Moving on from Virginia to Tennessee

Since the Blue Ridge Parkway started where Skyline Drive ended, what else was there to do! We had been on many sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway years ago when we scoped out the Carolinas. Most of our time on the Blue Ridge was in the area around Ashville North Carolina. We explored another 50 or so miles of the north part of the Parkway.

In the north, the Appalachian Trail runs near the Parkway – in the southern part of the Parkway, the AT follows other ridges than the Blue Ridge. So, the Woman made sure that we took advantage of the opportunity. We managed to click off another 5 or 6 miles of the AT that we had not previously trekked. The Woman was clearly in her happy place while we took in the grandeur of the Blue Ridge.

Since both run the spine of the Blue Ridge, the views and scenery along the Blue Ridge Parkway is as awesome as we experienced on the Skyline Drive. Luckily, we had a few days that were quite clear – there is a reason they call them the Great Smoky Mountains – more often than not, the spine of the Blue Ridge is covered in a fog, or maybe more accurately, a cloud.

We got a double bonus at Virginia’s Natural Bridge State Park. This natural stone bridge is massive – 215 feet high, 40 feet thick, 100 feet wide, and a 90-foot span between the walls. Scientists believe that the bridge is more than 500 million years old. The Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark.

The double bonus is that we have evidence that we were standing in the founding father’s footsteps as we took in this magnificent natural feature. It turns out that actually surveyed the Bridge in 1750, and the land itself was acquired by Thomas Jefferson, being deeded to him on July 5, 1774. It turns out we could prove that George Washington was here – when he was there in 1750, he carved his initials into the wall of the Bridge, and they remain there today.

We learned that the Father of Texas, Stephen F. Austin, was born in Austinville Virginia – as far as we can tell that may actually have been the name of the town when founded based on his family’s early homestead. His father, Moses, worked the local mines to make a living for the family. After being educated all over the southeast, he obtained an empresarial grant in Spanish Texas to move up to 300 families there. He proceeded to convince 300 other families to move to Texas, making it the first Anglo colony in Texas, and it formed the foundation for the eventual US annexing Texas from the Mexican government.

We learned quickly that when you are driving around out east, you cant exactly rely on the US road designations to give you any idea where you are headed. In the west, when you are on US 89 N, you are generally heading northbound. If you are on US 12 E, you are generally heading eastbound. Out here in the east, it’s you guess where you really are heading!

Talk to you soon.