Roam With Me! Along the Blue Ridge Parkway

 

On October 17th, my boyfriend, Kim, and I drove about 100 miles of the 469 miles that comprise the National Park called the Blue Ridge Parkway. We started outside of Asheville, North Carolina, at about mile marker 390 and continued northeast until roughly mile marker 290 where we got off south of Boone, North Carolina. Here is the map of that section:

We picked up this map at the Folk Art Center which is located along the Parkway. Inside there is a wonderful array of regional art and handicrafts. It was all quite pricey but of exceptional quality. There is an information booth there as well, though, and they have these maps available for free and can answer any questions. We were just starting out our drive and didn't see any need to ask the volunteer manning the booth anything, but even if we had wanted to ask her something, there was an annoying visitor ahead of us badgering the elderly volunteer lady to pinpoint an exact date in which she and her family could return next year in order to see the trees in all their autumnal glory.

Basically, their conversation went like this: 

    Visitor: "I'm trying to plan our family vacation for next year, and I need to know when the trees will all have turned. They are mostly still green now, and we want to be here when they are varied."

    Volunteer: "I understand, but I can't give you an exact date."

    Visitor: "But I need to know, so we can book our hotels and make our plans for next year. We thought they would have turned by now, but they haven't, and we don't want to be disappointed next year, so tell me a better time to come."

    Volunteer: "I can't really . . . "

    Visitor: (interrupting) "Certainly, there has to be some way for you to know."

    Volunteer: (heavy, calming sigh) "Ma'am, it's Nature."

At that comment, Kim and I turned and walked away, covering our laughter. "Ma'am, it's Nature." What a great answer. Nature does what Nature wants to do, people. What we found, though, as we drove the northerly route, was that the trees grew markedly more colorful the further we went, so if that visitor had simply driven north and even on up into Virginia, she would have seen many trees that had already turned shades of yellow and red. 

We stopped at many of the overlooks, and there are far more of them than appear on the useful paper map. Far, far more of them. The view from each overlook took our breath away, and just when we thought the view couldn't get better, the next overlook would prove us wrong. For example, here is the first overlook that we stopped at, and it's not mentioned on the map. You can see on the sign, that we are not yet at a very high elevation, but the view is still incredible in the photo below the sign. We were very fortunate that the day on which we visited the Parkway was a very clear day, so we could see really far.

Shortly after starting our drive along the winding road that is the Blue Ridge Parkway, we rounded a curve, and a very large animal jumped onto the road in front of us. For the briefest of moments, my mind didn't accept what I was seeing. Here is the thought processes that went through my head: "Holy crap, that is a giant black dog! Wait, that's not a dog! That's a fricking bear!" Out loud, I suddenly started shouting, "BEAR, BEAR, THAT'S A FRICKING BEAR!!! Holy crap, that's a bear!!" Kim was in a bit of shock and panic as the driver, so he slowed but never completely stopped. I only managed to get a very crappy photo of the bear through my side window as we passed by her. We know it was a "her" because Kim saw her three cubs running back up on the mountain on his side. We hope that mama and her cubs managed to get together again after our passing and that none of them got hit by a car. The maximum speed limit on the Parkway is 45 MPH, and in some places, due to the sharper curves, it slips down to 20 at times. Anyway, here is the cropped crappy photo of the bear we saw cross the road in front of us. The cropped version looks much better than the original photo.

After we shook off our utter surprise at seeing our very first bear in its natural habitat, we continued driving and stopping at overlook after overlook. Most of the time, we stopped for the views, but there was one time, after many curves in the road, that I told Kim he had to stop simply because I was feeling very car sick. Fortunately, since I hadn't eaten anything yet, I didn't need to vomit, so, even though I was a bit hungry, I was glad I hadn't eaten prior to doing the drive.

We went on a weekend in the fall, so there were many others on the Parkway that day. If, or when, we go back to drive more of it, we will visit on a weekday instead, but most of the time, the road wasn't crowded, and only one spectacular overlook was packed with people. Here are a few more overlooks and their views.

Perhaps you notice that the views get better as the elevation increases. I know that's obvious, but when you are standing at the overlook gazing out over those beautiful views, you think that the view can't get any better, and then you drive farther and gain more elevation only to find that the next overlook contains an even more impressive view. I love being on a beach and being able to stare out over the ocean, especially at sunrise or sunset, but these views along the Blue Ridge Parkway rival those ocean views for my adoration of Nature's beauty. "Ma'am, it's Nature" and Nature, when left alone, is gorgeous.

I mentioned that there was one overlook that was especially crowded. It was the Yonahlossee Overlook, and the tiny parking area was full, so many people, including us, had to park along the road and walk up to it. The walk along the narrow trail on the outside of the road was so worth the view when we got there. 

I felt like I could see forever from there. Shortly after this, we passed through Julian Price Memorial Park where we stopped for a few minutes to admire the lovely lake there. By this time, we were tired and ready to leave the Parkway because we'd spent around four hours driving on it. If, or when, we return, we'd like to visit it often and take the time to go on one of the many hiking trails that branch out from some of the overlooks, camping sites, picnic areas, and parks like the Julian Price Memorial Park, which has a trail you can hike around the lake.

It's so pretty. If we hadn't been so tired by then, we would have done the hike. Naturally, no photos can do the Blue Ridge Parkway the justice it deserves, so if you've never been there, I highly recommend that you visit it, but remember, "Ma'am, it's Nature," so respect it and enjoy what Nature has to offer.

Here is proof that we found more colorful trees as we went north, and I'll end with a view of  Grandfather Mountain.