Blue Ridge Parkway Tour

The last full day of our vacation was Lynnette's birthday, so we spent the day celebrating her! After we visited the Farmer's Market, we went driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We started out at a Visitor's Center, so we could get an idea of where we were going. On our way into the center from the parking lot, we passed several tents set up...kind of a little information fair of different kinds park/hiking stuff. Lynnette casually said, "Oh look! A snake!!" And I was stupid enough to look.

One of the information booth people was indeed holding an honest to goodness snake. I about died.

So much so that on the way back OUT of the center, I was so mentally focused on ignoring that stupid snake, I got in the wrong car!!!!

Oh yes.

I did.

I quickly got out of the random stranger's car and INTO Lynnette's car where we began a very long trek up a gorgeous, winding NARROW two-lane wooded road....

...which was occasionally filled with rock walls....

...and little overlook places where we could pull to the side and get out to see the gorgeous sites. Please make note of the increase in elevation....

Interesting Bekah fact: I have a love/fear of heights. I love heights. I love being able to be up there and able to see what's going on. I am scared to death of the EDGE of heights. Like I love sitting in a balcony, but I'm petrified to walk the stairway of a balcony because I am afraid I'll trip and snowball my way down. So I LOVED this sight....but I was totally sweating to be standing this close to the edge.

And we're climbing!!!!

At this point I began having a (semi-honest) panic attack that I would run out of oxygen. No ceiling for little mask to fall out for me!! This sign says that this was the location of the last known buffalo in the area, which was killed in the late 1700s. I told Lynnette that we should be good to go on the winding road...no surprise buffalo.

I thought this said LAKE Pinnacle, so it took me a while to figure out why I didn't have a lake in my view. GOOD GRIEF.

And finally - our destination!! This was about the top of the line for this road. It was blissfully cool up at this elevation and though it was a sunny day, we were in the clouds!

This was 7/10ths of a mile away from us and we'd been told we could walk up (you can see people standing just above the brown spot on the picture) but um....we didn't realize it would be an honest to goodness hike...and guess who wore flip flops???

So rather than hiking it....we watched these people milling about at the top. (I would have passed right out that close to the edge, I'm sure of it.)

Here we are!!! (We were self-portraiting and some nice people offered to take our picture for us.)

The birthday girl and the spectacular Blue Ridge Mountain view....

Absolutely stunning.

On the way back down, we were passed by TWO vehicles. Stupid drivers. Who passes on a 2 lane curvy mountain???? Just because you drive a sports car doesn't mean you can put people's lives at risk. HELLO!!!!!!!

That, of course, made me wonder how in the world emergency crews got on any scene quickly that high up...I wonder what my blood pressure was by the time we got back on level ground? LOL!!!

Loved the drive (seriously!) and would 100% do it again - in regular shoes this time, so I could go up that last bit of the way!!! (And hold tightly to someone's hand - even if it's a perfect stranger - so I could get as near to the edge as possible!)