2 Aug 2024 - Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah Highway Access Drive

 

Before we had time to photograph this it was past, so:

Photo credit: https://www.heysmokies.com/ 

Today we spent some time and came up with a plan to see the items on our list before we leave.  We have today, Saturday and part of Sunday.  In addition to determining where they are located and what hours they are open, the planning also involves routes and especially parking, which can be a real challenge for us. 

We've had our share of rain in the past few weeks and today was no different.  While it was raining I spent some time removing the old caulk from the kitchen sink and recaulking it.  I also cleaning the metal venetian blinds that cover the window by the stove.  They get splatters on them and are a pain to keep clean.  

Once the rain stopped we headed out on about an hour driving loop on the Blue Ridge Parkway and then on the Pisgah Highway Access.  The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile long scenic drive through the Southern Appalachian highlands.  We just caught part of it that is southwest of Asheville. 

 

Along this route there are multiple scenic pull-offs and several tunnels.  There was surprisingly quite a bit of traffic on it, so we did not stop at each pull-off, plus the visibility was not super fantastic following the rain.  

Can only imagine the view on a clear day

One of many tunnels

Very scenic with the canopy over the parkway

An interesting view inside this tunnel

We made it down to the Pisgah Highway Access where the road splits off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  There is a sign there warning about the suitability of the road for trucks, but I assumed they primarily meant commercial trucks so we proceeded on.  

A nice little waterfall right next to the road

It is difficult to capture in photos how crazy the switchbacks were.  If I was ambitious enough I could download video from the dashcam.  The drive on the Pisgah Highway Access was beautiful but I am glad there was not much traffic.  Meeting vehicles going the other direction was a challenge, especially on the curves.

We made it back to the campground before the Friday night traffic got crazy.  The festival is still going on strong here with different bands playing tonight. 

 

So for Saturday and Sunday we plan to head downtown and check out a couple sites down there.  The radio museum is only open between 1300-1500 Saturday and it it next to the Asheville History Museum so we will catch them both at the same time.