An NFL Nut.

Football stuff.

Peppers Carolina

Road Trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina: Banner Elk and Grandfather Mountain

One hot, sweltering day last summer in the flat lands of North Carolina, me and my biker buddy thought it was about time to plan for a weekend road trip. Not wanting to spend too much time getting there, but definitely wanting a change of scenery and to escape the stifling summer heat, we decided to check out the Grandfather Mountain area in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountain Range, just about an hour and half drive from home in Mooresville N.C.

That Friday we took off work two hours early, packed our saddlebags and hopped on our hogs heading up 77 to I 40, destination Banner Elk, North Carolina. We turned off the Interstate in the foothills at Morganton, and after some cruising through the small Mayberry like town, soon found ourselves leaning into the curves, past Table Rock and numerous mountain vistas, the summer heat already melting away. Occasionally getting trapped behind a local, never in a hurry to get anywhere, we soon encountered a passing lane and sped on our way.

We got on 105 in Linville and we knew we were almost there. Cruising the next 7 miles in the shadow of Grandfather Mountain, we arrived at the stone buildings of Tynecastle, turned left heading down the valley past Sugar Mountain and into the town of Banner Elk. We had made reservations at the Banner Elk Inn Bed & Breakfast, so we turned right at the only stoplight and were soon checking in.

Being the cocktail hour, we stretched our legs with a nice cool walk into town and visited some local bistros, then crossed the street and headed to Stonewalls were we enjoyed an excellent steak dinner.

Saturday was to be a day to cruise the area. After a hearty breakfast at the Inn, we saddled up and headed back to Linville Falls, were we caught up with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Heading north towards Blowing Rock, the Blue Ridge Parkway is chocked full of winding roads and beautiful mountain views, one of the best ways to tour the mountains of North Carolina.

Shortly after hitting the Parkway we came upon the Linn Cove Viaduct. An engineering marvel, the viaduct is an elevated bridge that wraps around Grandfather Mountain for some eight miles, and has some of the best mountain views on the Parkway. Designed to blend in, the bridge is a fine example of Mother Nature and the man made coexisting. We stopped to take a hike on the trail that goes underneath the Linn Cove Viaduct to get a better view of some truly impressive architecture.

Julian Price Park was the next stop on the Parkway, with a primitive campground and a beautiful lake that offers some excellent trout fishing. The park covers over 4000 acres and has 25 miles of hiking trails. An amphitheater, picnic grounds, and canoe rentals make Julian Price an excellent place to spend the day. We spent a couple of hours, then moved on towards Blowing Rock.

We exited the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Moses Cone Memorial Park, checked out the Crafts Center, and moved on to Blowing Rock for lunch. On the way back, we took the road to Boone, home of Appalachian State University, and turned up 105 back to Banner Elk.

Back at the Inn, there was plenty of daylight left so we took a little break, hopped back on our bikes and headed up the mountain to Valle Crucis. A really fun narrow winding mountain road with one really mean switchback at the top, the ride down the mountain had some great mountain views as we passed farm houses, retreats, horse farms, and some quant little bed and breakfasts tucked away in there own mountain nooks.

Valle Crucis is a very rural community, its hub being the Mast General Store were we stopped for a look see. The Mast family has a large presence here with two stores and the Mast Inn, one of the best of the many Bed and Breakfast Inns in the area. This is where you come when you really want to get away from it all. A mountain retreat with 2 quality horse farms for those who like to ride the live things.

On the way back to Banner Elk via 105, we were having so much fun on these tight little roads that we decided to head on up to Seven Devils, a vacation resort area with the Hawksnest Ski Resort and Golf Coarse at the top of the mountain.

After a full day of riding, back in Banner Elk we headed to happy hour at the Bayou Smokehouse and Grill and stayed all night, scarfing down brewskis, Texas style Bar-B-Que, and some great Louisiana Cajun Cuisine.

Sunday was the day to conquer the big daddy of them all, Grandfather Mountain. Having been on the road all day Saturday, today we were going to do some serious hiking.

With the tallest peak in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Grandfather Mountain sits on the eastern continental divide and is host to the annual gathering of Scottish clans, and the Highland Games. We passed McRae Meadows and paid the $14 per person to enter the privately owned mountain. We parked briefly at the nature museum and took a quick tour of the wildlife habitat, which features animals native to the region on display in their natural habitat.

As we headed up to the mile high swinging bridge, we could see the clouds racing through the gaps between the peaks. It was a cool, foggy overcast type of day as it so often is in the mountains of North Carolina, and visibility was patchy at best. But we were here for a hike, and hiking is what we did.

We started the trek towards Calloway Peak, and being in the middle of the summer, we had plenty of company. The well marked trail led us through some easy to difficult terrain with ropes and wooden ladders to aid us in climbing the rock faces, and several open vistas where we could recognize Mt. Mitchell on the horizon, and the Sugar Top condos at Sugar Mountain as we viewed the cloud cover below us.

