Blue Ridge Mountains – Wandering Dawgs

Throwback Thursday #8 – October 3, 2007

October 3, 2019October 3, 2019Posted in Historic Sites, North Carolina, RVingTagged autumn, Blue Ridge Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cherokee NC, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Memories, Scenic drives, Throwback Thursday10 Comments

We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.

Flash back to twelve years ago, October 3, 2007. We were camping in Cherokee, North Carolina, our home base for visiting the Great Smokey Mountain National Park and the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was foggy and drizzling for most of our stay but we managed to get in some sightseeing and scenic drives while we were there.

We started the day with a three mile hike along the Oconaluftee River inside Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

20071003Blue-Ridge-Parkway-(7) — Oconaluftee River in Great Smokey Mountain National, Park

20071003Blue-Ridge-Parkway-(2) — Beaver evidence next to the river

Next up was a scenic drive starting at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The farther north we got, the thicker the fog. After a while it drizzling. I was able to get a few photos before before the weather got too bad.

20071003Blue-Ridge-Parkway-(15) — Old homestead on Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

20071003Blue-Ridge-Parkway-(16) — Old homestead on Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

20071003Blue-Ridge-Parkway-(18) — Blue Ridge Mountains, NC

It was a wonderful fall getaway with camping in Cherokee, visiting the national park, and taking drives on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Spring Road Trip

April 23, 2019April 23, 2019Posted in Nature, Road Trip, Tourist Attractions, VirginiaTagged Blue Ridge Mountains, Cave, eastern redbud, Luray Caverns, spring blossoms, springtime, stalactite, stalagmite, Virginia is for lovers25 Comments

Our latest road trip destination was southwest Virginia. The scenery was spectacular as we drove north from Georgia through the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

20190416-Redbut-in-NC-(3) — Eastern Redbud at rest area in Western North Carolina

After an overnight stop in Asheville we continued to be awed by the scenery as we drove north through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The flowering eastern redbud trees added splashes of pink as we traveled to Southwest Virginia.

20190417-Blue-Ridge-Mountains-in-NC-(1) — View of the Blue Ridge Mountains from North Carolina Interstate Overlook

20190417-Tennessee-Welcome-Center-(1) — Tennessee Welcome Center between Asheville and and Virginia

20190417-Virginia-Welcome-Center-(6) — Virginia welcome center in Bristol

20190417-Virginia-Welcome-Center-(9) — At the Virginia Welcome Center in Bristol

On our way to see Luray Caverns we took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

20190419-Blue-Ridge-Parkway-Virginia-(27) — Blue Ridge Parkway Virginia

20190419-Blue-Ridge-Parkway-IPhone-(1) — Blue Ridge Parkway Virginia

After we purchased our tickets at Luray Caverns we had a short wait before we walked down the steps to begin the 90 minute tour. We followed our tour guide and stopped a few times along the way to admire the spectacular formations (and of course take photos).

20190420-Luray-Caverns-(14) — Reflecting pool, Luray Caverns, Virginia

20190420-Luray-Caverns-(71) — Wishing Well, Luray Caverns, Virginia

Luray Caverns, Virginia

All three generations of our family enjoyed the caverns, even our two teenage grandchildren!

Brasstown Bald, Georgia’s Highest Point

October 4, 2018October 6, 2018Posted in Georgia, Road Trip, RVing, Tourist AttractionsTagged Blue Ridge Mountains, Brasstown Bald, Highest Point in Georgia, River Vista Mountain Village9 Comments

Located in the northeast Georgia near Blairsville, Brasstown Bald is the highest point in Georgia at 4,784 feet.

Just getting there is quite an adventure. We drove west from Dillard on beautiful Georgia mountain roads. The last few miles we drove on narrow Georgia Spur 180 with sharp turns, switchbacks, and steep grades before arriving at the parking lot for Brasstown Bald.

The parking lot is located .6 miles below the top of Brasstown Bald. We could either hike up a steep trail or take a shuttle. We chose the shuttle.

20181001Brasstown-Bald-(3) — The observation deck as seen from the parking lot

After the shuttle dropped us off at the top we walked up a few steps to the observation deck where the views were spectacular in all directions. On a clear day visitors can see 4 states. It was cloudy that day but we were able to see three states – Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina. We also toured the museum and watched a short film about the mountain.