THE ROANOKE REGION OF VIRGINIA

America's Best Online recognized the Blue Ridge Parkway as it's number sixth best place to view fall foliage! Below are the listings one through six. Click the link below to see the whole list!


6. Blue Ridge Parkway Fall Foliage - Virginia, North Carolina

The Blue Ridge Parkway is also known as "America's Favorite Drive", and is the most visited unit of America's National Park System. A drive down the Parkway provides stunning, long range vistas and close-up looks at the natural and cultural history of the southern Appalachian mountains. It is designed as a drive-awhile and stop-awhile experience. The 469 mile parkway connects Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. This scenic drive has an abundance of opportunities for stops at overlooks, picnic and camping facilities, trails, and natural areas.



5. The Mohawk Trail Fall Foliage - Massachuetts

Follow the steps that the original Indians took, and hike or ride the Mohawk Trail. One of the oldest designated tourist and scenic routes in the country, the Mohawk Trail traces its roots to the post glacial age.While the peoples of the northeast had neither the wheel nor the horse, they created many footpath trade and travel routes throughout New England. One of the most heavily traveled - and one of the most famous today - was the path we call the Mohawk Trail. During historic times, the Mohawk Trail evolved with the mode of transportation, advancing from foot travel to the automobile. The early European settlers used the Indian Path to travel between the English settlements of Boston and Deerfield, and the Dutch settlements in New York. The white settlers and traders brought with them the horse and the wheel, which required the widening and slight relocation of the original path.

4. The North Cascades Fall Foliage - Washington

Come and experience the intense and rugged beauty of the fall foliage of the North Cascades – jagged peaks, deep valleys, cascading waterfalls and over 700 glaciers. North Cascades National Park Service Complex contains the heart of this mountainous region in three park units which are all managed as one and include North Cascades National Park, Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas.
Originally this area was the home to many Native American tribes and a trade gateway between the Plateau tribes to the east and the Coast Salish tribes to the west. Native Americans have been in these mountains for over 8,000 years. More recent settlers came in the nineteenth century to establish homesteads in places like the Stehekin Valley, or to mine elusive minerals – like gold, or to trap furbearing animals such as the beaver, otter, and marten.

3. Maroon Bells Fall Foliage, Colorado

When the Aspens start turning, Maroon Bells is the place to be to see Colorado's Fall Foliage. Maroon Bells has trails leading over nine passes above 12,000 feet in elevation, delectable hot springs of Conundrum Creek, and shimmering alpine lakes nestled at the feet of jagged peaks. Six of these peaks crest over 14,000 feet. The twin peaks of Maroon Bells are perhaps Colorado's most recognizable scene, and the surrounding wilderness is one of the most popular, both for good reason. When it comes to sheer mountain splendor and fall foliage, few areas compare with the Elk Mountains and Maroon Bells.

2. Smoky Mountains National Park Fall Foliage - North Carolina and Tennessee

The place place to see North Carolina and Tennessee Fall Foliage is in the Smokies. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a ridge upon ridge of endless forest that straddle the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. Its one of the largest protected areas in the Eastern United States. World and renowned for the diversity of its plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains, the quality of its remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture, and the depth and integrity of its wilderness sanctuary. Each year, the park attracts over nine million visitors.. Once a part of the Cherokee homeland, the Smokies today are a hiker's paradise with over 800 miles of trails.

1. Lake Champlain Fall Foliage - Vermont

Instead of hiking or driving thru the fall foliage, how about taking a boat and grabbing a pole to see Lake Champlain's Fall Foliage . Lake Champlain is every water lover's dream come true. The spectacular foliage, gentle breezes and comfortable temperatures make it hard to resist sailing, boating or windsurfing these waters. As deep as 400 feet in some places and home to over 60 species of fish, including bass and salmon, anglers cast their lines year-round into one of North America's greatest fishing locations. And then there are the historic lighthouses, the uncrowded beaches, the lakeside restaurants, and the historic communities hugging its shoreline. You can't miss with a fall foliage trip in upstate New York.

To see the rest of the list click here

About the Award

For 47 years, the prestigious R&D 100 Awards have identified revolutionary technologies newly introduced to the market. The winning of an R&D 100 Award provides a mark of excellence known to industry, government, and academia as proof that the product is one of the most innovative ideas of the year. Synchrony was a winner in the Mechanical Devices category for it's Fusion Magnetic Bearing.

The Award Winner, Synchrony Inc. Roanoke, VA!

Magnetic bearing systems are common to large compressors and turbines in the oil and gas industries, but great complexity and cost, as well as bulk, has greatly hindered their widespread usage. To help companies experience some of the savings in mechanical wear, energy usage, and the lack of need for lubrication, Synchrony Inc., Roanoke, Va., developed its Fusion Magnetic Bearing. Through design innovations, the complexity of the magnetic bearing system is hidden both to the designer and operator of the machine. The maze of electromagnets, sensors, electronics, and wiring remains internal to the magnetic bearing. The required connections are simply 48 VDC of power and optionally an Ethernet cable. The overall size of the magnetic bearing remains smaller than conventional systems that require an external control system. Sensor data sampling occurs at a rate of 15,000 times per second, which allows the magnetic bearing to provide real-time continuous health monitoring of the rotor-dynamic health of the machine. Vibration data may be presented as time-based waveforms, as spatial orbits, or as spectral data. Conditions that can be identified include unbalance, misalignment, shaft bow, cracked rotor, and seal instabilities.

