We left home about 1:00 PM on Saturday, September 26, 2020, heading north in my “new to me” 2018 Porsche 911 Carrera S, Cabriolet. We spent the first night in Brunswick, Georgia, and reached our first destination, Roanoke, Virginia, on the next day.
Last year, we traveled on the Skyline Drive and parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway, but did not finish. If I remember correctly, we got off in Ashville. So most of this trip is new territory.
Dave had ordered a couple of books on the Blue Ridge Parkway. One gave information at various mile markers, “Guide to the Blue Ridge Parkway” (guide or guide book), and the second gave information on hikes along the parkway. Unfortunately, book #2 did not get much use.
We intended to head south and get on the parkway about mile marker 122, but the parkway was closed at that entrance due to repairs and maintenance, so we got on the parkway at mile marker (mm) 136, driving southwest to the end at mm 469.1.
Dave had previewed the guide and highlighted points of interest. There are many overlooks with beautiful views. Some of the exhibits are closed due to the coronavirus, but all the beautiful, long views are always open 😁.
Monday, September 28, 2020: The section from mm 136 to 292, covered agriculture and rural life. We will not finish the whole section in one day. Dave has our trip split up and we will spend 4 days traveling to the end, mm 469.1. There are many cemeteries along the parkway, mostly family cemeteries from the settlers in this area. Lots of children, who died in their infancy, are buried in these old cemeteries. A few cabins also survive, as well as interesting, little snippets about the settlers. For example, Sweet Annie, a widow, had frequent soldier guests which her neighbors took a dim view of. We saw an old one room school house, Kelly Schoolhouse, which is no longer in use.
This cabin was just past the school. It was used by the Trail family in the 1890’s.
We did see some wildlife over the four days – deer, wild turkeys and chipmunks. This is the best photo, though – and only deer.
We stopped to see the Mabry Mill, which is the most photographed spot on the parkway. There is a walkway past several interesting exhibits of rural life. The demonstrations were closed due to the virus.
At mm 189.9 was a cabin belonging to the sister in law of Orlena Pucket, who lived in a cabin adjacent. Orlena delivered more than 1,000 babies in her career as a midwife, delivering the last baby in 1939 at the age of 102! Orlena herself bore 24 (!) children, none of which survived much past 2 years of age.
We had hoped to visit the Blue Ridge Music Center – but it is currently open on limited days due to the virus, and not on Monday when we were there.
We ended the day at mm 215.9, and stayed in Galax, Virginia.
HOTELS during Coronavirus: Our plan for the whole trip is to stay in Hilton properties, mostly Hampton Inns because we have generally found them clean and comfortable. Our first two nights, our room had a sticker on the door indicating it had been cleaned and sanitized. Hampton’s usually have a breakfast buffet, but our first two nights they offered us coffee and a bagged breakfast. Galax, VA Hampton was much looser in their protocols. No sticker on the door, and a wide open breakfast buffet. We had brought breakfast bars, and that’s what I had every morning. Dave could not pass up the biscuits and gravy, so this was his one splurge. I was pretty shocked as throughout the whole trip, with this one exception, there were social distancing markers on the floors, and in the elevators. One other breakfast buffet buffet was open later in the trip, but the only allowed one person or one family at a time. There was coffee available, and 2 out of the 8 mornings, the hotel did not have “dark roast” because of the coronavirus (?)…don’t quite understand this oddity.
Tuesday, September 29, 2020: The weather today is lousy. It is rainy and foggy and we can’t see anything.
