservation based principals by permanently placing sixty-six percent of the mountain in a conservation easement.

Tim’s land use plan lowers the impact on this piece of heaven on earth using state-of-the-art water erosion and drainage techniques. The infrastructure is well planned with 18 foot wide paved roads, underground utilities, and a state certified water system.

We invite those of you seeking an exclusive and incredible lifestyle living in harmony with nature to explore all that The Preserve At Rock Creek has to offer. Only a limited number of home owners will be able to enjoy this unique mountain property.

I hope you find a chance to visit Transylvania Country and the Sapphire Valley area.  While you’re there, pay a little tribute to our friends at The Preserve.

Gates will open soon! Recent view at Wagon Road Gap

It won’t be much longer before the gates to the highest sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway open for the season and there are none I’ll be happier to see swing wide than those which have cordoned off the rock slide area near Mt. Pisgah in North Carolina.

At times, one lane was open. Waiting to pass at the Ferrin Knob Tunnel.

More than a year ago about 800 feet of steep hillside broke loose and the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway below was closed. I’d watched it develop in slow motion over the years. The curve bulged outward and subsided a bit. Efforts were made to patch it, the road was moved, but eventually gravity did the job.

Terracing and stabilizing the slope was a massive undertaking

Since, access to a strategic section of the Blue Ridge Parkway has been spotty as a massive effort to stabilize and terrace the hillside progressed.  Over the weekend, the Asheville newspaper reported the job will be completed April 4 so long as the weather cooperates.

Motorcycles pass the work area at the slide.

This section of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina makes the steady climb from the French Broad River in Asheville to the highest points on the road. There are more tunnels on this long ascent than any other segment. The views are great but soon forgotten once you reach Mt. Pisgah and beyond where the long high stretch that continues towards Cherokee yields some of the grandest panoramic vistas you’ll find.

We’re still playing with the occasional snowy blast, but the flowers are budding and the first hints of green are emerging down low. These high parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway will lag by 6 weeks or so, and making the climb is like watching the calendar roll back. Spring is still to come up high, but it is coming. Motorcycles, get ready to ride!

Community members and a Crossnore School photography class attended the annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition Lunch and Learn on Wednesday, March 16 at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts. Brook Bower, Assistant Curator and Andrew Miller, Competition Director spoke about the role AMPC plays as part of a greater celebration of mountain life.

The Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition is part of a trio of programs coordinated by Outdoor Programs that celebrate our unique mountain culture each spring. April 1st and 2nd will mark the 15th annual screening of the Banff Mountain film festival in Boone to one of the largest audiences on the North American tour. Each year, the festival features the world’s best films on mountain adventure, culture, and the environment selected from hundreds of entries submitted from around the world. We choose screenings designed to educate, entertain, and inspire the high country audience.

Outdoor Programs is also excited to introduce the Appalachian Adventure Achievement Award (A4). Our goal is to inspire youth to adopt a healthy, and active outdoor lifestyle and to celebrate young people in our community and who inspire others through their active, healthy, and adventurous lives.

This years judges then lead the group through the exhibition answering questions and sharing their experience in selecting the 46 finalists from among all entries. “The goal of the AMPC is to give people an active way to connect with the themes of mountain culture, environment, and sport that are highlighted in our annual screenings of the Banff Mountain Film Festival”, says Andrew Miller, Competition Director and Outdoor Programs Coordinator. “To have this additional opportunity to share AMPC with the community is just icing on the cake.”

Bring a bagged lunch to the Turchin Center and we’ll provide the bottled water! We look forward to this Lunch and Learn meeting of the minds.

Sponsored by the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts.

More Details:

Date and Time: Wednesday, March 16, 2011 from noon to 1:00 pm
Contact: Visitor and Member Services
Email: turchincenter@appstate.edu
Phone: 828-262-3017
Location: Turchin Center for the Visual Arts (Google Maps)
Admission: Free

Voting for this year’s People’s Choice Award is still open! Vote here.

Three-Point Shot
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Content Listing for 10% off!

Beat the Buzzer for the WIN
Purchase a Top Banner ad receive a content listing for FREE!

(Limited Availability)

These discounts will only last through March 31, 2011, so call us to find out which ad spots will work best for your business!

