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At
45 mph through Blue Ridge mountains,
no trucks, birds singing and peaceful drive
By Katherine Sherrington
Gwinnett Tax Commissioner
Special to GwinnettForum.com
JULY 2, 2002 - - If you're looking for a beautiful, peaceful drive
in the mountains, think about driving Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline
Drive in Virginia. It's another world. Slow, green, quiet and beautiful
- a nice change.
My husband and I entered the parkway at Fancy Gap, just 15 miles
or so north of Mount Airy, N.C. (home of Andy Griffith). The Blue
Ridge Parkway runs 469 miles and links two National Parks - the
Shenandoah and the Great Smokey Mountains. The speed limit is 45
mph, but well worth the slowdown.
The entire route is marked unobtrusively with mile markers, which
designate not only miles but also stops along the way - be sure
to pick up a Parkway map. There are many overlooks and picnic areas
as well as information centers. Our first stop was at Groundhog
Mountain picnic area (3,035 feet elevation) for lunch.
From there we traveled about 90 miles to Peaks of Otter lodge between
Roanoke and Lynchburg, for our first night. It's a simple family
oriented lodge set in between twin peaks, Sharp Top and Flat Top.
After a Southern buffet dinner, we walked the mile trail (one of
many) around Abbotts Lake that sits serenely between the peaks.
One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to Bedford, Va.
the next day. Bedford is a beautiful, small town just a few miles
off the Blue Ridge Parkway in the shadow of Peaks of Otter. On June
6, 2001, President Bush dedicated the National D-Day Memorial in
Bedford.
Why Bedford? Because 19 of Bedford's men died on D-Day. Out of
a population of 3,200, it was that day's greatest single sacrifice
of any town. The huge triumphal arch is inscribed with the Allies
code name for the Normandy landing operation, "OVERLORD."
Engraved in a semi- circle around the arch are the names of the
beaches - Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold.
The massive sculpture shows a landing ship with men on the beach,
in the water and scaling a wall. Very impressive! As it happened
to be Memorial Day, a large community celebration was going on with
bands and speeches and celebrations. Check out www.dday.org
for more information!
We drove on up to Skyline Drive where we were spending the second
night -entering at Thornton Gap near Luray, Va. The Drive winds
205 miles through Shenandoah National Park. It was a quick ten minutes
in the rain over the curvy road to Skyland Lodge, the highest elevation
on the drive at 3,680 feet.
This lodge was built by George Freeman Pollock in the late 1800's
as a private 6,000 acre mountain resort, known as Stony Man Gap.
It flourished for more than 50 years and Pollock was a central figure
in the establishment of the Shenandoah National Park, which was
dedicated by Franklin D. Roosevelt on July 3, 1936.
We stayed in a rustic cabin, which was probably built in the 1930's
and unfortunately looked it - a small 10x12 room with a double bed
and a sink with a tiny side room housing the toilet and shower.
Very rustic! The lodge served a good dinner and great morning coffee.
Deer and black bears roam the area and the lodge staff provides
nature walks and hikes.
The next day we had a leisurely drive south on Skyline Drive, stopping
for one "moderate" mile and a half hike to Dark Hollow
waterfalls. It's a steep climb up but we made it!
Both drives, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive, were beautiful
and peaceful. Driving slower, and with the windows open, occasionally
we'd get a whiff of flowers or honeysuckle. We could always hear
the birds singing. No trucks, no traffic, no road signs --- I'll
take 45 mph any day for a calm drive through the mountains.
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Number
2.24, July 28, 2002
