There’s a reason they call it the Blue Ridge.

After a week with some serious rain, the sky was clean and bright, with landscape greens and blues at their best. A perfect day to drive along the Parkway, stroll around Blowing Rock, and of course make a stop at Kilwins for some toasted coconut ice cream.

Along the way, we came across a Park Ranger equipped with a stuffed cinnamon-colored black bear (yes, they are not always black) to help promote the National Park Service’s exceptional Junior Ranger Program. When I expressed sadness at the demise of the little bear she assured me he had a very long life as a youth educator.  If you have kids or grandkids, be sure to check out the Jr Ranger Activities, they are terrific.

We learned the black bear population has come back from a low of 400 to somewhere in the 20-30,000 range in this part of the country. No wonder there are so many bear-sightings this year.

BTW, we also learned Carolina coastal bears enjoy a richer diet and are much fatter than their mountain relatives.