29 September 2008very late on this post...
after visiting appalachian state, we decided to take the long way home - along the blue ridge parkway... since we were leaving a day earlier than originally planned, we figured we could afford the time. if it got late, we'd just pick some where to stop and pick up the next day.
it was interesting riding along the parkway. it was sunny and warm on one side of the mountain and cool, cloudy and threatening rain on the other. depending on which way we were heading, we'd either be in the nice warm sun or contemplating pulling over to gear up in our rain suits. the conditions would change with each turn we took. thankfully we never hit the rain...
our first stop along the blue ridge. the pictures just don't do it justice...
our second stop at the e.b. jeffress park. again, beautiful and the pictures don't do it justice.
at the park, there were some trails leading down to a waterfall. we decided to spend a little time and check it out...
there were so many overlooks and centers to visit. if we would have stopped at each one, it would have taken us a week to get home.
we did decide to stop at the blue ridge music center. not sure what i was expecting, but this wasn't it. although it was interesting and introduced me to the origins and history of the music in the area.
after getting off the parkway, our final scenic stop was lovers leap in stuart, va. this picture doesn't give you a good feeling for the drop off just over the wall...
a quick stop for some food and fuel...
we ended up making it home that evening - a little late and a lot chilly. but definitely worth going out of our way. this trip has bumped up the priority of riding the whole blue ridge parkway... maybe i can swing it next year...
to wrap things up, a map of our path along the blue ridge parkway...
