Gribblenation

One of North Carolina's highway secrets is the unpaved portion of NC 90 in Caldwell County.  From a point just beyond the curve, seen in the photo above, to an unmarked location in the tiny community of Edgemont, highway 90's last few miles are an unpaved journey through country that is forgotten by many everyday travelers.  Although not in as quite a rugged territory as the mountains of Western North Carolina or some of the peaks just to the north, the unpaved NC 90 does climb from an elevation of approximately 1400 feet at the pavement change to close to 2400 feet in Edgemont. Although isolated from nearby towns of Lenoir, Blowing Rock, and Boone, this segment does show signs of civilization.  Utility poles and a handful of homesteads mark the route.  Complete with three one lane bridges, unpaved NC 90 runs entirely through Pisgah National Forest and provides access to campsites within the park's boundary. All photos taken May 2003.   Transition f...

NC 90 is one the more unique highways in the state.  Mostly because of an isolated journey over nearly eight miles of unpaved roads to its Western Terminus in Edgemont.  The Western Terminus of NC 90 was not completely clear to many roadgeeks for a number of years. Well thanks to a recent bridge replacement project the Western Terminus has been marked.  Bobby Schultz, who enjoys exploring the numerous mountain backroads of the area, was kind enough to send some photos of the recently signed terminus. As you can see the terminus is now also paved.  The pavement is a result of the completion of a new two lane bridge, which you can see in the photo below. The pavement ends about 50 yards beyond both ends of the bridge.  The pavement really feels out of place as it is surrounded by unpaved roads in all directions.  Also, a nitpick, but you'll notice the pointed edges of the NC diamond shield vs. the traditional rounded corners of the diamond.  The...