October - Blue Ridge Parkway

One of the trips we always wanted to do was drive the Blue Ridge Parkway.  We came close several times before but it was always winter, when the Blue Ridge was closed.

We left early and headed for Sweetwater, TN where we took the Cherohala Skyway over the mountain.  We had the company of dozens of motorcyclists enjoying the twisting mountain road.

 



After following the Cherohala Skyway to the end, we went to Cherokee, on the east side of Great Smoky National Park.  There we picked up mile 0 of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  All of the visitors centers were closed due to the government budget shutdown. The only consolation was very light traffic on the Parkway.  Jan was really disappointed that the Blue Ridge Music Center was closed. We plan to stop there when we head back to Brewerton in the spring. 

 

 The high point, literally, was Mount Mitchell.  It's the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest peak in the eastern United States.  The fall colors were just starting to come out.

 

When we reached the end of the Parkway, we headed for Nashville.  Jan's son, Josh just bought a house there, and we delivered an antique rocking chair to the still empty house.  They hadn't arrived yet from California.