Jungle Road

We took the Bulls Island Ferry from Awendaw to Bulls Island for a little adventure. Bulls Island sits in the middle of the 66,000-acre Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. The ferry dropped us off on the protected leeward side of the island. To get to the beach, we trekked a very long mile directly through the island's center. We were rewarded with a near-deserted stretch of coastline. In the mid-summer heat, it was probably a little too aggressive for a relaxing beach day with the kids but we still had a great time!

This photo was captured with a Sony a6300. 

Grandfather Mountain

The famous Linn Cove Viaduct wraps around Grandfather Mountain. It was the last stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be completed in the 1980s and was an engineering marvel of its time. If you look closely at the ridge of Grandfather Mountain, you can see the suspension bridge that connects two of the peaks.

This image was captured while filming my entry for the 2017 Triple Aught Design Fall Film Festival. If you haven't watched and voted for my short film, I'd really appreciate it if you did! It takes five seconds and there's no registration required.

This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic pro drone. 

The High Road

There's one major paved road that loops around Beech Mountain. Most of the other roads are gravel or dirt and they branch off from the loop road, often leading higher and higher until they disappear into a mountain meadow or brook. If you have a capable off-road vehicle, exploring the unpaved trails is one of the best ways to spend a day that I can think of. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Mavic Pro drone.

TRAVEL VIDEO: Linn Cove Viaduct in 60 Seconds

Linn Cove Viaduct is an engineering marvel along the Blue Ridge Parkway, high up in the North Carolina mountains. Learn about it in 60 seconds.

Gear used in this video:
Drone: http://amzn.to/1NI01nQ
GoPro: http://amzn.to/2pCz9uA

Music by Evan Schaeffer, https://soundcloud.com/evanschaeffer.

Ahead of the Storm

This is the Linn Cove Viaduct on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. It's truly a structural engineering masterpiece. It's completion in the 1980s marked the official completion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, joining the north portion and the south portion of the Parkway. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone. 

Foggy Curve

This curving stretch of asphalt is US-221 in the High Country of North Carolina. This stretch winds it's way around giant granite boulders from Blowing Rock to Linville. Prior to the construction of the Linn Cove Viaduct on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the 1980s, this was the only way to connect the southern and northern sections of the Parkway. When weather is too harsh on the viaduct, the section is closed and the familiar US-221 detour is re-enabled, turning a 20-minute drive into nearly an hour drive. This photograph was captured from the hills above on the Parkway. 

Peaceful Bridge

This bridge is on the Blue Ridge Parkway just north of Blowing Rock. I pass over this bridge at least once a month and I'm always fascinated by the dozen dead trees towering over the forest. It's reforestation happening right before your eyes. If the trees were all hit by the same storm, it must have been a sight to behold. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.

Country Road

This is the gravel access road down the backside of Beech Mountain just as the leaves are starting to change. On most maps, you'll only see a single way on and off the mountain (Beech Mountain Parkway) and I always felt like there must be another way down in case of a forest fire or other emergency. After  a little exploring, and asking around, we found it. It's actually one of the best maintained gravel roads I've ever seen as it winds its way down the mountain for a few miles. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.