Blood Sweat & Gears

Riders from all over the country converged on Watauga County to compete in this year's Blood, Sweat & Gears Bicycle Race. The 100-mile event begins in Valle Crucis, makes it's way into Ashe County, then winds through the edge of Tennessee and then back to Valle Crucis for the finish. Proceeds from the race go to benefit the American Red Cross.

Today Logan Turned......

Yep, my little buddy turned four today. I called him this morning and sang "Happy Birthday" to him. When I finished, he told me he had to go potty, then hung up. You gotta love nephews.

Whitewater Rafting

I photographed some whitewater rafting for the first time for Edge of the World in Banner Elk. Most of the rafting is done on the Watauga River near Elizabethton, Tn.

2008 Little Boots Rodeo

Olivia Townsend of Crumpler guides her horse during the barrel racing event at this year's Little Boots Rodeo at Ashe County's Ag Grounds.

Eli Colvard of Jefferson eyes his target during the "Dummy Roping" contest.

Harley Miller of Crumpler tries to hold on during his "Mutton Busting" ride.

Kids pile onto to a hay bale during the "Musical Hay Bale" game.

Grassy Creek's Jose Carrizales wipes dust from his eyes during "Musical Hay Bales".

A rider flies back to the gate in the 11-14 year old barrel racing event.

Roan Mountain State Park

Elk River Falls

After spending last night camping with the family at Roan Mountain, Tenn., I took a detour down to Elk River Falls to get some shots on my way home.

This was the first time I had ever been there, and after hiking down to the bottom of the falls and getting my equipment set-up, I was treated to a "cliff diving" show.

A Walk In The Park

Make that several walks in the park, as I shuffled from baseball field to baseball field at Ashe County Park shooting minor league baseball and softball on Saturday. Professional sports photographer Steve Wright asked me to help him get photos of some of the games going on across the county, while he and another photographer worked at seperate locations.















Nine hours, nearly a thousand photos and a nice sunburn later, I'm happy to be finished.