Once Hallie gets through the traffic jam and off the beaten path the comfort of the Blue Ridge greets her with its soft hue and fine misty pockets that make you wonder about the secrets they might hold. I researched why the mountains look blue, and one source said because of the way light scatters off the ridges. But, the Blue Ridge looks blue even when you are close to it. The explanation I like best is the "blue" in Blue Ridge comes from its trees. Leafy trees release isoprene when their upper branches are exposed to the heat of the sun, and this contributes to the mountains' name sake hue. And, they really aren't as blue in the winter when most trees have shed their leaves. I paid tribute to these beautiful mountains with my character names for the Ridges. Both Odina and Azure are shades of blue. In book three your will meet Beryl Ridge (also another shade of blue).
Like the Ridge blood line, the Blue Ridge Mountains are a long vast nearly unbroken chain of mountains. The Blue Ridge Mountains extend about 100 miles from Virginia & North Carolina through to Georgia. It is a province of the larger Appalachian Mountains. The famous Appalachian Trail crosses through the Blue Ridge. If you have never been here to see them, you really deserve a weekend, or week, or month here. So much beauty. So much comfort.
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