We crossed the state line, leaving Virginia and entering North Carolina. We passed the Cumberland Knob area which is where construction of the parkway began in 1935. More than 100 men were involved in the construction, The first section was 12.49 miles heading south from the VA/NC state line. We plugged along, and Dave read from our guide about the places we were passing, but since we couldn’t see much we didn’t stop. The guide does have interesting stories about the settlers in this area. Martin Brinegar earned money by making shoes by hand and selling them for $1. James Caudill, a 16 year old from Elkin, NC was the first to settle in the Doughton Park area arriving after the Civil War ended. He sired 22 children by his first two wives. His third wife outlived him even though he lived to the age of 98. One of his sons, Martin, raised 16 children. Dave had researched a winery in this area. It was rainy and foggy, so we decided to exit the parkway at mm 246 and find the winery. This was the Thistle Meadows Winery. It didn’t opened until noon, and we arrived a few minutes early. The proprietor saw us, came out to the car with a big umbrella and said he was ready for us! We were offered a choice of 6 wines, 1 ounce pours, out of a total of 17 wines they had in stock, for $5. We both sampled, and opted for 6 of the 10 dry wines, and we pretty much chose the same wines. This winery does not grow their own grapes. All the wines we tasted were good. As a bonus, he offered us one pour each of his sweet wines. I tried “Topia Red” which was a coffee flavored, port style wine. Since Dave had stepped away for a moment, I chose “Horse Stomp Red” for him to try. It has the taste of raspberries blended with a white Zinfandel, and enjoyed with chocolate. He liked it and bought two bottles of the “Horse Stomp Red” as well as a bottle of “Devils Garden White” which is their Chardonnay, and a bottle of “Feather Bed Red”, a Cabernet Sauvignon. Some other folks wandered in and did tastings while we were there, probably looking for entertainment on this rainy, foggy, day. We got back on the parkway at mm 246, and continued on to mm 258.7. There is a “Northwest Trading Post” here. It is a gift shop specializing in handmade crafts. While we perused the crafts, we did not make any purchases, but took advantage of the restrooms. Since we could not see anything, we decided to leave the parkway here, and drive straight to Boone, which is where we planned to spend the night. We ate a late lunch in a cute cafe, Our Daily Bread, and ended up getting take out pizza for our dinner. Just a dreary day.
Wednesday, September 30, 2020: We got back on the parkway at mm 291.8 and backtracked to am 285.1. Fortunately, it is a beautiful, sunny day. A little cool for us…the mornings have been in the upper 40’s. We are not early morning people, which is good, because by the time we get going, it is in the 50’s. There is a lot of information about Daniel Boone in our guide. He was born in Reading, PA in 1734, to a Quaker family, the 6th of 11 children. His aunt taught him to read and write. He received a rifle for his 12th birthday. When he was 16, his family moved to the Yadkin Valley in NC. Five years later, he left to take part in the French and Indian War. He later returned to marry his sweetheart, Rebecca Bryan. He helped cut the Wilderness Road 300 miles from eastern Virginia through the Cumberland Gap to the Kentucky River. The settlement at the end of the Wilderness Road was named Boonesboro in his honor. He moved his family to KY, later to Louisiana Territory, ending up in Missouri with his grandchildren. He dies in 1820 at the age of 85. Boone’s trace, at mm 285.1, is where it is said Boone crossed the Blue Ridge. We turn around, and head southwest again. MM 289.8 is the Yadkin Valley overlook, elevation 3830. Yadkin Valley was the home to Boone’s family.
The section from mm 292 to mm 380 is called Grandfather and Black Mountains.
We stopped at mm 294. This is Flat Top Manor, the summer mansion home of Moses H. Cone. He purchased 3800 acres, near Blowing Rock, NC during the 1890’s and early 1900’s. His mammoth textile mills produced high quality denim. He died in 1908, only a few years after completing his mansion. The 23 room mansion was filled with art and objects from Asia. Most of the furnishings and lumber were hauled by oxen from Lenoir, NC. The Cones were almost self-sufficient, with their own dairy, vegetable gardens, carbide gas plant, and local employees. The mansion, open Thursday through Sunday, was closed when we were there on a Wednesday ☹️. Otherwise, it is a visitor center, with craft exhibitions and demonstrations. we did wander around the closed mansion, peered into a couple of windows, admired his view from the sweeping front porch, and walked down to the carriage house (where the public bathrooms we’re located).
After leaving Flat Top Manor, we pass the Sims Creek overlook. A man named Hamp Sims lived nearby. He slept in a coffin and enjoyed scaring visitors who stopped by. We stopped at a viewing spot for Calloway Peak, the highest point on Grandfather Mountain, 5,964 feet, otherwise known as Grandfather’s nose. We were not able to picture a “nose”. We drove on the Linn Cove Viaduct.
