Day 11 Alien on the Blue Ridge

Day 11 Alien on the Blue Ridge, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Did I tell you it was sunny and cold on the road today? Here I am wearing my red sunglasses and camo neck gator (from the hunting dept at Wal Mart) looking like a creature from another planet. I was feeling so much better and having some fun.

Day 11 "On" the Road, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Thought you would want to see a photo of us ON the Blue Ridge Parkway. Get it? Eeeee...I'm really funny sometimes.

Day 11 Mabry Mill, originally uploaded by Gail S.

We stopped to stretch our legs and warm up at Mabry Mill. It was originally built in 1910, and includes an historic water-powered grist mill, sawmill and nearby blacksmith shop which provide a view of pioneer life along the parkway. Those ducks in the pond followed us around a little. What is this attraction that ducks have for us?

Day 11 Man in Leathers, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Sid (in his leather chaps and jacket) inspects the blacksmith shop.

Day 11 The Family Part 1, originally uploaded by Gail S.

My sweet family gathered to visit with us when we arrived in Roanoke. On the right is my sister, Judy. Her son, Pete, is in the center holding his 7 yr old daughter, Isabella. Dawn, Pete's wife, is on the left.

Day 11 The Family Part 2, originally uploaded by Gail S.

My niece, Stacey, is on the right holding her son, Dakota. In the center is Stacey's older son, Forrest. Stacey's hubby, Dave, is on the left.

I have really missed seeing this side of the family since they all migrated to Roanoke. Sid and I stop to visit every chance we get. I couldn't ask for a more loving, wacky family than this.

Sid and I plan to see a bit of Roanoke tomorrow. Plus, Judy and I are getting manicures. It should be a relaxing day.

Day 10 Wheezy Rider

Day 10 Sid and Musical Park Ranger, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Well, after an entertaining evening at the Williams Motel in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, I awoke with full blown bronchitis. Yes, I was sneezy, weepy, wheezy, whiny and the rest of the seven dwarves. Sid MADE me get out of bed, pack and get on the road, assuring me I would feel better once I started moving around. Fearful that he would leave me at the motel, I complied.

After an omelet at the Woodhaven Family Restaurant, we headed back to the Blue Ridge Parkway via Hwy 18. Our primary destination on the parkway was the Blue Ridge Music Center in Virginia.

Promoters of traditional music have always said that picking banjos and sawing fiddles are everyday occurrences in the talent-rich Appalachian region. Music is as commonplace as air in the mountains, and musical ability seems to come as naturally as eating or sleeping to a surprisingly large portion of the population. You don't have to attend a concert or convention to hear the best musicians the mountains have to offer - just pull up a chair on a porch packed with pickers or stop by an old country store.

Or you can stop by the center to hear some of their talented resident musicians.

Day 10 Blue Ridge Music Center, originally uploaded by Gail S.

It was our good fortune to hear and interact with the Buck Mountain Band who were playing in the breezeway of the center.

Day 10 Buck Mountain Band, originally uploaded by Gail S.

These talented folks shared some of the history of their band and their traditional blend of mountain music. It was truly delightful and engaging. After visiting with the musicians and buying a CD, we toured the center's historical exhibit. What a surprise to discover the Park Ranger playing the dulcimer and other instruments in the center.

We headed back out on the parkway, stopping for lunch at the Lake View restaurant in Fancy Gap, Virginia. At this point I was feeling worse and we stopped our travels for the day after logging only 78 miles. Would we ever make it to Roanoke? I slept 9 hours that night.

As the band Alabama sings:
"Oh, play me some mountain music
Like grandma and grandpa used to play
Then I'll float on down the river
To a Cajun hideaway, hey hey

Oh play me mountain music
Oh play me mountain music
Oh play me mountain music
Oh play
Yeehaw"

Day 9, Part 2: Linn Cove Viaduct

Day 9 Linn Cove Visitor Center Mural, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Well, I was feeling unwell and fell asleep while blogging. I didn't get to finish telling you about Day 9, Sunday, September 27. One of our destinations was the Linn Cove Viaduct and Visitor Center.

Linn Cove Viaduct is a 1243-foot concrete segmental bridge which snakes around the slopes of Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina. It was completed in 1983 at a cost of $10 million and was the last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to be finished. It is said to be the most complicated concrete bridge ever built.

The viaduct was needed because of the damage that a traditional cut-and-fill road would have caused to Grandfather Mountain. The viaduct was designed by Figg and Muller Engineers, Inc.; construction began in 1979. It is 1,243 feet long and consists of 153 segments weighing 50 tons each. The bridge's segments were precast at an indoor facility at the south side of the parkway. After being transported to the bridge site, each section was lowered into place by a custom crane placed on either edge of the existing structure. The only work done at ground level was drilling for the seven footings which support the viaduct. In particular, there was no access road other than the Blue Ridge Parkway itself. The bridge has received eleven design awards.

The National Park Service maintains a visitor center and bridge museum at the south end of the viaduct. Walking trails that originate at the center travel under and beside the viaduct and connect with the Blue Ridge Parkway trail network.

This huge photo of the Linn Cove Viaduct is featured in the Linn Cove Visitor Center.

