This is day 19 of 20 as we travel from Los Angeles in California to Washington DC. As ever we start each day with a full tank of fuel.
Today we complete the northern section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Spanning the southern and central Appalachians, sweeping curves and awe-inspiring vistas are just a few reasons why thousands of motorcyclists ride it each year. The road also has a reputation as one of the best in the United States, and motorcyclists are also lured by the Parkway’s scenic overlooks, sweeping ridgetop curves and sunset-lit country roads. But check on road conditions and closures as they are consytantly changing.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469-mile road that travels through the Great Smoky Mountains. It was designed to connect Shenandoah National Park and Great Smoky Mountains National Park during President Roosevelt’s era in 1935 and it was finally completed in 1987. Most of the route is windy 2-lane road at various elevations with about 50% of the route in North Carolina and 50% in Virginia. Many parts of the road are at higher elevations so driving conditions may be challenging due to limited visibility or changing weather and there is no fee to use the parkway. The speed limit is mostly below 45 miles per hour and quite often lower than thi and there is something for everybody along the trail from waterfalls to hikes to panoramic vistas with many parking spots along the way to just stop and take it all in.
Pack your patience and expect heavy traffic or delays, the Parkway features over 200 formal scenic overlooks. If one overlook is full of visitors and cars, just keep going, another one is not too far away.
Take a break at one of the few restaurants along the BRP at Mabry Mill. (RP27) When Edwin Boston Mabry (1867-1936) built his water powered mill in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, he had no way of knowing it would become one of the most photographed places in the United States. The mill, on the Blue Ridge Parkway at milepost 176.1, draws several hundred thousand visitors each year.
The Northern part of the BRP has a different feel as the surrounding countryside is more farmland and valleys than the higher mountains of the previous day. Which just adds a difference to the riding of longer bends that tight 20mph corners.
The BRP has something for everyone, as a motorcyclist it is a never-ending piece of road that delivers every type of corner to challenge your riding and keep you alert as each corner is different. At the same time the local wildlife will have you on high alert as it is commonplace to be presented with wild turkeys, local deer or bears on the road in front of you.
For the pure pleasure of riding this day has to be 4 stars, it feels like a never ending collection of undulating bends put there for the benefit of the biking community .