828-964-0607 or 828-265-4823

If you would like to have a printable version of this promotion with pricing, please click here. This PDF file also contains our most recent website stats for the Virtual Blue Ridge Network.

You can contact us by visiting Virtual Blue Ridge’s contact page, or by calling the numbers listed on the advertising special PDF.

Happy Travels!

A public reception on Friday, March 4, 2011 at 7:00 pm for this year’s finalists chosen for the 8th Annual AMPC will also kick-off voting for the much-anticipated People’s Choice Award. A kiosk will be setup for gallery visitors, but you can also cast your vote by going to the AMPC website. Voting closes at 5:00 pm on Friday, April 1. The winner receives a $350 cash award furnished by Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitter in Boone and Blowing Rock.

March 4 also marks the time for final judging, where our 3 esteemed judges will review the finalists to select Best In Show and name seven category winners.

Winner’s will be announced April 3, 2011 once votes have been tallied for the People’s Choice Award.

Visit Virtual Blue Ridge to read more about the press release for this year’s People’s Choice Award. We wish everyone the best of luck in choosing your favorite for this year’s PCA, it definitely won’t be quick and easy!

A screenshot of the new Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore home page.

In 2001, Virtual Blue Ridge opened an online bookstore. The purpose was to complement our online resource with a selection of high quality books and maps that a person could use offline to plan their trips.  As the years went by, and Virtual Blue Ridge became more and more of an authority site on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we increased our offering of products.

In 2005, the success of our bookstore attracted the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation to embark in a joint venture relationship where we operated as their official online store. From November of 2005 through February of 2011 the partnership between the Foundation and Virtual Blue Ridge offered products whose aim was to allow the customer to celebrate and benefit the Parkway at the same time, leading up to the 75th Anniversary celebrations in 2010. It was a wonderful journey indeed!

Shortly following the close of the 75th Anniversary, the Foundation discontinued their online store, and we are once again operating as the Virtual Blue Ridge Bookstore. The store as it stands now reflects a new beginning, one that honors our informational tradition by offering the products that visitors to the area want most and one that shapes a path into the future, as we expand beyond the boundaries of the Blue Ridge Parkway to encompass the Blue Ridge region.

Join us on this path of discovery, and learn about all the joys the Blue Ridge area has to offer.

Happy Travels!

Virtual Blue Ridge Staff

Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs is seeking your help in identifying the High Country’s role models and young mountain sports stars. These young men and women will be recognized through the first ever A4 inititiative – Appalachian Adventure Achievement Award. Honors will include recognition on stage at the Banff Mountain Film Festivals, and a selection of prizes made possible by project sponsors.

There are two age categories for the A4: 17 and under, and 18-24 years old. Nominees must either reside or attend school in the High Country of NC (Watauga, Ashe, and Avery counties) to be eligible. Nominations can be submitted for individuals in successive years, but a nominee can only receive the A4 once for their age category. The April 1 screening of Banff will recognize the 17 and under A4 winner, while the April 2 screening will honor the 18-24 year-old A4 winner.

Deadline for nominations is March 18, 2011. For more information on nominations, and to actually submit a nomination, please check out the A4 Nomination Form.

These films focus on themes of environment, culture and adventure in the mountains and represent the best of the best. Hundreds of entries were submitted from around the world and Outdoor Programs has selected films for this viewing that will not only educate, but will also inspire and entertain you.

Online ticket sales for Banff can be purchased through Farthing Auditorium, or if you’re in downtown Boone, NC you can pick up your tickets at Footsloggers Outdoor and Travel Outfitters. Tickets are $9 (students can grab tickets at $7).

Check out the Banff Mountain Film Festival trailer for 2010-2011:

For more information on the Banff Mountain film festival, please visit Outdoor Programs, including a list of sponsors that make this event possible, and to see clips of other films available for viewing.

What’s your favorite thing to do on the Parkway when the weather finally breaks? I like to take leisurely strolls on the trails, hopefully with my camera in tow. Pre-season exploration of the Parkway can bring surprises for photographers –like a newly felled tree, or the lack of people in general in areas that stay crowded during peak visitation times.

