Blue Ridge Parkway – Wandering Dawgs

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #158 – Along Back Country Roads

July 24, 2021July 24, 2021Posted in Photography, Road Trip, TravelTagged Along Back Country Roads, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cataloochee Valley, Dalton Highway, Dead Peoples things for sale, funny signs, Great River Road in Arkansas, Lens-Artists, Ocala National Forest, Top of the World Highway158 Comments

I am honored to be guest hosting this week’s Lens-Artists photo challenge. As I pondered what topic to choose for the challenge I thought about how many of us are happy to be able to travel again. For this challenge I am asking you to show us your images that show your interpretation of going along a back country road. It can be a road where you walk, go for a bike ride, take a scenic drive, go off-roading in a jeep or four wheeler, or a road you take to get somewhere.

To me, a back country road can be any road that’s off the beaten track. The road can be paved, gravel or dirt. It can be one that takes you through farmland, desert, forests, quaint small towns, or in the middle of nowhere. It may even be one with quirky roadside attractions or funny signs you see along the way.

When we go on a road trip we enjoy getting off the main highways for a more scenic drive. Recently, we have even started avoiding interstate highways altogether. The header photo at the top of the page was taken on the Dalton Highway north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

Have you ever driven by a dirt road and wondered where it went? That’s just what we did one time when taking a scenic drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. We couldn’t resist turning on the road in the first image below. I don’t remember where we ended up but the beautiful stream shown in the second image ran beside the road.

Sometimes the only way to get where we want to go is on a dirt or gravel road. These next three images are examples of some we have taken in our adventures.

*The Great River Road in Arkansas follows the Mississippi River*

*Top of the World Highway in Yukon Territory, Canada*

*A steep dirt and gravel road to Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in North Carolina*

On a recent trip to Orlando, we traveled over 1,000 miles without driving on an interstate or major highway. It was heaven not dealing with semis or drivers passing us like it was the Daytona 500.

The roads were paved, two lane roads with little traffic. There were some fun things to see as we drove along.

*Woodbine Fire Museum and Antique Shop on Highway 17 in Woodbine, Georgia*

*Businesses just outside the Oca*la National Forest, Florida

*I wondered where this road went in the* Ocala National Forest

*Lunch was delicious at this popular local restaurant in Salt Springs, Florid*a

I’m honored to be one of the guest hosts for the month of July while Tina, Ann-Christine, Patti and Amy took the month off.

In your post, please include a link to my original post and use the Lens-Artists tag so everyone can find your post in the WordPress reader. Be sure to check out the first three guest hosted challenges.

John Steiner of Journeys with JohnBo – On the Water

Anne Sandler of Slow Shutter Speed – Black and White

Bert and Rusha Sams of Oh the Places we see – Getting Away

Next week on July 31, please visit Ana Campo of Anvica’s Gallery for her challenge – “Postcards.”

I’m looking forward to seeing where your back country roads have taken you!

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.

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Virginia

August 23, 2017Posted in Nature, RVing, State Parks, Tourist Attractions, Virginia, Wandering around America, WildlifeTagged America the Beautiful, Blue Ridge Parkway, Claytor Lake State Park, Natural Bridge, Shenandoah National Park, Skyline Drive9 Comments

State 41:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. We have not visited Vermont so the next state in my series is

Virginia

Virginia became the 10th state on June 25, 1788. The Capital is Richmond.

Scenic mountain drives, a Sunday jam session at Floyd Country Store, Claytor Lake State Park, Natural Bridge, and a movie location are a few of the places we have visited in Virginia in recent years.

There are many spectacular views along the Skyline Drive which runs through the entire length of Shenandoah National Park.

20080623Walnut-Hills-(24)Skyline-Drive — Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park

The Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia has some magnificent views and interesting rock formations.

20080623Walnut-Hills-(6) — Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

20080623Walnut-Hills-(9) — Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

20080624Blue-Ridge-Pky-(19) — Blue Ridge Parkway, Virginia

20080624Blue-Ridge-Pky-(26) — Butterfly and wildflowers along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Rocky Knob picnic area on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia

Blue Ridge Parkway from overlook at Rocky Knob Visiter's Center — Blue Ridge Parkway from overlook at Rocky Knob Visiter’s Center

The movie “Dirty Dancing” was filmed at Mountain Lake Lodge.

Before we had our fifth wheel we drove through the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

Listening to the Appalachian music and watching the flatfoot dancers at the Sunday oldtime music jam session at Floyd Country Store was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

The Floyd Country Store — Floyd Country Store in Floyd, VA

Sunday Jam Session at the Floyd Country Store

Sunday Jam Session at Floyd Country Store — These guys could really play!

Claytor Lake State Park has been a frequent camping destination since we have been RV’ing and is one of our favorite state parks with a beautiful lake, trails, and wildlife.

Deer visited the campground on our last morning at Claytor Lake — Deer in the campground at Claytor Lake

Seeing the Natural Bridge requires either a walk down many steps to a paved path or taking a shuttle drive down the hill to the beginning of the path. Either way it is worth it to see this amazing natural formation.

20080624Natural-Bridge-(3) — Natural Bridge, Virginia

Small waterfall beside the trail at Natural Bridge, Virginia

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – North Carolina

June 20, 2017July 9, 2017Posted in Historic Sites, Lighthouse, North Carolina, RVing, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around America, Waterfalls, WildflowersTagged America the Beautiful, Biltmore Estate, Blue Ridge Parkway, Cataloochee, Great Smoky Mountains, Outer Banks, Scenic drives18 Comments

State 30:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

North Carolina

North Carolina became the 12th state on November 21, 1789. The capital is Raleigh.

