My grandfather, Guy Hunt, established Hunt’s General Store in downtown Boone in 1935. It has since become Mast General, well known across the state for outdoor supplies with a general store vibe. Joe and I, prior to kids, prior to marriage, attended an annual bluegrass festival down the road that Doc Watson put on to celebrate the life of his son, Merle Watson. We visited with a second-cousin-once-removed up the road and another second cousin and his 11 kids up another road. And to represent our current selves, we met up for a weekend with our first “road friends.” To say that this felt like a crossroads was an understatement.

• We stayed: Flintlock Campground
• We explored: Downtown Boone (around Mast General), Grandfather Mountain, the town of Valle Crucis (swoon/five stars!), the Blue Ridge Parkway, Linville Falls, Julian Price Memorial Park, and finally, farms in Creston, NC and Abingdon, VA for family visits.
• We hiked: Grandfather Mountain’s Bridge Trail, Erwins View Trail at Linville Falls
• We biked: Rocky Knob Pump Track
• We fished: the Watauga River from the Valle Crucis community park, Price Lake in Julian Price Memorial Park
• We ate and drank: Lost Province Brewing Company and Booneshine Brewing Company
• We listened to: Doc Watson
• Next time: Grayson Highlands State Park and the Virginia Creeper bike trail