But one of my favorites is visiting waterfalls. I must admit, I’ve been a life-long resident of Boone and thought I knew the area pretty well when it came to finding waterfalls, but there are a couple of books and maps at the store that showed me otherwise! Weather breaks like this before winter is officially over and springtime arrives means you may get lucky and find icy waterfalls without having to deal with the cold weather that normally comes with it. Just another bonus for checking out the various falls in the area this time of year.

Here are some of my favorite waterfall guides:

Great Waterfalls of North Carolina

This book is great for a photographer, with easy-to-follow driving directions, ratings for trail difficulty and beauty, and even points out the best photographic locations for every waterfall — a great feature for amateur photographers.

Click Here for more info

This map is incredible, listing more than 300 waterfalls and includes Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Even better is the tear-resistant and waterproof paper because let’s face it, maps like this tend to take a beating after a while so it’s nice to have something stand up to long-term use.

Click Here for more info

Virtual Blue Ridge’s first featured sponsor of the page is the Smoky Mountain Host of North Carolina. They are the destination marketing organization for the seven far western counties of North Carolina and the Qualla Boundary of the Cherokee Indian Reservation. The North Carolina Smoky Mountains offer a family vacation value with extensive opportunities for experiencing the cultural history, outdoor adventure, mountain crafts and stunning vistas of the Blue Ridge and Great Smoky Mountains.  The Blue Ridge Parkway’s southern entrance at milepost 469.1 marks the beginning of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

More resources will be available soon so keep checking back for updates!

Stopped near Grandfather Mountain on the Blue Ridge Parkway

 I made my first motorcycle ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway today way earlier than expected. I found the gates open in Blowing Rock and I turned south to enjoy what winter had to show. A few deep snowdrifts still lingered along the road in shady spots, but most of the rest had melted.  It was good to be back on the nations most popular motorcycle ride. I can’t wait for the southern section to open. 

I enjoyed some great views of Grandfather Mountain and the Lynn Cove Viaduct. It was lined with snow and very pretty. The Blue Ridge Parkway is wonderfully free of the gravel and salt that covers nearly every other road in the Smoky Mountains right now, though there were a few spots with some sand on them. There was a high wind advisory in effect today and it was howling up on the ride, but I enjoyed it all the same. No trees had come down (yet), though there were some branches to dodge. Keep your eyes out for rocks in the road with the thaw, and crews are out working on projects. 

The Lynn Cove Viaduct - last section of the parkway, completed in 1983.

My fun was too short as I hit the first road closure south of Grandfather Mountain. I ducked around it with one of my fun little shortcuts, but had to leave Blue Ridge Parkway in Linville. I couldn’t resist making up run up the Diamondback on the way home. It was in pristine shape and I was on the edge of my tires until the last few switchbacks near the top of the mountain. Here I ran into the sand and salt again and wiggled my way to the top as quickly as it would allow. Unfortunately the parkway was closed here at both exits. I’m still thankful for what I got! 

It's no wonder this area is so popular. Lot's of great riding.

It’s still a ways to spring, but let’s enjoy this nice winter weather while it lasts.

Purchase 1 serigraph for 10% off at $67.50 (regular $75.00), or purchase 2 or more serigraphs for 15% off at $63.75 each. Save on your 75th Anniversary Serigraph today!

Sale ends at 11:59 pm, Friday, February 11, 2011.

Limited Motorcycle Sponsorships are now available. Do you want to advertise to the ever-expanding motorcycle enthusiast market? Contact us for more details.

If you would like to have a printable version of this promotion, please click here. This PDF file also contains our most recent website stats for the Virtual Blue Ridge Network.

You can contact us by visiting Virtual Blue Ridge’s contact page, or by calling the numbers listed on the advertising special PDF.

Happy Travels!

You’ll also find waterfalls, major recreation areas, and several backroads identified to make your trip an adventurous one. Buying all 3 maps together means you’re covered from milepost 0 to 469.1. Who wouldn’t want America’s Favorite Scenic Drive accessible at their fingertips?

• Blue Ridge Parkway Detailed Guidemap Gift Set – Buy Now

You can still purchase these maps separately, in case you feel like covering a smaller area.

• Northern Section Guidemap to the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Central Section Guidemap to the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Southern Section Guidemap to the Blue Ridge Parkway

Happy Travels!

