Photo Story: Blue Ridge Mountains

Last weekend I made a trip to Charlotte, NC (thanks, Mom!).  Although it was a short weekend, it was a lot of fun.  For the drive home to Northern Virginia, my sister and I took Route 81 most of the way and lucky for me, as a passenger, I got to snap a few photos of the countryside along the way.

These photos were taken along Route 81 beginning at Hollins, Virginia and passing by places like Buena Vista, Vesuvius, Stuarts Draft, and Staunton.  
green rolling hills with cows grazing
These rolling hills remind me so much of Ireland.
a field full of corn stalks and a blue sky
Along the way, we saw many cornfields that were brown and scorched from the drought. But this one was green and healthy looking. Let's hope it stays that way.
black cows standing under a billboard getting shade from the sun
I was so lucky to get this photo. We were traveling at about 70 miles per hour on a major highway, so we couldn't exactly pull over. But when I saw these cows grabbing some shade under the billboard, I had to photograph them.
a red barn at the bottom of a mountain
A barn nestled into the foothills.
a sign reading "Endless Caverns" on the face of the Blue Ridge Mountains
A lovely place, the Blue Ridge Mountains. (Thanks for driving, sis!)

If you're on Instagram, I've posted a few more photos from the Blue Ridge Mountains there. I'm @weekitchen on Instagram...I'll look for you there.

I've used Kim Klassen's free "dream-it" texture on each one of the photos...and am linking up with Texture Tuesday. Be sure to visit the link up and see all the wonderfully textured photos!

Come again!

7 comments

Mairead Geary said…
Lovely photos, Elizabeth.  I especially love the one of the cows finding shade under the sign.  These photos capture the part of America people in Ireland seldom see - just beautiful.
aelish said…
 Thanks so much, Mairead. It was so much fun to me that I'm thinking of taking another drive this weekend to some rural parts of Virginia...just to soak it in and take some photos. I'm glad you stopped by!
Mary Sullivan said…
Hi Elizabeth, found your beautiful blog via Éadaoin at City of Blackbirds!  She too shares so much beauty of Ireland with us.

Glad you were able to visit beautiful North Carolina which is where I've lived for 35 years.....I'm a transplanted Brit married to a third generation Irishman!!!
I'll be looking back through your blog as I know I'm going to love it!

Fondly, Mary ( Breath of Fresh Air)
aelish said…
Hi Mary, it's lovely to "meet" you! :) Éadaoin's blog is a great place to take a wander, isn't it? Just beautiful.
I'm sure you've found the temperature in NC to be quite different than England! Whereabouts do you live? I was visiting Charlotte which is a great area - but there are so many great places in NC - to visit or live.
Glad you like the site and I'll be looking forward to seeing you here again!
Elizabeth
Mary Gene Atwood said…
Nicely done! I've never been to Ireland, but it's on my bucket list. Joining you from Texture Tues
http://tutusshots.blogspot.com/2012/08/a-day-at-beach.html
Marilyn G said…
But did you see any old tobacco barns with "See Rock City" painted on their roof or side?  I remember those when I was growing up in Tennesssee.  We used to see them in other states.  Several years ago I visited and purchased a bird house  at Rock City.  It's a red barn with a black roof and says guess what on its roof.
aelish said…
 Hi Marilyn - I didn't! I'll have to look for that the next time I'm out that way. Thanks for stopping by!