Took the day off to head up to Natural Bridge State Park with my wife. Pictures don’t really do justice to how massive it is.
Then there are the Blue Ridge Mountains, always gorgeous. Will return to Skyline Trail later this summer, as it’s an official International Dark Sky viewing location. Perhaps in August for the Perseid meteor shower season.
Hype for the Future 149C: Town of Lake Lure, North Carolina
Overview The Town of Lake Lure is a community located within the boundaries of Rutherford County, North Carolina, and is associated with namesake Lake Lure, acquired in 1965. Located along United States Route 74 Alternate, the town is home to numerous places to stay, including the Grafton Lodge Bed and Breakfast and the Shaded Crest, as well as the Lake House Restaurant Bar and Grill and numerous amenities within the nearby areas, especially further east. Route 9 also serves the vicinity of […]Hype for the Future 149A: City of Saluda, North Carolina
Overview The City of Saluda is a community split between Polk and Henderson Counties in the State of North Carolina, along United States Route 176. Today, notable amenities of the community include the Saluda Inn, the Jim Carson Gallery and Studio AIS & OPA, and the Orchard Inn Boutique Hotel and Spa. Tryon is located to the east, and Zirconia is to the west.https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/03/29/hype-for-the-future-149a-city-of-saluda-north-carolina/
Hype for the Future 133L: Shannondale, West Virginia
Overview Shannondale is a modern, unincorporated census-designated place representative of the relatively recent constructions of exurban Washington, DC, in the State of West Virginia and particularly within Jefferson County at the eastern end of the Eastern Panhandle of the State. Today, the community is located within the small slice of Jefferson County that exists east of the Shenandoah River and within close proximity to the Virginia state line and Loudoun County to the east.https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/03/13/hype-for-the-future-133l-shannondale-west-virginia/
Hype for the Future 123K: Grayson County, Virginia
Overview Home to Mount Rogers, the highest elevation in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Grayson County is located in the southwestern region of the Commonwealth to the east of the Bristol and Abingdon areas along United States Routes 21 and 58. The Town of Independence serves as the county seat and is situated along Routes 21 and 58, while nearby Mouth of Wilson is located at the junction involving Route 16 further west.https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/03/03/hype-for-the-future-123k-grayson-county-virginia/
Hype for the Future 121B: Churchville, Virginia
Overview The unincorporated community of Churchville is located within the western portion of Augusta County, Virginia, named for Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha. Today, the community is located along United States Route 250 and Virginia Route 42, the latter of which serves smaller mountain communities largely parallel to United States Route 11 albeit further west.https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/03/01/hype-for-the-future-121b-churchville-virginia/
Hype for the Future 116H: Town of Iron Gate, Virginia
Overview The Town of Iron Gate, Virginia, is situated along the Jackson River and is the nearest town to the ultimate source of the James River. Apart from the Jackson River, the Cowpasture River also forms part of the source of the James River in the area. Today, both the Jackson and Cowpasture Rivers are largely associated with the German and especially Scots-Irish (Ulster Scots) settlements throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains and the general area within the Commonwealth of Virginia. […]https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/02/24/hype-for-the-future-116h-town-of-iron-gate/
Hype for the Future 116G: City of Buena Vista, Virginia
Introduction The City of Buena Vista is an independent city and the more easterly of the two independent cities to be entirely surrounded by Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Though the community has not necessarily existed until as late as the early twentieth century, the city limits remain largely identified by a traditional grid system and layout that spans effectively the entirety of the community. On the north side of the city limits is Southern Virginia University, the […]https://novatopflex.wordpress.com/2026/02/24/hype-for-the-future-116g-city-of-buena-vista-virginia/
Hype for the Future 113/284: Western North Carolina Superlatives
Introduction The western side of the State of North Carolina is home to a number of notable superlatives throughout the region, including, but not limited to, the peak of Mount Mitchell. Interestingly, many of the superlatives throughout the region are within close proximity in the form of clusters to one another. Superlatives Western North Carolina is home to Mount Mitchell, the highest point in the Appalachians as well as east of the Mississippi River; Grandfather Mountain, the highest […]
Hockey in the Carolinas
Mike Lawton
novaTopFlex
