Grandfather Mountain

This weekend we had the chance the visit the popular Grandfather Mtn for only a dollar! Locals get dollar days in April and we went to see all the tourist attractions. The swinging bridege was the was highlight at over 5,000 feet. The winds were above 50mph and the bridge was swinging. It was sad to see how they had habituated the bears allowing people to feed them. Although they have worked hard with the bear introduction programs in the Blue Ridge, the feeding of bears was unacceptable. We hope to return to the area and do some back country hiking this summer. What a great place in our backyard!

Biltmore Visit

Saturday I took a group of International students from App to Asheville to visit the Biltmore. I had nine students from different countries that was led by my tourism students. It was a great trip! Looking forward to a four day break for Easter holiday! Warm weather and sunshine on the way.

Spring Fever

We had a great time in the South enjoying warmer temps. Sean had a good race in LA, remembering how painful the course was, placing in the top 30. I raced Sunday and was pleasantly surprised to stay in until the sprint. Monday I trail rode Molly in Clemson and celebrated Jennifer's 29th birthday...again. Now, we're back on top of the mountain with only a little snow on the ground. Perhaps daylight savings time will bring Spring!

Spring Break

Sean and I will be enjoying spring break next week OFF the mountain. The light snow dusting forecasted for today has been 5 inches so far, with more to come. I will spend the weekend and first part of the week in Clemson enjoying friends, racing, and seeing Miss Molly. Sean is heading to Louisiana with Team Metro to race the Rouge Roubaix (a 101 mile road race with 40 miles of dirt). I found a classic picture from 2005 when he placed 30th. This year holds hopes for a higher place and more suffering! Sunshine and warm temps...here we come!

Winter Desperation

This sign was on HWY 421 at the Baptist Church in Boone. We are now on record for the most snowfall and snowy days. Note the snowman in town.

Ice Cream Sandwhich of Snow

This will be a winter to remember! We received another foot of snow on the 6 inches already on the ground. Then add a layer of ice and another 4". We are hoping to get out of the drive today!

January Winter

Mr. Winter has hit us hard in the mountains. Before the semester started I was able to ride a few times on clear roads, but the past few weekends have brought ice, cold, and plenty of snow. Jennifer, Betsy, and Zachary came up this past weekend for his first ski trip. Zac made it 2 hours in ski school and dropped out. We got a text on the mountain and had to return to pick him up. I don't think the group ski lesson was his style. Thanks to Betsy, she took him under her wing and he skied down the big mountain. We had a great day! Another foot of snow this weekend! Maybe we'll try XC skiing instead.