Congratulations from the organizers and sponsors of the AMPC to all the selected photographers and a sincere thank you to everyone who submitted photographs for consideration sharing their vision of the people, places and pursuits that distinguish the Southern Appalachians.

And the finalists are . . .

Remember, the exhibition at the Turchin Center on the campus of Appalachian State University opens on Friday February 4th and the images selected for exhibition will be posted on the High Country Photos website as soon as the People’s Choice Award voting goes live at 5:00 pm, March 4. This night also marks the opening reception of the 8th annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition.

To all of this year’s participants: thank you for your support and participation. Together all of you keep raising the bar. Proceeds from the annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition support Student Outdoor Learning Expeditions (SOLE Trips) at Appalachian State University. Visit www.op.appstate.edu to learn more.

Snowman greets Blue Ridge Parkway visitors at Soco Gap

You won’t find any motorcycles on the Blue Ridge Parkway this time of year. Cars either.   The road’s been closed to winter traffic for a while now if it’s on wheels.

That doesn’t mean there is a lack of visitors.  Even when blanketed in snow you’ll find people out enjoying the road. Sledding, skiing, on snowshoes or in winter boots, plenty drive to the nearest cross road and set out to enjoy the seasons scenery and solitude.

At times snow piles deep along the high ridge tops. Icy beards grow on the rocky faces. Every trickling stream is framed with frozen adornments. Clear winter air yields landscapes of hillsides sketched in black, white, gray, and brown. Even the sky pales, never reaching the deepest blues of summer. You can appreciate both the harshness and the softness that winter brings to this exclusive landscape.

Skis or snowshoes - you'll find both enjoying the snow on the Blue Ridge Parkway

I’m grateful to note the days are getting longer. While some of the lower sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway will open from time to time, here in western North Carolina there’s nothing but to wait it out and enjoy the road as best you can in the mean time.

Ski it when the snows come. Hike it when it’s clear. Watch for those signs of spring and keep the motorcycle ready to go!

The new year has started on a fun note here in the lab. That’s right, lab. Many of you don’t think of beakers and test tubes when you think of wine making, but the transformation of grapes into wine is as much a science as it is an art. We have been sampling, testing, and tasting–searching for the perfect blends to take from the lab to the cellar. It’s hard work tasting and retasting blend samples day after day (okay, okay, it’s not that hard!), but it’s all worth it when you find that perfect blend and have that satisfying “ahh” moment.

One of our first blends to move from the lab to the cellar this year is the 2010 Vidal Blanc. It promises to be another in a string of scrumptious Vidal blends, and will be composed of Vidal Blanc from four different Virginia vineyards. In order to get as many opinions as possible, we enlisted some help from a few of our tasting room employees, who were all too eager to weigh in. The final blend, which came to be known as “Number 1.5″ (catchy, isn’t it?), will soon be carefully blended on a grand scale, then left to rest comfortably in aging tanks.

After several months of aging, the tasting process will begin again to determine when the wine will be ready to bottle. Until then, we’ve got lots more tasting and testing to do on our other blends. Our time will be split between the lab and cellar as we perfect each blend, barrel or tank the wines, and start the aging process. Oh, the life of a winemaker and his “cellar rats”! Our work is never done!

Hello friends of and participants in the 8th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography Competition,

Preliminary judging for the 8th Annual Appalachian Mountain Photography has been delayed due to weather conditions and the resulting travel delay experienced by one of our judges. We anticipate completing preliminary judging by week’s end and are sending notifications by Wednesday of next week (January 19).

We will update you of any additional delays as they arise. If you are in an area effected by the current winter weather conditions, bundle up and stay safe. If you have entered photographs in the 8th Annual AMPC, good luck!

Sincerely,

Andrew Miller Coordinator, Outdoor Programs
Appalachian State University
Boone, NC 28608
828-262-4954
millra@appstate.edu
www.op.appstate.edu

Those of you that have been following Wayne know just what kind of thought, hard work, and expertise has gone into these maps. It’s like having your own personal motorcycle riding tour guide in your back pocket!

Blue Ridge Parkway Motorcycle Maps

This beautifully crafted tapestry throw depicts some of Grandfather Mountain’s best features, including Wilma the eagle, the lovable otters, and of course the gorgeous mountain views. Made of 100% cotton, this Grandfather Mountain throw is made in the USA.

