How it Started

The idea of this website was formed by an Elon University student, Will Thalhimer class of 2024, while taking the travel writing course led by Michael Strickland. In this course the students came together to study and observe the towns that neighbor Highway 64 in North Carolina. Each student was tasked with different regions along the Highway. Thalhimer worked in the Mountain region, researching towns such as Lenoir, Cashiers, and Brevard. After completing their research students had the opportunity to travel to their regions and gather more information through fieldwork that they led and operated. 

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At the time Thalhimer had begun to gain interest in the sport of fly fishing and was even taking a school credited course on fly tying. With a shallow background in fishing and a love to travel, Will used this "school trip" as a catalysts to learn more about a new found hobby. As time went on and he finished his work with the Highway 64 Project website, Will decided to bring his travel writing into his undergraduate research. With a working understanding of fly fishing, the mountain communities in N.C., and travel journalism he began to design this website in the spring of 2023 with the goal to continue improving and adding to it for years to come.

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