Visit the Roanoke Region

Tell us what your favorite outdoor activity around Roanoke, VA is!

Ease of access to outdoor amenities seen as lure for jobs, economic growth

ROANOKE, Va. (August 25, 2009) – The Roanoke Regional Partnership, recognizing the outdoors as a way to attract jobs and economic development, is making some impressive gains to leverage the region’s many outdoor amenities.

Until recently, the organization, representing seven communities in Virginia and a population of 300,000, focused primarily on luring businesses with the region’s low cost of living, convenient location, low utility rates, strong work ethic and other factors. In a recent shift, the Roanoke Regional Partnership also began emphasizing an asset that was literally outside but largely untapped.
In the process, it’s leading the way in how an economic development organization is cataloguing, packaging and promoting the great outdoors as a marketing tool to attract workers and companies that value proximity to trails, lakes, rivers and greenways.

“When you mention Roanoke, the first thing people say is how beautiful it is here,” says Beth Doughty, executive director of the Roanoke Regional Partnership. The region is bordered by the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, with the Appalachian Trail, Blue Ridge Parkway, Smith Mountain Lake, Jefferson and George Washington National Forests, and James River within minutes of urban amenities.



“Until recently we’ve overlooked the potential of our natural amenities as an economic engine,” Doughty says. “Not only does that outdoor culture create a vibe that attracts people; it’s an economic sector in itself.”

To better promote its outdoor assets and build the region as an outdoor destination, the Partnership created a new position, director of outdoor branding. In just the first few months, this new emphasis has led to:

• Creation of a vibrant and growing online community through social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to connect outdoor enthusiasts.

• Cataloguing and mapping of the region’s hiking trails, fishing spots, canoe and kayaking put-ins, bike routes, greenways, mountain bike trails and more
.
• Soon-to-launch new online directory, www.RoanokeOutside.com, about outdoor-related activities, businesses, and events; printable maps; outdoor-related calendar of events; and video and images.


• An outdoor recreation guide to help hotels and bed-and-breakfasts direct guests outside.

• An outdoor festival featuring the Banff Radical Reels adventure film tour on Sept. 30.

• Announcement of the first Blue Ridge Marathon, a calf-cruncher set for April 24, 2010, that climbs to more than 3,500 feet above the Roanoke Valley to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

• A weekly e-newsletter with more than 1,100 subscribers with tips and ideas to enjoy the region’s outdoors.

“We’ve seen tremendous momentum from our efforts. I get the same response from everyone I meet and tell my story – a universal nod followed by ‘this is so needed’ and ‘it’s about time,’ says Pete Eshelman, director of outdoor branding. “I’ve received e-mails from local outdoor stores and outfitters commenting that they’ve experienced the buzz. The outdoors plays a vital role in attracting young professionals, businesses and visitors. The outdoors and environment are important to them and they want to know what opportunities and amenities are available to them. We’ve finally been able to do something about it.”

When business prospects visit, Doughty adds, "After 'hello,' the first thing they say is, 'It's beautiful here.' They ask about bike paths and water sports most importantly," she says. "But to some extent, it's right in front of them. They can see right away the depth of the outdoors opportunities in this market.

“If the Roanoke region becomes Virginia's best place to have a life and have fun outdoors,” Doughty concludes, “I think we'll be in better shape for attracting talent and investments."

To learn more, please visit www.Roanoke.org. or Roanoke Region of Virginia

Check out our temporary Outdoors site: Roanoke Outside

Let us know what you think! leave a comment below!

On Wednesday (August 12, 2009), Bob Goodlatte along with other organizers, announced that there will be a new marathon coming to the Roanoke Region of Virginia, named the Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway. The race is set for April 24, 2010, it will cover 16 miles of Mountain climbing as well as 10 miles of city roadways covering parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Roanoke.


"The 26.2-mile course will start at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke, wind up Mill Mountain and onto the parkway. Runners will climb to the top of Roanoke Mountain, cut back down to the Mill Mountain Star and go through parts of downtown Roanoke. The finish line will be in front of the Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center."

Marketing to outdoor runners with our beautiful landscapes, we hope to gain 500 to 1,000 runners the first year for the marathon thus, eventually obtaining 3,000 to 5,000 for the years following.

"An economic study conducted for the first running of the Mount Rushmore Marathon reported that the race generated $1.6 million for the local economy, with 1,000 runners," said Pete Eshelman, who is director of outdoor branding for the Roanoke Regional Partnership and co-chairman of the marathon committee with Carlin.

"Also, in the United States, the typical female long distance runner earned $50,000 or more in 2006, while the typical male long distance runner made $75,000 or more, according to Running USA."

"They spend their money when they travel," Eshelman said.

The Roanoke Region hopes the Blue Ridge Marathon on the Parkway becomes a popular destination event. This would bring considerable revenue for the area. Runners often come for a weekend, rent hotel rooms and visit surrounding restaurants. Marathons have grown in number and participants over the past 20 years, with approximately 400 marathons held in 2007 and 412,000 finishers, according to Running USA.

The events that take place surrounding the marathon also are important.

So, mark your calendars and start your training!
Make sure to check out blueridgeparkwaymarathon.com for any details