Tanglewood Barnes and Noble Book Store

Roanoke, Virginia

Saturday December 4, 2010

1 pm

Retired National Park Ranger and author Bruce W. Bytnar will be at The Tanglewood Barnes and Noble in Roanoke, Virginia to personalize and sign copies of his book A Park Ranger’s Life: Thirty Two Years Protecting Our National Parks.

Read this book to learn what it is like to be a National Park Ranger, what threats are faced daily by visitors and resources in our parks, what you can do to help protect our parks, and make your next visit a safe one.

A Park Ranger’s Life has been adopted as required reading at Northern Arizona University, Ohio State, and Slippery Rock University for those students studying to become park rangers.  Many other colleges are listing the book as recommended reading for students.  These academic institutions have selected this book based on the entertaining, accurate, and honest depiction of the rewards, challenges, and frustrations of a career as a National Park Ranger.

(From Andrew Miller, Coordinator of Outdoor Programs)

Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Programs is one of four finalists in an online competition to win $10,000.  The finalist will be chosen by public voting on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Polartec.

Outdoor Programs will use the $10,000 to create a scholarship fund  to help more Appalachian students get outside, get leadership training, and get international study-abroad experiences of a lifetime.

“Our board is unanimous in expressing deep appreciation for Houck’s and K.B’s (his wife) perseverance over the years in creating and growing our foundation so that citizens and organizations can have a tax deductible conduit through which they can contribute in a meaningful way to enhancing the Blue Ridge Parkway,” Shepherd said.

In 1997, Medford and a group of civic leaders organized the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation in Winston-Salem after Medford retired from a successful dental practice. The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, is the primary private fundraising organization for the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Foundation has provided more than three-million dollars in endowments and direct allocations for projects and programs which enhance the visitors’ experience and help preserve the Blue Ridge Parkway’s scenic, cultural and environmental quality.

Over the past few years, the foundation has contributed to numerous capital improvements along the Parkway, including renovation of the North Carolina Mineral Museum, preservation of the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, improvements at Graveyard Fields and other projects.

Parks As Classrooms is one of the flagship programs funded by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. This program instills values of Parkway protection, history, ecology and culture among students in all 29 Virginia and North Carolina Parkway counties where the program is presented.

Now in its third year, the Foundation’s “Kids in Parks” program is a special initiative to combat childhood obesity and to engage children and their families with our national parks. The sponsorship of special Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation license tags in North Carolina generates around a half-million dollars a year for the parkway’s benefit and is the most popular specialty tag in the state.

Dr. Ward joined the foundation in 2008 as the first director of the Kids in Parks program and became president and chief operating officer in March of this year. Before joining the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, The Wytheville, Virginia native taught at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California for nearly ten years. An award winning researcher and author, she is the editor of the National Association of Interpretation Journal for Interpretation Research. She received her master and doctorate degrees in outdoor recreation from Virginia Tech.

For more information:

• Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
• Kids in Parks
• Virtual Blue Ridge Parkway Guide

Jackie admires a stunning late fall view of Devil’s Courthouse on an exceptional day

Now that the leaves have dropped, the landscape reveals a more rugged and chiseled character. The vibrant colors of the spring blooms and the fall leaves have had their turn. Now it’s the more muted shades of brown and gray which give contrast to the brilliant blues of the clear winter sky. Uncloaked from the green summer blanket of foliage held aloft by summer branches, the mountains snuggle tight beneath a thick carpet of quiet leaves. The bare trunks and branches of the trees stand naked and stalwart against the coming season exposed and ready to fend for themselves.

The pine, spruce and balsams maintain patches of green on the otherwise muted hillsides. A close look shows the parkway snaking along the ridge tops.

Free of summer haze, the clear skies bring even distant details into sharp focus. While your eyes are drawn afar, the freshly exposed rocky massifs and craggy faces exert a gravity which pulls your attention back and keeps you anchored in the landscape. The world up high seems both larger and more expansive, yet the newly seen details hidden by summers foliage find me scanning the slopes of each ridge and valley to reveal the features so long obscured. The winter season is rarely appreciated by the parkway traveler yet is just as beautiful in manifestation as each of the others.

The best viewpoints were social gatherings spots. It was a day to slow down and savor the experience.

