This is a retrospective blog of my seven-week exploration of Virginia along with a journey through the Shenandoah National Park and on down the Blue Ridge Parkway to Cherokee, North Carolina. 'Retrospective' means simply that it wasn't written during the trip, but is being written in hindsight a little over a year later. Baaswell Sheep accompanied me and is writing the blog in the way he's done my later blogs, since he's so good with the color commentary. Unfortunately, since I didn't plan for this blog back them, my pictures are limited to the major attractions, but I'll try to make those galleries a little bigger than I do in my later blogs.
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We're hitting the road today, but we always like to fuel up before heading out of metro Atlanta, and Maple Street is one of our favorites. My companion got the biscuit and sausage gravy and thoroughly enjoyed it. The amusing quirk to this place is that instead of just giving you a number or putting your name on your order, they have a "question of the month" like "What's your favorite movie star?" or "What's your favorite TV show?", and then when your order is ready, they call out your response to that question. I do find it interesting listening to what others have said as they call out orders for pick-up.
Cheoah Dam, Little Tennessee River, North Carolina
Our first scenic stop is this dam on the Lower Tennessee River, just below the Tennessee / North Carolina state line. We've come up the back routes, driving up to Blue Ridge, Georgia, then taking spur 60 up to US 64 near Murphy, North Carolina, then heading east and branching off onto US 74 going into the Nantahala recreational area. From there, we turned off on US 129 to take the scenic route up to the Pigeon Forge area, and found this dam along the way. Unlike some dams, this one doesn't carry the road – instead, going north you cross the river on a regular bridge, then turn sharply east and go right beside the dam as you follow the river for a ways. A nice way to start the trip and it is curious about those railroad tracks leading over onto the dam. Couldn't ever find anything out about that, but learned that the dam was a filming site for the Harrison Ford movie The Fugitive.
Fontana Lake, North Carolina
So, we continued up US 129 into Tennessee, but about eight miles in, winding along the western edge of the Smoky Mountains National Park, everything came to a dead stop. My companion got out and someone said there was a wreck up ahead, so we turned around and went back south to NC 28 and headed east on it, all the way back down to US 74 not far west of Bryson City. A long way to go to get there, but we had no idea how long US 129 would be closed. Along NC 28, we stopped at a pull-off in the Fontana Lake area and got some really nice pictures.
Scenic Overlook, I-26 Northbound Past Exit 9, North Carolina
This little gem is just south of where I-26 starts crossing the Appalachian mountains as you head from Asheville towards Johnson City. We'd continued on US 74 into the Asheville area, and while we were not wanting to get on any interstates, it was growing late and my companion wanted to get as far north as he could before it got dark. So, he got on I-40 east long enough to reach I-26 west, which really goes due north. Someone had told us recently that this stretch of I-26 near Tennessee was gorgeous, and it turns out they were absolutely right. A wonderful way to end out our first day away, even if we did have to take an awkward detour to end up here. Some of the best views are up a semi-steep walking path, but it was definitely worth the effort.
So, we got as far as Johnson City and decided to call it a day. We were both pretty exhausted after the unexpected detour, so we just grabbed a quick dinner at an Arby's. He enjoyed his favorite, a beef-and-cheddar add lettuce and tomato to make it healthy (or so he claims). I enjoyed the curly fries and the apple turnover. We then found a good hotel so we could get rested up for the next day of our seven-week adventure.
Please note that all restaurant and product names are used simply for referential purposes and links provided as a courtesy. Reviews are the sole opinions of the reviewer: no restaurant has paid to be listed here, and no restaurant is being explicitly endorsed. In other words, go out there, try them all, and form your own opinions!
Our first scenic stop is this dam on the Lower Tennessee River, just below the Tennessee / North Carolina state line. We've come up the back routes, driving up to Blue Ridge, Georgia, then taking spur 60 up to US 64 near Murphy, North Carolina, then heading east and branching off onto US 74 going into the Nantahala recreational area. From there, we turned off on US 129 to take the scenic route up to the Pigeon Forge area, and found this dam along the way. Unlike some dams, this one doesn't carry the road – instead, going north you cross the river on a regular bridge, then turn sharply east and go right beside the dam as you follow the river for a ways. A nice way to start the trip and it is curious about those railroad tracks leading over onto the dam. Couldn't ever find anything out about that, but learned that the dam was a filming site for the Harrison Ford movie The Fugitive.