We never made it to the very top of Calloway Peak, the higher you go the harder it gets, but we did wind up getting a good workout, and the hike down was just about as hard as going up. We got back to the swinging bridge parking lot, caught our breath, then mounted our bikes for the trip back home. It was good to have the vibration of the road under us again, and by the time we left the foothills of Morganton, the cool mountain breezes were already becoming a fond memory.

Whether by motorcycle, car, or truck, a road trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina is a great way to beat the heat. The area surrounding Banner Elk and Grandfather Mountain is peppered with vacation homes of people from all over the south east, a large proportion escaping the hot, humid summers of Florida.

Outdoor activities abound all year round with skiing and snowboarding in the winter, and hiking, fishing, kayaking, white water rafting, tennis and golf, camping, or just plain cruising the roads in the spring, summer and fall. Whatever your pleasure, Banner Elk and Grandfather Mountain in the Blue Ridge Mountains is a great destination for the great American road trip.

About the Author

A former resident of Banner Elk, Michael
Talbert currently resides in Jacksonville
Beach Florida and is webmaster for Biker Leather Ltd., an online retailer of leather motorcycle jackets, chaps, and accessories.

Which Carolina Panther player will get their revenge next year?

Jake Delhomme or Julius Peppers? This one`s for you Delusional!

Both.
I hope Matt Moore is tough and that our defense can take a beat down.
Forget Peppers,if Delhomme burns us we deserve it.

Carolina Panthers 08 - defensive end drills

Julius Peppers Carolina Panthers Signed Photo - 8x10 $69.99 Julius Peppers Carolina Panthers Signed Photo - 8x10 Julius Peppers Carolina Panthers Signed Photo -. It's not easy to get a high quality piece like this, since Julius Peppers has a reputation for not scheduling many official signing sessions. As demand for memorabilia like this increases, items like this will go up in value. Sportsmemorabilia.com stands behind every item we offer, and all of our pieces are guaranteed authentic. You don't see stats like that every day, which is why Peppers's pieces are big with collectors. All of our pieces are highest possible quality. High quality signature. Each piece comes with a numbered hologram from Sportsmemorabilia.com.

Julius Peppers $81.25 High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles Julius Frazier Peppers is an American football defensive end for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at North Carolina. Author: Miller, Frederic P./ Vandome, Agnes F./ McBrewster, John Binding Type: Paperback Number of Pages: 108 Publication Date: 2010/12/22 Language: English Dimensions: 6.00 x 9.02 x 0.26 inches

North Carolina Tar Heels' Julius Peppers - April 15, 2002 $39.99 North Carolina Tar Heels' Julius Peppers - April 15, 2002 - Photographic Print

Peppers $19.99 Peppers - Masterprint

Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers #90 9X12 Photo Plaques $18.8 Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers #90 9X12 Photo Plaques Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers #90 9X12 Photo Plaques. This Is an Absolutely Wonderful Piece of Memorabilia for Your Home, Business, or Office. Impress Your Friends, Family, Employees and Colleagues with This Hanging on Your Wall.

Julius Peppers Signed Jersey - GLOBAL $532.3 Julius Peppers Signed Jersey - GLOBAL Julius Peppers Signed Carolina Panthers Jersey GLOBALEvery signed item comes fully certified with a tamper proof hologram certificate of authenticity and is backed by the SportsMemorabilia.com Authenticity Guarantee.

Julius Peppers Carolina Panthers Framed Unsigned 8x10 Photograph $49.99 The Julius Peppers unsigned 8x10 photo comes double matted and framed in a wood frame and measures 12x14x1. It comes ready to hang in any home or office.

Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers Forever Collectibles Phathead Bobble Head $26.7 Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers Forever Collectibles Phathead Bobble Head The 2007 Phathead Bobble Heads are displayed on a round base which features the team's helmet in the center. Each piece is hand painted and is approximately 8" tall. Made by Forever Collectibles. Product enhancements by the product manufacturer may result in the item(s) being slightly different than they appear in the images posted.

Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers Forever Collectibles On Field Bobble Head $34.22 Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers Forever Collectibles On Field Bobble Head The On Field Bobble Heads from Forever Collectibles are limited to only 2,007 pieces per figure. Each figure is displayed on a base which features the team's colors and logo. A small raised plaque with the player's number is featured on the right side of the base. Each piece is hand painted and numbered. Product enhancements by the product manufacturer may result in the item(s) being slightly different than they appear in the images posted.

Encore Select 510FBCAR90 Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers No. 90 9X12 Photo Plaques $28.35 Carolina Panthers Julius Peppers 90 9 x 12 Photo Plaques. This is an Absolutely Wonderful Piece of Memorabilia for your Home Business or Office. Impress your Friends Family Employees and Colleagues wIth This Hanging on your Wall.

Autographed Julius Peppers Photo - 8x10 Image #1 JSA) $64.6 Autographed Julius Peppers Photo - 8x10 Image #1 JSA) Julius Peppers autographed 8x10 Photo (Carolina Panthers) Image #1 (JSA). Item comes fully certified with a tamper-evident, serialized hologram and certificate of authenticity.