Stops at a few overlooks to admire the views were often longer than planned. At several, people sat quietly in folding chairs just being present in the moment, basking in the experience. As is often the case on nice days, motorcycles outnumbered cars this afternoon. While a few buzzed by enjoying a more spirited engagement with the terrain, most were intent on savoring the day. At each overlook we passed time chatting with other riders and parkway visitors as if everyone was looking for that excuse to spend just a few more minutes enjoying all this exceptional afternoon offered.

In a few short weeks the gate arms will swing shut and the Blue Ridge Parkway will start it’s lonely winter hibernation in the higher sections of the mountains. Beards of ice will grow on the rocky cliff sides as it slumbers, waiting for the longer and warmer days to return. At times the mountains will roar with the passing winds of winter storms, but for the most part it’s a silent and peaceful sleep.

Looking Glass Rock anchors a view that stretches into South Carolina and Georgia.

We’re grateful for each of these late season rides and the memories that will hold us over until the Blue Ridge Parkway reawakens in spring. There’s still time to enjoy them, but not for much longer.

The detail and craftsmanship on this old home in rural Virginia is inspiring

My travels take me up and down the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s the backbone from which I begin my mission to explore the miles and miles of two lane back roads, small towns, and beautiful and historic sights which surround it. As I course through the countryside there are certain sights which I find personally rewarding and tend to appreciate, my sweet spots. One of them is old wooden houses and buildings.

I can’t help but take note when I pass by one of those ramshackle gray dwellings bent and blighted with age and and wonder what was it like to call this place home in its glory days? Who lived and worked there? What did they do? The mountain landscape is dotted with these abandoned and declining homes and businesses which must have stories to tell if only there were someone left to tell them.

1895 General Store stands in Sandy Mush, NC

For me they hold a beauty to appreciate. The craftsmanship, how they fit into the landscape, and the sense that someone of substance once lived in these often large and rambling homes. Broken windows, if not the very frames and sills, the fallen-in roofs and hanging doors, the sparkles of sunlight which burst through the gaps and holes in the walls and twisting vines which embrace these faltering structures are for whatever reason something which gives me great peace and pleasure.

What about you? What are your sweet spots? Is it roadside waterfalls or maybe old barns? Historic churches or steel bridges? Mountainside herds of goats on a sunny afternoon, or clouds gathered in the valleys below as you look down from above? The mountains hold a continuously changing canvas of scenery that never disappoints.

Where’s your sweet spot?

Rough Ridge Celebration!

Twenty-five people representing numerous Blue Ridge Parkway partnerships met at one of the most scenic Parkway vistas to celebrate a new era of collaboration.

Stephanie Gemache called from North Augusta, S.C. the day before to make sure there would be enough parking, but also to tell Lynne Fletcher at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, “I have only made one gift to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and it was for Rough Ridge.”  Stephanie stayed at a local hotel the night before so that she could be on hand for this special event.

The occasion was to celebrate the re-decking of the boardwalk  straddeling this fragile ecological landscape, but also to honor the Blue Ridge Parkway Corp, a formal association of student volunteers from Appalachian State University’s Outdoor Program who have been formally trained to monitor the area and offer advice to visitors on how to protect the locations fragile vegetation, but also to remind them to “stay on the trail” and limit rock-hopping to the newly accessible “view rock”.

Greg Brown, president of Friends of the Parkway, talked about the opportunity to the park of what so many volunteers could do … and the addition of new chapters being added to the quiver of many.  One of the most recent chapters is the Boone / Blowing Rock chapters was represnted by Mike Kebelbeck who is already working to engage volunteers to complete a handicapped access walk around the circumference of Price Lake.

Susan McCracken, Vice-President of Community Relations at Appalachian State University, talked about the how the idea of a “Blue Ridge Parkway Institute” could provide the catalyst as well as the framework for managing so many collaborative relationships and opportunities to the Parkway.  Eric Furman added that funds could become available through federal assistance programs to compensate students for summer work.

The guest presentation was delivered by Randy Johnson - author, writer — who crafted the wilderness trail system for Grandfather Mountain and owner, Mr. Hugh Morton decades ago.  Randy was also on the team who designed the Tanawha Trail which stretches from Beacon Heights to near Price Lake, a part of which is the Rough Ridge segment.  Randy applauded what he saw was a new era of collaboration among many and more partners who could collectively and positively impact the health of the country’s most visited national park.

