First of all there are 15 Visitor Centers along the length of the Parkway, which naturally we (ie Dan) had to stop at! And then like on Skyline Drive you feel like you had to stop at every overlook to take pictures; and there were the usual bad drivers, constant up & down w/curves, etc, etc, to slow us down. Lastly there are no RV parks on the Parkway, so the end of every day was hunt for a reasonable RV facility not too far from the Parkway.
The first day, 20OCT we visited the Visitor Centers at Humpback Rocks, James River, Peaks of Otter, & Virginia’s Explore Park. At the end of the day we made a navigational mistake and ended up in downtown Roanoke with the RV pulling the Toad. Luckily we did not side swipe any parked cars and eventually ended up in Salem, VA, at Dixie Caverns RV over 20 miles from the Parkway!
Trivia – A “necessary” is a polite term for outhouse, what is an “ordinary”?
After the previous days “learning experience” we decided not to drive as far on 21OCT, and only visited the Centers at Rocky Knob & Blue Ridge Music Center (on the border of VA & NC). The Music Center recognizes the creation of “Old Time Music”, “Blue Grass” & “Country” in a narrow band centered on the Virginia/North Carolina border. In fact there is a series of state roads in Virginia called “the crooked road” that people travel to trace the history and listen to the music. The Music Center routinely has concerts, and the day we were there Bob & Maggie Anderson were playing all afternoon (of course they appreciated tips, or better yet buy a CD). That night we camped in Galax, VA, after figuring out that our camping brochure had the wrong address!
www.nps.gov/ovvi
On the morning of 23OCT we decided not to re-drive state road 80 and went twenty miles out of our way to bypass it; and to be extra careful we drove both vehicles separately. We left the RV park in clear weather but the Parkway was nothing but fog/fog/fog when we got there. We stopped in a few pullouts to wait for the sun to burn through, but mostly we creeped along with all lights and flashers on. Eventually it cleared up and we visited Centers at Craggy Gardens, Folk Art Center, & Destination Center. The Folk Art Center is the home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild previously mentioned, and also has changing displays showing the major works of some of the most well known members of the Guild. The Center also houses a research library about Appalachian crafts.
http://www.craftguild.org/
The Destination center is not at the end of the Parkway, but is at Asheville, NC; and therefore a major tourist destination for people driving the Parkway. The Destination Center has a fantastic big screen, surround sound, movie on the Parkway; a must see! At this point we decided to get off the Parkway and meet-up w/our good friends and fellow RV’ers, Chuck & Anneke Guldenschuh outside of Asheville in Waynesville, NC.
Sunday we returned to the Parkway two days later, 25OCT, to complete Dan’s mission of driving the entire length. Thankfully this portion was in the Toad only and not with the RV. We also had our friends the Guldenschuhs with us (a decision they probably still regret). Since the Parkway was closed at Pisgah Mountain, we drove to the southern end at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Oconaluftee Visitor Center to finish our drive of the Parkway.
www.nps.gov/grsm
From there we drove “backward” and visited the last Visitor Center at Water Knob. We then continued driving northward until we hit the road closed sign and headed back to Waynesville on state road 215. 215 was another twisty, turning, mountain road but we discovered a beautiful water fall on our way home. Although we should have taken more time, it was still a great drive; and we may do it again, but with better planning. The entire route was full of great fall colors, with changing vegetation and topography the whole way!!!
Thursday, 22OCT, we hit the Visitor Centers at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, Linn Cove Viaduct, Linville Falls, & Museum of North Carolina Minerals. The Linn Cove Viaduct is the last portion of the Parkway completed in 1987 and is the first highway structure constructed in the USA using “progressive placement of sections” (ie the bridge is built upon its self with minimal impact to the environment). The Moses Cone Manor and property was donated to the Parkway and is houses the arts & crafts of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. The Guild is a non-profit organization preserving the hand craftsmanship of the Southern Appalachia.
We also learned at the Mineral Museum that the first gold rush in the USA was in North Carolina, and that 10% of the world’s minerals are found in North Carolina; while also learning that the Over Mountain Victory National Historic Trail crosses the Parkway. This Historic Trail commemorates the Patriot army that spontaneously rose up in western North & South Carolina, and Tennessee, marched through the mountains and defeated the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain, October 1780. Many historians say this battle led directly to Cornwallis’s defeat a year later in Virginia. At the end of the day’s drive we made the mistake of turning onto state road 80 to get to our RV park and barely noticed the sign that said “road not recommended for RVs"! We have been on worse roads in the Toad, but never one this bad in the RV and with the Toad connected! We don’t know how we did it, but Dan got us down with out hitting anybody or side swiping the mountain. When Corrie told the RV park clerk what we had just done, he was amazed that we made it without overheating the brakes.
www.nps.gov/ovviOn the morning of 23OCT we decided not to re-drive state road 80 and went twenty miles out of our way to bypass it; and to be extra careful we drove both vehicles separately. We left the RV park in clear weather but the Parkway was nothing but fog/fog/fog when we got there. We stopped in a few pullouts to wait for the sun to burn through, but mostly we creeped along with all lights and flashers on. Eventually it cleared up and we visited Centers at Craggy Gardens, Folk Art Center, & Destination Center. The Folk Art Center is the home of the Southern Highland Craft Guild previously mentioned, and also has changing displays showing the major works of some of the most well known members of the Guild. The Center also houses a research library about Appalachian crafts.
http://www.craftguild.org/The Destination center is not at the end of the Parkway, but is at Asheville, NC; and therefore a major tourist destination for people driving the Parkway. The Destination Center has a fantastic big screen, surround sound, movie on the Parkway; a must see! At this point we decided to get off the Parkway and meet-up w/our good friends and fellow RV’ers, Chuck & Anneke Guldenschuh outside of Asheville in Waynesville, NC.
Sunday we returned to the Parkway two days later, 25OCT, to complete Dan’s mission of driving the entire length. Thankfully this portion was in the Toad only and not with the RV. We also had our friends the Guldenschuhs with us (a decision they probably still regret). Since the Parkway was closed at Pisgah Mountain, we drove to the southern end at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Oconaluftee Visitor Center to finish our drive of the Parkway.
www.nps.gov/grsm
From there we drove “backward” and visited the last Visitor Center at Water Knob. We then continued driving northward until we hit the road closed sign and headed back to Waynesville on state road 215. 215 was another twisty, turning, mountain road but we discovered a beautiful water fall on our way home. Although we should have taken more time, it was still a great drive; and we may do it again, but with better planning. The entire route was full of great fall colors, with changing vegetation and topography the whole way!!!
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