Signed Julius Peppers Photo - 8x10 Image #2 JSA) $64.6 Signed Julius Peppers Photo - 8x10 Image #2 JSA) Julius Peppers autographed 8x10 Photo (Carolina Panthers) Image #2 (JSA). Item comes fully certified with a tamper-evident, serialized hologram and certificate of authenticity.

Julius Peppers Carolina Panthers On Field Bobble Head Doll from Forever Collectibles $28.95 The Julius Peppers Carolina Panthers NFL On Field Bobble Heads from Forever Collectibles are limited to only 2,007 pieces per figure. Each figure is displayed on a base which features the team's colors and logo. A small raised plaque with the player's number is featured on the right side of the base. Each piece is hand painted and numbered.

South Carolina Gamecocks Chili Mix $11.99 A perfect blend of peppers and spices on that cool fall afternoon for that great tailgating chili. Comes with South Carolina Gamecocks colors and logo. Ingredients: sun dried chile peppers- cumin- beef flavor- onion powder- garlic powder- chicken flavor- oregano- cayenne pepper- black pepper- habanero peppers- jalapeno peppers.

Julius Peppers North Carolina Tar Heels Fathead $119.99 Fathead wall graphics are life-size action images that you stick on any smooth surface. You can move them and reuse them and they are safe for walls. Fathead wall graphics are way better than a poster- much bigger than a sticker and tougher than a decal

North Carolina Tar Heels Chili Mix $11.99 A perfect blend of peppers and spices on that cool fall afternoon for that great tailgating chili. Comes with North Carolina Tar Heels colors and logo. Ingredients: sun dried chile peppers- cumin- beef flavor- onion powder- garlic powder- chicken flavor- oregano- cayenne pepper- black pepper- habanero peppers- jalapeno peppers.

Chili Peppers $19.99 Chili Peppers - Photographic Print

Bell Peppers $29.99 Bell Peppers - Photographic Print

Garlic and Peppers $29.99 Garlic and Peppers - Photographic Print

Chili peppers $19.99 Chili peppers - Photographic Print

Hot Sauce Harrys 3212 NORTH CAROLINA Tarheels Chili Mix 2.75oz $73.71 A perfect blend of peppers and spices on that cool fall afternoon for that great tailgating chili. Comes with North Carolina Tar Heels colors and logo. Ingredients: sun dried chile peppers cumin beef flavor onion powder garlic powder chicken flavor oregano cayenne pepper black pepper Habanero peppers jalapeno peppers.

Hot Sauce Harrys 3215 SOUTH CAROLINA Gamecocks Chili Mix 2.75oz $73.71 A perfect blend of peppers and spices on that cool fall afternoon for that great tailgating chili. Comes with South Carolina Gamecocks colors and logo. Ingredients: sun dried chile peppers cumin beef flavor onion powder garlic powder chicken flavor oregano cayenne pepper black pepper Habanero peppers jalapeno peppers.

Green Peppers $9.99 Urpina Green Peppers - Art Print

Hot Peppers $12.99 Alma'ch Hot Peppers - Art Print

Carolina $8.99 Carolina

South Carolina Gamecocks Medium Picante Salsa $11.99 Spice up your favorite recipes or enjoy straight from the jar- South Carolina Gamecocks Picante Salsa is an unbeatable treat. Our gourmet salsa is made with tomatoes- onions- green chile peppers- jalapeno peppers- garlic- cilantro and secret spices and comes in a 16oz jar with the South Carolina Gamecocks colors and logos.

South Carolina Gamecocks Nacho Cheese Sauce $10.99 No South Carolina Gamecocks tailgate party is complete without nachos. Enjoy this rich- mild cheddar cheese taste with chunks of fresh tomatoes- green chilies- onions- sweet red peppers- sweet green peppers and jalapeno peppers throughout. Everything goes well with this nacho cheese sauce from hot dogs to hamburgers to french fries. Heck- it even goes well with eggs. South Carolina Gamecocks Nacho Cheese Sauce comes with officially licensed South Carolina Gamecocks logos and colors.

North Carolina Tar Heels Nacho Cheese Sauce $10.99 No North Carolina Tar Heels tailgate party is complete without nachos. Enjoy this rich- mild cheddar cheese taste with chunks of fresh tomatoes- green chilies- onions- sweet red peppers- sweet green peppers and jalapeno peppers throughout. Everything goes well with this nacho cheese sauce from hot dogs to hamburgers to french fries. Heck- it even goes well with eggs. North Carolina Tar Heels Nacho Cheese Sauce comes with officially licensed North Carolina Tar Heels logos and colors.

Japanese Peppers $59.99 Sofu Teshigahara Japanese Peppers - Wall Decal

Red Peppers $59.99 Ken Hammond Red Peppers - Wall Decal

Sweet Peppers $10.99 David Carter Brown Sweet Peppers - Art Print

Tags: article, nfl, panthers, peppers carolina panthers, sports, yahoo

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 4th, 2006 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.