Blue Ridge Parkway - Day One

Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap, NC

Our plan is to take our time driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville, NC into Shenandoah National Park, VA. We figure it'll take us two or three days depending on all the things we do. After our first day on this parkway I can see why it is one of the most iconic drives in America. Every view, every turnout, every overlook is completely stunning. As far as you can see are just mountain ranges against silhouettes of more mountain ranges. The parkway is also lined with thickets of wild rhododendron getting ready to bloom. Along the lower elevations we were greeted with vibrant purple rhododendrons and bits of orange honeysuckle. There are numerous tunnels and bridges all built with beautiful stonework. It took decades to build this parkway and you can see why.

The hardest part of today was figuring out what we wanted to do. There are so many choices! Our first stop was the Visitor's Center in Asheville where we talked with a park ranger and watched a movie about the parkway. We had somewhat of a plan, but we kept stopping at every other overlook, until finally we realized we wouldn't make any progress if we kept up this pace. Some of our stops along the way for the day were great and some we just so-so.

The Crafts Center outside of Asheville is quite stunning, both in the design of the building and the actual Appalachian folk crafts. I was expecting something more hokey like cornhusk and apple dolls, but was blown away by the gorgeous furniture, quilts, glass work and pottery. There are some very talented artists that come from this part of the country.

We also really enjoyed stopping at Linville Falls. It was great to take a hike and stretch our legs. The park ranger suggested we continue on to the highest point rather than just stopping at the first Falls overlook. So glad we did!! The first stop had all of humanity and not much of a view. We were quite underwhelmed. But the higher we hiked the more impressive the falls became. By the time we reached the third and last overlook we were treated with a view of the upper falls along with the lower falls going through the gorge...and there were only 4 other people there. Sweet reward.

We had a picnic lunch at one of the overviews, which was quite fun. The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and house was also recommended to us. Apparently there are miles and miles of carriage roads and we were looking forward to riding our bikes on them, much like our favorite National Park, Acadia. Unfortunately, the carriage roads are only for horses and hikers. Bummer. I was also hoping this historic home, the wealth of which came from denim manufacturing, would be as cool as the Ehrdman Estate at Sugar Pine Point in Tahoe. Meh. The home wasn't in great shape and had been commandeered as a gift shop and craft museum. We weren't impressed.

Our final destination is camping at Stone Mountain State Park near Roaring Gap. We have the best camp spot in the park, right next to a creek and back under some trees. Sweet. When we went out for a bike ride after dinner (a very modest dinner it was too. Left over BBQ chicken and a can of soup) the campground host suggested we take a hike to the falls. We rode our bike a bit and then took another hike. At this point it was close to dusk and we felt a bit foolish and unprepared. We had no insect repellent, no water, no flashlight and forgot the keys to lock up the bikes. Nonetheless, the hike was quite pleasant through the woods and the water fall was pretty amazing. It was more like a huge water slide over granite slabs. Several signs are posted that there have been fatalities and you can definitely see why. The ride would be awesome, but the landing not so much.

The best part about this campground is the shower after all the hiking and biking we did. Dang, that felt great. I'm excited about visiting the Blue Ridge Heritage Music Center and Mabry Mill tomorrow. Bluegrass and folk music is some of my favorite and the Mill looks absolutely charming - not to mention that they're famous for buckwheat pancakes. Guess where we are having a late breakfast tomorrow?