Up to now On the Parkway

Annie and I are chugging along, we had some drizzle and fog for about all of the day on Monday...but we were able to pull out some good views anyways!

the fog hanging in the valley

then finally the fog lifted, and it swirled  around and hid in the valleys and made for some pretty dramatic photos! 

the wildflowers are soooo awesome!! ALL kinds....

I promised you butterfly photos and you would probably croak if you had to see all of them...

dotted skipper?

female eastern tiger swallowtail

male Eastern Tiger Swallowtail 

the silver spotted skipper

a curious Blue Grosbeak was screeching at me...right before I snapped this photo 

this young deer couldn't figure out what I was trying to do!!

I really liked this tree farm on a hill...

This is the Trail's Cabin....a stop along the parkway what a beautiful spot to have a cabin...

We made a stop at Sherando Lake, VA where I took advantage of the shower house...people were in the water swimming but it sure seemed cold to me!!  Annie and I took a hike around the lake...

we stopped in Buena Vista VA to get gas, and I thought this was funny...you need to zoom in and read the sign...

We had our lunch break here...

and I stopped to visit this family cemetery in the most beautiful spot one could take the eternal rest!!

This Lichen was really cool...with a bright orange leaf

Everything is super green....

this is Otter Lake not far from where we camped...

and just down the road the Rakes Mill Pond...

Fields of wild flowers everywhere I look!!

This is our spot in 1B for the night in the Otter Creek Campground had some rain in the night and a wee bit more fog but it cleared up pretty fast!!

Wait now that's my bed...

say what?

next day we make our way to  Shenandoah National Park!

more on that later!!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Everybody's Got the Blues...

Sometimes it's impossible to work around "Real Life" Lemons--- Lemonade---

In prep for my big trip I decided to give all 3 of my dogs a soapy long overdue bath!  Even Jimmy my sisters dog got one too! BUT when we were drying Annie off I found a tumor on her! It's located just above her rectum--I mean It's not a place I normally check--it's about the size of a marble...That was Friday....So on Saturday I got up early and took her to the vet.  He said it is a tumor and it needs to be removed due to its location.  So I scheduled her for the first available opening they had on their surgery calendar, Aug 15th.  So instead of my long awaited and  planned trip I get only one week before her surgery so Annie is with me...we'll get as far as we can and will return home on the 13th...Casey and Floss are home with sis and mom... I just wanted to get this special one to one time with Annie before this operation.  The tumor will be sent for testing and so I am just holding my breath.  BUT for now she and I are having a week together tripping and we are having a great time.  When she is well enough to either go with me or leave with Sis I will get back on my journey...sometimes you have to be flexible! SO I don't know If I will get to finish my original trip or not it's wait and see... BUT living in the moment is the only way to deal with this bad news....

As I said right away get as high as we can so we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway can't go wrong with this special place! 

When we left it was so humid you could stand a fork up in the air...no lie... and as soon as I climbed the first mountain I was able to roll the windows down and the AC has not been back on yet. We left Sunday it is now Tuesday...and I'm trying to not have second thoughts and just keeping going and pretend Annie is as fine as she appears to be ANY suggestions are appreciated...I just hate the idea of Anne going thru this surgery it's breaking my heart...

We have blue sad hearts but look we were rewarded by the cool air and the wildflowers along the roadside...which brings in butterflies!

I have seen millions of nectaring butterflies! My next post I will share millions of photos of them..:o)

I enjoy seeing the Blue Green fields of cabbage and maybe its broccoli too

Annie is a seasoned roadie she is no trouble she does bark if people get too close to the van which today a kid didn't know I was watching and he was teasing her through the open window! I was showering at a forest service public shower and left Annie in the shade but I left all the windows down she cant jump out the way I have her access to the front blocked...but he was running around my van sticking his head and hands into the open windows...I yelled at the little brat and told him stop teasing my dog! His father who watched the whole thing tried to say he was only curious...I said "why are you making excuses for his bad behavior?" I am NOT a people person...however I love flowers!

SO many kinds I couldn't begin to name them all but this looks like a Turks Cap to me, 

So we got on the Blue Ridge Parkway at Fancy Gap in VA, and headed north...I have blogged this mill before in fall color but I wanted to see it in summer green so here is Mabry Mill it is an iconic structure along the Parkway.

