Vacation, 3rd Blue Ridge Parkway Trip down South 2012

Well....this is our third year in a row doing the Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway. The last two years we have gone in the middle of summer and this year we (well, mostly me) wanted to see the Parkway in the Spring. We also wanted to enjoy more of the music that is so popular in that area. We have come to really like the town of Galax, VA. It is a tiny town that is big on music. After we figured out the dates that we were going, we looked for any music events that were going on at that time. We found out that they were having the second "HoustonFest" in Galax. It is a two day bluegrass festival to honor 18 year old Houston Caldwell who died two years ago in a motorcycle accident. You can read more about it here. We basically planned the trip around this two day event.

The last two years I have blogged day by day, but this year I think that I will do one blog, and just hit the highlights. Even doing that, with 11 days, it was hard to whittle down my 353 pictures!!!

We left on Friday, April 27th. We got rather a late start and arrived in Front Royal (the beginning of Shenandoah National Park Skyline Drive) on Saturday the 28th about 2 pm or so. As we were driving through town to get to the Skyline Drive, we came across a BBQ operation right in a parking lot. Last year we had so much BBQ that I thought I would never eat it again, and now it was starting right at the beginning of our trip!



The Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia is a beautiful 105-mile road that winds along the crest of the mountains. The scenery is just beautiful. Here are a few of my favorite pictures.













In my glory taking pictures.....





We saw lots of deer.









When we entered the park, a group of "Mini Cooper drivers" were taking their picture near the park sign. We ended up passing them, and them passing us for a couple of days. There were five of them.



We saw a couple of snow piles from their storm the week before.



In between the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway we can across this guy...just hanging out in the road!



They have some of the best road signs. I blogged about some of them last trip. Here are a few more.





These are a couple of my favorite pictures from the Blue Ridge Parkway.





We stayed in Roanoke, VA one night and I had one of my favorite dinners of this vacation, Asiago Chicken Penne. Delicious!



It was from this restaurant, Smokey Bones. (Paul had BBQ, I needed a break!).



One day it was so foggy on the Parkway that we had to get off. It's really scary when it's this foggy as it's such a winding road with big drop offs, some with no guard rails!



One of the nights that we stayed in Galax, VA we got a historic walking pamphlet and took the walk. I spotted this "little door" to add to my collection of pictures.



One day we took a ride up Grandfather Mountain; an exit off the Parkway. Paul saw a picture of a swinging bridge between two mountain tops that he wanted to do. It was totally scary to me. On the way over I couldn't even look down. On the way back, I was able to take a few pictures, but I was glad to be back on firm ground, lol.





It was so beautiful on that mountain.



They give you a CD when you head up the mountain and it explains all about Grandfather Mountain. On the way down (which by the way was one of the most winding roads I have ever been on, never mind the altitude), the CD pointed out "Forest Gump Curve." In the movie Forest Gump, this was one of the scenes where you see him running and in this scene it was just after he started having people running with him. I can't imagine running down this mountain!



This car was in the parking lot at the top of Mt. Mitchell. There were two young guys in this car.



This was also another high altitude mountain.









The end of the Parkway in North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has some of the most beautiful scenery.







Then, you are at the end of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, and you come out in Gatlinburg, TN and into the biggest honky tonk area and it is just an assault to your senses. After about 600 miles of green forest you come right into this....







We ended up spending two nights in Gatlinburg. Paul put this bumper sticker on the car here, LOL!



We spent quite a bit of time here at Smokey Mountain Knife Works. Paul has been doing mail-order business with them for years. The first year we came down here it was closed for the evening. It really is a nice store, much more than just knives.



On Saturday, May 5th, we headed back up to Galax, VA for the two day bluegrass festival. We took part highway, and part back roads. I really felt we were in redneck and Confederate country.







The HoustonFest was wonderful. We really had a good time. It was close enough to our motel that we could walk to it.



I loved the dancing. I think it's called flat foot dancing. Paul says we are going to learn it so we can join it next time (just kidding!!!)





The big name bands were Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver,



Sierra Hull & Highway 111,



Blue Highway,



John Berry,



and Ricky Scaggs & Kentucky Thunder.



Paul and I have never been to a bluegrass festival before, so it was all new to us and we loved it!

There was a lady selling Galax plants for $4 a bunch. She had such a thick Southern accent that I had to keep asking her to repeat herself. She was telling me how to plant them and....well, let's just say I better Google it. She said that the Galax plant is how the town got its name. Of course I had to take a picture of this sign.



On Sunday we stopped at the Blue Ridge Music Center. We spent a lot of time here last year. They have a "jam" on Sunday, which is so much fun.









We also stopped at the Floyd Country Store where they were having their Sunday "jam."

After that it was on to Front Royal, VA., yep, still Confederate country,



and then the next day, Monday, May 7th, home.

Well, thanks for hanging in there with me. This was a long post about a wonderful vacation; 11 days, 2, 581.8 miles. I can't wait to do it again!

P.S. Three post offices on our travels,

Little Switzerland, NC


Laurel Springs, NC


Galax, VA