North Carolina, part 2

After our fun visit to Mt. Airy we continue along the Blue Ridge Parkway to our next destination of Blowing Rock, North Carolina.

We have another lovely day with great views of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We drive across the Linn Cove Viaduct and make our last scenic stop for the day at Linville Falls.

Our home for the next 2 nights is a lovely Airbnb room outside of the town of Blowing Rock, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

We spend a day exploring the town of Blowing Rock and visiting its namesake!

The Blowing Rock itself is a cliff that is 4,000 feet above sea level that overhangs the Johns River Gorge 3,000 feet below. The rocky walls of the gorge form a flume through which air currents flow upward. People can be seen tossing lightweight objects out and they are returned (if the winds are blowing).

In addition to sweeping views of peaks and the Johns River Gorge, there is a small museum here that provides history of the area and this attraction.

The next day we head off again along the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Asheville.

Three Knobs Overlook – Elevation 3875

Mt. Mitchell Elevation 6684 – Elevation at viewpoint 4825

The road is very curvy! Wheeeee!

After a relaxing evening in Asheville, we begin the last leg of our Blue Ridge Parkway journey. The weather starts out fine. We’re at an elevation of 5588 when we stop at the View of Yellow Face.

However, as we reach the highest elevation on the Blue Ridge Parkway at 6053 feet, we no longer have much visibility!

We’ve been very lucky though, so as we descend the mountain range and complete the Blue Ridge Parkway, we head toward our last stop in North Carolina in Bryson City. The 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway provided us with breathtaking views of the Appalachians and Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as an opportunity to learn about life and customs in these areas.

The end of the Blue Ridge Parkway may be in Cherokee, North Carolina, but this is also the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park!

We got up early the next day so we could be ready for our Great Smoky Mountains Railroad adventure! We had tickets for the Nantahala Gorge Excursion on the #1702 steam locomotive which dates to 1942. We opted for Onboard dining by selecting First Class seats in a dining car.

Fontana Lake

What a wonderful way to end a beautiful trip through Virginia and North Carolina!

Next stop? -- Huntsville, Alabama