Friday, November 9, 2018

Scenic Drive Along Blue Ridge Parkway/Skyline Drive

Hello Everyone.  I do hope you have been doing well as we enter into this amazingly beautiful time of year.  It is hard to believe we are already into the season of Fall.  Living here in North Florida we have not begun to feel the effects of many changes yet.  The leaves on the trees are still green and the temperatures are mild.

My husband was scheduled to attend a meeting in Washington, D.C earlier this year.  Since we had the time, we decided to plan a scenic drive up to Washington instead of getting on a plane and zipping up there, missing all the beauty along the way.

With my camera by my side,  I did not begin to take any photos until we arrived in the Virginia area.

The map below shows the drive up to Washington, DC from our home in Tallahassee.  We deviated somewhat from this map in order to be able to drive along the very Scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive routes and on into Washington.

   

The Blue Ridge Parkway is often called "America's Favorite Drive."  This scenic Parkway runs all the way from Cherokee, North Carolina to Virginia with beautiful scenery all the way.  There are many pull-off overlooks to stop and enjoy the views.   The speed limit along the way is 45 miles per hour, so it is a good idea to plan this drive when time permits.

There are also a lot of exits from the Parkway where you can drive down into the charming towns along the way.


Driving along we spotted this colorful barn quilt seen in the below photo.
If you would like to know more about barn quilts you can click on the link below.


It was fun snapping photos of interesting spots along the way.


This charming old church...


And old country home...


As we drove back onto the Parkway we crossed the Appalachian Trail.  As we stopped to view the Trail the hiker seen below was coming off the Trail crossing the roadway to follow the Trail on the other side of the road.


If you look closely you can see the Trail going up the hill in the below photo.


The map below shows the entire route of the Blue Ridge Parkway.



Driving along the trail we spotted the well-known Peaks of Otter Lodge.



Love the beautiful Rhododendrons blooming this time of year.



One visitor to the Lodge was driving this old and colorful car.


As you can see in the photo below the view from one of the
pull-offs along the Parkway is just amazing.


There were colorful wildflowers along the way.


There were a few drive-through tunnels along the way.


As we traveled along we reached the beautiful town of Shenandoah.




We spotted this old truck parked along the roadway as we entered the town.



And, I loved the charming old country style houses along the way.



We wanted to see the Shenandoah National Park along this route
 and decided to drive along the very scenic Skyline Drive.






As you can see below there are very scenic views along Skyline Drive.







The day we traveled through Skyline Drive was a rainy day.



The rain and the fog has it's own beauty.





We spotted this field of beautiful yellow wildflowers.



Along the way one can stop in to see the Visitor's Center



There are cabins for rent in this area too.







Driving toward our final destination of Washington, D.C.
we reached the charmingly old historic town of Little Washington, Virginia



Many years ago we had the pleasure of visiting this little town, again, on our way to Washington, D.C.



Little Washington is a very small quaint town with a population of less than 150 folks.
This little town has beautiful scenery, a rich history and beautiful old homes.








Little Washington has been a historic landmark since the 1800s. George Washington himself loved this stunning location in the rolling hills of Virginia.  He spent time here and surveyed the site for this town. 



We again wanted to visit the famous five-star Inn at Little Washington seen in the below photo.





I wanted to take my camera and capture some of charms of this restaurant and inn.





The Inn at Little Washington is a famous five-star restaurant and
is one of the premiere dining experiences on the East Coast.









Of all things, we ran into some friends all the way from California who would be attending the same meeting in Washington, D.C. that my husband would be attending.  Yes, it is really a small world!!  We wanted to visit with our friends and since it was tea-time at the Inn we enjoyed tea and a nice visit.



I loved the fresh flower arrangements all around the Inn.





Yes, I even snapped a photo of the beautiful bathroom.



More lovely flowers in the dining room.



After tea time we said our goodbyes and headed on our way.



I snapped a couple of more photos in town before we left to head to Washington.
The post office was so picturesque all covered in ivy vines.



Another old country home on the outskirts of town as we headed on toward Washington, D.C.




This little town is located in the foothills next to Skyline Drive. It was so nice to visit this
quaint and charming town and to see the scenic rolling hills and the countryside of Virginia.

Thank you for coming along with us and seeing some of the amazing beauty of our good ole USA.



Wishing you a wonderful weekend and a
 Happy Veterans Day, 
 this coming Monday wherever you may be.