| The Blue Ridge Parkway is the legacy from the | | | | The Parkway is a great route for those who |
| era of Roosevelt and the New Deal. Now for | | | | lovers of bicycles. The real reason for this |
| students of history and indeed for some with | | | | is that the quality of the road itself is |
| a very long memory, it is not difficult to | | | | excellent in that actually the bicycle is a |
| understand why this project was put together. | | | | great way to experience the outstanding |
| | | | scenery at a more leisurely pace than one |
| Originally planned as a link between the | | | | would otherwise experience from a car. |
| great Smoky Mountain national Park and the | | | | However to enjoy the benefits of the Blue |
| Shenandoah national Park, the Blue Ridge | | | | Ridge Parkway on a bicycle takes planning and |
| Parkway has now taken on an identity all of | | | | to be brutally blunt endurance. This last |
| it's own. | | | | aspect is key as though the lowest point may |
| | | | well only be 600 foot above sea level and the |
| The 469 miles off the Blue Ridge Parkway are | | | | highest point 6000 foot the various "ups and |
| a testament to the care and attention and | | | | downs" off the route actually total an |
| craftsmanship of the original workers and | | | | elevation change of nearly 48000 feet. That's |
| this goes quite some way to adding to the | | | | nearly 9 miles to the uninitiated! |
| experience and enjoyment gained by travelling | | | | |
| on this route way. | | | | As has been mentioned the road effectively |
| | | | spans two states Virginia and North Carolina |
| As you can imagine executing a feat like this | | | | the terrain in each state is actually quite |
| took considerable experience as well as | | | | different effectively Virginia is more in the |
| imagination. The landscape architect Stanley | | | | foothills of the Appalachians but when you |
| Abbot was chosen to head up this task and as | | | | hit the North Carolina section of the Blue |
| befits a man who's CV includes Central Park | | | | Ridge Parkway mountings scenery becomes much |
| Manhattan he achieved this with considerable | | | | more alpine and dramatic. |
| aplomb. | | | | |
| | | | Initially work started on the Blue Ridge |
| The Blue Ridge Parkway took approximately 2 | | | | Parkway in 1935 and actually took 52 years |
| years to complete and extends from Waynesboro | | | | before the roadway was actually officially |
| in the north to just outside of Cherokee on | | | | opened in 1987 as one continuous road. |
| the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains | | | | |
| National Park in the South. | | | | To really give the Blue Ridge Parkway it's |
| | | | due then you really have to set aside two |
| As it travels south west from Waynesboro the | | | | weeks to enjoy your visit and even then you |
| Blue Ridge Parkway passes Roanoke in Virginia | | | | may well find that that is not enough. |
| and Asheville in North Carolina before | | | | |
| stopping just short off the Tennessee North | | | | Scott writes regularly about Travel issues |
| Carolina border just south of Gatlinburg. | | | | such as Smoky Mountain Cabins and Great |
| | | | Smoky Mountains National Park. |