On Day 2 of our first Blue Ridge Parkway experience, we woke up early to this view: sun streaming in through the tress and not a single car on the road for miles. It was pure bliss.
We had to document the quiet, open road.
We did the Linn Cove Viaduct Trail first. It was supposed to be a quick 30-45 minute hike and we ended up getting lost. The funny thing is that we almost couldn't find this view below, but after doubling back and double checking a spot that we previously overlooked, BAM! There it was. This spot is on a rocky outcropping that is pretty steep and not the easiest place to take photos from. However, the good news is that we got there early so we were the only ones. It was pretty nice just to sit there and marvel at this engineering spectacle which was completed in 1987 {I was three!} and was the last section of the parkway to be completed.
During the hike, we actually got to walk under the bridge which was very impressive to see up close.
For our last hike of the day, we did a simple little walk around Bass Lake. Maybe it's not technically a hike, but it was beautiful.
We got off the parkway near Blowing Rock and made a quick pitstop at the Brewery for lunch. We had a lot of fun exploring this little town.
There is an actual attraction called Blowing Rock. Basically, due to the way the mysterious winds blow, it's the only place in the world where it snows upside down. You can read more about the Legend of Blowing Rock here. Below is the view from the Blowing Rock and this was actually one of my favorite views of the mountains from our entire trip. Don't the mountains really look blue?!
The Blowing Rock, in all it's glory.
We loved the parkway so much that we ended up taking another day trip a few weeks later. I'll share more of those photos next week. I don't think I could ever get too much Blue Ridge Parkway -- it is absolutely gorgeous and I cannot wait until we go back again.
xo,
Kim
