My Land and Destinations of the Fall..

I've always been a mountain boy.  I'm from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and have an absolute passion for the beauty and solitude of my hometown and surrounding mountains.  I've always took great pride in my home county, quite simply because I truely believe it is one of the most beautiful places in America, if not the world.  The Blue Ridge Parkway disects my County, as you can watch the gentle rolling mountains drop from a steep couple thousand feet into the Piedmont of North Carolina seemingly below your feet.  To the west the highest mountains in Virginia often provide some pretty amazing views late in the evenings and in the winter.  To the north the Great Valley of Virginia is home to the New River, and the Interstate 81 Co-oridor.  The picture in my header is actually a picture taken of Carroll County from Buffalo Mountain, about 1.5 miles outside of Carroll County.  It's a pretty amazing place.

I said I have a passion for my hometown, but I also have a passion for all nature and beauty.  I love exploring, and recently knocked out the Smoky Mountains of NC and Tennessee, as well as the Coal Country of West Virginia and far Southwest Virginia.  One place I haven't gone yet, is the Shenandoah Mounatins of Virginia.  Living in Central Virginia for the next several months, it looks to be a great fall!

Some places on my list of must sees this fall are -

Devils Marble Yard - located just southeast of Lexington, its a mountainside of boulders with some majestic views.

Crabtree Falls - Known as the largest waterfalls east of the Rockies, this series of waterfalls cascades over 1,000' down the Eastern Slopes of the Appalachians.

Skyline Drive - A highway built along the crest of the Blue Ridge runs right through the middle of Shenandoah national park.  To the west look into the Great Shenandoah Valley, and to the east, the Piedmont of Virginia. 

Peak of Otter -  Originally thought to be the highest mountains in the Eastern U.S., peaks of Otter rises 4,000' above the Virginia Piedmont.  Although a greater elevation change occurs, the Peaks are actually no where close to the highest mountains in Virginia.  Situated in the southernmost parts of the Shenandoah, the Peaks offer a majestic view with alot of history. Thomas Jefferson once wrote "the mountains of the Blue Ridge, and of these the Peaks of Otter, are thought to be of a greater height, measured from their base, than any others in our country, and perhaps in North America."