About Watauga County, NC

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 be closed Tuesday and Thursdays from 12PM-2PM so that the workers can do a controlled blast and then clean up the rubble. There are also intermittent delays throughout the day, so you need to account for extra time when traveling.

There really isn't a good detour if you're trying to get around the construction other than to come to Boone from the 421 (Wilkesboro) side. Sampson road and Globe road are options but they are hard to navigate and travel unless you have a county map and 4WD.

The best advice I have if you're traveling to the Blowing Rock - Boone area from the South is to avoid the road all together during peak hours, be patient and realize that it takes a lot of time to move mountains.

Summer is in full swing here in the Boone/Blowing Rock area. Spring seems to be but a fleeting thought that appeared disappeared when you weren't looking. Temperatures have been in the 90's all week and everything is in full bloom especially our native gem the Rhododendron.

Area schools finally let out this past week. Doesn't it seem later and later each year? I know the kids feel that way. All of these signs point to the fact that the summer tourist season is in full swing.

If you're in the area, the Blowing Rock Stage Company is presenting The Immigrant "It is a beautiful play that truly captures the American experience of assimilation, tolerance and understanding. I think our audiences will see much of their own history in this play.” Says director Kenneth Kay of the play which is second in the company's summer season. Performances start June 13 and run through the 22nd. Call the box office at the Miriam and Robert Hayes Performing Arts Center for specific times and rates (828) 295-9627.

"Art in the Park" kicks off June 14th in Blowing Rock. The festival features local artists and vendors and it's right near the playground and shops. It's a wonderful way to spend a Saturday with the kids mulling around downtown. Everything starts around 10. I'd come early to avoid the mid-day heat and traffic.

This is the peak time of year if you're an outdoor enthusiast or just enjoy being outside. Try your hand at trout fishing in one of our many stocked streams. There are plenty of opportunities to go canoeing, kayaking or tubing. For guided tours check out Wahoo's for a range of activities and rates. Of course there are plenty of hiking trails all over the area for every skill level but that deserves a blog all to itself. More to come on that at a later date. There's also horseback riding, canopy tours or if you want to sit back soak it all in, grab an ice cream cone at Kilwin's downtown Blowing Rock and just watch the world go by.

I am so sorry I couldn't post these any faster! I have been swamped with lots and lots and lots to do.

I took these pictures on the way out to Wilderness Trail the day before yesterday. Right off the Blue Ridge Parkway is a park named "Julian Price Memorial Park". At this park is Price Lake, which sits in the shadows of Grandfather Mountain when the sun sets in the west. The lake is one of my favorites, and close to my house. It is stocked with trout and bass, and fishing is great during non-busy weeks. Julian Price Park sits on about 3900 acres of mountain land that was donated by an insurance company back in the day. Some of the features of Price Park are picnic grounds, campgrounds, rest rooms, nature walks, an amphitheater, hiking trails, trout fishing and boat rentals. You can rent canoes or row boats by the hour or by the day at pretty reasonable rates. I think it was $6 for 2 hours last time I rented, but that was years ago. Since then I bought my own canoe to take out to different places. That canoe has been through some wild trips, but all were fun, if not death defying..which I will have to write about one day.

Anyhoo, there are trails in the park, which vary in length, but all take you through the forests, by the streams and into the meadows of the park, and one loops around the lake that is pretty easy for even the most civil of humans ;-) Enjoy!

Grandfather Mountain from Julian Price Memorial Park

Taken early in the morning, these guys were reeling them in! (I was very Jealous)

Took this one from a trail around the park, I was tempted not to leave for the office

This is the Boone Fork Dam, which was dammed to create the lake in Julian Price's memory.

TGIF!! Friday in Blowing Rock is looking awesome so far! About 68 degrees, sunny, and downtown is bustling! I have so much to do and not enough time to do it in...I just need a few more hours in my day and two more days a week!

Anyhoo, here are some pictures of some of the natural scenes in the NC wilderness that are definitely worth taking a look at. It is hard to choose out of the 200 pictures we took yesterday, but here are some of the creeks that pass through.

From low lying streams to high mountain peaks, there are plenty of places to get great pictures of the mountains and the environment.

Below is a rare site these days in the mountains, we found a Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) sitting in the trees. I find them around my house a lot, when you see them on the ground they kind of look like little chickens, especially when you see them run and walk.

Meet Donna Lisenby the new Upper Watauga Riverkeeper on Saturday, May 24th at The Mast General Store Annex in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. She will be available to answer questions and give much more information from 11 a.m. -3p.m. during the kickoff event to the Take it Outside series at the Annex.

From the headwaters on the slopes of Grandfather Mountain to the Watauga Lake Dam on the Tennessee border, the Upper Watauga River is one of Western North Carolina's treasures. The Watauga, a Cherokee word meaning "beautiful river," begins its westward flow to the Gulf of Mexico in Watauga County, North Carolina. A fast growing area in the Carolina Mountains, Watauga County is experiencing increased development that could impact the future of the Upper Watauga River. Unmonitored, this development could cause higher flooding events and more intense low water droughts. In the past, the health of the river was left to chance, but that is about to change with the addition of a Riverkeeper to protect the future of the Upper Watauga River.

Donna Lisenby comes to her new position as the Upper Watauga Riverkeeper from a similar position on the Catawba River, which flows through North and South Carolina. Donna, a South Carolina native and Clemson University graduate, is committed to "building sustainable relationships between people and Earth."

Donna began her mission as the Catawba Riverkeeper in 1998 with responsibility for all 300 miles of the river. Along with a network of trained volunteers, she monitored water quality and enforced environmental laws, among other tasks. Being the voice of the Catawba had many challenges but did not go unnoticed. Donna was named as the "1999 Guardian of the Environment" by The Charlotte Observer and received three "Best of Charlotte" awards for "Best Effort to Improve the Environment." In speaking of Donna, Hickory, North Carolina Mayor Rudy Wright said "She has been an advocate and a spokesman for what I consider the most endangered river in America."

Permission to reprint this information has been given by Mast General Store Webmaster - Bob.