A Drive on the Parkway – We finally decided to take a day off from doing very little. It can be exhausting, let me tell you. Our activities have been either been related to finding a house to purchase or relaxing at the base camp in Southwest Virginia. Staying close to home has kept us safe from the Virus, but it does get extremely boring. So today, we drove the 30 minutes south to the very small town of Fancy Gap, Virginia and then drove a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Fancy Gap, Virginia
Fancy Gap has a population of 238 people and is at an elevation of 2,900 feet. The main draw for me was it was at an easy access point to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We went through a couple of small shops (garden and antiques), while we were in the town, while wearing masks and keeping our distance. It was great to be back out and doing things, although with an eye on staying safe.
Lunch was next door at the Gap Deli, a very good choice. We had some sandwiches while sitting outside with well spaced tables. It seemed to be very popular as it was at their limited safe distance capacity. I had the BLT, potato salad, and a piece of their famous peanut butter pie. Pat had a chicken wrap and slaw. Topped it off with a cup of coffee, then we were off to drive the Parkway.
Blue Ridge Parkway
We used to take a few drives on the Parkway every year, when we lived in Christiansburg, Va. Usually always getting on near Floyd, Va. Floyd is several miles northeast of where we are now. So this is a different stretch than our normal run.
I also used to take my motorcycle on the parkway for day trips. The parkway is a beautiful drive with my scenic overlooks, farms, fields, and elevation changes. But after an hour it can be a little boring. I liked it on the bike because it felt safer than other back roads that have many hidden entrances around blind corners.
My motorcycle was a Yamaha cruiser type, the V-Star 1100 Classic. Very fun to ride, handled well, but I will probably not own another. I’m on to other adventures now.
More about the Blue Ridge Parkway from wikipedia: The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America’s longest linear park, runs for 469 miles through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It runs mostly along the spine of the Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains.
The parkway was first started in 1935 as a national development project of the Works Progress and the CCC. Both federal organizations started to provide work for people during the Great Depression.
We noticed about a 10 degree temperature drop from our RV park near Wytheville to the wide open ridges of the parkway. Very nice to feel the cool breezes after just spending a few months in Florida.
Our outing was about three hours then back to base camp. Thanks for following along! Stay safe, but also get out and enjoy life along with using some common sense of course. Take care and God Bless.
Glad you got out and enjoyed The Parkway to break up the stress of retirement. Wif and I went Friday afternoon, took a picnic lunch and ate at one of the overlooks and then checked out Mabry Mill. Was a beautiful day on The Parkway and there was a bit of relief from the heat. Great pics!
We did not make it as far as Mabry Mill, but need to get back there sometime soon. The most photographed place!