Blue Ridge Parkway Trip (In Progress)

"thedevilinside" (thedevilinside)
05/02/2016 at 21:22 • Filed to: None

Sadly didn’t meet the owner of this car.

Currently stopped for the night on my Blue Ridge Parkway road trip. I’m driving it from Cherokee, NC to the end in Waynesboro, VA in one trip. I’ll have a big post with more Potato pictures when I finish. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes driving/roadtrips.

DISCUSSION (23)

jkm7680 > thedevilinside
05/02/2016 at 21:25

They really need to raise the speed limit on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

ttyymmnn > jkm7680
05/02/2016 at 21:27

Nah, you're supposed to chill and enjoy the view. You might also come upon stopped traffic around a blind corner.

jkm7680 > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 21:28

I COME FOR BOOST, NOT FOR GOOD VIEWS.

Nah, but if I wanted a better driving road, I know much better ones in that general area than the Parkway. Too many tourists.

And I hate tourists.

thedevilinside > jkm7680
05/02/2016 at 21:29

I had never been on it much north of Mt Mitchell. It opens up a ton and ya some places it is just cruising through some cow fields and could be raised.

ttyymmnn > jkm7680
05/02/2016 at 21:29

It would make a good Tarmac rally stage, though.

jkm7680 > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 21:31

True that.

thedevilinside > ttyymmnn
05/02/2016 at 21:34

If they shut it down I would actually build the car I have been dreaming of for the Silver State Classic.

facw > thedevilinside
05/02/2016 at 21:56

Views are great, but too many motorcycles puttering along at 10 under the speed limit for my taste. At least the segment I drove on.

interstate366, now In The Industry > jkm7680
05/02/2016 at 22:07

Yep. I’d like to drive the entirety of the BRP, and Skyline Drive, once, just to say I’ve done it. But there are lots of roads all over Virginia and North Carolina that are more fun.

jkm7680 > interstate366, now In The Industry
05/02/2016 at 22:09

Does Nc still have that stupid 1 mph over and ticket thing?

Busslayer > thedevilinside
05/02/2016 at 22:12

A couple years ago we were visiting the Smokey Mtns and I wanted to check out the BR Pkwy. I plotted a route out from Cherokee that started out on a two-track trail over the mountain and was going to hook up with the Parkway and circle back to Cherokee.

The trail ended in a the back of a Federal Campground that is normally accessed directly off the Parkway. The Campground was closed, but it was early spring so I assumed it just had not opened for the season yet. There was a closed gate blocking the exit out to the Parkway.

The gate wasn’t locked so I just got out and opened the gate and went through, closing the gate after I was clear. I drove for a mile or two and mentioned to my wife that it was weirdly quiet, no traffic at all. There were also a number of oddly large piles of brush on the shoulders. After another mile or two we rounded a turn and came up to a tunnel and the road was completely blocked with construction equipment. The tunnel was being repaired and the Parkway was closed. One of.the workers came over and wanted to know WTF I was doing. I ended up having to drive bback the way I came. I also noticed several crews trimming along the road making the brush piles. I realized now that they were also giving me WTF looks as I was driving by. I felt like a complete idiot at that point.

So that is my Blueridge Parkway story.

interstate366, now In The Industry > jkm7680
05/02/2016 at 22:14

Not sure. I haven’t been since October. Probably going later this month, though.

thedevilinside > facw
05/02/2016 at 22:26

I did 270 miles today and got held up by 0 motorcycles. A few Priuses with retirees, some construction stuff. Yesterday was a bit more but not too bad. It is early in the season and week days today and tomorrow should help. Tomorrow may be stormy too so I expect slow going but no motorcycles.

I have done quite a few miles on the BRP previously as well. Usually I get held up by elderly people going 25 mph in a 45 or “leafers” in rentals or Foresters/Outbacks.

JR1 > thedevilinside
05/02/2016 at 22:28

Whatever the reason I cannot ID that land barge it is pissing me off

thedevilinside > interstate366, now In The Industry
05/02/2016 at 22:29

I don’t have the time to do Skyline drive right now, wish I did. This will give me Cherohala Skyway, the Tail, North Georgia/Suches Loop, and BRP done. I’ve also done a decent amount up in the Rockies. The two big outstanding ones are PCH 1 and Mullholland Drive left.

thedevilinside > interstate366, now In The Industry
05/02/2016 at 22:30

Any between Waynesboro and Statesville, NC? I have some time to burn tomorrow between those places. Or breweries/distilleries/museums/parks/

thedevilinside > Busslayer
05/02/2016 at 22:31

I hit a closed for construction portion toady but took the detour. Was bummed. You got a good story from it!

Now the BRP has a really good live road status map online that I use to check before drives.

thedevilinside > JR1
05/02/2016 at 22:33

I am sorry to report I didn’t even look. Usually I do. I was just enjoying my drive and checking out the cabin out of picture and didn’t think of it. It did have a 390 badge on it though. But also a lot of NHRA classic style stickers so the 390 could be an addition.

thedevilinside > JR1
05/02/2016 at 22:37

Mercury Montclair. Approx 1963

interstate366, now In The Industry > thedevilinside
05/02/2016 at 23:00

The Waynesboro area has a few breweries, mostly off to the south/east in Nelson County. Wild Wolf makes a good blonde ale called Blonde Hunny, which is my usual go-to beer, but I haven’t tried any of their other beers yet. Parkway Brewing Company in Salem makes a few good ones, and Devil’s Backbone is somewhere out there.

Virginia State Route 151 is in the same area as Wild Wolf and from what I understand is a pretty twisty road. Route 230, which is well northeast of Waynesboro, is a nice drive between US 29 and US 33, but sounds like it’s out of your way.

thedevilinside > interstate366, now In The Industry
05/02/2016 at 23:10

Lots of info here. Devil’s Backbone! I had one of their beers when I went to VIR last year and just went to a beer store today trying to remember what it was but failed. I saw Blonde Hunny at the store. Ended up with Aviator Saison and Soaring Ridge Tinker Creek Kolsch. I am now pplanning going to Wild Wolf and/or Devil’s Backbone tomorrow. Thanks a ton

JR1 > thedevilinside
05/02/2016 at 23:14

I thought by the taillights it might be a Merc but I wasn't sure

interstate366, now In The Industry > thedevilinside
05/02/2016 at 23:33

No problem. DB’s most common beer is the Vienna Lager, which is good.