North Carolina tobacco field. This field was not as yellow or close to harvest as some we saw. Virginia and Pennsylvania are also tobacco producers. The farm we used to live on in southern Virginia was part of a land grant from King George II of England in 1753 and tobacco was it's main crop for most of the time the original family owned it. When we acquired it in 2004 our neighbor still remembered picking tobacco on that farm and said her arthritis was a direct result of tobacco picking. There was still a building on the place that was where the tobacco was packed into barrels for shipment to England. That old building was the oldest on the property and they had planted bamboo around to hide it. We had bamboo 40 feet tall and 6 inches around growing up through the building. I wish we could have saved the building but the termites had done too much damage. It took Joe three years of very patiently and repeatedly treating the whole area with Roundup to kill out all the bamboo. He had two other huge areas of bamboo to eradicate on the farm. I just wonder if the new owners have treated the areas if any new sprouts came up. If not, they are going to be sorry!!
Tuesday we entered the Blue Ridge Parkway and the driving was much easier - the terrain was more consistently flat and traffic was light. Joe didn't have to drive defensively all the time. That is very tiring for the driver. I am simply looking for things to take pictures of and any navigating that needs to be done. That is only stressful where we are doing city driving or on some back roads where there are lots of turns and road signs may be hidden by foliage or sometimes not even there. You just make a "best guess" and hope for confirmation down the road that you took the right turn.
Tuesday afternoon we were on the Blue Ridge Parkway about 10 miles from our destination when the fog started to settle in. With our blinking lights on the back of the car, we were not concerned about cars behind us, but since there were no headlights on the front, there was some concern that on-coming traffic might drift over the center line and not see us in the fog. Luckily the fog began to dissipate and we arrived with no problem.
We stayed at Fancy Gap Cabins and Campground in Fancy Gap, VA, right on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is such a tranquil and restful place, absolutely beautifully situated on the Parkway. It is owned by Clay and Rene Green's son and daughter-in-law. Dave and Denise were wonderful hosts and made our stay so easy.
Joe was able to work on the car in a quiet setting with no interruptions, no on-lookers with countless questions, and Dave's loan of a few essential tools and his car to go to Hillsville for a few parts and dinner was much appreciated. As we drove to town, Joe was the driver this time in a modern car and I didn't say anything for about five minutes and just waited for him to realize how slow he was going. Remember back to my experience with a modern car after traveling for several months at 35 mph. You get used to judging your speed by how fast the scenery is passing by. I just waited patiently until Joe happened to look down at the speedometer and noticed that he was driving the modern car at exactly the same speed he drives the E-M-F - about 32 miles per hour. It was really funny to see his expression - shocked and a little sheepish. Traveling so long in an old car really does change your perception of speed.
View as we left the motel section of the campground up on hill overlooking the Parkway. We will definitely stay at the campground again and so should you if you ever travel the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fancy Gap Cabins and Campgrounds can be reached for reservations by calling (484) 560-9119.
I saw rabbits and a turtle while on a little hike. Dave said a bobcat was seen by a couple staying where we were a few days before. We left early this morning after staying two days at the campground. It was blustery cold and threatening rain when we left and stayed cold most of the morning. As we headed north toward Lexington, the day cleared up and the cold moderated. There was still a definite chill in the air and the foliage along the parkway was definitely beginning to change color. Fall foliage will probably be at its peak in about a week or two.
Foliage beginning to turn along the Blue Ridge Parkway.
We passed several groups of dedicated cyclists on the parkway. In the morning, I was bundled up in a light coat, a heavy coat, Joe's duster and one of those little mink collars with the feet, tails and head that they used to wear way back when. I picked the collar up in a thrift store for Hershey, but it sure came in handy today to keep my neck warm.
Later in the day, the sun was out and the day turned beautiful and all the coats came off except the light jacket. This old log cabin and split rail fence were along the parkway.
We got off the parkway about Natural Bridge, VA to travel Rt ll that parallels the freeway. Joe was having to downshift a lot on the parkway so we decided to do Rt ll since it is at a lower elevation and would eliminate the downshifting. This old historic home was along Route ll.
Route ll also is studded with antique shops. How do I know this? I used to travel Rt ll almost every time I had to go from our home in southern VA back to York, PA where I worked. I was able to work remotely in VA for several years with periodic trips back to PA for 1-3 weeks at a time. You can bet I know where every antique store is located in VA and south-central PA.
Tomorrow is Friday and we will go east to Waynesboro, VA and south to Bremo Bluff to see Billy Melton, who is a good friend and "Mr. Antique Car Man" in Central Virginia. Every year he would put on a day tour for mostly Model T's somewhere in his area. It was likely to include dirt and gravel roads and the most interesting stops. We really miss the tours he put on, the friends we always saw on them and Billy himself. We used to travel to PA from southern VA about every 2 months and would stop to see Billy every chance we got. He has kept in touch on our trip this summer and has been a good sounding board for Joe when there were issues with the car.
If all goes according to plan and the car stays in one piece, we should be home Sunday afternoon.
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