I have been wanting to do some camping all fall but haven't been able to get anything to work out schedule wise, until this weekend. Sara drove from JC on Saturday morning and met me right outside of Blowing Rock, NC on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Julian Price Campground. The weather was absolutely beautiful this weekend. We were hoping that the fall color would be at its peak but we missed it by about a week at the higher elevations we were at. After getting settled at the campground, we headed out on the Parkway to enjoy the weather and get on some of the hiking trails. We headed south from the campground towards the Linn Cove Viaduct. The views along this stretch of the Parkway are phenomenal.
After visiting the Viaduct and a couple other overlooks, we went to the Rough Ridge trail and hiked about a mile up to some rock outcropping that provide some unbelievable views of the Blue Ridge Mtns. It was perfectly clear and we could see for miles.
As it started to get dark, we headed into Blowing Rock to pick up some supplies and then went back to the campground to start a fire and make dinner. Sara was in charge of dinner and she did an incredible job. She brought chicken, peppers, and onions to make fajitas over the fire. They were delicious. After sitting by the fire for a couple hours, it got pretty chilly and we headed for the tent.
The following morning, we woke up around 8. We leisurely hung out around camp, made a fire, and cooked some breakfast. Our campsite was about 10 yards from Price Lake so we spent some time admiring the early morning sun on the lake.
After eating a great breakfast, we packed up and headed to Boone (one of my favorite little towns) to spend a couple hours downtown at Mast General Store and some other shops. Overall, outstanding weekend. Always great to be able to spend one on one time with Sara and always great to be in the mountains.