From the Great Smokey Mountains to the Outer Banks, there is a lot to explore in North Carolina. Waterfalls and beaches, hikes and scenic drives, mountains and racetracks, wildlife and wildflowers – these are just a few of the things that make North Carolina memorable.

Back before our RVing days we wandered around the Outer Banks seeing the lighthouses and beaches, visiting the Wright Brothers Monument where they took their first flight, and taking the ferry from Hatteras to Ocracoke. Another ferry took us from Ocracoke back to the mainland where we visited Bath where the pirate Blackbeard once lived.

Hatterras Light

Ocracoke Lighthouse, NC

Bodie Island Lighthouse, NC

Wright Brothers Memorial

Ocracoke Island Ferry

Hatterras Beach

If you love waterfalls, you won’t be disappointed in North Carolina.

Waterfall along the Blue Ridge Parkway

Dry Falls

Tom Branch Falls

Juney Whank Falls

It doesn’t get any better than a campsite with a beautiful view. Our campsite at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville was perfect for hanging out after hiking or touring the fabulous Biltmore Estate.

20090807-3Campfire-Lodging-(5) — Blondie taking a break at our campsite at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville

20090807-2Biltmore-Estate-(4) — Biltmore Estate in Asheville

20090806Sunset-(5) — Sunset at Campfire Lodgings in Asheville

I felt as if I had gone back in time to Mayberry as we wandered around Andy Griffith’s hometown of Mount Airy.

Andy Griffith Statue in Mount Airy, NC

Wally’s Service Station in Mount Airy, NC

Andy and Opie on the water tower in Mount Airy, NC

Downtown Mount Airy, NC

We ended our tour of the Charlotte Motor Speedway in the winner’s circle.

20100514Charlotte-Motor-Speedway-(32) — In the Winner’s Circle at Charlotte Motor Speedway

One of the hikes we made was on Whiteside Mountain in the Nantahala National Forest.

20070817Whiteside-Mountain-Nantahala-Natl-Forest-(22) — Whiteside Mountain in Nantahala National Forest

Whether it’s the leaves showing their fall colors or the flowers showing their brilliant blooms, the vibrant colors of the North Carolina mountains change with the seasons.

20071006Blue-Ridge-(8) — Fall Colors on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Tiger Lilys at Mabry Mill

Rhododendrons along the Blue Ridge Parkway

North Carolina Wildflower

Swallowtail and Wildflowers

Jewel Weed

Rhododendrons

We explored Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mingus Mill in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park near Cherokee.

Mabry Mill, the most photographed spot on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mingus Mill in Great Smokey Mountains National Park

And if it’s wildlife you’re looking for, try visiting in the fall where you might see the bugling elk in Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park.

Bull Elk Bugling in Cataloochee Valley

Bull Elk in Cataloochee Valley

Two young male elk lock antlers in Cataloochee Valley

Blue Ridge Parkway, Creek Side Camping and Barbeque in North Carolina

September 28, 2015November 18, 2015Posted in North Carolina, Restaurants, Road Trip, RV Parks, RVingTagged autumn, Blue Ridge Parkway, Devil's Courthouse, fall colors, Fifth Wheel, Heywood Smokehouse, Highest Point on Blue Ridge Parkway, Looking Glass Rock, Scenic Drive, Waynesville NC13 Comments

After two days of elk watching in Cataloochee Valley we packed a lunch and set out from our campground in Waynesville for a 40 mile drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of fall colors.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile scenic parkway through the southern Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and North Carolina. The northernmost point of the parkway is Mile 0 in Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, Virginia. The southernmost point is Mile 469 near Cherokee, North Carolina. There are scenic overlooks, picnic areas, hiking trails, and campgrounds all along the way.

Although we have traversed several sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the past we had never been on the area in North Carolina north of the Highest Point at Mile 431. On our journey this time we traveled south from Mile 408 at Mount Pisgah to Maggie Valley at about Mile 455.

The first order of business was a picnic at the Mount Pisgah picnic area at the top of a short paved trail. After lunch under the trees we started our journey south, stopping at several of the scenic overlooks. It was too early in the year for the peak autumn colors but a few of the leaves were beginning to change.

Looking Glass Rock got it’s name because sunlight will reflect off the granite when there is water collected on it.

Looking Glass Rock Blue Ridge Parkway in NC

There was beautiful scenery every where we looked.

Beautiful day for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC

We found a few more fall colors.

A few fall colors on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC

There are many folktales surrounding the Devil’s Courthouse. It was getting late and we decided to skip the trail to the top.

Devil's Courthouse Blue Ridge Parkway in NC — Devil’s Courthouse Blue Ridge Parkway in NC

The picture on the left was taken 8 years ago when we first stopped at the Highest Point of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile 431. The one on the right from this visit.

Highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Highest Point on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The photo below is the view from the Highest Point.

A few clouds rolled in as we continued south,

Our home base for exploring Cataloochee Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway was Creekwood RV Park a few miles north of Waynesville and Maggie Valley. Our site backed up to a beautiful creek. It was a perfect place to relax after a day of wandering.

Beautiful Creek behind our campsite

Sitting by the creek was a great way to end each day

Duck in the creek behind our RV

Of course we had to try some North Carolina barbeque while were were there. The Heywood Smokehouse in Waynesville was recommended and the spareribs, chicken, and brisket were done to perfection. And it turns out the owners are originally from Georgia!