I have to confess that this is a stock photo from the internet, because we couldn’t find a place to stop. The Linn Cove Viaduct is 1,243 feet long and marked the official completion of the parkway. It was the missing link, left unfinished for 20 years because of easement problems and environmental issues. Hugh Morton, owner of a Grandfather Mountain, refused access because the earlier proposals would have caused severe damage to the rugged and rocky Linn Cove area of Grandfather Mountain. The compromise was an elevated roadway, as S-curve skirting the perimeter of the mountain. The design required connecting 153 precast sections that were built off the mountain and matched to fit the preceding section. The advanced construction technology eliminated the need for blasting, an access road, and heavy machinery.
We stopped at the Grandfather Mountain Overlook. Grandfather Mountain is the highest mountain in the Blue Ridge, elevation 5,939 (or 5,964 according to our guidebook). It’s name is from the jagged peaks that create a profile of an old man (if you have a good imagination). Grandfather Mountain is one of the oldest mountains in the world.
At mm 316.4, we stop at Linville Falls. Finally, we are going to do a little hike. Linville Falls is one of the most famous waterfalls in the Blue Ridge.
Dave had researched another winery, the Linville Falls Winery. So after our little hike, we exited the parkway at mm 317 and after a little effort, we found the winery. The directions on the website were not very good, so we turned the wrong direction. After driving around awhile, we stopped and asked for directions. The location was actually very close to the parkway, we just should have turned right instead of left. It is a very pleasant location with tables outside, offering nice views. The only negative was they had two fire pits and we did not like the smell of the smoke. We found a table with minimal smoke heading towards us. Because of coronavirus, they are not doing “tastings”, but offer “flights” of four 2oz pours for $12, and you get to keep the glass as a souvenir. Dave and I shared the “flight” and purchased some cheese and crackers to cleanse our palates which turned out to be lunch. The wines we chose for our flight were: Brandy Aged Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Barn Blend, and Petit Verdot. Since I was driving, I did not want anymore wine, but Dave had a glass of one of the wines we tasted, Petit Verdot, and the waiter kindly brought me a bottle of water. Dave really liked the Petit Verdot, so we bought a bottle. As we went to leave, Dave inquired whether the glass his wine came in was ours to keep, too. The waiter said “no, but what am I going to do if I come out after you leave and the glass is gone?”. Of course, I took that as meaning it was ok to take the 2nd glass. Dave felt guilty and left him a nice tip. After our wine stop, we got back on the parkway and continued.
There are several references to the Revolutionary War and Civil War in our guide, especially from this point forward.
We stopped at Gillespie Gap, on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. In 1780, British Major Patrick Ferguson sent word to American Colonel Isaac Shelby that if the rebellion did not cease, the British Army would march over the mountains and “hand their leaders, and lay waste to the country with fire and sword”. American Colonel had contacted fellow Revolutionary leaders and rallied their forces to go on the offensive against the British. Shelby and fellow Revolutionary leader Jon Sevier led a group of 1,100 soldiers through Gillespie Gap en route to face British Major Ferguson, meeting at Kings Mountain, SC, where they won a crucial victory. Major Ferguson was killed. The important victory by the group, remembered as the Overmountain Men for their march to the battle, was one of a series of events leading to the British surrender at Yorktown.
There are 26 tunnels on the parkway in North Carolina, and we are at the Little Switzerland Tunnel which is the northernmost tunnel in NC.
We stop to read about groundhogs, frequently known as woodchucks or “whistle pigs”, which are the parkways most frequently seen animal – but we don’t see any. At mm 342.2, we read about the Black Mountains, the highest range in the East with an average elevation of 6,000 feet. We stopped at the Mt. Mitchell Overlook which is the highest mountain in the east at 6,684 feet. My. Mitchell is part of the Black Mountain range.
At mm 361.2, we get a view of Glassmine Falls. The 800 foot falls are so named because at the base of the falls is an old mica mine. Mica is also known as isinglass, and by the locals as glass.
At mm 370.3, we entered the Ashville Watershed. The watershed is one of the largest city owned watersheds in the a United States. This watershed supplies 30 million gallons of water daily and protects one of the few remaining spruce-fir forests in the area.
A long, productive day, but we end the day in Ashville at a Hampton where we’ve stayed before, and dinner at a Carrabbas’s where we’ve eaten before.
