Traveling Square Dancers: Blue Ridge Parkway

Who We Are

We sold our home in June, 2007, and spent the next 7 1/2 years traveling full time in a Cross Roads Fifth Wheel. (We had been traveling during our summers for several years before going full time.) We loved the full-time lifestyle! Each summer we spent a month or two volunteering in State Parks, first in Indiana at McCormick's Creek State Park, near our family, then in later years as the grandchildren got older, at the Bluewater Lake State Park in New Mexico. We spent 6 months each winter at Cactus Gardens RV Resort in Yuma, AZ, where I worked mornings in the park office. The remaining months were spent on the road, seeing this great country of ours. Our favorite places are our National Parks. Anita loved photography and the freedom of digital photography, taking sometimes hundreds of photos in a day. We hiked as much as our legs will allow. We also really enjoyed square and round dancing as we travel across country, and meeting all the wonderful people who dance and/or travel.

But as in all things, there comes a time for change, and we decided it was time to create roots once more. In the fall of 2014, we purchased a home in Cactus Gardens, and in the spring of 2015, sold the 5th wheel. Anita also retired in the spring. We will continue to travel each summer, but for a shorter period of time. We hope to continue blogging about those trips, but it will obviously be on a more limited basis than in the past.

Please explore our past posts if you are interested in traveling this great country. You'll find an index in the left column. We hope you enjoy our blog, and appreciate all comments

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Blue Ridge Parkway – MP 154-120

We drove from Buena Vista back to Roanoke, and entered the Parkway there.

Although we wanted to start at MP 154 and make our stops along the way back, we decided to stop first at the Visitor Center at Virginia’s Explore Park.

Although the facility is a Visitor Center for the Parkway, it’s an interesting situation. Explore Park was founded in 1985 to draw visitors driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Roanoke area. Land was acquired and the site became a Virginia state park. Early ideas included a zoo and a historical theme park. A lack of investment funds led the park to become a more modest living history museum focused on the early history of Southwest Virginia. Today, the county of Roanoke runs the facility, and all buildings except the Visitor Center are closed. There are hiking trails and picnic areas that are maintained, and an effort is underway to bring concerts, etc. back to the location.

It is beautiful, and sad to see so much of it closed.

A nice 3D topographical map takes up a large part of the Visitor Center.

We took time to watch their movie presentation on the Parkway, and were later glad to find out it was the one we had missed at the Visitor Center in Asheville. The attendants at the Visitor Center here were very friendly; we enjoyed conversing with them.

These are the historic buildings now closed.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch while on the grounds.

The rest of this portion of the Parkway did not include any historical exhibits, so here are some of the scenic views from the day.

The scenic road over Roanoke Mountain (milepost 120.3) is a four mile one way loop road that affords stunning views of Roanoke, Roanoke Valley, and Mill Mountain.

Just as we reached the crest (elevation of a little over 2000) raindrops began to fall … we were able to watch the progression of the cloud and rains over the city below from the overlook.