Tracking the Blue Ridge Parkway

Thursday June 16th

We decided on the spur of the moment to leave Dillard House early. Most of the family had already left. The Texas and CT people flew out first, and the NY people had started the long drive back. My daughter from FL had gone across the state line to NC to their vacation house, and our son had left to drive back to SC.

Blue Ridge Mountains

When Bob and I were first married in 1959, we went to his first duty station in Pensacola by driving the whole length of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I wanted to go back and drive some of it again, so when we left Dillard early, I tried to get on the Blue Ridge Parkway which, according to the map, went near Asheville. It was very difficult to figure out where the parkway was - the signs are not very big nor very numerous or prominent. But eventually we got there, and drove some of the way.

Blue Ridge Parkway

We didn't stop anywhere although I would have liked to, and we had time and could have done.I had not remembered how many tunnels there were,

Rattlesnake Mountain Tunnel

Going into the tunnel

Tunnel exit

but otherwise the road was as I remembered it. It is a two lane road which winds among the mountains

Two lane road

After sampling the Blue Ridge Parkway, we dropped down out of the mountains to spend the night in Asheville.

Leaving the Blue Ridge Parkway and dropping down to Asheville

I would have liked to visit the Biltmore, but I didn't have the energy.

Entrance to the Hampton Inn

I had made a reservation from Dillard through Booking.com for the Hampton Inn in Asheville. Doing the booking this way was a mistake because I can't get my Hilton points unless I make a reservation direct with the Hampton Inn.But when we got there a little after noon, our room was ready, and the desk people were helpful and welcoming, and the wi-fi was terrific. (Especially by comparison with the Dillard House). There was a nice TV, a microwave and a fridge, and I could get to the room by the elevator. They had snacks and a microwave by the front desk, and it was a short walk to Carrabba's for dinner.

View from our room

I would have gone over there to lunch, but they were not open for lunch. They opened at 4:00. But for a late late lunch and an early dinner I found that I could get there on the scooter without having to get back into the car. I had two small plates

Small plate - Lettuce wraps

Asparagus small plate - $9.88 for the two

and then I had a

Mixed berry crostata $8.49 (and the ice cream was not melted)

Bob had the .

Italian soup salad combo for $7.99 and hot tea $2.99

Friday June 17th

The Hampton Inn usually has a good breakfast and this one was no exception. They didn't have cranberry juice, but the rest of the breakfast was very good. They had waffle stations,

in addition to cold cereal, bagels and other breakfast items.

Cold cereals at the Hampton Inn

The next morning after breakfast, we left and went to Henderson.

We had lunch at the Burger King in Mockville,

Caramel sundae

and checked in to the Hampton Inn in Henderson on Ruin Creek Road about 3.

We considered where to go for dinner. There was a Burger King just down the road from the Hampton Inn, but we didn't want to eat at fast food for dinner. Also on Ruin Creek Road was Cracker Barrel (which I don't care for that much), the Ribeye Steakhouse where we had eaten when it was the Silo, and the Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant, but Bob doesn't care for Mexican. So we decided to go up I-85 one exit to exit 213- Near that are Smithfield's Chicken and BBQ (a possibility), Chick-fil-A and Ruby Tuesday (which we have at home), the Mayflower which we tried to find before without success, Golden Corral (buffets are not good for us), Bamboo Garden and Pino's where we had eaten before, Pizza Inn, Papa Johns, Ichibar a Japanese restaurant, Wendy's and Taco Bell. Leaving out the places we could eat at home and the places where we had eaten before and pizza places, that left Smithfields, Ichibar, Golden Corral and Denny's. Bob doesn't like Japanese so he picked Denny's.

Bob got a

Club sandwich and hot tea which they served with honey

He couldn't eat it all so we had the rest for lunch the next day.I had

Eggs in a Basket from the value menu

And I was going to try the bacon sundae, but I was too full

Saturday June 18

The next morning after breakfast, we went to the cemetery

Elmwood Cemetery

to visit my mother's grave (my father is not buried there - his part is a cenotaph)

My parents gravestone

and take photos, and then we drove straight on home.

Richmond clock tower

Twin chimneys - old house in St. Mary's Co

Getting close to home - 3 pm

Our next trip was in September - Up to Upstate NY to our grandson's wedding.