Wednesday, October 07, 2015

Fall Colours On The Blue Ridge Parkway

Living so close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and not checking out the fall colours is tantamount to criminal activity (criminal negligence).

So last weekend I made plans to take a ride on the parkway and check out the scenery.

I almost didn't make it.  A huge rain storm blew into the area Friday night and lingered on into Sunday afternoon.  This same storm caused major flooding south of us.

However I checked the weather radar after church, and the route I was going to take was clearing up, so I hopped into the Geovan of Destiny and hit the mountains. My goal: Mabry Mill in Virginia.

Along the way I hit up many of the scenic overlooks that line the parkway.  At times the skies were clear, but often there was a thick fog blanketing the area. At times I was literally driving thru the clouds.
The fog is not so awesome for sweeping mountain vistas, but makes great moody effects against the trees.  I stopped off at the above overlook to take a picture of a tree.  When I approached the area, I noticed this plucky cow in the field.
Further on down the parkway I got a break in the clouds and got some nice views.
The fall colours were not in full force, but definitely enough to impress.
The views from the parkway never cease to impress.
After 4 hours of driving (45MPH limit on the parkway means  you don't go anywhere quickly - however you seldom want to go fast for fear of missing the views) I arrived at my goal, the Mabry Mill:
I took the interstate on the way back, and arrived home in just under two hours (just in time to put the kids to bed - win!).

All in all, it was a good day to spend in the mountains - Mind you, they all tend to be good days on the Blue Ridge Parkway.