Blue Ridge Parkway - North to South 10/2008
#1
10-25-2008, 07:19 AM
Blue Ridge Parkway - North to South 10/2008
'Tis the season for Blue Ridge Parkway posts - here's mine:
I decided it might be nice to travel the entire Blue Ridge Parkway this fall, so I picked the third week in October as perhaps when the leaves would be at their peak. Well, they were, and they weren't, depending on elevation and aspect. That's OK, but the biggest problem was that all the guidebooks and descriptive websites that I surveyed described the Parkway from North To South, that is, Milepost 0 to Milepost 469. Since I live in Atlanta, that meant either doing it backwards, or hammering to the north end to do it right.
So I hit the expressways and made a beeline to Waynesboro, Virginia, home to Milepost 0. Here is the noble steed, all packed up and ready to go.
Well, I didn't quite make it to Waynesboro on the first day, seeing that the day saw a high of 45 degrees and the I-20/I-77/I-81 expressways were aggravating. So I ended up crashing at Claytor Lake State Park, south of Roanoke, Virginia and just off I-81. It's a great place in its own right with excellent camping facilities and very scenic. There were only three of us in the tent camping section so it was peaceful. This state park would be a good stop for anyone traveling through the area, but it would be a shame to not spend a day or two here if you had the time - it's really nice.
After waking up to 28 degrees the following morning, I rode the remaining 130 miles to Milepost 0 and what felt like the real beginning of the trip.
My goal for the day was distinct: enjoy maximum leaf and vista scenery and find a way to stay somewhat warm. It turns out that each of those goals was readily achieved and the day was splendid - every curve seemed to have a surprise. By the way, they are serious about that 45 mph speed limit; don't ask me how I know...
Peaks of Otter was crowded with folks despite being a weekday. But the gift shop yielded a suitable prize for my better half, who elected to remain home during the trip to earn a living to support my rambling. But I'm not here for shops, I'm here to ride so after a quick cup of hot apple cider and pit stop, I am on my way again!
I ended up at Roanoke Mountain Campground for the night. Nothing remarkable or memorable about this BRP campground; in fact, it could use some funding to spruce up the place. But it was a serviceable place to camp for the night. An advantage to this campground is that it is just minutes from Roanoke, and after I got my camp set up I scooted to town for gas, supplies, and Outback Steakhouse. Evening temperatures dropped into the high 20's, so I packed up quickly the next morning and hit the road, heading to Mabry Mill for breakfast.
Can I just go ahead and tell you that the restaurant at Mabry Mill has the greatest buttermilk pancakes and country ham on the planet? This is normally where I would insert a delightful picture of the breakfast. But it disappeared too fast for such a thing; besides, I left my camera in the saddlebags. I'll be back after breakfast...
Read more about this trip on my blog at www.OneRideToLive.blogspot.com
I decided it might be nice to travel the entire Blue Ridge Parkway this fall, so I picked the third week in October as perhaps when the leaves would be at their peak. Well, they were, and they weren't, depending on elevation and aspect. That's OK, but the biggest problem was that all the guidebooks and descriptive websites that I surveyed described the Parkway from North To South, that is, Milepost 0 to Milepost 469. Since I live in Atlanta, that meant either doing it backwards, or hammering to the north end to do it right.
So I hit the expressways and made a beeline to Waynesboro, Virginia, home to Milepost 0. Here is the noble steed, all packed up and ready to go.
Well, I didn't quite make it to Waynesboro on the first day, seeing that the day saw a high of 45 degrees and the I-20/I-77/I-81 expressways were aggravating. So I ended up crashing at Claytor Lake State Park, south of Roanoke, Virginia and just off I-81. It's a great place in its own right with excellent camping facilities and very scenic. There were only three of us in the tent camping section so it was peaceful. This state park would be a good stop for anyone traveling through the area, but it would be a shame to not spend a day or two here if you had the time - it's really nice.
After waking up to 28 degrees the following morning, I rode the remaining 130 miles to Milepost 0 and what felt like the real beginning of the trip.
My goal for the day was distinct: enjoy maximum leaf and vista scenery and find a way to stay somewhat warm. It turns out that each of those goals was readily achieved and the day was splendid - every curve seemed to have a surprise. By the way, they are serious about that 45 mph speed limit; don't ask me how I know...
