North Carolina - October 2 & 3, 2006 (Re-run)

 For reasons I don't recall, after leaving MA we made a direct run to Boone, NC, a part of the state we had not explored thoroughly on previous visits.  Obviously, we could have spent time touring the intervening states, but chose not to do so.  We did, however, arrange to meet up with family in NC, so that added quite a lot to our time there.

Our first days there were spent driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of America's premier scenic drives.  Unfortunately, we were still too early to experience peak fall colors, but it was still pretty nice.

 

One of the most famous attractions in the area is Linville Falls, with three tiers as it traverses Linville Gorge.  It had been more than 40 years since we had visited this park, so we made sure to hike to all four viewpoints.

Blowing Rock is a village along the parkway, named for the attraction known as The Blowing Rock, a formation that offers great scenic views and weird wind turbulence.  They claim it's the only place in the world where snow falls up.  Don't accept that at face value, as this must also happen at other places.  A stop there may be worthwhile, but we were more interested in the overall scenery.

Massachusetts, Part 2 - September 26-27, 2006 (Re-run)

 After moving into Massachusetts, we discovered a scenic road in Vermont that we had missed on the way down and decided to check it out on a day trip.  Backtracking a bit, we drove along Route 9, and even picked up a portion of Route 100 that we had not seen.  Once again, we regretted not being there to witness fall colors at their peak.

 The next day we visited an area called Glendale Falls, which is said to be so hidden that almost no one knows of it.  It's actually a rather small reserve where the Glendale Brook falls some 160 feet over rocky ledges and boulders before entering a river.  A powerful flow in spring with snow melt, it was still a dramatic scene in the fall.