Mountaintop High

Last week I traveled to Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia for the Virginia Governor's Housing Conference. Three days out of the office are always enjoyable, but this was probably the best conference I've attended in the little over two years I've been working. A coworker and I manned our display throughout the three days and I met hundreds of people involved in affordable housing. I don't know if we'll get any business out of it but it never hurts to talk to everyone you can. It was also pretty neat to see the reactions when somebody saw a project in which they were involved in a photo on our display board. Their eyes lit up and they screetched with happiness.

Friday we had to pack up the display early so we both hung out for a couple of hours and then hit the road. I didn't have a schedule so I started my explorations with the goal of seeking out the world's largest man-made star on top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke (learned that interesting fact after I reached my destination). Leaving the star I hit the Blue Ridge Parkway near the city and followed the one way loop up Roanoke Mountain all the time enjoying the winding road and the beautiful fall leaves that were still clinging to the trees.

After enjoying the overlooks, I headed back down to downtown Roanoke and found a historic rehab in which we invested several years ago and crisscrossed the downtown grid. Roanoke was a surprise. I figured it would be small town, but it's a full fledged city with a lot going on downtown. I don't think I'd want to live there, but I certainly wouldn't mind visiting again.

From Roanoke, I drove south on I-81 to I-77 and bsck to North Carolina. If you're looking for a great view, the section of 77 just north of the NC border is amazing, just watch out for the trucks while you're admiring the scenary. My quest for the afternoon was to finally drive across the engineering marvel, Lin Cove Viaduct section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I entered the parkway near Boone and drove about 40 miles south on the parkway. I cranked up the classical music thanks to the XM and cruised through the mountains. I know I had a smile on my face the entire time and the adjective flowing from my mind can only describe the afternoon as glorious. The sun filtering through the golden leaves was glorious, the first snow of the season was glorious, and the brisk temperatures brought a smile to my face. I love the mountains and the parkway certainly is a national treasure.

After my mountaintop experience I drove to Charlotte to spend the night at my sister's in Uptown. We had dinner at La Paz (the same as the one in Vinings) and had a good time.

Saturday morning I woke up early and hit the road to Atlanta with the Tech flags flying on the Envoy. I arrived at the tailgate right on time and had some great white chili thanks to Meagan. I procurred a free ticket from a nice Tech fan and had a good time at the entirely too close game.

Thanksgiving vacation makes me thankful that I have the opportunity and ability to have such great experiences.

Photos from my Travels

Ginormous Star in Roanoke


Grandfather Mountain from the Parkway