Over July 4th weekend, I enjoyed exploring a little piece of small town America, the Appalachian Trail, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Roadtripping for a couple hundred miles exposes to you a variety of unexpected scenes which I’m tremendously grateful for.

I can’t get over how beautiful much of North Carolina is, from Appalachia to the rural pastures. For one moment, you’ll be driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway, passing by outcroppings of curious mountain cows…

(A very interested subject)

And then in the next, with a sudden darkening of the sky, a monsoon of rain crashes through in a curtain grey. All of which, after twenty minutes or so, lets up to reveal layers of mountainous drama.

(Thermal inversion in action)

The above scene is thanks to a phenomenon called thermal inversion. Typically, the higher in altitude that you travel, the cooler the air. However, this gradient sometimes gets flipped and the temperature gets warmer as you ascend. This means that the colder air gets trapped underneath a “ceiling” of warm air, keeping that colder air close to the earth. The above photograph captures the end of this phenomenon: the trapped cooler air warms, causing the low level floor of clouds to become rising tufts returning to their natural positions.

Heading away from the Blue Ridge mountains, we found ourselves taking a slight detour. Rolling down from those peaks, we found ourselves in a tucked away lowland with hills, barns and locals enjoying a stream. Totally a rejuvenating sight to just take in.

(A relaxing way to spend a Friday afternoon)

Small towns, like Hampton in Tennessee, also offer some unique sights along the road. For example, this vintage Sinclair gas station sitting a few feet off of Highway 67.

(A vintage Sinclair gas station in Hampton, TN)

If you were to keep traveling down the highway for a couple of minutes, you would find yourself back in Appalachia—specifically the Appalachian Trail at the Laurel Fork Trailhead. For a round trip journey, you’re hiking about 2.5 miles of the 2.2 thousand mile A.T. It’s a moderate hike until the last few hundred feet at which point you’ll be traversing steep rocks and minor forest cover.

(The last bit of rocky stairs you’ll be descending before the bottom)

However, once you reach the bottom, you’re rewarded with the refreshing Laurel Fork waterfall:

(Laurel Fork Falls: A trail along the Appalachian Trail)

These types of trips I always appreciate. Being immersed in such picturesque environments creates so many opportunities for thought and exploration...and I've found that the South has got so much of this.

I hope you enjoyed this small sample and that you have some rejuvenating summer plans as well.