I know the cities are hard to see in this picture, but the reason I posted this picture is to show you how much I drove on Sunday...so, the important part is the blue line (I hope you can see that).
It has always been my goal to drive through all 100 counties in North Carolina. Up until this weekend I had been through 94 of the 100 counties. The counties I had to finish are all in the far western part of North Carolina. It isn't the easiest to get out there, hence why I hadn't visited them.
My friends Lauren and Alex were in from Louisiana and wanted to rent a cabin with some friends for the weekend. Our cabin was in Bryson City and was further west than I had originally thought. On my way to the cabin, I decided that the Sunday drive back was the opportune time to finish this goal and cross it off my bucket list.
Our cabin was in Swain County, so on my way there I crossed off Jackson County.
On Sunday afternoon, I crossed through Macon County and began my travels through the beautiful scenery of the Nantahala National Forest.
Then I passed through Graham County and Cherokee County. One of my favorite things about this area was that Graham, Cherokee, and Macon Counties are all accessible at one intersection. I could have stopped there, but I wanted to make it to Murphy, North Carolina.
I finally made it to Murphy, North Carolina which is located in Cherokee County. There is a saying in North Carolina, "Manteo to Murphy" that references the east to west width of the state. Neither of these cities are precisely on the borders, but they are in the furthest eastern and western counties of North Carolina.
I also stumbled upon this little gem while driving... I saw a bunch of cars parked on the side of the road and decided to join them. The old road of US 64 runs underneath the Bridal Veil Falls. It was a lot of fun to be able to drive underneath them! I took lots of pictures and laughed with those around me...we were all getting a little wet from the spray droplets of the falls!
Last, but not least, I found this sign on my way home. The Eastern Continental Divide separates the water flowing into the Gulf of Mexico and the Water flowing into the Atlantic Ocean. I thought it was pretty neat to actually be able to see it! Overall, this was a great trip and a fun way to cross off my goal. I cannot believe I have traveled ALL 100 COUNTIES IN NORTH CAROLINA! Stay tuned later this week...I will definitely share more about the weekend with my Lousiana friends!
