Today, we drove the Parkway from Blowing Rock, NC to Copper Hill, VA, which is a little south of Roanoke. The length was about 140 miles and the duration was about four hours. The scenery flipped between the vistas of valleys below to ribbons of road cut between forests or grazing pastures. The height of the ridges was not quite what is was on our first day, further south. But I took a series of three pictures that will give you a better feel for the Parkway’s ambiance.
This first pic shows the road from an outlook, looking back. Notice how the road hugs the spine of the ridge with views down either side.
Here is the view from the same outlook, looking down the left side (East) to the valley below. Notice the layers of mountains in the distance.
Here is the view looking over the ridge to the West. I crossed the road, but literally took this pic from the same spot.
The uniqueness of the Blue Ridge Parkway is the ride along the spine of the ridges with incredible views in all directions. And our weather, with just enough clouds to provide added color depths, made the views that much more special. It doesn’t get any better than this !!
The Adventures of Barry Brink 