Entering the South

What a difference a few days, the weather, elevation, and latitude make. On Tuesday I was in Northern Virginia and the overnight temperature was below freezing and barely got above it all day; the wind was gale force and I saw snow in the highest most exposed elevations. That night in Big Meadows Campground in the Shenandoah was the coldest I've spent to date. Three Hundred Miles later I've crossed the line into North Carolina and spent the day passing mile after mile of Rhododendrons lining the Parkway. Mind you there was still ice on the northern-facing rock faces today but the temperature outside was 62 most of the day and at the moment my RV is nearly 70 toasty degrees without my having run the furnace.

I'm starting to get a sense of the ethos of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It would seem the roadway is the national park and the areas surrounding it are simply complimentary amenities. Having designated the highway a 45 mile per hour zone it is not deemed necessary to mark the curves and drops that might pose a danger to motorists. There are also very few signs marking the many intersecting highways and none to designate the many dirt roads that cross over. There are no interpretive signs to designate nearby attractions and the developed areas along the highway are often spread along several miles with no indication that say the Doughton Park Campground where I'm camped tonight is a couple miles from the information centre and the travel lodge. Not that this is right or wrong, just challenging for the first time visitor requiring often that one drive for miles on faith that the amenity you seek will be further down the road.

The first 120 miles of the Parkway followed a razor's edge ridge that at any point offered views to the east or west and often both. At many points it was impossible to see human encroachment and only vistas overlooking far-reaching valleys that stretched out seemingly at one's feet. Below Roanoke things change to rolling hills and the Parkway is surrounded by rural villages and parallel highways and the fertile lands on either side are farmed by lease-holders. The banks on either side were planted with rhododendrons to stabilize the soil when the parkway was built and they stretch for mile upon mile. Oh to be here in late spring when they're in bloom. Today's stretch of the Parkway did not interest me as did yesterdays. The leaves in this area are not so much turning as becoming brown and dropping.

I've encountered varying responses from the people manning visitor's centres from the park ranger at Rocky Knob who obviously knew his stuff and told me how to find gas, what to look for down the road, and informed me that the southern section of the parkway has been closed near the Great Smoky Mountains due to snowfall—it is nearly 7000 ft. To the gal this afternoon at Doughton Park who made it obvious I was interrupting her private conversation, rudely pointed out the information I sought was somewhere on paper and admitted she didn't have answers to my other questions. Stopped at the Bluff Lodge Coffee Shop and got an education in menu designations. Salad wafers are crackers in plastic wrap, BBQ Pork is what I've learned to call pulled pork, and corn cakes are corn meal pancakes. The coffee here was strong, the dough in the blackberry cobbler was tough and the water has an awful flavour—luckily I don't need to refill my containers at this point.

I did find a kindred soul at the Blue Ridge Music Centre who has been to Lunenburg County Nova Scotia and was very helpful. Unfortunately we did not have longer to talk. She described Canada Day in Bridgetown Nova Scotia with great fondness. We also had a chance to talk about the areas where the series the Waltons was shot and where Earl Hamner lived.

Tonight is Halloween and not a ghoul in sight. Not that I have treats even if a ghoul showed up at my doorstep. I'm looking out my window at a gloaming sky through a thinning forest of hardwoods that is giving way to a succession pine under-story. It's almost time I closed my curtains and settled back in front of more episodes of the Waltons. Given the generator my neighbour has running I doubt he'll complain about the noise my speakers make. First though I believe I'll go out and see if I can identify any night sounds. I took no pictures today as I saw nothing I was particularly interested in photographing. The few areas that might have peaked my interest lacked a pull-off spot to stop at.

I managed to find change along the way today and although the fee at these parkway campsites is a mere $16.00 the sites lack water and electrical hook-ups and more importantly Wi-Fi. I have been disconnected from the world at large for nearly two days at this point. I'm going to have a lot of catching up to do when I do get another connection.

The stars are out and the Moon unfortunately with its nearby celestial neighbour the planet Venus is obscured among the trees. Unlike the Spartan comfort station at Roanoke Mountain the one here supplies LCD lights powered by a solar panel, paper towel, and soap. Decided it was time for my nightly scotch and as I've had no other alcohol today decided to make it a double.