Whoa, interesting! I've felt similar things in... well, all over the place, actually. I've just chalked it up to being "highly sensitive" to energies. Can feel storms (pressure changes?) long before they reach me, get super dizzy if a tornado is anywhere within a 100 mile radius of me, blah.
When I was in Sedona AZ I experienced what it sounds like you did in Blowing Rock. VERY difficult to deal with for me. It was beautiful but I just couldn't stay. I tried to tough it out and ended up with an extreme headache and nausea, pretty much a migraine. Felt something similar in the mountains of Massachussetts, too.
I've been wondering about the New Madrid Fault lately, and for some reason your experience brought it back to mind. This is interesting... "was once an active volcano", eh? Hmmm...
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