Day 9 Linn Cove Viaduct Model, originally uploaded by Gail S.

This large model of the construction of the viaduct is the centerpiece of the visitor center.

Day 9 Funny Sticker, originally uploaded by Gail S.

I found this in the Linn Cove Visitor Center. This emblem is featured on stickers, hats, shirts, zipper pulls, and more. I think it's funny...Sid doesn't. He looks a bit ill when he sees it. He wouldn't let me buy the sticker.

The visitor center was a confluence of motor vehicles, cyclists (bicycle riders), and serious hikers. It was really busy. There seemed to be an organized bicycle ride/race happening. The cyclists and hikers have legs of steel! I felt like a slacker riding on a motorcycle. I wonder how those softies in the cars felt...stepping out of their cocoon-like cars in their shirtsleeves (no jackets!), carrying their pet dogs, strolling in to the center to pick up maps, primping in the restrooms to make sure their hair and make-up look perfect. Humph!

Day 9 On the Viaduct - Ahead, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Here we are looking ahead on the Linn Cove Viaduct. The fall colors are really evident up here at 4,100 feet at the edge of Grandfather Mountain.

Day 9 On the Viaduct - Behind Us, originally uploaded by Gail S.

I turned around to shoot this view of the viaduct as we drove over it. Look at that cloud in the curve. Whoa!

Day 9 Linn Cove Viaduct - Looking Back, originally uploaded by Gail S.

As we continued north on the parkway, I captured this view between the trees from a neighboring mountain. Keep in mind that the last three photos were taken from the back of a moving motorcycle.

Soon after this, we left the parkway to head for North Wilkesboro to attend the final afternoon of the
Carolina in the Fall Music Festival. Noted mountain musicians performed on the hills of the Shepherd farm. It was interesting, and the music was good. Sid became weary and we headed back to the Williams Motel near the hospital in North Wilkesboro. This older motel has been run by Eric Williams for the past 30 years. Eric's father built the motel many years ago. Eric and his family live in quarters that extend from the office area to an upstairs area over the office. We were delighted to find they had a kitten in the office. The motel also includes weekly rental apartments where Steve (Eric's childhood friend) stays when he is in town.

Later in the evening, we gathered in the office/lobby with another motel guest. Eric pulled out his guitar and entertained us with many songs (including Folsom Prison!). Between songs, he and Steve told wild tales of their teenage lives during the late '60s. It was a memorable and unexpected end to a long day. We plan to be back on the parkway for Day 10.

Day 7 From Helen to Blue Ridge

Day 7 Blood Mountain Idyll, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Okay, here's the story about my "brush with the law" in Helen. We've been on the road for almost a week and we ran out of clean clothes. Our motel (the Quality Inn) in Helen doesn't have a laundromat. The nearest public laundromat is across town. A quick search on the internet showed that the hotel nearby had coin operated washer & dryer. So, I headed over and posed as a guest of that hotel and started a load of clothes. The desk clerk sold me laundry detergent and needed my room number to post the charges, even though I had paid cash. I told her my room number at the hotel next door. She said they didn't have a room by that number. I told her I would call her with the correct number and dashed off. I'm a fugitive.

For the next two hours I worked out in the fitness room and lurked in the stairwell avoiding contact with the clerk. My biggest fear was that I would be busted and sent on my way with wet clothes. Sid told me I was on camera the whole time and the Helen police would meet me on my way out. It really made me nervous...but our clothes are clean and dry!

We started Day 7 heading toward North Carolina. I loved this scene of the cattle grazing along side the mountain stream at the base of Blood Mountain in Georgia. You can't even see the mountains in the background because of the fog.

Day 7 Lake Chatuge, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Just two days ago, this place was sunny and gorgeous. This morning it looked like a scene from a scary movie.

Day 7 Cloudy North Carolina, originally uploaded by Gail S.

We left Georgia and headed to the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with this layer of fog hanging over the mountains. It wasn't long before we discovered we were lost, but didn't know it. We were in Dillsboro when we stopped for breakfast and determined we didn't really mean to be there. A few adjustments and we found a shortcut to the parkway.

Day 7 Cold Mountain, NC, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Just outside of Waynesville, NC we found ourselves on Cold Mountain, the setting for the book and the movie. This valley was so pretty. Highway 276 led us up to the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mount Pisgah.

Day 7 Blue Ridge Parkway Tunnel, originally uploaded by Gail S.

When we arrived at the Blue Ridge Parkway, it felt like I had come home.

There was something about this photo of the tunnel that made me start humming Folsom Prison Blues for most of the day.
"I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when,
I'm stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin' on."

Sid must have thought I had totally lost it!

I've had the pleasure of visiting the parkway every year since 2005. Some years I may only travel a few miles of the parkway, as we did in 2007, or I may travel the entire length, as we did in 2006. It doesn't matter, it feels great to be back. I won't bore you with photos of the mountains, but I will show my more creative shots taken in the many parkway tunnels. The photo above is my favorite.

Day 7 Big Lynn Lodge NC, originally uploaded by Gail S.

After a long, long day we were gratified to see Big Lynn Lodge just off the parkway. Here's our ride under a tree overlooking Catawba River Valley. We look forward to a restful evening here.