The event was hosted by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

"Poleing Day" on Wilson Creek

L to R: Susie Hamrick Jones, executive director of the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, which has secured a number of conservation easements on Wilson Creek; Houck Medford, founder and chief executive officer of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation; Martha Townes, wife of “B” Townes; Congressman Ballenger, who has led several Foundation’s funding efforts; “B” Townes, a Foundation and Conservancy donor, as well as a member of the Blue Ridge Conservancy board of trustees, also a member of the Edgemont Fishing Club which has donated a conservation easement on Wilson Creek; and DeeDee Weaver, daughter of Congressman Ballenger.

On May 11, 1999 Congressman Cass Ballenger introduced H.R. 1749 to designate the Wilson Creek drainage a National Wild and Scenic River.  The bill eventually became law.  He had never returned to Wilson Creek which drains from the southern slopes of Calloway Peak on Grandfather Mountain until November 2, 2010.  This arranged visit coincidentally synced with election day, and the event was playfully named “Poleling Day”, appropriate for this Congressman who represented North Carolina for more than 20 years and caught his first fish from Wilson Creek on this visit.  The day was arranged by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

Wayne Busch looks forward to year-round riding in the Smokies

It may seem an odd time to start blogging about motorcycling the Blue Ridge Parkway. Leaf season has pretty much run it’s course. Parkway concessionaires have their eyes on shutting things down. The first of the winter Blue Ridge Parkway closings has occurred at the rock slide repair site near Mt. Pisgah. Before long the weather will dictate the seasonal barricades to the higher sections of the nation’s most popular motorcycle ride. Not much story left to tell, see you next spring? Hardly.

While most motorcyclists are starting think about clearing out that corner of the garage where the bike will hibernate through the winter months, I’m putting the new tires on that will carry me through the coming cold season. Even though the Blue Ridge Parkway is practically in my back yard, its closing won’t mean an end to my riding, it just means I’ll go another way.

There’s always another way waiting. The Smoky Mountains are laced with enchanting two lane back roads that twist and wind throughout them. Few rise to the regal heights of that 469 mile long king of the roads, but each of these byways which intersect or lie adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway has something to offer. The lordly views from mountaintop parkway are but one perspective.

A fall day on the Blue Ridge Parkway

I believe the NPS chose the right name for those scenic points along the road – Blue Ridge Parkway “overlooks”. As grand as they are, few recognize they are “overlooking” some really fabulous motorcycle riding. Few ever discover but a fraction of the great motorcycle riding that makes the Smoky Mountains one the top riding areas in the world. The mountaintop is but one perspective. The climbs to reach it, the rides through the narrow valleys, and the ancient paths which follow the riversides open a richness of experiences that are lost up high.

While I wait for the parkway to reopen, I’ll have plenty to share about the world of great motorcycle riding in the Smoky Mountains that remains largely undiscovered. I’ll have no shortage of things to share with you, things you can plan to include on your next motorcycle vacation visit. Let’s turn a two dimensional Blue Ridge Parkway ride into a 3D world of interconnected motorcycle riding fun and adventure.

Look for Virginia Creeper throughout the northern sections of the Parkway with vines hanging their scarlet necklaces around trees and rocks. Rocky Knob and Mabry Mill area were probably peak this past weekend but lots of color remains. Dogwood and Poplar are also pretty along with Sassafras along the roadsides in areas near the Blue Ridge Music Center. The color there is beginning to fade some. Sourwood, Poplar, Dogwood, Birch, and Beech  . . .

Click here to continue reading this color report on Virtual Blue Ridge.

Competition Organizers are excited to announce this year’s Blue Ridge Parkway Share the Journey ® Category theme: The Parkway Tree Project.  The areas comprising the Blue Ridge Parkway boast nearly 100 tree species that contribute to ecological zones of unsurpassed diversity.  The Parkway Tree Project seeks to bring greater public awareness to the rich natural resources of the region and to document significant trees that contribute to the character, environment, and/or aesthetic of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Photographers are encouraged to capture images of trees along the Blue Ridge Parkway that stand out as the most beautiful, the oldest or largest, trees that tell a story or have a place in history, and those that are unique for their shape, species, or character.

