Blue Ridge Parkway Post Drive and Farewells

Saturday July 12th, 2008  was a day of quickly packing up the remains of our dorm rooms, of saying goodbye to some, for others it is a ‘see you at the next NEH workshop’.   We packed up,  had a quick breakfast and then boarded the bus for a final  drive along the parkway. We re-visited several of the stops we made on our first night here.  Obviously the weather was a major difference We enjoyed sunshine and bright weather today.  We recorded our impressions in our journal ( which was submitted once we returned home).  We reflected on the various lectures from the past week and how it affected our enjoyment of this road.

Amy from Philadelphia and I on the BRP

We then returned to the Campus to complete a on line evaluation for the NEH.  After that, I snuck out to take a few more snaps of campus and the pretty area.  I think that if I had the opportunity, I would love to spend four years studying for a degree here.  The opportunities to learn and grow would be invaluable.

By 2.30pm, I was on the road with a few other participants to the Greensboro Airport , in Greensboro, North Carolina for a 8pm flight. perhapss a long time to wait in an airport, though it was lovely to have the quiet time to sit and read quietly.

My airplane in Greensboro, North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway and its origins….

The morning of July 7th, 2008  began with a breath taking vista as I left my dorm to go to breakfast on the campus of Appalachian University, here in Boone, North Carolina. I am amazed at the state of ‘pretty’ which exists on the campus. Perhaps that is a generic term, though the university has been well thought out and is moving towards a definitive direction to stimulate learning in this area.

I cannot go any further before proclaiming my delight ….a brand new library facility has improved the campus and student’s access to information.

Belk Library, Appalachian University

Opened in 2004, Belk Library consists of five floors, a central rotunda which funnels light to the main floor, fireplaces, coffee shoppe and technology to optimise learning ( abundant computer terminals, on line databases, projection devices, wired auditoriums etc.) Of course, I gravitated to the basement level, which was anything but damp and dingy, lower level windows brightened a children’s collection space.

Main Lobby Rotunda, Belk Library

This facility not only services university students in the school library and elementary education programs, but also the Town of Boone’s children. Traditional story times and other such programming bring the local children into this building and exceed their information needs.

The morning began with a lecture by Dr. Anne Mitchell Whisnant, author of Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History . Dr. Whisnant produced an over view of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the reason for it’s being, history of its creation and touched on the notion of framing views of nature by taming the natural world. What is the public good? How do you identify it and achieve it fairly? Is imminent domain fair for who exactly? All environments and landscapes have an arena of politics behind it. Existing interpretations and stories should be looked at with a critical eye. This discussion touched on the creation of the parkway for the good of certain parties, though with power, such as Hugh Morton, owner of Grandfather Mountain a privately owned piece of land with a right of way to the BRP.

Proceeding this , a small break out discussion group met to look over further primary sources, including a handwritten letter from Mr. S.A. Miller, an Appalachian farmer pleading to President Roosevelt to save his farm land. Again, the theme of imminent domain and fairness came into play.

After lunch, we departed for a tour of Grandfather Mountain to admire the

Linn Cove Viaduct Visitor's Center, North Carolina

views and better understand the shape of the landscape. A stop at the Linn Cove Viaduct Center documented the final section of the BRP, completed in 1987. This viaduct, near mile post 290 ( or known as Section 2H) was estimated to cost $4 million to construct, though came in at $10 million. Part of the delay in completion of this final section of the parkway was the debate over the routing of the Parkway to Grandfather Mountain.

Sarah Potwin, Grandfather Mountain, 5200 feet above sea level

We then returned to campus for supper and time to read. As part of my course requirements, I am to write a lesson plan which will include material from this week’s workshop. Currently, I am playing around with a theme of fairness (imminent domain might be a big word for my elementary students) and how fairness cannot be achieved for all. I am also looking at incorporating a geographical element into my lesson, though at this point these are simply vague notions.

Arrival in Boone, North Carolina

After leaving the Sarasota airport at 7.11am on Sunday July 6th, I was ready for my big adventure. Flying to Boone, North Carolina was a new experience for me, as that I have never flown out of our neighbouring ( and manageabley a smaller airport) and secondly, I have never been to Boone, North Carolina. Many of my Saint Stephen’s students have spoken about it, as that it is an area many know from their summer vacations. I have been admitted to a National Endowment for the Humanities program, titled Landmarks in American History. Its aim is to better equip elementary and secondary teachers with a first hand knowledge of American history. Each workshop is one week in length and offers a different theme from America’s history. While in Boone, I shall be studying the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway, its benefits and its effects on those who own land in the area.

41 participants from all over the country will be lodging at Appalachian University, the school hosting this workshop. I anticipate that I shall leave with a better appreciation for the natural world around me, a better understanding of history in the Appalachian Mountains as well as between communicating with my students about an area they know well.

My arrival in Greensboro, North Carolina , speedy check into the assigned dorm and then we were off to enjoy a ‘pre-drive’ of the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway. Armed with a notebooks and pen, participants were asked to journal their initial impressions of the parkway. This journal will be contrasted to a second journal entry at the end of this week long workshop.

Initially, I was impressed by the intensive lushness of the plants. Of the carefully planned groupings of trees, selective trimming of branches to maximize views, of how views are structured to get people out of their cars to interact with nature( hiking on trails, picnics, snap photos of the mountains), of how ‘Hillbilly Culture’ is stages for entertainment purposes ( i.e. abandoned cabins constructed by the road side. The every winding curve of the road becomes the driver on, yet slow speed of 35-45 miles an hour must be maintained for safety as well as maximum enjoyment of the natural world.

The Friends of the Blue Ridge Parkway hosted a welcome picnic at the Cascade Overlook for workshop participants. Despite the rain, the view was enjoyed by all as we interacted and introduced ourselves.