Ehrenreich's article noted people's spiritual and psychological need to look across vast space, such as water, mountains, or plains, to see the bigness of the natural world. Being of Nickeled and Dimed famed, her point was that the super-rich are a burden on the rest of us when they move to remote and/or beautiful places and raise the property values beyond even remote affordability, and thus values of everything else around. I like her argument though I wonder how much it plays out here. Certainly there are other kinds of rich people, the owners and operators of business that destroy the landscape, such as those practicing mountain top removal in WV. On the other hand, within a relatively short drive from anywhere I'm familiar with in the region, you can feast your eyes on the magnificence of the most beautiful place on earth. So, for that, I feel blessed.
Around here, all less than 3 hours away, there's the BlueRidge Parkway, Warm Springs (Jefferson Pools), the Cascades, Mountain Lake, the Highlands (with wild ponies!), the New River, etc. Speaking of cool places nearby, though I think it may take us 4 hours to get there, is Breaks Interstate Park. B and I will travel there for an overnight camping trip; Breaks boasts the largest canon east of the Mississippi. Which I hope is as great as it sounds, but seeing as how I haven't ever seen a canon east of the Mississippi, excepting those underground in caves, perhaps it will be some tiny thing:)
Will post pics when I return.
2 comments:
I read an article in the NY Times the other day about how people are starting to re-think the idea of living really far out from the cities. So I hope that will help.
Over the last several years, a lot of rich outsiders have started buying land and building houses (usually vacation homes) in Floyd. Yes, they are driving up property values so that people who were born there have a harder time affording a place to live. And yes, they are also destroying some of the natural beauty of the area--for example, my dad and I always used to go birdwatching on Belcher Mountain, but now there's been so much development and cutting down of the trees, etc. that my dad can't bear to go there any more...it's too devastating. It really makes me feel resentful of these people from Charlotte or Greensboro or wherever who saw our little county and wanted a piece of its beauty, but in the process are destroying it.
Even the Blue Ridge Parkway is having to fight development that is encroaching on its beauty. Near Roanoke there are some homes being built so close to the Parkway that you don't even feel like you're on the Parkway when you see them.
Yeah, I heard something a while back about people in DC suburbs who were getting killed on gas prices because their commute is so long.
That's so sad about Floyd. I understand that people may want to move out to the country, or even have a seasonal home there, but why not live like the locals while you're there? It just doesn't even make sense.
I've been scared about the Blue Ridge Parkway; it's so beautiful and anything that's beautiful is bound to get ruined by thoughtless people. I'm glad I don't use it to travel north because it would break my heart to see such a thing.
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