Cascade on a small creek flowing down to join Cedar Creek near the Natural Bridge.
The rocks of the cascade were covered with a layer of moss and slime.
The park said this tree was believed to be more than 1,600 years old before it died.
The Natural Bridge
The survey marker placed by George Washington. You can see "GW" on the marker.
The opposite side of the Natural Bridge. This area is an amphitheater where the park hosts different programs.
We were actually at the park before it opened and had to wait in the car until they opened the doors of the visitor center. You have to go through the building to access the trail down to the Natural Bridge. The trail is all paved and pretty easy other than some stairs at the beginning. Once you get down to the creek it is flat and wide. It was super boring compared to what we had hiked in Shenandoah National Park, but the scenery was nice. They have a live-action Monacan Indian Village along the trail where people demonstrate activities the natives performed in the past like shucking corn, raising goats and basket weaving. There is also a small waterfall and cave along the trail. This park has been listed as a National Historic Landmark since 1988 and it is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. It's pretty cool to see the bridge and read the history about who not only visited this landmark, but also who owned it. Jefferson bought it from King George III and the park was privately owned until the end of 2015 when the land became state park land.
Cruising the trail along Cedar Creek
There is an underground river also flowing through this gorge as well. Workers from the saltpeter cave heard the flowing water and blasted this hole to access the river. Many attempts have been made to find the source of the river, as well as its destination, but none have been successful thus far.
Lace Falls
Saltpeter cave. You can't go inside as the entrance is fenced off, so it's more like a giant overhang now.
Video: Natural Bridge State Park footage
After leaving Natural Bridge, I finally had time to get on my bike and do some riding. We had been on this trip now for over a week and not once had I been in the saddle. The drive over to Natural Bridge from the parkway looked pretty fun, so I started in Glasgow, VA on Hwy 130. After a flat first mile, I went up a twisty little climb, followed by a fast descent before some rollers took me back to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Once on the BRP, I headed south, stopping periodically to check out the sights. I found a wild apple tree growing along the road and was able to pick a fresh snack.
James River from Hwy 130 after the first climb and descent of the day.
Hwy 130
Going under the BRP to reach the entrance road
Otter Lake on the Blue Ridge Parkway
The spillway from Otter Lake, which is known as Otter Lake Waterfalls
Road snack
Shannon ventured off the road to grab a few more apples for later in the day
It was a dreary day and had been sprinkling a bit when we were at Natural Bridge. Fog moved in as I began to climb Apple Orchard Mountain on the Blue Ridge Park. It thickened the more I climbed, getting to the point where I could not see more than about 20 feet up the road. It made me very nervous about cars coming up behind me, but fortunately traffic was minimal. I only saw two cars on the way up the mountain. I pulled off the road when I heard them coming. They were within 50 feet of me before I could see their headlights. It was crazy. The top of the mountain was above the fog line so I could actually see the views a bit. Apple Orchard Mountain is the highest point on the BRP at 3950 feet. The mountain gets its name from the look of the trees at the top. They have been thrashed by wind and ice every winter which has broken the trees, making them look like a pruned, old apple orchard. The descent was a little scary in the fog, but I had Shannon behind me in the van so I was protected from getting caught by any cars.
The fog begins. I loved the look of this stretch. Eerily beautiful.
This was the view from most of the overlooks on the way up.
Finally up above the clouds and can see a little of what's below.
At the top of Apple Orchard Mountain
Descending the other side of Apple Orchard
The plan was for me to ride to the Peaks of Otter area where there were a few hikes we wanted to do. The first trail came just as I reached the bottom of the Apple Orchard Mountain descent. It seemed like my ride was so short and I wanted to keep going, but I also wanted to be able to hike with Shannon. The fog was still an issue along the road so that made ending my ride a little easier. I only got in 32 miles, but it took me 2:40 to complete it. I only averaged 12.0 mph as I climbed for about 80% of the ride.
