Days 58 through 62

We just spent a sweet time with friends!!  Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains is the town of Boone, North Carolina.  We spent the weekend with Chris, Stephanie, Sam and Lily and experienced some of the natural wonders of the "High Country".

On Saturday we ventured into the state of Virginia and biked 25 km on the Virginia Creeper Trail.  The trail is an old train track and the Virginia Creeper was the name of the train that traveled up the mountain.  A bike rental company shuttled us up White Top Mountain and we rode the trail down for 25 km.  It was a beautiful day in the outdoors.

On Sunday afternoon we traveled on the Blue Ridge Parkway to reach the Rough Ridge Trail.  It was another warm day and we hiked up for a spectacular view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  A picnic on the summit was the perfect reward for our climb.

 

Boone is the international headquarters for Samaritan's Purse.  We toured the facilities and learned about many of its ministries:  World Medical Mission, Haiti Rebuilding Program, Sudan Rebuilding Program, HIV/AIDS Prescription for Hope program, Relief and Development.  Before our visit, we were most familiar with the Operation Christmas Child program.  We saw the collection site for shoe boxes and had a lesson in how to pack a shoebox with practical items for children in developing countries.  Since the program began in 1993, children in 130 countries have received shoeboxes.  Last year alone, over 8 million shoeboxes were donated.