For many years, I've had thoughts of touring the famous Blue Ridge Parkway, but living in Nevada for many years, it wasn't all that easy. However since moving to Atlanta nearly a year ago, my interest in this adventure has been renewed. With so many trips and events cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I find myself with an abundance of vacation time that I need to use before the end of the calendar year. Why not use some of it to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway. Along my route, I have a number of hikes and other adventures planned, which are all deserving of their own write-ups. I'll try to keep this particular post limited to the parkway itself.
Driving up to Cherokee, NC on Friday evening after work, I spent the night in a riverside motel planning to get an early start on Saturday morning. The southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway is in Cherokee and so, it made for a quick start just as the sun began to peak up over the horizon. As I explore these first miles on the southern end of the parkway, I can't help but note just how much fog rests in these valleys overnight. It's no wonder the Cherokee and later, the European settlers referred to these as the "smokey mountains".
Here at the beginning of autumn, the leaves of the deciduous trees are just starting to change into an amazing palate of browns, yellows, oranges, and even a few reds. I chose this time of year purposely to enjoy these fall colors, which were mostly unobservable during my time living in the great basin. In combination with the cool temperatures, its clear that summer is over and winter is just around the corner.
Speaking of corners, it seems the builders of the parkway understood the great vistas along the roadway they were building and designed numerous overlooks where cars could pull off of the highway and travelers could take in the vast green sea laid before them. It seems there is one of these outlooks around every corner on this windy road and they are most welcome. While I don't take advantage of all of them, I do find myself pulling over to enjoy several of them as I make my way north. Additionally, there are a number of tunnels that were cut through the mountains and ridges to smooth out the drive. Most are just a couple of dozen yards long, but there are a few that are long enough that I'm forced to turn on my headlights as I pass through.
At 469 miles in length the Blue Ridge Parkway is probably drive-able within a single day, but with speeds limited to 45 mph and with the need to pull over and take in the view quite often, it seems reasonable to take at least a couple of days to explore this roadway. For me, my breaking point is near Roanoke, VA. As dusk approaches on this first day of my trip, I find the parkway blocked off a few miles short of my intended exit. As I drive through the Virginia farmland, I'm in awe of the number of white-tail deer I see driving the ten or so miles into town. I actually started counting them and saw forty-eight before reaching my hotel. As it turns out, a section of the parkway collapsed near here which is why the road was closed. It will force me to take a slight detour in the morning, but I can still see most of the parkway.
Again getting a very early start, I hit a drive-through for some easy-to-eat breakfast before making my way back to the parkway. As was the case yesterday, early morning fog bathes the land in these valleys, though the mountains here are not quite as tall as those in North Carolina. Today's adventure is much like yesterdays with a stop for a few hikes and overlooks. Eventually, reach the northern terminus of the parkway and enter Shenandoah National Park, ready to continue my trip, along the famous Skyline Drive.
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