mad_park

I predict people will soon stop watching trains leave the station while they are waiting in line due to malfunctioning machines. Is the ticket checker really going to cite someone if they say they waited 10 min trying to get a ticket and couldn't afford to be late for work or an appointment AND they offer up the cash they had hoped to insert into the machine? If he does, then that would make a great story in the Observer.

Those mountain bike trails were there LONG before anyone even considered putting a whitewater park there. The building and maintenance of them was done by the Tarheel Trailblazers club. Pretty telling if their core business (the whitewater rafting) isn't generating enough revenue so they turn to charging bikers to come and park or ride on trails that were already there.

Right but the hardcore don't need to be advertised to. They will find out and seek the it out on their own. In order to pay the bills, this place needs to appeal to (and draw) the masses. People who wouldn't normally venture up into the mountains and go on a real river. Or people who have rafted before but want to learn to kayak in a safe, controlled environment.

Hate to be negative, but why would someone in asheville or boone - where there are real rivers - want to come to a 1 mile man made river? Would be like living in Vail, Co and going to an indoor ski place http://www.newsobserver.com/438/story/759976.html Also, don't see how not having a main road into the place would deter folks. Is some guy bringing a church group down from Greensboro going to decide to wait a year b/c there is a 1 mile dirt road leading to the place? They definitely need a big sign on I-85 - right now someone driving through might think it is just a training center for pro kayakers - not a place aimed at everyday joe's.