you knew that when i said i’d be headed out into the wilderness, i ‘d be taking my camera along with me and snapping away… and then, posting tons of photos for you to see. well, i went. i snapped. and now i’m posting.
for those of you who have never been to north carolina, this is a little taste of some of the things you can see and do in the mountains of north carolina. we weren’t gone very long, but it was plenty of time to have some fun, unexpected adventures. which is just how i like to spend my days. and what lina and i would love to do with y’all!
just so you have a little background information, we rode on the blue ridge parkway (pictured above), a road that winds around, up, down, and through the mountains of tennessee, north carolina, and virginia for 469 miles (755 km). it is a two lane road built over 50 years in the 19th century. much of the road was built as a project of the CCC (civil conservation corps), a public work relief program, started by president franklin d. roosevelt’s New Deal, that operated from 1933 to 1942 in the states for unemployed, unmarried men from relief families, ages 18–25. today it is the most visited part of the national park system in the entire US every year since the 1940s. freaking cool, huh?!
the parkway is hailed as one of the best design achievements as a road that lies on the land and blends into the landscape. but, it’s not just a road to drive on… it’s a gateway to much, much more. camping, hiking, waterfalls, and some amazing forests and wilderness.
well, you just have to visit it. it’s so unique. and it lies just 5 minutes from our apartment, as it descends in to the asheville area. once you are on the road, it is only 10-15 minutes and you have left the city far behind and are surround by beautiful vistas and amazing nature.
ok. enough history. ready to check out adventures?!
do you see it?! that is a BEAR!! a real, live black bear that crossed the road in front of us and headed up the mountain. it was AMAZING!!
we had to recover after the bear sighting, so we pulled over at an overlook. lina’s by the car FaceTiming her parents to tell them the crazy story!
the campground where my parents are spending a few days. we gotta do that soon! ok. here’s what we did: my parents were not at their campsite, but their rv was, so we took out our chairs and blanket and plopped ourselves down. yes, we are camping crashers. you should’ve seen their faces when they realized we were there! hehe. fun stuff.
don’t ask. party tricks. practicing our balance. who knows… but, having fun. 
i know you wanna come for a visit now, right?!
after returning from all those amazing adventures, we had my brother over for dinner and then he took us to an outdoor bar by the french broad river (there’s a river that runs through asheville – and it is in fact the 3rd oldest river in the world, behind the nile in egpyt and the new river in the states. cool, huh? and another tidbit of trivia: i’ve rafted both the new & the french broad. time for a trip down the nile now! hehe.).
anyway, we had an interesting little discussion with my brother at the bar about the word “wild“. i love that word, it makes me think of wilderness and nature and all the beautiful natural beauty that is in the world. but, i’m thinking about it a little differently right now… and that’s a good thing i think. it’s never wrong to expand your mind. the thing is, when we say wild, we mean that something is not tame. when, actually, the things that are wild are just being natural. so, we define nature, animals, and all that out there in relation to ourselves… we’re civilized. it’s all wild – which has the connotation that we must tame it. as it being wild is wrong. and the truth is, perhaps we should actually learn how to be a little more wild…
wild is beautiful. wild is what’s real. wild is what’s been around longer than we have. just a cool discussion and a cool way to think about wildness, wilderness, and a chance to appreciate it all the more…
This post warmed my heart. I still adore that video, y’all are so cute!!!
YAY! You are most definitely welcome! So far we don’t have any plans to go anywhere during the holidays, so just keep in touch about when you might be coming through. 🙂
“perhaps we should actually learn how to be a little more wild…wild is beautiful. wild is what’s real. wild is what’s been around longer than we have.” Love it! xo
Thanks!! xoxo
one day we will stop by. It looks so much fun that it would be shameful not to come for a visit.
It would be so much fun for you to drop by. Fabulous!
Pics are great. Don’t we live in a beautiful area? I love the pic with the “layer” of mountains in the background.#6
Those moments an dplaces where you can see the layers are just breathtaking, I agree. Thank you!
Gorgeous pics and of you both!