Blue Ridge Parkway

I have been staying with my friend Becky in Charlotte and her parents came out from Colorado a couple of weeks ago to visit and drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. We drove the first day from Charlotte to Waynesboro, VA, where the Parkway begins. We drove for the next two days until, reaching Chimney Rock, NC and home. If we had waited a couple of more weeks we would have seen some beautiful colors on the trees, but we were able to see a few trees that had already started changing colors. I would like to go back to the Parkway and do more of the hiking trails that are available. I understand the spring is another good time to visit because there are several waterfalls along the Parkway that are very beautiful in the spring when the snow is melting and there is a lot of run off. This late in the summer meant that most of the waterfalls have dried up.

The drive has inspired me to watch again The Last of the Mohicans, which was filmed at various points on the parkway. From what I have read the majority of the filming was done in North Carolina.

This fence enclosed several old Appalachian farm buildings.

View from Humpback Rocks, for the humpback appearance of the rocky outcropping.

Another view from Humpback Rocks.

It was dusk when we came upon this big guy. The Smoky Mountains have the largest population of black bears in the United States. The picture isn't very good, but hopefully you can see his outline and dark shape right in front of the garbage can. When came by the first time we scared him into the trees, so we circled the parking lot again and when we came up again he had come back out of the trees and was again close to the road and the garbage cans.

A picture from Ravens Roost at dusk at the end of our first day. The view looks down onto the Shenandoah Valley.

Just one of the beautiful flowers seen along the way.

A small taste of the colors to come.

Otter Lake

A view of the forest at Otter Lake.

Another vista.

A picture of the famous Appalachian Trail.

This is one of the signs that denotes the Appalachian Trail. For the first 110 miles of the Parkway, the trail runs almost parallel to the Parkway, crossing the road at several points, before turning west.

And another vista.

There were several stone bridges along the Parkway. There were also several tunnels, the majority being in NC.

This picture gives you a good view of the natural fog that often covers the mountains, resulting in the "smoky" look that gives the Great Smoky Mountains their name.

Me straddling the border between Virginia and North Carolina. The party that surveyed this boundary in 1749 included Thomas Jefferson's father, Peter.

Grandfather Mountain. Can you see the profile of the old man?

Picture of the famous Linn Cove Viaduct.

And another vista. The lowest point on the Parkway is 649ft. and the highest is 6047ft. This is neither of those points.

Sunset view at the end of our second day.

We visited the city of Boone, NC, hometown of the famous Daniel Boone. We also spent one night in Mount Airy, NC, birthplace and home of Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the Andy Griffith Show's fictional community of Mayberry.

I have pictures from our third day but will save them for another post, since they are from places off the parkway.