Never Thought I Would Be A Mountain Kinda Girl

My family and I drove over to the NC mountains this weekend and all I can say is OMG….soooo beautiful!  I have only seen the mountains in Virginia when we went to Wintergreen Resort to go skiing  and tubing this past winter.

This time we went to Boone, Blowing Rock, Sugar Mountain, Beech Mountain, and Grandfather Mountain.  We wanted to check out some other ski areas we might consider trying for our ski trip next year so we figured we’d visit them during the summertime when we could navigate the roads better since we wouldn’t have to worry about ice or snow.

Thank goodness we did.  If we had made that trip for the first time in the winter, I would most definitely need a Valium to make it up through those mountains.  Holy cow.  Not only were my ears continually popping with each twist and turn, but half the time I couldn’t even look out the window because we were so high up….with NO GUARD RAILS on the side of the road either!

When I was looking though, the view was absolutely spectacular!  It is almost indescribable really.  I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in the Fall when all the leaves are changing (and we WILL go back for that!).   No matter we we were, each direction I turned my head to look, there were mountains.

Having been born and raised in South Florida where everything is FLAT and PLAIN looking (unless you’re lucky enough to live by the ocean), this view was new to me and a sight to behold.  In fact, it was so amazingly beautiful, that I imagined what it would be like to live there all year round.  Boone is a college town as it is home to Appalachian State University, which by the way is a GORGEOUS campus.  Still not as as incredible as the University of Florida (UF Alumni and MAJOR Gator fan here) but a close second.

Downtown Boone is adorable with it’s quaint little shops and restaurants too.  Just a few miles down the road there are other major retail stores such as Walmart, Kmart, and Old Navy, to name a few.  There is even an outlet mall with Coach and Gap!  What I loved about the area is that although it is old, it has charm and character but at the same time, it is infused with larger well known stores and restaurants.  It is quaint, but very well kept, which adds to its appeal.

My hubby and I could soooo see ourselves retiring there.  In fact, we would probably move there tomorrow if we could.  The weather was absolutely perfect too.  Mid 70’s with low humidity during the day, and mid to high 50’s at night.  It’s the end of JULY and it was in the 50’s?  How awesome is that!  I’m not a fan of the summer OR the heat so I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

If you are of fan of nature and the outdoors there are endless possibilities for you to explore in the area as well.  We hiked through a forest to find a waterfall which was amazing.  I had never seen one in real life before and its beauty was breathtaking.

Yes we will definitely be back to visit the mountains in the Fall and I cannot wait!  Now that we know better how to navigate our way around it won’t be as intimidating I’m sure.   Next time, we plan to rent a cabin instead of a hotel room so we can get the whole “mountain experience” and see what it would be like to actually live there.  Who knows?  Maybe living there would get old after awhile.  Maybe I’d get sick of all the shady trees, winding mountain roads and cool weather.

Maybe.

Nah!