But first…our battery has been showing signs of failure, we decided we better get a new one before we go any further. The Advance Auto Parts store we stopped at had the battery but no one to install it. They suggested we go next door and see if Meineke could help us. They were very helpful by providing pictures of how to pull & replace the battery. God was in control directing us to this specific place and specific help during lunch! Dennis was able to get’er done in less then an hour. Very do-able but not so simple like back in the 70’s!
We’re on the road going South this time – the Blue Ridge Parkway! Looking for changing colors of trees and general beauty of the North Carolina Mountains! The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and is America’s longest linear park, running for 469 miles through Virginia and North Carolina linking Shenandoah National Park to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Our first day was cool and a bit rainy but we explored many of the overlooks and vistas ahead of us. To see the giant panoramic views was amazing. It is such a peaceful and beautiful country, and fall colors were starting to emerge!
As we looked out, we could see a sprinkling of yellows, oranges, reds, and combinations of colors that were just starting to show. So majestic! We shared what a wonder it would be to behold all the land fired up in brilliant colors – we’ll keep this drive on our bucket list!
Near our campground along the Blue Ridge Parkway, we had access to “Natural Bridge” which is a National Historic Landmark. . We explored and hiked the river under the bridge.
The Natural Bridge is one of our natural wonders. In fact, it has been hailed as one of the nation’s most visited natural wonders and known as one of the seven natural wonders of the modern world. Natural bridge is 215′ high, 40′ thick, 100′ wide with a 90′ span between the walls. The “Lee Highway” US Route 11 still uses the bridge today passing overhead.
In 1750 when George Washington was 17 years old, he surveyed the site and carved his initials in the rock wall. We could see the initials highlighted by the small white rectangle on the wall above our heads. Pretty cool!
It was a fun little hike along the river, even found some waterfalls! We saw a Blue Herring “fishing” and Lorree was fascinated by the colors and sizes of the leaves on the path.
We moved on down the Parkway to our next camp spot at Stone Mountain (not to be confused with Stone Mtn in Georgia). Stone Mountain State Park is home to the 600-foot granite dome that is a designated National Natural Landmark and the historic Hutchinson Homestead.
We found the Stone Mountain Falls trail, which is pretty much a very long rustic staircase stepping down over 200′. From the top it looks like the river just disappears over the edge of the granite rock. What does the bottom look like? We had to know!
Pretty easy going down. We kept saying, ” You know we’re gonna have to climb back up all these steps, should we turn around?” Nope – let’s do this!
Pictures don’t really show off the height and steep fall of the water. Looks like it would be quite a water slide – but for 200 feet! Yikes! So glad it was just us this day. There was no room on the stairs or at the bottom for crowds of people to enjoy it.
Here it comes yikes! Steps all the way back up! We counted stairs and came up with 380 (give or take a few).
We made it up and even continued hiking another 3 miles with more elevation climbs that day. We hiked to the homestead and later to another falls. The name “Widows Creek” left us wondering if we bit off more than we should have! We’ve found that hiking is a great way to really experience the beauty of God’s creation and make lasting memories of great adventures…
…but our age is showing as we take rest stops and huff-n-puff a bit LOL! Those trails and elevation climbs did us in!
Our next campsite was right on the river with a deck! These campsites sure made traveling the Blue Ridge enjoyable. It gave us a “homebase” to unwind and plot our next adventure.
Finally…OH the colors! We’re so grateful that we get to see and experience these beautiful views – the trees and landscape are fire-ing up all around us!
One of the many iconic views that we were able to stop and hike to was the Yonahlossee Overlook. This is at the base of the Lincove Viaduct that we’ve “oo’d & ahh’d” over as we view the images of fall colors along the Blue Ridge. It was fun to actually be here!
Had we hiked up the steep rocky trail for the upper view we would have captured this iconic photo! We were happy to be able to see this location in person and add to our memories!
Another great spot! This is Price Lake found along the Blue Ridge. We passed this one day and had to go back the next day to spend some time hiking around areas of the lake and grabbing these amazing views!
Another day. we hiked to the Upper Falls along the Linville Falls Trail. It was a beautiful area – there were actually some people wading/swimming in the cold pool below the falls! Brrrrrr!
Before we left camp and traveled on to our next adventure, we decided to try a new-to-us campfire meal – Woof’ums!
Named “Woof’ums ’cause you just woof’um down! LOL!
After making the wood dowel sticks needed, we stretched refrigerator biscuits thin over the dowels and toasted over an open fire. We then stuffed these with sausage dogs which we also cooked over the fire. So fun and tasty! For desert we stuffed additional woof’ums with peaches and yogurt, these really hit the spot. We’ll be doing this again for sure!
It’s time to head down the road again. We’re looking forward to visiting with cousins in North Carolina and exploring the famous Biltmore House in Ashville on our next adventure – be sure to see our next blog!