Peaks of Otter was crowded with folks despite being a weekday. But the gift shop yielded a suitable prize for my better half, who elected to remain home during the trip to earn a living to support my rambling. But I'm not here for shops, I'm here to ride so after a quick cup of hot apple cider and pit stop, I am on my way again!
I ended up at Roanoke Mountain Campground for the night. Nothing remarkable or memorable about this BRP campground; in fact, it could use some funding to spruce up the place. But it was a serviceable place to camp for the night. An advantage to this campground is that it is just minutes from Roanoke, and after I got my camp set up I scooted to town for gas, supplies, and Outback Steakhouse. Evening temperatures dropped into the high 20's, so I packed up quickly the next morning and hit the road, heading to Mabry Mill for breakfast.
Can I just go ahead and tell you that the restaurant at Mabry Mill has the greatest buttermilk pancakes and country ham on the planet? This is normally where I would insert a delightful picture of the breakfast. But it disappeared too fast for such a thing; besides, I left my camera in the saddlebags. I'll be back after breakfast...
Read more about this trip on my blog at www.OneRideToLive.blogspot.com
#2
10-25-2008, 07:21 AM
OK, so having finished breakfast it was time to make some miles.
Since I am a tremendous fan of bluegrass music (what we now call "Roots Music"), the Blue Ridge Music Center was a star attraction of the Parkway. This modern museum has some great displays and even features live music each day in a nice intimate setting. I understand that there are larger concerts on the weekends. Forgive the quality of the next three pics - they came from my iPhone as I left my "real" cameral out on the bike. BTW, there is a great little blogger application for the iPhone that links to blogspot.com - you can see my blog of the trip at www.OneRideToLive.blogspot.com
After spending an hour or so at the museum, someone said that there were some pretty leaves just down the road at Doughton Park, so I loaded up and went to see for myself. Yep, just as I expected! This is a pretty section of the Parkway with gentle curves and elevation gains. Lots of open pasture and split rail fences - less "technical" than some of the sections on the south end of the ride.
Some more beautiful riding from there down to Boone, NC where there was a five mile detour around some Parkway construction. Blowing Rock seems like a good destination for a trip with the better half - lots of little shops and quaint restaurants. But today it was an aggravation as it was in full tourist bloom with stop and go traffic, much horn honking, and sort of destroyed the buzz of the serene Parkway. Got out of there quickly! Shortly after the Moses H. Cone and Julian Price Parks which were next on the maps (and were overwhelmed by touristas and did not warrant a stop this trip), I came upon Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct. Unfortunately, I was so overcome by emotion that I snapped only one quick photo. Check your favorite guidebook for better pictures. Awesome section of the Parkway.
OK, here's a picture of the Linn Cove Viaduct that I stole off of Wikipedia. Sorry to whoever owns it!
There is another detour just south of the Museum of North Carolina Minerals that extends to Asheville. The NPS website and road signs try to get you to exit the Parkway at Little Switzerland, but we're smarter than that! We all know that the best road is Hwy 80 at Buck Creek Gap which takes you to Hwy 70 between Marion and Old Fort.
I overnighted at Black Mountain and braced myself for the higher elevations and colder temperatures waiting for me the next day.
Since I am a tremendous fan of bluegrass music (what we now call "Roots Music"), the Blue Ridge Music Center was a star attraction of the Parkway. This modern museum has some great displays and even features live music each day in a nice intimate setting. I understand that there are larger concerts on the weekends. Forgive the quality of the next three pics - they came from my iPhone as I left my "real" cameral out on the bike. BTW, there is a great little blogger application for the iPhone that links to blogspot.com - you can see my blog of the trip at www.OneRideToLive.blogspot.com
After spending an hour or so at the museum, someone said that there were some pretty leaves just down the road at Doughton Park, so I loaded up and went to see for myself. Yep, just as I expected! This is a pretty section of the Parkway with gentle curves and elevation gains. Lots of open pasture and split rail fences - less "technical" than some of the sections on the south end of the ride.
