Today is International Mountain Day. This is the view from the top of Beech Mountain when the the clouds roll in. At a mile high, you have a unique vantage point of the top of the clouds as they snake their way through the valleys far below.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
In keeping with the theme of warmer times, this is one of my favorite places in the world, The Grand Pavilion at Wild Dunes. I remember as a kid playing at the old open-air beach pavilion before Hugo took it away. They did a tremendous job rebuilding and keeping the spirit of the old pavilion alive.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.
With the cold hitting the US hard this week, I thought I'd take it back to last spring on Siesta Key Beach in Florida. Unlike most beaches, where the sand is made out of mostly coral and shells, the sand at Siesta Key Beach is very fine quartz from the Appalachian Mountains. It's almost white and it's reflective properties make it cool to bare feet even in the middle of the summer.
This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.
The deer are everywhere on Beech Mountain. From spring to fall, it's nearly impossible to spend a day on the mountain and not run into one or two... or twenty! As you can see, they're quite healthy, too!
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
The sheer volume and quality of classic Land Rovers at Overland Expo alone make it worth the trip. Nothing captures the spirit of overlanding like a Series II Land Rover, straight from a trip across Africa. I'm not sure of the providence of this particular Landy but it was definitely a keeper.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
This cool little guy lives at the Charlotte Nature Museum in the Butterfly Pavilion. I bet he enjoys the climate but I wasn't expecting an iguana among the butterflies!
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
This giant Jack of the Wood can often be found wandering through the Carolinas Renaissance Festival. Despite being eight feet tall, he's a gentle giant, taking time to post with children. If you look closely, you'll see eyes behind that mask.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.
Morocco is my favorite country at Epcot's world showcase. The Kingdom of Morocco insisted on sponsoring and doing construction on the pavilion, rather than relying on corporate sponsors. It brings an authenticity and humbleness that outshines some of the more traditionally popular countries.
If you're interested in seeing more photographs from Epcot's Morocco, check out my Morocco gallery.
This photograph was captured with a Sony NEX-7.
There's nothing like spending a few hours eating and wandering around Shem Creek. It's always lively and you're nearly guaranteed to see dolphin (or are they porpoises?). If you're looking to do some stand up paddleboarding in the lowcountry, check out the rental places a little deeper into Shem Creek. There's a nice little barrier island that gives you a destination and it keeps the harbor relatively calm. If you're lucky, you just might be paddling alongside a family of dolphin, too!
This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.
If you've ever been to Chapel Hill, this post needs no explanation.
If you haven't, I'll explain. He's Not Here is an institution. Whenever a UNC basketball star announced that he'd be leaving Chapel Hill for the NBA, he would be seen at He's Not with none other than Michael Jordan the night before the announcement. Michael was always called in to have a heart-to-heart with the player before the big decision. Rumor had it that his advice was always that if they did leave, they needed to take classes during the summer until they earned their degree.
Either way, if you saw your favorite UNC player at He's Not with Michael Jordan, it was bad news for the Tar Heels... but you got over it quickly because you were drinking cheap beers out of these enormous Solo cups. "Back in our day" they were simply giant blue cups... and were called "Blue Cups"... at some point the Solo company stopped making them in blue and there was an awkward period where "Blue Cups" were actually "White Cups." It didn't take long for these next-generation screen-printed cups to show up. They're a little too fancy for He's Not Here but I don't see anybody complaining.
This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.