So, last night (October 12th) I had a motel with no WiFi. BUMMER. So updating Day 4 to keep ahead of the curve...
Distance Traveled from Marion VA to Marion NC. Seriously. Did not plan that! 412 KM.
Cars of Note: 2 Porsche 911 series and one Corvette ZR1 making tracks at Mach 1 southbound of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Pet Peeve(s): Gatlinburg TN is the biggest tourist trap (less the apparently awesome Airsoft gun shops they have). 1.5 hours to travel 2.5 miles. Seriously. Just how much stuff can one buy?
...Oh, and pickup drivers.
...And RVs on mountain roads. Ban them all. They are allowed to go down hills only. Not up.
The Best Western in Marion VA was AWESOME. Nice room. Thick towels. Clean. Quiet.
So, I am feeling a bit pressured. I have been a bit lax in getting up and on the road. I am on vacation you know but taking my time I have been getting on the road late in the AM and I keep forgetting that it gets dark early so sight seeing time and road tripping time is majorly impacted.
Routing: I-80 to 66 south. Then 441 (amazing road!) to Cherokee NC. Blue Ridge Parkway, northbound until Route 80 in North Carolina to Marion NC. Route 80 was awesome too!
I am going to focus on the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP) here:
- Go. Drive it. Well worth it.
- The fall leaf colours are peaking at the higher elevations starting the 2nd week in October so I totally planned my trip with perfect timing. Elevation matters. The higher it is the cooler it is. One can see a big difference between 3, 4, 5 and 6 thousand foot elevations.
- Expect it to take a long time if you do drive it. Top Gear made a joke about this and ha ha. The section they showed is one of the more modern parts of the BRP. Driving at 45 MPH is NO JOKE AND ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. Seriously, one mistake, a yawn, a grab for a water bottle poorly timed and you might actually die. As in dead. There are NO services along the route.
- Gas up early and often. When I drove out west during the winter in the early 90's I had a 1/2 tank rule. Once the tank gets close to 1/2 empty you fill up. Same on the BRP. There are no gas stations on this section and if you need gas you may have to drive 60 miles to get some.
- Expect vertigo if you do not like heights. I do not like heights on buildings and I experienced a weird effect when going around corners mostly that projected a view over and beyond the edge of the highway. I got momentary shivers akin to those I get on the top of the CN Tower. So, if you are in a taller vehicle, like a mini-van, and have fear-of-height issues this trip may NOT be for you.
- Cell phones do not work here but OnStar does!
- Expect to:
- Stop often at outlooks.
- Not pass other vehicles.
- Not get snacks, food, liquor or other comforts on the BRP. Bring your own.
- Get slowed by RVs.
- Be alert to animals such as deer.
- Have the weather change. FAST.
- Be amazed at the view!
- The drive and view are amazing. Lots of lookouts to stop and wonder at nature.
- Good Samaritan for a motorcycle rider who crashed. Luckily bike but not rider damaged and others helped.
- Stopped at outlooks and learned about the region and ecology.
- Took not as many pictures as I wanted to but the weather was so, so.
- Got to drive in the clouds.
- Got to drive out of the clouds.
- Small race on NC 80 with another driver. Awesome real-time European style switchbacks on that road.
The drive is exhausting. Even at the 45 MPH speed limit one has to concentrate and think and plan out their driving taking into account the sharp curves and elevation changes. And remember that you loose horsepower as you climb in elevation so at 6,000 feet ASL my little Accent had very little infection. I have had a car up to 13,000 feet ASL and boy do you use the lower gears a lot. I would estimate about 1,000 gear changes but I would NOT trade my manual gear box for an automatic. Just too much fun being in control.
See you soon...
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