Thursday, October 1, 2020. MM 380 to 390 is Ashville and vicinity. We have been to Ashville and visited the Biltmore estate previously. Getting back on the parkway, we stop at the Parkways newest visitor center. We had hoped to see the film shown here, “The Blue Ridge Parkway -America’s Favorite Journey”, but the film is not being shown because of coronavirus. There are some large scale photos and exhibits, but they are roped off to keep people from touching anything. Moving on….
MM 390 to 469 is High Mountain Wilderness Views. This last section boasts the highest peaks on the parkway. We drive at elevations above 5,000 feet. This section has several tunnels, as well. According to our guide, there are black bears in the Blue Ridge. This doesn’t surprise me because we saw a black bear last year. According to our guidebook, black bears do not hibernate. They sleep a good deal in the winter, but their metabolism remains normal. In true hibernation, body temperature drops significantly and heart rate slows to one or two beats per minute.
We enter the Pisgah range, and stop to check out the Mount Pisgah Inn. The complex is along the parkway and includes rooms with balconies and private porches, a restaurant, a gift shop, camp store and restrooms.
Our next stop is at Cherry Cove at mm 425.7. In September, monarch butterflies fly through this narrow gap as they journey toward Mexico. Other butterflies can’t attempt such distances, but monarchs are more like migratory birds, able to fly several thousand miles. We see people on lawn chairs, watching to see the butterflies, even though it is October.
Wolf Mountain Overlook at 424.8 looks at the last stronghold of wolf in the area. The last remaining wolves were shot by farmers in the early 1900’s. Today, wolves have been reintroduced in Great Smokey Mountain National Park.
The highest point on the parkway is Richland Balsam Overlook. We had a little picnic lunch here. We had purchased sandwiches from the Mount Pisgah Inn camp store, and ate them looking out toward Richland Mountain, elevation 6,410.
We briefly drove through the Waterrock Knob Overlook, but remembered stopping there last year. There were many cars here, so we would not have stopped because there were too many people for us to social distance. On the way up to the Overlook is a plaque honoring engineer R. Getty Browning, who played an important part in the present day location of the parkway through NC.
As we traveled this section today, and approach Cherokee, NC., there were references in our guidebook of the Cherokee Indians. Apparently the Cherokee sided with the British during the Revolutionary War, and with the Confederates during the Civil War. At mm 458.9, the Cherokee a Reservation can be traced to a band of Cherokee who took refuge in the Smokies when their tribe was forcibly removed to Oklahoma.
I have not attached many long view photos, because they just don’t capture the beauty.
We end the day at the end of the parkway, mm 469.1, and drive 2 miles to Cherokee. Cherokee is interesting, but not particularly pretty. There are casinos, which is the only place you can get alcohol as Cherokee is dry. Therefore, no chain restaurants, only Mom & Pop places that serve meals, but no adult beverages. And, lots of restaurants did not make it with the shut down due to the coronavirus. We did not want to go to the casino just to eat, besides the fact it was valet parking or pay to self park. So we got fried chicken from a grocery store for dinner.
Friday, October 2, 2020. We are about 90 minutes away from the “Tail of the Dragon”, on US 129. Deals Gap is a mountain pass along the NC-TN state line, bordering the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Just south of the gap is an unincorporated community that shares the same name, located at the intersection of US 129 and NC 28. The area is popular with sports car and motorcycle enthusiasts who cross the gap into TN to drive along “ The Dragon”, famous for its 318 curves in 11 miles. Before we get to Deals Gap, we saw a line of convertibles heading south that must have been part of a club, and a bunch of Porsche’s, also probably part of a club, assuming they drove the “Tail of the Dragon” early. We got to what I consider the southern starting point about 11:00AM, and perused the store. There is a huge statue of a dragon outside, with parts of vehicles attached that had wrecked on the 11 mile road. There are lots of motorcycles here, and several sports cars. But more motorcycles.
We headed out, and fortunately there was no one close behind me and no one too close in front of me. I was following a car, but he was moving pretty good, so not an issue. The curves are curvy, but banked pretty good. At one point Dave saw a policeman on a motorcycle on one of the curves. It was a fun drive and I’m glad we did it. While this stretch of road is famous for its curves, there are lots of curvy roads in North Carolina. Last year, the road driving to Chimney Rock was pretty curvy!
Time to head home! Just to prove that I do let Dave drive my car:
We arrived home Saturday evening about 6:30PM.