We hiked the Fallingwater Cascades loop. It was short at just 1.5 miles, but we didn't mind too much after doing so much walking over the past week. The loop was short, but far from easy. We descended at first, then reached the cascades. From there it was steep climbing the rest of the way back to the trailhead.
On the Fallingwater Cascades Loop
Shannon was thrilled to see another creek crossing...not! At least this one had plenty of rocks to step on and keep the feet dry.
Fallingwater Cascades
Just a few miles further down the parkway is the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Campground. We had hoped to hike this area, but it was starting to rain and we were not feeling up to another long climb to the top of a mountain. Every trail in that area goes up. It was also quite crowded. We decided to keep moving and try to get ahead of the rain. We continued south, stopping next at a short trail down to a bridge and overlook of a small river. Next, the parkway passes right along the east side of Roanoke. There is a side road your can take that goes up to an overlook atop Roanoke Mountain that was pretty cool.
Porter Mountain Overlook along the parkway
The short trail to the BRP bridge had a little view of a spillway in the distance
The end of the trail was this small platform overlooking a river. Nothing spectacular, but a nice leg-stretcher.
View from Roanoke Mountain
That pretty much ended our day as we drove all afternoon. Most of the overlooks were too foggy to see anything. South of Roanoke the parkway flattens out a lot. It's like you are on a plateau rather than winding through the mountains. We decided to try to cross this area and hit the Rocky Knob Campground nearer to the other side. We only had one full day left on this trip and wanted to get back into the mountains before we ran out of time. We rolled into the campground right at dark, so we pretty much just got our bed set up and fixed dinner before going to sleep.
Monday was the final full day of our trip. It was foggy at sunrise, but the sun quickly burned away the fog and brought us a beautiful day. Our first stop of the day was at Mabry Mill. This old mill was super scenic. It was a postcard scene for sure.
Mabry Mill
We stopped at several overlooks as we continued our drive south. The hills gradually returned on the parkway so each overlook got a little bigger and a little better. We stopped at an old tower shelter on top of Groundhog Hill, mainly just because of the name. It would be a cool place to camp if hiking through the area. Shannon was hoping to check out the Blue Ridge Music Center, but it was not open when we got there.
Inside the tower shelter on Groundhog Hill
By late morning, we had made it to the North Carolina state line. Just as you move into North Carolina there is a hiking trail at Cumberland Knob Recreation Area. Shannon was tired, but I was able to talk her into doing this loop. We hiked up to the Cumberland Knob, then descended the other side before venturing through Gully Creek back to the trailhead. It was a really cool 2.5 mile loop. The initial climb burned the legs. The top did not have a view, but there were mushrooms all over the place and an old hiking shelter. The woods thickened as we went off the other side. We saw a snake just off the side of the trail right before we got to Gully Creek. This section of the trail was really cool. It was gradual climbing along the creek. The vegetation was thick and the trail was rocky and technical. It was super fun! Shannon was not happy to see several more creek crossings, but she made it through them all and kept her boots dry.
Bright white mushroom along the trail up to Cumberland Knob
Shelter at the top of Cumberland Knob
Black Rat Snake
Fun, challenging trail along Gully Creek
The next goal was to get to Blowing Rock, NC and see the famous Blowing Rock. I have always wanted to visit that area so finally it was time. We stopped at a few more sites along the parkway as we moved further south. There were old cabins, cemeteries and overlooks every few miles. We attempted another hike, but the trail was WAY overgrown and we had to turn back after only a few minutes. We also wanted to hike to Jumpinoff Rock, but somehow missed it. We realized it once we reached The Lump, a bald hilltop with a decent view. We also made a quick stop at E.B. Jeffress Park to hike the 0.8-mile loop around the Fall Creek Cascades Trail.
Brinegar Cabin
View from Wildcat Rocks
Wildcat Rocks was the area where the trail was overgrown just after you started off the top of the mountain.
