212/365 - Vacation, 1st Blue Ridge Parkway and Trip down South 2011 - Day 7

One last view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We had actually planned to take two days, Saturday and Sunday, to drive home on the highway. We realized that we had forgotten to get Kristen and Mark magnets from the parkway (we usually bring them home magnets from our vacations and vice versa). Our plan was to get on the parkway at Roanoke, VA, get the magnets and get back on the highway. I think we both didn’t really want to leave, and we ended up staying on the parkway from mile post 119 to the end, and then the whole Skyline Dr. (105 miles).

At 8 p.m we stopped for dinner at Skyland Lodge, an old resort lodge with a beautiful view of the mountains.

While we were waiting to be seated I was commenting to Paul that I liked this picture of a bear.



The hostess came by and she had obviously overheard me saying that. She said she had taken the picture while the bear was in a tree (with a long lens - lol). She must have taken a liking to us because she put us at a window table right away (it was very crowded). We left there at about 10 pm and then had a 40 mile drive down the mountain in the rain. I was glad to get to the Center City Motel. I told Paul I felt like we were home (we had started out from there last Sunday night).

Tomorrow it really is home all the way on the highway!

211/365 - Vacation, 1st Blue Ridge Parkway and Trip down South 2011 - Day 6

Today we ended our Blue Ridge Parkway drive:(. We came across an overlook, almost at the highest point on the parkway, that we thought was the most beautiful view on the parkway. The picture above and the next three pictures are from that overlook.







The Monarch butterflies loved these wild petunias (?). I’m going to miss these little guys. They were our constant companions on the parkway!





The highest point of the parkway was almost at the end.




We are going to come out on the Cherokee Indian Reservation at the end of the parkway.



Mile post 469 is the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.



These next pictures are taken in the town of Cherokee, NC. The street signs are also in Cherokee or some Indian language.







We went into a bear exhibit. This is a little grizzly cub and also some black bear cubs. I felt bad for these bears, especially after coming out of the parkway where they have such a beautiful place to live.





After we left Cherokee we entered the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. It was as beautiful as the Skyline Drive in the Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. We came across a mountain called Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in the Great Smokey Mountains. It was a 7 mile drive up the mountain, and another ½ mile walk to the observation tower. Paul really wanted to do it. It was an arduous ½ mile, very steep, felt more like 5 miles. I am definitely out of shape. I had to keep stopping every 10th of a mile (they had benches). When I get home, I really need to do something about this, like get back to walking. Anyhow, somehow I made it to the observation tower, then it was another walk up that!







The view was absolutely beautiful though, 6, 643 feet high!



Then we had to come down; that was easier but still tiring.





We finished going through the Smokies (it was a road that went across the middle, which was actually on our way home). More weird road signs.





We crossed from North Carolina into Tennessee.



At the end of the road it brought us out smack dab into the middle of Gaitlinburg, TN. I don’t know if any of you have ever been to Gaitlinburg. Paul and I have never been here before and we were in total awe. We drove on for at least 3 miles of honky tonk - eating places, shops, amusements, street performers, etc. like I have never seen before. Then this same road went right into Pigeon Forge which was almost as bad, which lead to Seiverville. We then went on for at least 10 miles of more honky tonk. It was just unbelievable. Dollywood was somewhere on that road. Eventually it thinned out and we drove (actually Paul drove and I slept) until 12 midnight when we stopped just outside of Virginia for the night. Tomorrow and Sunday it will be mostly highway driving home:(.

Vacation, 1st Blue Ridge Parkway and Trip down South 2011, A note from Paul

Think of an endless string of mountain tops with some altitudes higher than Mount Washington in New Hampshire (twice the altitude of Mount Greylock in Massachusetts). Then add a roadway connecting them. That is the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina - all the rewards of mountain climbing without all the hard work.

Often you are at a point where both sides of the road are straight down. I never would have believed such a road was possible. More often than not there is no guardrail to keep you on the mountain if you should drive off the roadway.

Including the 105 mile Skyline Drive, it is a 574 mile wonder.

210/365 - Vacation, 1st Blue Ridge Parkway and Trip down South 2011 - Day 5

We started out today at milepost 261. There are 469 mileposts on the Blue Ridge Parkway (in addition to the 105 on the Skyline Drive through the Shenandoah National Park). It was a beautiful day today, hot, probably about 90, but at least 10 degrees cooler up on the mountain. Beautiful views.







There was a viaduct going on the outside of the mountain. It was a little scary, but beautiful.




When we got up to about 5,000 we felt like we were in a Pee Wee Herman movie!!














We went to a mountain side (literally) apple orchard. What a neat place. Liz - we bought some "Heritage" apples. I'm going to save the seeds. We had "fried" apple pie. It was really good.

I know you are probably tired of seeing Monarch butterflies, but this one flew right in our car. There are just so many! Poor thing, it was frantifc to get out. We put down the window (right after I took a picture).






This is where we had supper tonight. Great barbeque ribs. We are staying in Asheville, NC and plan to get an early start tomorrow. We want to finish the parkway and head into the Smoky Mountain National Park in Tennessee tomorrow. Saturday and Sunday will be driving home on the highway. I wish we had more time :(

209/365 - Vacation, 1st Blue Ridge Parkway and Trip down South 2011 - Day 4

We made very good time on the parkway today. We started off at milepost 45 and went to milepost 261.

I am just amazed at all the Monarch butterflies. We must have come upon some sort of mating ritual or something. These three just stayed together for the longest time. One of them actually got up on my finger; didn't stay too long but, even so, I was thrilled.


Aren't they just beautiful?




We came upon a little cemetery, right in the middle of nowhere.




We made a side trip into Mt. Airy, NC. It is the town that was the inspiration for the Andy Griffith show and it has a lot of "Mayberry" stuff. It was fun to see this.







More mountain views; they really are incredible, pictures just don't do them justice (but I have fun trying!).

208/365 - Vacation, 1st Blue Ridge Parkway and Trip down South 2011 - Day 3

Well, here we are at the Walton's Mountain Museum, in the Post Office of Ike Godsey's store. Oh my goodness, today was fun. The museum is in the school that Earl Hamner, Jr. (John-Boy) graduated from. It is part of the Schuyler VA Community Center and they have turned it into the museum. The school rooms have been turned into different rooms from the Walton house.










This is the living room...




And the kitchen...




This is the actual house that Earl Hamner grew up in. We were able to take a tour of the house.




Earl's room and the desk that he wrote from...




After most of the day doing Walton stuff, we headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We made it to 45 miles (out of 469).


There are so many Monarch butterflies, They just love these purple flowers.






It was very foggy on the mountain this afternoon.




This is the view from one of the lookouts, just clouds




On a different note -
It has been very different staying in a different place every night, and the places themselves have been so different. The first night we stayed in an old, very small motel in the middle of a small city, Front Royal, VA. The second night we stayed in a brand new Budget Inn in Charlottsville, VA right in the middle of the University of Virginia. Our window looked out on the sports field.




It has also been different seeing Confederate soldier monuments. This one is to Stonewall Jackson in downtown Charlottesville.



Tonight we are staying in the Buena Vista Motel at the foot of the Blue Ridge Hills. This motel reminds me of a dude ranch, long and sprawling, probably from the 50's,





See you tomorrow!