If you're in the Blowing Rock area and want a great half day moderate hike with a big pay off at the end, the Glen Burney trail is a great choice. Having lived in Blowing Rock for a few years, I knew about the trail but had never made the hike until recently. Depending on what kind of shape you're in, the trail is moderate to a little more than moderate. For me, hiking 3 weeks after having a baby, the trail was a bit much on the way back up, but I made it! The trail starts out fairly level, but the last third of it you're definitely hiking straight down towards the falls. The trail is 1.2 miles down to the Glen Burney Falls and then another .4 miles to the Glen Marie Falls. You end up descending about 800 feet below the town of Blowing Rock. There are several great places to have a pic... 11/21/2008

So when you live in a vacation destination such as Blowing Rock where people come to "get away from it all" where do you go to "get away from it all"? Well, the answer to that question this year was about 30 minutes outside of Burnsville, NC for my family. When I asked my Mom, "why Burnsville", she candidly replied..."well, none of us have ever been there before". Well, I guess that was good enough for me and the other 14 or so members of my extended family, all of who trekked from the far reaches of North Carolina and Virginia to the off the beaten path "cabin" that was big enough to house our rambunctious clan for a whole week. My husband and I woke up with a burst of motivation one morning and decided to load up and drive the hour to Mt. Mitchell State Park. Mt. Mitchell is the highe... 08/25/2008

                                                                                Road construction always seems to take forever, especially when it effects your commute directly. In the case of bringing up the 4 lane from the bottom of the mountain in Lenoir all the way through Blowing Rock to Boone, they are taking on a truly monumental task that will make for a seamless commute if you're coming to our area from Charlotte or Hickory. If you see the construction on a regular basis, it's astounding to see the incredible work that's being done.   If I have my facts straight, the project was approved in 2004 and plans to be completed by 2014. Portions are nearing completion as far as Blackberry Road but the final phase into Blowing Rock has not yet been started.   The road will continue to ... 08/22/2008

This one is for Becky!  Sorry I have been offline for a while, I had to go out of town and before I left I got flooded with tons of things to tie down for my consulting business before my departure, and then when I returned I had, tons of things to clean up!  So now that things have settled down I am able to focus on Real Estate again (yay!).  Two of the developments I have been working on, Boone Point & The Lodges at Winkler's Creek are building up fast, and selling!  Only two townhomes in Phase 1 are left at the Lodges and 7 condos are left at Boone Point.  On top of the advertising campaigns we started for both, they shouldn't be on the market for much longer. It had been pretty hot up here for a week or two (reaching 85 degrees!) and now that I am back the temps have dropped back in... 06/22/2008

  Lots of people are really interested in the new Watauga High School.Here's some facts:The town has set a price tag of $60 Million The groundbreaking began September 20, 2007 The town will borrow $70 Million The school will be 274,000 sqft the new campus is 94 acres (20 more than current site) the estimated traffic flow is 40% west and 60% east Students that live outside watauga county will pay tuition  There will be 972 parking spaces. The project is scheduled for completion spring of 2010 Classes begin fall 2010 04/22/2008

I have just learned about Active Rain today and decided I'd "get my feet wet" and try this blogging thing.  I live in Boone, North Carolina, which I have affectionately nick named "Close to heaven."  It is a BEAUTIFUL place to live.  The air is clean, there are no mosquitos in the higher elevations here, and it is A/C optional living.  Sound like heaven?  I thought so too...so I moved here after attending three time 1-AA football champion school Apalachian State University.  The people here are wonderful.  Everyone is so helpful, and courteous.  Oh Sure, You run into the occasional rude driver from out of state, but for the most part, it is wonderful...come visit if you ever have the chance.  I think you'll agree.  Can't wait to "Learn" from you experienced Active Rain folks.  What I've... 04/04/2008

