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Hello, Blue Ridge
Well, the Quad- rennial, which I haven't yet blogged about, ended today and Norm and I set out on the next leg of our vacation. As we drove west on Highway 421, a very pleasant parkway, we came to a brand new visitor's center with this sign.
Some of the ground were planted in native wildflowers. I think this is a type of bergamont...saw something like it at Indian Creek Camp Park in St. Charles last year. The wildflower plot is just getting established as the center has been open less than a year.
These look like a relative of black-eyed susans but I didn't bring my flower book with me (trying to keep from lugging so much weight through the airport) so I can't be sure. Maybe the picture will help with identification when we are home.
After about 2 hours out of Greensboro we arrived at the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a national park in itself, and it's 75 years old this year. Several overlooks give drivers a chance to stop and admire the scenery. If I'm not mistaken, this elevation is about the same as the elevation in Colby, where we were a week ago.
This was the view toward the east from the above over look. All the vegetation was very green and the distant hills were, well, blue. The forest comes right up to the road, and there are signs of a pretty bad ice storm in recent years...lots of broken branches and downed trees all along it.
This overlook faced west, not east, so the smoky effect is even stronger. I guess there is a reason they call this the Blue Ridge. We enjoyed lots of views like this, including high meadows with baled hay. Private property comes right up to the road right of way so there are lots of farms and other buildings, and sometimes a state highway runs parallel to the parkway for a while.
We arrived at our inn in Blowing Rock and enjoyed a cheese and cracker snack in the breakfast room. Then we went to dinner at a nice restaurant just across the street. We started out dining on the patio, but after thunder and lightning got uncomfortably close, moved inside. Soon there was a shower...we walked back to the inn after the rain stopped and sat on the porch in rocking chairs..and this rainbow appeared. Good omen for our trip, we hope!
Well, the Quad- rennial, which I haven't yet blogged about, ended today and Norm and I set out on the next leg of our vacation. As we drove west on Highway 421, a very pleasant parkway, we came to a brand new visitor's center with this sign.
Some of the ground were planted in native wildflowers. I think this is a type of bergamont...saw something like it at Indian Creek Camp Park in St. Charles last year. The wildflower plot is just getting established as the center has been open less than a year.
These look like a relative of black-eyed susans but I didn't bring my flower book with me (trying to keep from lugging so much weight through the airport) so I can't be sure. Maybe the picture will help with identification when we are home.
After about 2 hours out of Greensboro we arrived at the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a national park in itself, and it's 75 years old this year. Several overlooks give drivers a chance to stop and admire the scenery. If I'm not mistaken, this elevation is about the same as the elevation in Colby, where we were a week ago.
This was the view toward the east from the above over look. All the vegetation was very green and the distant hills were, well, blue. The forest comes right up to the road, and there are signs of a pretty bad ice storm in recent years...lots of broken branches and downed trees all along it.
This overlook faced west, not east, so the smoky effect is even stronger. I guess there is a reason they call this the Blue Ridge. We enjoyed lots of views like this, including high meadows with baled hay. Private property comes right up to the road right of way so there are lots of farms and other buildings, and sometimes a state highway runs parallel to the parkway for a while.
We arrived at our inn in Blowing Rock and enjoyed a cheese and cracker snack in the breakfast room. Then we went to dinner at a nice restaurant just across the street. We started out dining on the patio, but after thunder and lightning got uncomfortably close, moved inside. Soon there was a shower...we walked back to the inn after the rain stopped and sat on the porch in rocking chairs..and this rainbow appeared. Good omen for our trip, we hope!
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