Linville Falls

So after much thought and careful consideration, unlike when I first came up with my bright idea of driving the Blue Ridge Parkway in its entirety, I have come to the conclusion that doing that is just not feasible; mostly due to the lack of cooperation I have received from mother nature. So, as in life in general, I have altered my plans as follows: I have decided to omit the parkway in VA altogether as reports from other travelers suggest it is in a state of disrepair as the overlooks are poorly maintained. As such, I shall be concentrating my efforts to see some cool shit in NC instead. What seemed to work well for me yesterday will be the model for my new plan; take the highway to said sight and after the weather clears in the afternoon jump on the BRP for some sporty-like driving. Stay tuned...

And now to blog:

Yesterday turned out to be a really fun day overall. Even though it started with me sitting at the McDonalds near my campsite for 2 hours looking at maps and the weather and trying to figure out how to beat the fog into submission. I finally realized that driving the parkway early in the morning was completely out. So I decided to just do what normal people do around here, take the highway to

the sights I wanted to see. That decision actually turned out rather well as I found myself out in the countryside jetting down some really cool roads equal in beauty and curvature to the parkway. The roads coming in and out of Linville Falls were especially badass. Yesterday I was able to make it to Linville Falls for a short hike and then hop on the BRP and jet down that for a while. I opted out of sleeping in my truck again for a hot shower and continental breakfast at the Comfort Inn. And yes, it was comfortable.

I'll be hitting the area around Linville Falls again today hoping to hike the Gorge and see the caverns...

The best part of my day: sitting at the falls at one of the far overlooks. I had the place to myself for almost an hour. I just sat there eating my banana and listening to the earth that surrounded me. Seems to be what I like best overall so far just sitting and listening...

And just for the record: finding a place to camp has been exhausting. Next time I'll come before Oct 31 which would be before all the state campgrounds close for the season...geez.

Oh and thanks to Slate and Melody for the offer of a bit of couch surfing at their cabin, I'll see you all this afternoon...:)