US 321 Construction Hours Every Tuesday and ThursdayThis report may affect your travel if you are heading to Boone, Blowing Rock, Valle Crucis, and more. US 321 WideningThe US 321 Widening Project between Lenoir and Blowing Rock is underway and closures occur every Tuesday and Thursday from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m., minimizing disruptions to traffic flow. US 321 Detour -During these hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays, motorists driving to the Boone area are advised by detour signs on the route. The detour route is as follows: NC 18 in Lenoir to US 421 in Wilkes County. US 421 to Boone and 321 in Watauga County. For southbound traffic, follow the same detour route from Boone to Lenoir. 04/04/2008

Trout fishing season opensRALEIGH, N.C. (March 18, 2008) - The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission will open approximately 1,120 miles of "Hatchery-Supported Trout Waters" in 25 western North Carolina counties at 6 a.m. on Saturday, April 5. The season will run until one-half hour after sunset on Feb. 28, 2009. While fishing on Hatchery-Supported Trout Waters, anglers can harvest a maximum of seven trout per day, with no minimum size limits or bait restrictions. Hatchery-Supported Trout Waters are marked by green-and-white signs. This year, Commission personnel are stocking hatchery-supported waters starting this month under a shortened stocking schedule. The Commission implemented a shortened stocking schedule in response to drought conditions forecasted for this spring and summer. If t... 04/04/2008

Solar Water & Space Heating with Chuck Marken of Home Power Magazine & AAA Solar Saturday & Sunday, April 5-6, 2008 Participants will learn how to design and construct solar water heating systems for both domestic hot water and space heating needs. Now is the time for solar energy with excellent NC State and Federal Tax credits. Campus of Appalachian State University, Kerr Scott/Harper Hall, Room 17 Schedule for both days: Registration/Breakfast 8:30am; Workshop 9:00am - 4:00pm Cost: $190 ($95 students)Relay For Life Team Fund-Raisers 2008 Proceeds go to the American Cancer Society Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back. Pet Pictures, Mountain City Pharmacy, 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. by appointment, $10.00 per framed photo. Please call Ava Lowe at (423)727-0038 for appointment. Sponsored by Relay... 04/04/2008

  It finally feels like Winter up here in the mountains. It's turned cold, the last of the Fall leaves have blown away, and we've had a little snow. And now the Christmas Season is upon us. If you plan on visiting the Boone-  Blowing Rock area over the holiday, there are plenty of fun events to make this year a memorable one.   The choose and cut Christmas tree farms in this neck of the woods are still booming despite the recent drought. There are plenty of family-owned and operated establishments to carry out your own family tradition. The White House is particularly fond of Ashe and Allegheny County Christmas trees. And more often than not, their tree hails from a North Carolina Christmas tree farm.. This year the Mistletoe Meadows Christmas Tree Farm in Laurel Springs was the proud p... 12/05/2007

  10/15/07 Finally, Fall has arrived in the mountains of North Carolina. Around here, it seems to be everyone's favorite time of year, including mine. We've been waiting patiently for this much-needed reprieve from the unusually hot and dry summer we’ve had in these parts. The leaves are just starting to turn, the days are warm, and the nights are down right chilly. The cool temperatures seem to wash away the summer haze and now several more layers of distant mountains appear in our views. I appreciate the beauty of the land here at any season, but there's no question that this is the High Country's "last fling," and you just don't want to miss it if you can help it.  Excitement is in the air with this turning of the season. Travelers from near and far seem to descend on these mountains... 10/15/2007

September is welcome in the High Country of North Carolina. We welcome the end of the summer tourist season, and the short respite before "leaf season" that brings a whole new flock of explorers up this way. They come from all over, some traveling great distances to see the Blue Ridge Mountains in all their glory and their storybook colorful palette. I am fortunate to be able to watch the subtle changes every day. The summer haze begins to clear, the shadows lengthen, and nightfall calls for a sweater or flannel. It just doesn't get any better around here. I stumbled upon a great blog about Boone and the surrounding area on epicurus.com. It calls itself “A blog for foodies on the go.” Here’s an excerpt. “There’s more to Boone, North Carolina than meets the eye, the palate or the ear. In... 09/04/2007