We spent the morning at the event center, working on our computers. After lunch, we drove over to the nearby Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, and did a loop drive. The Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway goes 470 miles, starting in the south in North Carolina and going up to the Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive in Virginia. We just drove about 20 miles. However, in order to get to the access point at the Humpback Rocks visitor center, we took a nice road, Route 610, on Google maps, that directed us right to it. But, as it turns out, this road became a one lane, gravel road, really quickly. The Parkway is at about 3,700 feet, so this road ascended, twisted and turned, with drop offs on one side, and no shoulders on either side. Thankfully, there were no cars coming in the other direction.
The Parkway had many overlooks and turnouts, with incredible vistas of the valleys below. The visitor center had an exhibit of a reconstructed family mountain farm, from the late 1800's. What a hard life it must have been. With all of the stops at the overlooks, it took us several hours to go the 20 miles. It definitely gave us a good feel for the Parkway and the Blue Ridge Mountain portion of the Appalachian Mountain Range. These mountains are definitely different than the Rockies in Colorado. At only 3,700 feet, they are all tree covered, and have no big jagged peaks. These are older, more sedate mountains than the younger ones in the West. They still give amazing views. And, the fall colors were at their peak, making for a beautiful drive.
Our ride back down from the Parkway ridge top was on a two lane paved road, but it also twisted and turned through a forest, all the way down. What amazed me was that there houses built into the side of the slopes, hidden away in the woods, with very steep driveways up or down. And, there was a Bus Stop sign. I can't imagine a bus driving that road, especially in the winter. Oh well. Different strokes . . .
Blue Ridge Parkway photos:
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| Humpback Rock farm |
Halloween grandkids and Adelle photos:
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| Siena and Savannah |
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| Quinn |
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| Owen |
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| Cheyenne |
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| Shilah and Hudson |
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| Serena |
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| Adelle, on the left. |
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