The Blue Ridge Parkway was a wonderful
experience. I have a hunch it will be my favorite section of the entire
journey. For one thing, the driving was less stressful for both of us
because the speed limit was only 45 mph, with plenty of Pull-outs where
we could let folks pass us by. And other drivers were warned to expect
slower traffic, including bicycles. The total lack of big-rig
18-wheelers and timber trucks would be reason enough to make it a firm
favorite.
And, of course, it IS spectacularly
beautiful. We went from one viewpoint to the next, and you know I was
taking pictures at almost every one. I was intent on capturing the
"layers" of blues and grays receding into the distance. It was not as
easy as I thought.
If you look VERY closely, you might be able to spot the tiny little
white speck in the middle of the Parkway below that is Marvin and the
ELF.
The Parkway guide published a table documenting the rise in elevation in
each section as we went along. Marvin studied it diligently to predict
how difficult each day's ride might be. I preferred the pictorial
representations like those below. Take note of the descent from Craggy
Gardens and the High Point; that's a roller coaster ride for sure.
Whee! The ELF hit 40 mph before Marv's good judgement kicked in, and
he started using the brakes.
The sign for the Spiral Curve is an accurate representation of the curve
that grows tighter as you go around. Fun! The tunnels, too, added to
the general excitement. Some were long and curved, so that there is no
"light at the end of the tunnel" until you have progressed quite some
distance into them.
We have a solid respect for the many cyclists we saw traversing the
Parkway under their own power. We spoke with one young man who was
celebrating having climbed "the last big hill" before the end of his
journey. I think the primary difference between his and Marvin's
challenges lies in the single word, "young". He was probably 50 years
younger.... I say, "Viva! le batteries!"
Visitor
Centers were great places for people watching. There were plenty of
opportunities to capture photos of the unusual. There were lots of
motorcycles ---including this spectacular hand-made "Woodie" trike.
Incredible workmanship; he had to show off his built-in storage drawers,
with neatly dove-tailed joints. It was powered by a Chevy Corvair
engine. Lots of people with dogs, reminding us of the many years our
dear, old Cappy was an important part of our travels. He is missed! Lots
of bicycles, too, with most "serious" cyclists traveling singly or in
pairs. This one family lived nearby but came to the Parkway on weekends
to bicycle as a family, sharing quality time with their two young
daughters. In one of those "small world" experiences that sometimes
happen when traveling, we met this same family the weekend following at
the Orchard, where they had come for the clogging and hayride
activities. Of course, they recognized Marvin and the ELF and struck up
the conversation.
Never without my camera, I felt I had to record everything I saw.
I snapped exhibit signs to help keep me accurate when I began writing
about the details. The wildlife was pretty scarce--- probably too much human wild
life! But I had some nice shots of a mother turkey with 6 young ones,
and glimpses of deer, and fox and one young black bear. I focused on
people, too, both our fellow tourists and campers, and performers at
special events. And, as always, I found myself zeroing in on flowers.
The two weeks on the Parkway produced slightly more than a thousand
photos to be sorted through! That's the problem with doing summaries
rather than a daily posting.
We
stayed one or more nights at each campground along the Parkway. The
distance between Mt Pisgah CG and Cherokee was 70 miles, with
significant elevation gains. That was a bit ambitious for one day. We
chose to "sneak" an overnight at a "hidden" viewpoint. We were quite
prepared to plead our case with anyone official questioning us for
stopping: It was getting late; it was dusk; he was too tired to pedal
any further, etc., etc. Besides, two different Rangers had told us that
stopping overnight was what they would do in our circumstances...
As it happened, no one at all cared that we were there. A group of
about a dozen youth, from a summer camp named SOAR, just down the road a
piece, came to play ball and frisbee in the open space for an hour or
so before dark. One of their number, a boy about 14 at most, separated
from the rest and settled down on the grass and began to practice his
violin. He explained that he had a good chance to become first chair in
the orchestra if he kept up with his practicing through the summer. I
took him choc chip cookies to thank him for the nice dinner music.
One of the first special events was the Sunday Afternoon
Musical on the Grass, at Mabry Mill. We toured the mill, with its
demonstrations and exhibits, then happily joined the other tourists,
sitting in the shade, enjoying the trio of volunteers who were "jamming"
a fine toe-taping mix of mountain music, gospel and "old-timey" tunes.
A
stop at the Blue Ridge Music Center the next day was only slightly more
formal, where two friends who had played together for years entertained
in a cool, shaded breezeway between the Visitor Center buildings. They
played all afternoon, so we were able to listen a bit, then go back
inside to absorb a bit more of the information presented in the
exhibits.
Along with the
music came dancing. One of our rendezvous points was the Museum of NC
Minerals. I struck up a conversation with the young woman who was
telling me details about the weekend Bar-B-Que and Bluegrass Festival.
When Marvin arrived, she was totally entranced with the ELF. She and her
husband were motorcyclists, and she teased Marvin about taking the ELF
over the notorious "Tail of the Dragon" and a few other biker thrill
rides toward the end of the Parkway. When I asked about seeing some
clogging, she directed us to the Orchard, a few miles back down the
road. Not only that, but she volunteered to put our battery on to
charge while we were enjoying the high energy performance of the Cold
Mountain Cloggers, an award winning group. I loved the whole afternoon; I
even got to join in on one number when the audience was invited to
participate.
At Linville Falls CG, we stayed over a second night in order to do the
hike to view the waterfalls. Even though the hike was neither very long
nor very difficult, it was still a physical exercise, but at least it
was a change of pace from pedaling. The premiere view of the Falls was
from across the Gorge, but there were other viewpoints as well, on
several different levels, making the water views readily accessible to
the crowds who came to enjoy this justifiably popular waterfall. There
were stairs and handrails where they were needed. The primary activity
seemed to be taking "selfies" and group pix with the waterfall in the
background; everyone was good-natured about waiting their turn, and we
heard conversations in French and Spanish as we waited.
No matter where I am, I am always drawn to photograph flowers. And
there were plenty to choose from. First impression was the abundance of
mountain laurel, all along the Parkway. The pink, going to white
reminded me of apple blossoms. And, then there were the Turk's Cap
lilies. They were brilliant splashes of orange that commanded attention
as we drove by, and up close, rewarded me with classic shape as well as
color. My floral assortment included the common dark red monarda ("Bee
Balm") and an unusual group of purple and lavender ones. The Ranger at
the Visitor Center where I snapped those said they were red and white
the first year they were planted, but came back the next year as purple
and lilac; she wondered why--- I did, too. Yellow jewel weed, and the
curious, and rare Indian pipes completed this particular album page of
flowers.
The Blue Ridge Parkway extends 465 miles along the crests of the
southern Appalachians. We drove 300 of those miles, and came away
feeling appreciation and gratitude that the land was set aside as a
National Park for the enjoyment of all of us for all time.
