Sunday was one of those days when the weather made it impossible to stay inside. The sky was that amazing shade of North Carolina blue, the temperatures were in the mid 50's, and the Blue Ridge Parkway was calling my name. So I packed a sandwich and something to drink, loaded Abby, our 13 year old chocolate Lab, into the back seat of my car, and headed out for what I just knew would be a spectactular day. I wasn't disappointed!
To get to the Parkway, I took SR 215 N, a winding road that brought me though a tunnel of fall color, through the small mountain community of Balsam Grove; past churches and century old cabins; a trout farm; creeks, and campgrounds. Most of the time, there were no cars in front of me and if another driver happen to come up from behind, I would find a place to pull over to let them pass so I could poke along at my own speed, enjoying the ride. Every turn in the road was a photo opp, a treat for all my senses.
When I was a kid, we often came to this area on summer vacation and it drove me crazy when my dad would stop at every Scenic Overlook on the way to our destination. Somehow, as I drove along the Parkway on this particular Sunday the idea made perfect sense. Every stop afforded a different view of these amazing Blue Ridge mountains. My final stop was at the highest point that is accessible to motorists - it's a view from over 6,000 feet. People were picnicking, taking pictures, or simply standing together, staring out at Mother Nature's annual color show. There were no talks of politics, no one lamenting about mortgages or the drop in home values; no one was debating the war or the price of gas. There seemed to be a collective sense of peace and appreciation for what was around us.
The 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway began as a Depression-era work project in the 1930's and took a half a century to complete. It connects the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park in North Carolina. The ironic comparison to the days when the Parkway was built and the turbulent economic days we're living in now is not lost on me. But neither is the fact that while the Blue Ridge Parkway was designed to connect two of our country's national parks, it is also the kind of place that connects us a people, giving us a beautiful piece of common ground on which to stand.
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For more information about things to do in and around Brevard, North Carolina
visit the Clay Team online.
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