The Long and Winding Road - The Blue Ridge Parkway derives its name from the balancing act it performs along the crest of the famous mountain range that is the signature of western Virginia and North Carolina. Following a winding, manicured path from its start as The Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park to its ultimate end at the entrance to Great Smoky Mountain National Park, this nearly 500 mile beauty of mid-twentieth century engineering traverses some of the most breathtaking forest land found in the eastern United States.

Carpets of Green - Immediately obvious as you travel down the parkway is the immaculate care that the National Park Service takes with upkeep and maintenance. There is never any litter, the road itself has no potholes or bumps, and the lawns and gardens one finds along the way are splendid in their elegance. We found this one at a rest stop at 8:30 on a Wednesday morning. Almost makes you want to pull out your 9-iron.

Don't Fence Me In - Another cool feature found throughout the length of the journey are these old, rustic fences. Lending a sense of an earlier time, you almost feel like you've stepped back several decades. We did a lot of pondering on this day; the sites, the sounds, the whole aura makes the trip more than just one of distance. Make sure when you travel this scenic byway you make plenty of stops. You will miss the essence if you don't.

A Cabin In the Woods - A lot of restoration took place as the parkway was constructed. You'll find many well-preserved 19th century relics like this old cabin and garden plot. In season, they even have throwback demonstrations of the looms that were found in this particular home. During our trip in mid-May, we only missed that by a couple of weeks. But the still was fully operational; just kidding.

More Than Just a Name - The full length of the Blue Ridge Parkway would be impossible to travel in one day. We thoroughly enjoyed a 200 mile stretch from Fancy Gap, Va. to Hendersonville, N.C. on this day. It took about 10 hours. Along the way you will encounter many spectacular vistas like the one featured here that reminded us the folks who named this place knew what they were talking about.

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