These mountains are a part of the Appalachians that stretch from Canada to Alabama. This picture was taken along the Skyline Drive that runs 105 miles along the top of these mountains and has 70 overlooks to take in the beauty of the Shenandoah Valley below.	In early May, the forests in the mountains were beginning to show signs of spring. Hiking was our major activity for the month, on mostly rugged trails one to three miles with elevation changes of several hundred feet. We found most of these hikes to be exhilarating.
Thanks to the work of the WPA and CCC, this work of art was completed in the late 1930s. It is less than 100 miles from the hustle and bustle of Washington DC and provided us with a more tranquil view of Virginia.	Standing on the top of Stony Man Mountain, Larry was at the highest peak of the Shenandoah Park. If this picture were taken 300 million years ago, he would be standing at an elevation that would have matched that of the Himalayas.
The view of Rose River Falls was our reward for hiking a 2-1/2 mile round trip hike with elevation changes of 720 feet coming and going.	The architects that designed this park did a phenomenal job at creating unique bridges and other features along the vast network of trails that run throughout the Park.
Along the southern edge of the Shenandoah, sits the 5,000 acre estate know as Monticello--home of President Thomas Jefferson. As the architect of our nation, he did a mighty fine job of designing this stunning mansion back in 1772. He, along with many of his descendants, is buried here.	One of Larry's dearest colleagues is Dan Vogler who, along with his wife Jean built this beautiful home in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Blacksburg, Virginia. Dan was instrumental in helping Larry shift the Selland College at Boise State from a vocational school to a true technical college.
Dan took us to the nearby Mountain Lake Resort where much of the on-location filming of Dirty Dancing took place in 1987. The resort with its rustic cabins is where Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey left their mark.	Near their home, Dan and Jean took us on a great five mile hike up a 600 foot grade to a stunning view of a cascading waterfalls. It gave us time to reminisce a bit and get a glimpse of their life in retirement.
Dan served as the chair of the Department of Vocational Technical Education at Virginia Tech. Over the years he advised over 40 doctoral students mostly focus on teaching and learning and in the process created a system of curriculum development that Larry used at Selland College.	The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile highway that connects the two national parks--Shenandoah and the Great Smokey's. This grist mill is one of the remnants that existed prior to the road being built and was incorporated as one of the recreational opportunities along the way.
Along the Parkway is Flat Top Manor, a 3,500 acre estate built by textile industrialist, naturalist and philanthropist, Moses H. Cone. Cone, dubbed the "Denim King," died at age 51. The home and land was donated to the Parkway as a memorial park dedicated in his name.	Grandfather Mountain (the most rugged mountain along the parkway) serves as a nature park. Its environmental habitat includes bears, otters and eagles. The swinging bridge in the background is a walkway built exactly 5,280 feet or one mile about sea level.
The road to the top of Grandfather mountain was also a treat. We passed the same tree four times.	Mountain music resonates throughout the Appalachians. The Parkway showcases this uniqueness at the Blue Ridge Music Center in North Carolina. We stopped there as the mid-day mountain music jam started. The Center includes an exhibition of old country and blue grass music.
After visiting the Blue Ridge Music Center, we attended a live radio program held at a movie theater in Galax, NC. Music was provided by a four-member family band that mixed the entertainment with Old Country songs and tales of humor.	The Blue Ridge Highway has no emergency, walking or biking lanes, but that didn't stop 800 bikers from doing "The Assault on Mt. Mitchell." This 102 mile race starts in Spartanburg, SC (800 miles above sea level) and heads to the highest point in the Eastern USA.
After cheering some of the bikers as they crossed the finish line, we hiked to the very top of Mount Mitchell to memorialize this experience.	Plus the view from the top of Mt. Mitchell was spectacular in all directions.
The last section built along the Parkway was this 1,243 foot bridge that hugs the side of Grand Father Mountain. It was completed in 1987, over 50 years after the work had begun.	As we drove our "Black Toad" along this stretch of the Parkway, we saw this sign designating this viewpoint as the highest point along the 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Like their ancestors, many Appalachian craftsmen do their handy work with traditional hand tools. Here was one piece that caught Larry's eye as we toured the Folk Art Center along the Parkway near Ashville, NC.	Along several of our hikes we saw signs marking this famous wilderness trail that winds through 14 states from Maine to Georgia stretching over 2,200 miles. The trail extends into Canada where it meets the Atlantic Ocean.
This is one of 26 tunnels we snuck under along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Most were dug by hand be the Civilian Conservation Corps. Each has a distinctive stone masonry opening, which were added in later years.	The CCC constructed mile markers made of concrete with engraved numbers. This is the last one along the 469 mile stretch. We noted that many were missing, probably in someone's yard.
After six years of construction this 250 room, 179,000 square foot house (known as the Biltmore Estate) was completed in 1895. Envisioned by George Vanderbilt as a summer estate in the mountains near Ashville, NC this home remains the largest privately owned home in America.	Vanderbilt designed his 125,000 acre estate as a self-supporting working estate including poultry, cattle, hogs, forestry and furniture making. The former horse barn has been converted into a restaurant, where we had lunch in one of the stables along the wall.
The Blue Ridge Parkway ends in the Cherokee Indian Reservation, which is part of the Great Smokey's. When gold was found in northern Georgia in the early 1800s, pressure had mounted and most of the Indians were forced to leave their lands, on what is now known as the Trail of Tears.	We were quite impressed with the village of Cherokee. It is a major attraction, with its casino, campgrounds, white water rafting, amusement parks, etc. One of the cool things we saw there were these "Solar Trees," designed to capture as much sun as they could but done with an artistic flair.
This elk is not native to the Great Smoky Mountains. They were all killed off in the late 1800s. The Park reintroduced Elk from the Land Between the Lakes of Tennessee and Kentucky. All of whom are ancestors of the Elk from Alberta, Canada. They have now overpopulated the area.	This one-room school house is one of the remaining buildings of a once thriving community which, along with farms, logging rights, etc. were bought up and removed to make way for the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which officially opened in 1934.
Atop the highest peak in the Great Smokey's is the Clingmans Dome Observation Tower which provides a stunning panoramic view of the Park. While many trees in the forest are dying because of acid rain, these fir trees died as a result of non-native insect.	We caught this spectacular view looking south. The haze that makes them "smoky" is getting worse because of the increase of fine particles of pollutions. It not only obscures the color and clarity of the view, it also caused an increase in respiratory diseases in wildlife and people in the area.
We ended our Appalachian journey in My Old Kentucky Home--home of Colonel Sanders original restaurant that made Kentucky Fried Chicken so famous. It is also home of the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Wildcats and some of the greatest friends we have ever made.	Here are two of them--Scott McBrayer giving me the thumbs up and David Bolton baiting a line for his next catch of the day. We all met up for a week-long camp outing on Green River Lake State Park, another thing that Kentucky is noted for--their great state park system.
We took a road trip through the rolling hills of Central Kentucky and stopped here, at the birthplace of one of the greatest presidents of the United States--Abraham Lincoln. Diane Bolton and Glorine met in the early 70s and have remained the best of friends (more like sisters) ever since. Coincidentally, their maiden name is Ressler.	This is not another fish story--it is really "that long." Scott caught this 28" Musky, but had to release it because keepers have to be 36" long. Scott lost his wife to cancer this past February after four years of treatment. We are proud of how well he is doing in moving forward from such a tragic loss. We look forward to seeing a lot more of him in the future.

May's web page includes May 1 through May 31.