Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia and North Carolina

Monday

We left Waynesboro and picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway where Shenandoah NP Skyline Drive ended.  Unlike the day we drove Skyline Drive it was a clear blue sky as a cold front was moving in and the winds cleared the air.

The fall colors hadn't miraculously appeared a couple of days later but we still hoped to see a little more on our journey south.

The road had fewer ups and downs and mainly was gentle curves with some slight ups and downs.  For the most part we maintained the 45 mph speed limit.  On Skyline it was 35 mph.

The parkway has frequent overlooks with some of them overlooking bushes or a creek, not the edge of the mountain.  Many were named mountain overlooks.

With the clear air the valleys were a lot more visible.

It doesn't take long viewing the mountains before you understand why the Blue Ridge got its name.  The moisture in the air makes them all look various shades of blue in the distance.

The maples have the most color and the Mountain Ash looked bear a fruit which looks like tiny cherries.  I asked at one of the visitor centers and when they told us what it was I remember seeing one in all its glory in Seward, AK on a cruise there.

The Mountain Ash.

We camped Monday night at Rocky Knob campground on the parkway near Floyd, VA.  It is a nice campground but most of the sites take some work to level the RV.  It looks like it was built a long time ago by  people who hadn't camped or ever leveled an RV.

Tuesday

We got an early start but found that we were too early for a number of Visitor Centers as they didn't open until 10 am.  One right at the Virginia-North Carolina border was the Bluegrass Music Visitor Center but we arrived just after 9 am.   From time to time they have musical events at the center.

In addition to all the overlooks, the scenery on the parkway varies quite a bit.  Some of the parkway goes through National Forests while much of it is bordered by private land.

 There were sections with tall trees that didn't have a lot underbrush while in other shaded areas the road was lined with rhododendrons.   That must be a beautiful sight in spring with all the various shades of green and the rhododendrons in bloom.

James River

Frequently we would pass picturesque farms in the rolling meadows along the parkway.

Looking at the distant mountains was like looking at layers of a painting with each range a different shade of blue.

There was some construction on the parkway and a few rough sections but for the most part it was in very good shape with smooth roads.

Nearing the end of the parkway were some of the highest altitudes and with that came a little more fall color.  Here was a small lake with the trees beginning to turn.

The road soon climbed to over 5700' on the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi, Mt. Mitchell at 6684'.  We stayed on the parkway around Asheville, NC to our home for the next four nights at Lake Powhatan, just south of the city.  We have some exploring to do and some food to sample.