A ride to the Blue Ridge Parkway (October 19, 2012)

 Friday October 19 was a great day for a motorcycle ride, and enjoyed the time spent at Blowing Rock, NC and on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Blowing Rock is found right up NC-321 and is a great little mountain town. Kind of "touristy" and some places have prices to match, but there are also some good deals. I always like to make a stop at The Canyons (right at the top of 321) which I have found has some great food and drink prices (and a very friendly staff as well as some great mountain views. Blowing Rock is a great town to stroll the streets and check out some sights. This time of year though parking is a real adventure.   

 The Cone House seen here was a stop I visited on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is now home to a Craft Center of the Southern Highland Craft Guild, and there was a big crowd and some neat crafts to see inside the house. The house was built by the Cone Family and construction started in 1899. The house has 23 rooms and 13,000 feet of living space. Known as Flattop Mannor  it was donated to the Blue Ridge Parkway in 1949. It is an impressive house and the view from the front porch is remarkable. Of course the word remarkable does not cover all the sights I saw during this ride.  

Seen here is the road itself, one of the great roads of America. The Parkway runs some 469 (I think that is right) from North Carolina through Virginia. It has a low speed limit which is great for seeing the sights. There are a number of overlooks to stop and see the views and a number of interesting places to stop and check out. I have ridden (and for that matter driven) some big sections of the road over the years. It is a place and area that I have (and will) come to again and again, and is easily one of my favorite places in North Carolina. I have posted some more photos to my Flickr page, and also have some on my Racing with the Wind Motorcycle Page, links to both can be found above. Fall is one of my favorite times of year, and I was very happy with the sights, smells, and feel of this fine fall day in the Blue Ridge Parkway!