Butterfly on The Lump
On top of The Lump
Fall Creek Cascades Trail
Fall Creek Cascades
A more mountainous viewpoint on the Blue Ridge Parkway as we near Blowing Rock
We made it to Blowing Rock in the afternoon. The rock was not crowded at all and we were able to explore it thoroughly. It's just a little tourist attraction featuring a few very short trails around the rock, some nice viewpoints and a gift shop. Blowing Rock is known as North Carolina's oldest travel attraction. The fascination is not just in the view, but also the way the wind blows. There is an updraft that blows light things up from below. You can drop leaves or feathers over the side when the wind is blowing and they will come back up to you. People even say snow moves upward around rock. Legend has it that a Native American couple would meet up at the rock. One day, the man jumped off the rock and fell to the forest below after being torn between having to return to his homeland or stay with his lover. She prayed for his return and one day the wind lifted him back up the mountain to her and has been blowing upward ever since.
The view from Blowing Rock
The point of the rock
Of course I had to climb it. Got the shaky legs up at the top.
The Blowing Rock cat
Loved this view from the side of the rock.
Sunset was approaching when we left Blowing Rock. We still had a good ways to go to reach another campground. The weather forecast did not look good with rain about to enter the area and last the next several days. We could already see the clouds moving in. We were done with rain on this trip. We decided to drive one more section of the parkway to see the Linn Cove Viaduct that is built off the side of the mountain. You can't really see much of the Viaduct when you are on it, but it's cool nonetheless. Grandfather Mountain was in the distance. That was one place I wanted to go on this trip, but the weather would likely keep us off the swinging bridge on the top of the mountain so it wasn't worth staying for. We did one final hike up to Flat Rock and then exited into Linnville, NC to start toward home. It just wasn't worth camping in the rain tonight just to be in the rain for a few more hours tomorrow morning before we would have to head home. We crossed back into Tennessee by Roan Mountain where we stopped for burgers and shakes. This place had burgers with slices of ham on them and they were delicious! We also grabbed some Dr. Enuf from a gas station. You can only get that stuff in east Tennessee. If you don't know about Dr. Enuf, it's a local soda. The company made Mountain Dew originally before selling the recipe to Pepsi. They then made Dr. Enuf. While not as tasty as Mountain Dew, it is pretty good. I would describe it as similar to mixing a ginger ale with Sprite. That's not exactly how it tastes, but the closest way I can explain it. They have cherry and Diet varieties too. They sponsored us when I was on the Piney Flats Bicycles team in 2006, and again in 2007 with The Bike Shop team. I never could get enough of Enuf! Check it out if you are ever in east Tennessee.
At the top of Flat Rock
View from Flat Rock
Dr. Enuf
We drove straight home and rolled into the house around 3am. We hit the shower first as we had not had one since we left Shenandoah. I know, it's gross. Then we went to bed and slept in. Coming home gave us some recovery time before we went back to work.
That ended our Virginia trip and the end of a super busy few weeks for me. What a fun time! There is nothing like the forests of the Appalachian mountains. I hope I get to come back to Shenandoah National Park again soon. That place really made the trip! It is truly unbelievable. Richmond and D.C. were awesome as well. We hope to get back to both some time in the future to see the things we missed on this trip. We also hope to pick up on the Blue Ridge Parkway where we ended this trip, and finish it all the way to the southern terminus in Cherokee, NC. The only regret I have was not getting in more bike time. I only got to ride one time. It was mostly due to the weather, but also partly due to some of our decisions to go for one more hike or just drive a little further. Those decisions seemed to always backfire and take longer than they should, ending my chance for a ride before dark. At least I got to spend a lot of time on the trail with Shannon during our hikes. I really enjoy being out in the woods with her. We hiked 35.6 miles while in Shenandoah and on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Add in all the walking we did at Richmond, Jamestown, Williamsburg, D.C., Manassas and Skyline Caverns and you have a lot of foot time on this trip. By my calculations, we got in at least 47 miles.
Below is a video of some of the things we saw during our adventures along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Video: Blue Ridge Parkway highlights
Now that the crazy travel time was over, it was time to get back to training as cross season was almost ready to start. More on that in the next post!
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