Those submitting images to the Parkway Tree Project will be asked to identify the tree species, document the tree’s location (e.g. GPS coordinates, Parkway Milepost, or other identifying indicators of the tree’s location), and describe in a short story of a paragraph or more why the photographed tree is of particular significance.  Entries will be judged on impact, subject matter, center of interest, and storytelling – effectively sharing the journey by celebrating trees along the Parkway.

Photo from Doughton Park, hike to Bluff Mountain from lodge

Blue Ridge Parkway historic landmark, Bluffs Lodge and Coffee Shop, could remain closed indefinitely

Economic conditions and planned road closures due to guidewall restoration will likely keep the favorite-destination lodge and coffee shop closed for the foreseeable future.  The operating concessioner (lessee), Forever Resorts (Scottsdale, Arizona)has indicated that they will not be renewing their lease arrangement with the park service next year.  Other properties that will be affected by their pulling out of the Blue Ridge are Mabry Mill, Rocky Knob Cabins, the boat rental operation at Price Lake near Blowing Rock, N.C. and the Crabtree Falls Coffee Shop south of Little Switzerland, N.C.

The guidewall restoration project will require sections of the motor road in the Doughton Park area to remain closed until 2012.  Experience with road closures from Hurricane Ivan when road slides have occurred and parts of the Parkway have been closed, visitors are very reluctant to venture beyond detour signs to visit an attraction or Parkway landmark.

Road closures at Doughton Park will not begin until after November 1 when the lodge formally closes for the season.

Up to date closures can be found on the Blue Ridge Parkway website, or by calling 828-298-0398

Facilities like Bluffs, the Pisgah Inn, and the Peaks of Otter Lodge are managed through concession agreements which can be favorable to the invested parties i.e. the concessioner and the park service when there are conditions of annual profitability, a long-term return on investment, and good visitation numbers for the concession operator.

The National Park Service (Blue Ridge Parkway) is accepting inquiries from interested parties through November 8.

The economic downturn and diminished Parkway visitation compared years past has affected concession decisions.

No one knows what the future may hold.

Guidewall Replacement at Milepost 243 with Survey Reference Marker

Constructed in the 1930’s, the rock masonry guide walls that line the Blue Ridge Parkway are a significant feature defining the historic and visual character of the Parkway.  This project involves the rehabilitation of 32,000 linear feet of guidewalls from Milepost 417 to 425.  This project is confined to the area of Doughton Park, near Sparta, NC.  A significant portion of these walls has deteriorated due to settlement and the freeze thaw cycles over the last 75 years.  This project rehabilitates and reconstructs the most deficient wall sections and will restore the structural integrity and the historic appearance of this important cultural resource.

Parts of Doughton Park will be closed consistently through early season of 2012.

Last weekend my wife and I went to Graveyard Fields at MP 419. I had read much about the hiking trail there and wanted to check it and the foliage out. The trailhead started with a tunnel of rhododendron. We had a great time hiking all the way to the Upper Falls which was about 1.6 miles, with great variation of terrain and trails.

It was a good workout but not too tough. The falls were a little light but the rock formations all around it were awesome. As we traveled back we took the upper trail to the Lower Falls. Oh by the way the colors, mostly reds were beautiful. It was quite a hike down to the falls but it was well worth it! They were absolutely gorgeous! I took about 60 pictures on this trip and we will certainly return.

Optimal color condition exist at Graveyard Fields for landscape photography.  This popular site at Milepost 418 south of Asheville and the Pisgah Inn is a photographers delight.  Go now!

Also become familiar with the enhancement projects for the area being lead by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation!

Fall is still a time for wildflower displays. Goldenrod and Asters are along the roadside with fall blooms such as Black-eyed Susan, Coreopsis, Joe-Pye Weed, and the orange Turk’s-cap Lily. It’s a wonderful time of year for many meadows and roadsides to show off the last of the year’s blooms.

In Virginia the Peaks of Otter is reporting color in Tulip Poplar, Dogwood, and Sourwood on the mountainside. A variety of Oaks and . . .

Click here to continue reading this color report on Virtual Blue Ridge.