Blue Ridge Parkway - A Day Trip

Finally, warm weather and Bill and I both with a day off. What to do? Why not enter the Blue Ridge Parkway at the entrance closest to home and drive all the way to the end? So that's what we did. 

Several of the first overlooks we stopped at had been graffittied. Who does that??? Nature beckons and is lovely, then you have this on the ground.

Some of the names of these overlooks.... Bad Fork.... Snicker

Bill drove his baby - I suggested we name her Carmen. It's a car. And it's bright red (carmine is red sort of).  We had the top down because it was a beautiful day. 

The scenery was all beautiful, of course. While going through this post, you might think I put up a hundred pictures that are all the same. But you would be wrong! There are only 42 photos in this whole post and I assure you they are all different. So climb off me about it. :)

We set the timer a few times, but I have a bad knee right now, so often I didn't make it into the photo. This time I did.

Now this is a name I can get behind. Big Ridge. There is a big ridge out there. Simple. Explanatory. Makes sense.

I had to take a beauty shot of Carmen. She looks beautiful in the mountains.

I like the way the road bends off into the distance. Where does it head?

I guess there's a place out there in the distance called Buck Springs?

I had a very hard time NOT posting some pictures just because they all were so beautiful. This one looks like a postcard, I think. 

I wonder where this barely-there trail went. I mentioned my bad knee earlier. Because of it, we were unable to explore. Next time.

These huge walls of rock just amaze me!

Pounding Mill.   Tee hee.

Bill ponders nature. And that big bald mountain out there.

I love that this overlook is named for how it looked until 80-some years ago.  Surely they could come up with a more current name...

Here we are heading higher and higher into the mountains. The temperature dropped 15 degrees in a matter of a few miles due to the increase in elevation.

Again I felt the burden of my bad knee. I really wanted to walk up to the pedestrian overlook but there was no way that was happening. 

A tiny peek of Carmen along with the road, wildflowers, and distant mountain.

What is Bill pointing at? I don't remember but I still like the picture.

Water was just flowing down the rocks along the side of the road. I don't know where it all went.

Bill at Caney Fork overlook.

And we reach the highest point on the BRP. Naturally, we posed by the sign.

Layers upon layers of mountains made the whole scene breathtaking.

Another weird name but a lovely view.

Lovely. Lovely. Lovely.

Finally an overlook I could use! BATHROOMS! It's a little known fact that restrooms are a rarity along the BRP.

There are many small tunnels along this section of the road. This is what it looked like coming out of one. The day was so bright that entering each tunnel was jarring - sudden darkness.

And then, with no fanfare or signage, the Blue Ridge Parkway came to an end. We veered off the right and I had to turn around real quick to get this shot of the end of the road.

We stopped at this place that had a working farm and took their little hike. I love this tree and the way the light shone on it. Bill seems to be attracted to the tree, too. :)

These designs were just growths on the roots of the tree.

Again, the roots and the way they were so far out of the ground was amazing. And the light was cool.

This is the replica of a farm from way back when. We had been in the car for hours, so we strolled around to check it out.

Bill took this picture of me peeping through the boards.

As you can see by all the names written and carved in the vicinity of this sign, it seems the sign actually had the opposite effect of that intended.

We stopped in Cherokee here at J Arthur's for dinner. Quite a disappointment. The waiter was wonderful and friendly, but was an outright liar about the freshness and origins of the food. Also, the atmosphere was odd. Strange people abounded. Like mafia types. Guys with pinky rings and accents meeting for "business" in khaki shorts and flowered shirts. Bill said we must be near some witness protection enclave.  :)

And that was our tour to the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I might add here that although I didn't realize it at the time, I got a vicious sunburn on my shoulders and upper arms. My face was protected by my hat and glasses, but my poor shoulders actually blistered! I can't remember the last time I had a blistering sunburn. In the good news department, my shoulders should be well prepared for my upcoming Caribbean cruise with Kathryn.