On Friday June 23, 2017 we began our annual journey to experience our great land one park at a time. We gathered at Smokemont Campground in The Great Smokey Mountains National Park. This year’s adventure included myself, Mom, my stepsister Donna, nephew Tyler and Craig and Abby with canine mascot Zoey. We divied up people and gear between our vehicles and rolled to the Campground where Donna’s then fiancée Robert met us for a send off. Our goal for the next couple of days was to drive the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the 469 mile scenic parkway that wends its way through North Carolina and Virginia giving one an opportunity to roll unhurriedly through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Smokemont Campground is near the entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Cherokee North Carolina. We arrived at the Campground and set up our tents. Abby left Zoey with her Dad and we did the Smokemont Nature Trail, a nice little welcome to the woods, walk. We got back to camp to discover that Zoey had escaped and disappeared into the forest. A panicked search ensued. The small dog was eventually recovered on the horse trail above the campsite. No one wanted to start our 2 week sojourn on such a sad note.
Still recovering from the trauma of losing my 28 year position at the Eastman, I didn’t immediately catch up on the happenings at the Big E with my friend Craig. He tells me folks ask how I am all the time and that I am missed. I tell him I am Ok what else can I be? The sales job I found wasn’t really working out for me, I am no salesman. But I tried even though I wasn’t really ever comfortable with the position. The nicest thing the folks I worked for there did for me was let me go a couple weeks after this awesome trip. I was anxious about my job, feeling insecure about it. I had believed that Eastman was secure and I had been proved wrong. For me this break was much needed.
While we were out looking for the dog, eating the food prepared and trying to get our camp in order, rains rolled in. My little tent proved waterproof enough for this rain. I had looked at the Parkway and figured we could make it to Otter Creek in a day. I was wrong. I learned a lot about the Parkway as we drove along its length. It is within easy driving distance from home and the hiking trails promise future adventures galore.
The rains left the mountains shrouded in heavy fog, the first miles of our journey we were slowed below the 40mph speed limit by a lack of visibility. We did no hiking on this part of our trip just a lot of driving.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a formidable, majestic drive, Mountains and rolling vistas stretching out in all directions as far as the eye can see. We drove in and out of the clouds as the fog hung on the mountain tops and dipped into the valleys. We stopped in Waynesville for breakfast, then took a photo op at the highest elevation sign.
We stopped at Mt Pisgah Country Store and at the Asheville Visitor Center. We drove steadily slowly eating up the miles as our eyes drank in the sights. The terrain changed from 6000+ Ft craggy peaks to 3000-4000 ft rolling mountains we stopped at The viaduct and checked distance and fatigue levels and decided to stop at mile 241 at Doughton Park Campground giving up the reservation at Otter Creek.
Doughton Park was a nice quiet little campground and we set up camp and Donna fixed supper. The sun set on our first day and a cool wind blew through the night. The sound of the wind was soothing in the quiet of the campground. It was a wee bit chilly as we broke camp to continue our drive the next morning.
The rolling hills were a nice contrast to the higher peaks in North Carolina. We ate breakfast at a Marathon Station off the Parkway and we stopped at Mabry Mill at Meadow of Dan, and wandered the exhibit. We stopped at Norfolk Trail Overlook for photos and again at the James River Visitor Center.
Adventures are adventures because they are not planned out. Every plan is a good one until it is executed and then it’s flaws become evident. What I took, in my ignorance, to be an easy day drive took us from 9:30 am Saturday morning to 5:30 Saturday evening and from 8:45 to 5:45 Sunday a total of over 17 hours driving with stops and side trips.
For future reference, I will take more time to stop and enjoy different areas of this wonderful Parkway. Hiking trails are abundant and the campgrounds are nice. There are enough places to stop and hike and enjoy the mountains that the Parkway could be the sole destination for a wonderful vacation experience.
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 