Leaving Atlanta I know Maine is in sight, but the books are still on the high seas and I still have many miles to travel. Lucky me, I have time for another adventure and it’s
Boone, North Carolina and
Grandfather Mountain. I have passed the sign for Grandfather Mountain many times and always think, “I will stop the next time.” Well, this is next time and I take a sharp left turn onto Rte 321 from the I40 and head up to the beautiful town of Boone. Boone is a university town in Watauga County located atop the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. Not knowing what to expect, I am ecstatically surprised at what I discover. This beautiful town was incorporated in 1872 and now has a population is 14,942 and sits at the highest elevation (3266 feet) of any town of its size east of the Mississippi River.
Boone, NC is in the High County of the
Blue Ridge Mountain and the home of the beautiful campus of
Appalachian State University and the Appalachian State University Football Team. When I asked my waitress at Casa Rustica Restaurant what made Boone so famous, she and everyone in the restaurant admitted the Appalachian Football Team. You have to understand this team is loaded with talent, but they also train at an elevation 3266 feet ft.
This incredible four season area offers everything from snow skiing, hiking, rafting, mountain bike trails, beautiful lakes and zip lining. Once I saw the road side sign for
Scream Zip Lines I knew I had to give it a go. I will admit, I have a tremendous fear of heights, so this crazy idea was nuts! Getting to the hotel the night before my death defying adventure, I made myself call ahead and make the next day’s reservation. Yes, I had to pay early to make myself play. The next morning, not knowing where I was going, I headed out at 7:00am hoping I wouldn’t get lost. A few wrong turns later, even my GPS didn’t know where I was going, I finally I arrived at the Scream Zip Line office. A very small building for what I figured such a big adventure. The place was buzzing with activity; even the little people were excited about our upcoming adventure of potential doom. There was a bulletin board of action pictures and one picture was of a puppy dog zipping!
We all lined up and each outfitted with a harness and helmet that we wore riding the van to the zip lining area. I wish I written down the names of my fellow "zippers" because we had so much fun! One family was from the Raleigh, NC area and spends vacations in this gorgeous High Country. The other family was their relatives visiting from New York. Their daughter, Gloria, thought it was a hoot I admitted to being afraid of heights and was willing to do this. I have to admit, despite my initial fear, we all had a blast.
When we were safely down and riding the Scream Van back to the office, they continued to tell me of all the exciting things they had been doing on their vacation, including their visit to Grandfather Mountain and the Wild Life Habitat. I had to promise to visit the animals and assure them I wouldn’t miss the chocolate shop. Delicious!
Grandfather Mountain is a mountain and state park near Linville, North Carolina. At 5,946 feet, it is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment of the Blue Ridge Mountains, one of the major chains of the Appalachian Mountains. The Blue Ridge Parkway passes by the south side of the mountain. It is located at the meeting point of Avery, Caldwell (highest point), and Watauga (highest point) Counties
The original name for Grandfather Mountain was "Tanawha," a Cherokee name meaning "a fabulous hawk or eagle." It was named "Grandfather" by pioneers who recognized the face of an old man in one of the cliffs.
The 228-foot suspension bridge spans an 80-foot chasm at more than one mile in elevation. It was built to give visitors easy access to the breath-taking views of Grandfather Mountain's Linville Peak. To reach the bridge I had climb 50 stairs to walk across a bridge that swings freely a mile above the earth! I am very happy to admit, I was scared to death and with assistance, and I survived!
Leaving The High Country, I head for my friend Mary Lou in Marblehead, Ma and down time.
When we were safely down and riding the Scream Van back to the office, they continued to tell me of all the exciting things they had been doing on their vacation, including their visit to Grandfather Mountain and the Wild Life Habitat. I had to promise to visit the animals and assure them I wouldn’t miss the chocolate shop. Delicious! 
