We
started counting down the mileposts when we hit 10 and both
remarked how absolutely exhausted, but still exhilarated,
we were at that point. Even though we tried to keep a reasonably
stress-free schedule, it's still not an easy task to "do"
the 469 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway in a month. Even
though we had hit almost all my "must-see's" on
the way up, there were as many I discovered I wanted to
see after hearing about them from other folks. I'm glad
I still have the Fall to look forward to as I head back
south for leaf-peeping season in October.
It
will be interesting to see how the Parkway experience compares
between the two seasons. I did find myself wishing I had
set out in mid May as I had originally intended. But then
I read that the rhododendron are spectacular in mid to late
June, especially at Craggy Gardens. So I decided to stay
in Savannah another month so as to hit that time period.
But by the time we got there, we were told the really vibrant
rhodos are the Catawba kind and they peaked weeks ago. It
was small consolation to hear that this year's show wasn't
as spectacular due to weird weather conditions. However,
it wasn't hard on the eyes to see the less vibrantly colored
kind that were in bloom, along with the pale pink Mountain
Laurel. They further decorated the views alongside the road
and overlooks that didn't even really need further embellishment.
But
I also think the Springtime would be better, especially
towards the end, because it got pretty hot in places (temps
in the 90's), making exploring some places more uncomfortable.
I don't know what it's like in the Spring, but the roads
and campgrounds sure weren't crowded during mid June and
July. Most of the traffic consisted of motorcycles - one
local guy I talked to said he bought his Harley just to
ride the Parkway on weekends. I agreed that would be a wonderful
ride and a great way to see the road in a different way.
I
heard that it's a lot more crowded in the Fall with
RVs, so I'll let you know about that in October...
