We spent our final day in NC exploring the back mountian roads between Lenoir and Linville. There was a property we heard about somewhere about 1/2 way between the two. It is pictured to the left. We took some back country roads that were paved all the way to the property. It happened to be about 3/10ths of a mile off the paved road onto a gravel road. It was simply beautiful. I had to explore and slipped into the water Oh yeah.. It was a funny moment the kids got to laugh at me.

Thats where the adventure began. We were using a Garmin Street Navigator GPS and this dirt road was actually on the GPS map (FOR THE MOST PART). We got some advice from some people who were checking out a small waterfall just past the property and ended up making a right kind of way up this dirt road which led us down an incredible rabbit trail.

We ended up going down this 1 car wide dirt road for about 5 miles and landed in a woman named "Rita’s" back yard. Rita shared with us that she had lived there for 40 years and now lives alone since her husband died some 11 years ago. Rita was living alone – the only house on 450 acres.. She seemed an amazing woman, and to top it off she was wearing a Miami Hurricanes outfit and lived in Miami prior to moving to North Carolina. A Hurricanes fan in the middle of no where. I was in awe, not only of God, but that anyone could actually live there.

She told us the proper way to get to the highway, and I am not kidding, it was a good 45 minutes of winding dirt roads to reach the highway. Not a grocery store or anyting like that in site. This City boy was blown away.

Pretty much all of us got mildly sick from the winding mountain roads, but we had a great time. Cut back on 221 to 321 through Blowing Rock and back down to Lenoir. We did get to stop by the old Grandfathers mountian sign and entrance in Linville and it brought back a flood of childhood memories.

As I write this we just finished an amazing dinner with Mimi and Al and are now waching "Extreme Makeover Home Edition". A real tear jerker featuring the White family. The Whites father/husband was a Pastor who loved his 5 kids, wife, church, and community. He died unexpededly on the couples 19th anniversary. They were living in a parsonage and had to move out to make way for the new pastor. The congregation did all they could to help them get a new trailer, but TY and the gang from ABC and SEARS completely came through for the family and built them a 5000sqft+ house with a chapel.

The show is amazing. Every time I watch it I end up in tears. Call me a big sissy, but this one really cut to the heart.

My lifes message is to Live my life to make a difference in the lives of others. I love honoring people who live that out in their lives as well. ABC your amazing, Sears your amazing, Whites, your amazing. Everybody involved in that show – amazing difference makers.

wow.. The show is about to conclude and they actually did a twist and hooked up some family friends with a new home/trailer as well by fixing up the old one in an incredible way for the other family.

http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/index.html

wow…tears on on the keyboard..

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