If youre like me who cant seem to find a way to stay still, Im sharing PART of my notes: Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina and Virginia - Although old-time Appalachia has been immortalized in song, these days it can be difficult to locate that haven of rolling hills and wildflowers. The Blue Ridge Parkway, which stretches 469 miles along the southern Appalachian Mountains and links two national parks – Virginia’s Shenandoah and North Carolina’s Great Smoky Mountains – hits all the right notes. Drive the entire length if theres time (but remember the speed limit is 45 mph in most parts). For a shorter jaunt, fly into Asheville, N.C., and follow the parkway north for about 2 hours to Boone. Not a single interstate crosses the parkway. Instead of gas stations and motels, it’s flanked by picnic areas and hiking trails lined with dogwood, tulip trees, and red maples, with the mighty Appalachians as the backdrop. Highlights include Grandfather Mountain, the highest peak in the Blue Ridge range (and site of the exhilarating Mile High swinging bridge), and the gardens and winery of the magnificent Biltmore Estate, a 19th-century Vanderbilt château near Asheville. Most sightseers do this road trip in spring and fall for the wildflowers and foliage, but the summer brings fewer cars, and the breezy, dry weather is near perfect.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 15:06:24 +0000
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