Traveling Through the Foothills of NC

highway 64

When you travel to a new town or country, how do you best record your memories or feelings associated with this new experience. Do you pull out your digital camera and capture as many photos as humanly possible, maybe selfies with a prominent landmark in the background or photos that reflect the picturesque scenery of an area, or do you carry a journal and jot down notes or make entries of your travels while in the midst of them. Both are common ways of relishing in a new experience, but I am currently immersing myself in the latter.

Being enrolled in Eng  313, Travel Writing with Dr. Michael Strickland, has opened my eyes to the genre of Travel Writing and all of the benefits associated with it. As a part of the class, we are required to participate in the Highway 64 Project, an assignment where the class is split into four groups, each one having to travel on the historic Highway 64 to different regions of North Carolina, taking pictures, and more importantly, recording field notes about the culture, people, history, sights and events that take place in the towns that we make our way through. As a member of the Foothills group (along with fellow CUPID Associate Immanuel Bryant) I will be traveling to Taylorsville, Mocksville, Lenoir, Statesville, Bat Cave and Lake Lure among other towns, all of which I have never been to, let alone heard of.

We set out on the first part of our adventure this upcoming weekend on October 5th and I am more than excited to wet my feet in the travel writing arena. I am also nervous about my ability to transcribe what I encounter into effective and moving pieces that reflect the exclusive spirits of these towns.

Are you familiar with the travel writing genre? If so, what are some good pieces that you have read and what makes them so effective? How does the writer capture you? Here is a very enlightening article on the act of travelling and why it attracts so many people.

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