Some more beautiful riding from there down to Boone, NC where there was a five mile detour around some Parkway construction. Blowing Rock seems like a good destination for a trip with the better half - lots of little shops and quaint restaurants. But today it was an aggravation as it was in full tourist bloom with stop and go traffic, much horn honking, and sort of destroyed the buzz of the serene Parkway. Got out of there quickly! Shortly after the Moses H. Cone and Julian Price Parks which were next on the maps (and were overwhelmed by touristas and did not warrant a stop this trip), I came upon Grandfather Mountain and the Linn Cove Viaduct. Unfortunately, I was so overcome by emotion that I snapped only one quick photo. Check your favorite guidebook for better pictures. Awesome section of the Parkway.
OK, here's a picture of the Linn Cove Viaduct that I stole off of Wikipedia. Sorry to whoever owns it!
There is another detour just south of the Museum of North Carolina Minerals that extends to Asheville. The NPS website and road signs try to get you to exit the Parkway at Little Switzerland, but we're smarter than that! We all know that the best road is Hwy 80 at Buck Creek Gap which takes you to Hwy 70 between Marion and Old Fort.
I overnighted at Black Mountain and braced myself for the higher elevations and colder temperatures waiting for me the next day.
#3
10-25-2008, 07:22 AM
I wimped out on this third night and stayed at the Comfort Inn in Black Mountain. Nothing special about that, but in the Asheville area there seem to be only commercial campgrounds and after surveying the KOA I decided that a warm shower and soft bed were some things that I had been missing lately.
From Asheville heading south, the Parkway gains its highest elevation, which meant that it was going to be a cold morning. That proved to be true, but after spending three days in the brisk autumn air I was impervious to what Mother Nature had in store.
This part of the Parkway is best experienced after noon, when the sun is shining on the mountains at its best. But anyway you cut it, Looking Glass Mountain is superb!
Shortly after passing through the Mt. Pisgah area, the Parkway takes a quick climb to its highest elevation. The views here are stunning to say the least. In fact, few words could possibly describe how wonderful it all was, with leaves at their peak and the air so crisp. The scent of hemlock filled the air and made it a pretty terrific experience.
There was an absolute party going on at the 6053 marker, the highest spot on the Parkway. Lots of bikes, lots of people, and we all broke out our JetBoils and celebrated the beauty of the day and remarkable scenery with a round of french press coffee. Strange and unexpected mix of emotions here - literally the highest spot on the tour, but full realization that within an hour my ride will be done, save for the 165 mile jaunt back to Atlanta, so kind of a low spot as well. But in any event, it was great to swap stories with other riders - most all of them were coming up from the south end of the Parkway at Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a dayride. It was a fun hour and there was a lot of excitement in the air!
So it was a pretty decent way to spend a few days! Read more about this trip on my blog at www.OneRideToLive.blogspot.com
From Asheville heading south, the Parkway gains its highest elevation, which meant that it was going to be a cold morning. That proved to be true, but after spending three days in the brisk autumn air I was impervious to what Mother Nature had in store.
This part of the Parkway is best experienced after noon, when the sun is shining on the mountains at its best. But anyway you cut it, Looking Glass Mountain is superb!
Shortly after passing through the Mt. Pisgah area, the Parkway takes a quick climb to its highest elevation. The views here are stunning to say the least. In fact, few words could possibly describe how wonderful it all was, with leaves at their peak and the air so crisp. The scent of hemlock filled the air and made it a pretty terrific experience.
There was an absolute party going on at the 6053 marker, the highest spot on the Parkway. Lots of bikes, lots of people, and we all broke out our JetBoils and celebrated the beauty of the day and remarkable scenery with a round of french press coffee. Strange and unexpected mix of emotions here - literally the highest spot on the tour, but full realization that within an hour my ride will be done, save for the 165 mile jaunt back to Atlanta, so kind of a low spot as well. But in any event, it was great to swap stories with other riders - most all of them were coming up from the south end of the Parkway at Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a dayride. It was a fun hour and there was a lot of excitement in the air!
So it was a pretty decent way to spend a few days! Read more about this trip on my blog at www.OneRideToLive.blogspot.com
#5
10-25-2008, 07:52 AM
Thanks
Love the pictures and descriptions the places you visited. I had hoped to get up there this year but life gets lifely sometimes. I only live about 100 miles from the parkway in a little town called Williamsburg. We have the colonial parkway that is a nice little ride but not near as nice as the Blue Ridge Parkway. Keep the stories coming.
#7
10-25-2008, 08:18 AM
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