Day 40: Blue Ridge Parkway (Central)

I stayed last night at a gem of a place in the tiny town of Floyd, VA (seat of Floyd County). The Hotel Floyd was built in 2007, and a new section added in June of this year. It's a very modern, eco-friendly hotel with solar panels on the roof and recycle bins in the rooms (the first I've seen on this trip). Free live country music was on tap in a room near the lobby, as it is every Thursday night. The town itself is becoming regionally known for a variety of music (but especially bluegrass and old-time mountain music) and has many festivals and jamborees. It bills itself as a "hippie-hillbilly" town. (On a side note, I paid just $2.93 a gallon for gas here this morning.)

The fall colors are later (about one to two weeks) and more subdued this year than normal in northern Virginia (due to drier and warmer fall weather), but as I drove south today the colors began to improve dramatically. In part, it was due to an increase in elevation, but it has also been wetter and cooler (as it was today). About 2 p.m. it began raining, and shortly thereafter it poured rain during some thundershowers. I saw some lightning in the distance and heard thunder, but not directly in my area. The foggy valleys and dark skies made for some interesting conditions for photos -- much better than if it had just been a clear, sunny day.

I continually meet fascinating people on this journey. Yesterday I spoke for about 45 minutes with a man whose sister-in-law worked for the U.S. Forest Service on the Siuslaw Forest in Mapleton, OR. She now resides in Junction City. He and I had a good time visiting and discussing the similarities and differences between Oregon and Virginia. Today I met an older man who was visiting the Parkway for the first time since his wife passed away. He said he was a bit "misty-eyed" returning here without her.

After traveling 143 miles today (about 125 of them on the Parkway), I arrived at my lodging in Boone, NC, home of Appalachian State University. 5,866 miles total for the trip now.

Hotel Floyd in Floyd, VA.

There are many farms along the Parkway, and horses and cattle are a common sight.

Picnic grounds at Rocky Knob.

Puckett Cabin. Notice the split rail "worm fence," which was common in the 19th century (and still is in many areas).

Commencing to precipitate.

This was one of my favorite views of the trip. As usual, photos don't do it justice.

Along Boone's Trace near Boone, NC (Blowing Rocks area). Daniel Boone supposedly traveled through this area. Elevation here is 3262 feet.