For those of you who would like to see the Blue Ridge Parkway in full autumn color, I have a nice video for you. I filmed this about 2 weeks ago. I hope you enjoy it.
My Miata Meets the Blue Ridge Parkway

Migration video #1

I have just posted the first of several videos of the trip with the Miata, I have hours of video through the scenic parts of Indiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, and the Blue Ridge Parkway through Virginia and North Carolina. I plan to post additional ones during the next few weeks, as time permits.

The first one is a tour through the very scenic Babcock State Park in West Virginia. Enjoy.
My Miata Meets...Babcock State Park, West Virginia

Monday, Oct 17

I flew back to Minneapolis today to prepare for the second stage of the migration. In a couple weeks or so I will drive our Highlander down to Florida, by a more direct route.

I am still learning about this blogging, and I have much to learn. I am thinking of keeping this blog going to share some of the wildlife photos I might capture while in Florida.

If you have enjoyed it or have any suggestions for making it better, please drop me an email directly at:
steve73@aol.com

Thanks,

Steve

Friday, October 14

Friday, October 14

                                                 The pictures say it all. Blue skies!

 Finished the Blue Ridge Parkway today. What a fantastic ride. Drove late and made it to Macon,
Georgia. I plan on sleeping at Pine Island Cove tomorrow night.

 Thanks to Bobby Wertis for suggesting this trip. It was a fantastic idea.

                                                      Adventure before dementia!

 Thursday, October 13

The day started out foggy and rainy. But after a couple hours it had cleared up a lot.

It was almost 300 miles of hills and curves and it was awesome.

The scenery was incredible. I stopped at the old Mabry Mill, and the Blue Ridge Music Center.

I arrived at another old favorite of mine just before dark. I had visited it in the spring a few years ago. The Julian Price Memorial Park is beautiful anytime of the year.

It’s getting late and I have another two long days of driving ahead of me.

Dream as if you'll live forever

Live as if you'll die tomorrow

Mabry Mill

After 300 miles of curves. Notice the smile.

Julian Price Memorial Park Panorama

My itinerary, written on toilet paper, got wet. So changes had to be made. It rained through most of the day. Even the best laid plans…

It was a day full of hills and curves, with even more planned for tomorrow. Miata sighed contentedly when I gently shut her down this evening. I did the same. This is type of road for which the Miata was designed. So I am getting to see her at her best.  And Florida has precious few of these roads, to my knowledge. Since Florida will be her home it’s good we re both getting a taste of these roads now.

Distant vistas were non-existent today. Sometimes fog slowed me down to a crawl. Bright blue, sunny skies are great for cheerful autumn shots. But photographers know that for deep, saturated colors, overcast skies and wet leaves often make for more beautiful shots with great mood.

Overlook. I'm supposed to be able to see West Virginia. Nope.

I ended the day after traveling the entire length of Skyline Drive. It is essentially the Blue Ridge Parkway as it passes through Shenandoah National Park for about 70 miles. The speed limit was 35 mph and much of the time I was going less than that because of the rain and fog.

I am hoping for a break in the weather that will allow me to see some of those mountain vistas as I travel the first part of the actual Blue Ridge tomorrow. I have plans to make 300 miles. Hopefully that is not too optimistic. I have a reservation in Blowing Rock, NC so that is my goal.

So, why do they call these the Smoky Mountains?

Hopelessly lost, but making great time.

Click on the pictures to see more detail

It was cloudy today, delaying the top removal until the afternoon. And rain later made it necessary to put it back up. Typically my itinerary is written on toilet paper, making changes likely, even necessary. I adjusted my route through the mountains of West Virginia to revisit a favorite of mine from a previous trip, Babcock State Park. The main attraction is the Glade Creek Grist Mill, which was completed in 1976.  Fully operable, this mill was built as a re-creation of one that once ground grain on Glade Creek long before Babcock became a state park. It is used to grind corn meal and buckwheat flour, which is available for purchase by visitors. The water level was too low today to allow for grinding because of lack of rain.

I am staying at Front Royal, VA at the northern end of my planned trip through Shenandoah National Park, and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The small specks visible in the sky are a few of the hundreds of leaves falling from the trees.

Indecision is the key to flexibility.