Blue Ridge to Abingdon

Blue Ridge Pkwy to Abingdon, VA
We finished our part of the Blue Ridge Pkwy today having gone about 120 miles down this wonderful drive. On the Pkwy you are on the top of the ridgeline of the Blue Ridge Mtns as I said. You travel from one side of the ridgeline to the other side you see panoramic views of the main valleys below you. The road does meander and go up and down quite a bit as I have said before and you rarely in an RV go over 30 mph. But there are lots of visitor centers and lots and lots of pullouts.
Before leaving we visited Johnston’s Farm which is 1900’s Appalachian farm that was here at the time. Their crops in this region were mostly corn and fruit (apples and peaches and plums. Although they did have hogs and cows for their own consumption. They were very isolated even if they did not feel so and you could see how this would be a great life but a limiting one. You certainly would learn to be self sufficient.
At Roanoke we left the Blue Ridge Pkwy and went on Interstate 81 to Abington, VA where we are tonight parked in the Giant Lion Parking lot (sort of a great big grocery store).
The two campgrounds that we had picked out were both closed this time of year (10/15 seems to be the date for most of them at this latitude). Remember I said that it was getting cold well last night it was into the high 20’s and I expect the same tonight. Fortunately we have the Mr. Buddy heater and the generator is working without a flaw now so that in the morning we can even have forced air heating (Bev never had it so good).
Did I mention the trees along the roadside everywhere along the Blue Ridge Pkwy, well they were just fabulous and some had really brilliant color. Now along the 81 Fwy there seems to be more rolling hills with farms and pastureland. Here we are in long valleys with rolling hillsides everywhere, between the Blue Ridge Mountain range and the Smokey Mountain Range. We will be crossing into Tennessee tomorrow and that may present still a different landscape.
1 The campground
2 Locke on the River
3 Quilting
4 Hams and cider
5 THe road