 I camped at Rocky Knob campground its $8 with senior pass, and I've stayed here before it was nearly empty! After getting a site Annie and I stopped at the Rocky Knob Visitors Center...it is housed in this old 1950's gas station building! SO charming...and the Ranger inside told me of a short one mile loop that Annie and I might enjoy and so we took off...no one was around so I allowed Annie some freedom...

she has been so good she has not offered to run off and leave me, she doesn't have Floss along to show off for!!

the hike took us past this old crumbling building it has seen it's best day for sure!

I almost expected to see Gnomes living in here....the scenery all around is just breath taking...

here is our little camp site it was a tight fit....but we managed...

I always take a tent site to save the larger sites for the people with large RV's and such, plenty of bigger spaces were available, but I've found its quieter in the tent section no generators. 

I'm beginning to think Annie doesn't like her photo taken she always looks away....

 The night was chilly and the rain started about 10 pm and it never stopped....next day we continued North on the Blue Ridge Parkway...into the fog!  Hopefully I'll have internet to tell you all about it!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Graveyard Fields forever...

After Mills River...

Day 2 found me driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC.

Granny's Knob Tunnel

I once again had hopes of birds--- nary a one--- unless you count the wild turkey that got away before I could shoot it with my camera, of course!! The wind was still blowing but I was determined to not let it get me down, roll with the punches, go with the flow, where ever the wind blows right? Besides how can views like this be anything but inspirational?

Looking Glass Rock Viewpoint

Some of the awesome stonework done by the CCC on one of the many  Parkway Bridges...

Still beautiful & Strong

So I had to swing my attention to hiking and waterfall viewing!! No Problem there is plenty of that to go around....I stopped at the Graveyard Fields...

Ill explain the name below this post.  There is a straight down then straight back up 8/10ths of a mile  (RT) hike to get to the lower Yellowstone Prong Falls. Many wooden stairs are involved...

Yellowstone Prong Lower Falls

The pool at the bottom of the falls is a cool green color...be a nice place to swim in Summer....after returning to the parking lot I had lunch and a rest in the van cause it was cold and windy and I was exhausted from the uphill return-

back on the road-driving up the parkway icicles are hanging down the rocks!!

I wanted to camp at Pisgah CG but it was not yet open for the season.  I took hwy 215 N off the parkway to check out Sunburst Campground a Pisgah National Forest site.  It is situated across the road from Laurel Branch  a favorite of trout fishermen...and it flows down into the Graveyard's Yellowstone Prong!

This CG has been put under a private concessionaire.  It is not being well care for...it was open but no body was home! It doesn't officially open till May 1st so I was the sole camper...Had my pick of the nine sites, in fact the iron ranger was not even locked!! I checked and saw envelopes with money inside... some had fallen on the ground!! One had $52 written on the envelope so I scooped them all up and put my $3.75 (off season rate $7.50 seniors pass, 1/2 that) in with the others and tried to secure the box...I'd hate for someone to steal it ...SO a ranger came along I told him but he did not take the money with him?? He did make a radio call tho and no one came to get the money during the time I was there. Can you see me camouflaged behind the trees?

 

Sunburst Campground

I should have parked in the SUN...but since I was the only camper here I wanted to remain a little stealthy....Got settled then took a walk over to the river its swift and shallow lots of rocks and no birds!!

 A few American Robins were feeding on the open grass in the campground...

I retired to the van with my dinner about 5 and called it a day. Did some reading, watched a few movies, and turned on Mr Buddy--  took the chill outta me as it went to a very cold and frosty 28 degrees F, Saturday night...the wind did finally stop blowing around 9 pm I turned my stove off and fell asleep...

I will pick it up in the morning..

NIGHTY NIGHT!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

...according to some of the literature the Graveyard Fields overlook got its name from a long ago (500 YRS AGO) wind that came thru and blew down all the large fir trees...the trees lay down all over the valley and moss and grass soon grew over the trunks and it looked like grave mounds! But in 1924 a fire burned the tree trunks so now a days there are no "graves" the name stuck tho.