Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2017 - 41

WHAT TO DO
AND WHERE
TO STAY

AndreW Conkey

TENNESSEE
Webb Brothers Float
Services, Reliance
423-338-2372
webbros.com/rafting

Three Pines View B&B offers the perfect respite for visitors to nearby Lake Jocassee.

The Chattanoogan
423-756-3400
chattanooganhotel.com

Yesterday, from my cozy Bear Hug
suite at the blissfully secluded Three
Pines View Bed & Breakfast, few
sounds permeated the air except for
the occasional moo of a cow sauntering up the hill. Tasteful bear art
graced the bathroom sink, a reading
nook proffered an incredible view of
the mountains, and this morning's
breakfast of oatmeal compote, chocolate bread, baked blueberry French
toast, and smashed potatoes (I pass
on the sausage) has left me sated for
a great day on the lake.
Near Bad Creek Falls, Wade
points out a clump of brook lettuce,
noting that the "old-timers" used
to harvest it, as well as the skinny
Cascade Ravine and an odd rock
formation she calls the Ark. There
are more waterfalls up ahead, but
not enough time to explore them
all, so we dock the boat at the gorgeous, 75-foot Wright Creek Falls
and get out for a closer look.
"Lake Jocassee," Wade says, "is
one of the most spectacular places
on the planet." I agree.

KENTUCKY
Festival of Learnshops, Artisan Village, July 7-23, Berea
800-598-5263; visitberea.com
Historic Boone Tavern Hotel
& Restaurant
859-985-3700;
boonetavernhotel.com
SOUTH CAROLINA
Jocassee Lake Tours, Salem
864-280-5501;
jocasseelaketours.com
Three Pines View
864-784-2974;
threepinesview.com
Jocassee Lake Tours offers
group, private, senior and
"full moon rising" tours.
WEST VIRGINIA
Wild Blue Adventure Company, Fayetteville
304-574-1150; wildblueadventurecompany.com

Visit southern WV

Adventures on the Gorge
855-379-8738
adventuresonthegorge.com/
lodging
Deluxe cabins and luxury
rentals are fully furnished
and equipped with hot tubs.

Flying high above
New River Gorge,
Fayetteville,
West Virginia
Without fail, each time Chris Kappler flew his restored, bright-blueand-yellow World War II Boeing
Stearman over the New River Gorge,
within 15 minutes the parking lot of
the hangar would fill up with people
asking, "Where do I sign up for the
biplane flights?"
So in 2008, Kappler, an emer-

gency helicopter pilot and Los Angeles native who as a boy hung out
at the small airport near his house
and dreamt of becoming the next
Charles Lindbergh, launched Wild
Blue Adventure Company and began
helping visitors fulfill their own skybound fantasies.
Tours are tailor-made, from a gentle Out of Africa glide to an acrobatic
dogfight with an imaginary enemy
plane and as many loops, rolls and
spins as the rider can stomach. Either
way, says Kappler, the passenger feels
the wind in his face while wearing a
leather helmet and goggles.
"People who come to the New
River Gorge are not here for spectator sports. They're here for immersion. They're here to go down the
river and get wet. They're here to
climb on the rocks. They're here to
ride their mountain bikes and taste
that dust on their tongue. This really
captures that spirit."
From 1,000 feet (or more) up,
riders get a once-in-a-lifetime view
of whitewater rapids of the "Grand
Canyon of the East." They can also
expect to spot rock climbers, hawknesting sites, and the "Norman
Rockwell-esque" town of Fayetteville, feel the rumble of the engine,
and become part of the landscape.
And the best part? "The serenity
of gliding gently over the hills of this
beautiful national park and then,
if you wish, being able to pull five
times the force of gravity and pull
straight up, and then you're weightless the next minute, upside down,"
he says. "It's really the contrast that
makes it absolutely mind-blowing." 
July/August 2017 41

http://www.webbros.com/rafting http://www.chattanooganhotel.com http://www.visitberea.com http://www.boonetavernhotel.com http://www.jocasseelaketours.com http://www.threepinesview.com http://www.venturecompany.com http://www.adventuresonthegorge.com/

Blue Ridge Country - July/August 2017

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