Meadows Of Dan

Heading back to Florida from Roanoke I determined to see the Meadows of Dan, a much admired destination for people taking a day trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The parkway is quite lovely in the Spring, green winding and easy on the eyes.

The parkway rises at Mile Zero in Virginia near the Shenandoah park and they mark the miles with discreet little cement markers.

At first sight the Meadows of Dan don't look like much:

And close up it's not exactly scenic. The name of this little wide spot sounds Biblical but in fact Dan is a river that runs through these meadows. During the Revolutionary war Continental soldiers retreating from the British skipped across the river and made good their escape near here, confirming General Nathaniel Greene's tactical brilliance. I have no doubt the river was named for the fifth son of Jacob founder of the tribe of the same name though I don't actually know that for sure but it seems likely as the Bible is a source for many rural American names.

There is a restaurant and a convenience store packed with stuff and overseen by a cheerful woman who treats y'all like we were family as we stood in line shuffling from foot to foot desperate to pay and get on the road.

Motorcycles rumble through here as the eatery has a reputation but I was just here for a couple of sodas and a tank of gas, a liquid far cheaper than anything I've seen in Florida.

Further along the parkway Cheyenne and I had packed a dinner and we found one of the rare picnic areas on the parkway at this attractively named location, Groundhog Hill:

I missed my Bonneville, though I love my furry traveling companion!

Better than pulling over and going in the bushes. Technically parking on grass is illegal along the parkway but the road is criss-crossed by accessible side streets if you do get taken short far from public restrooms.

The picnic table was isolated away from the road and we had a quiet half hour off the grid.




By the time the sun went down we were southbound on I 77 in the Carolinas.




Leaving behind these green fields...




...and farms and villages.




She settled in for the night...




...and soon the car filled with the rumble of her snores.




Next morning we found salt water.




And we were home and ready for a night at work back in the fabulous Florida Keys.

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Blue Ridge Parkway

I spotted a trail at an overlook parking lot near Mile Marker 123, outside Roanoke. I determined it check it out with Cheyenne.



I figured she would enjoy a walk in the woods, several thousand feet up, a little cooler and full of smells.



I love the shade of green in these sunlit forests.



I am told these flowers are related to rhododendrons, though I am not a botanist of course and have no clue.



I was fascinated by the proposed thirty minute walk to the top of a "knob" as they call hills, but Cheyenne lost interest.



The trail was neat and graded and easy to stroll even though it went more uphill than you might think.

She said no thanks and it was back to infernal combustion for me.

The Parkway is a recreational tool nearly five hundred miles long from Front Royal in Northern Virginia to Cherokee in far western North Carolina. It is simply a strip of Federal roadway winding along the hill tops surrounded by private property:

People live alongside the parkway, use it as their driveway almost and as long as vehicles are non commercial they may use it, respecting 35 and 45 mph speed limits.

The views range from pleasant to stunning and the roadway is
lined with pull outs and overlooks and a few picnic areas with toilets.

I am not the first person to comment on it's loveliness though this section is bucolic where the sections I've driven in North Carolina tend to be more mountainous and rugged as the Appalachian Mountains there are newer and more jagged and steep to my eye than here in Virginia.

This is actually Mile Marker 149, from Front Royal.

The road itself, free of heavy trucks is smooth and winding and it does have passing places with dotted yellow lines where appropriate. Cell coverage is delightfully spotty so texting is problematic for drivers. Bonus!

Side roads, paved and unpaved crisscross cross the parkway. There are no tolls, no gates (except to close access in snowy icy conditions) and no hours of operation. There are no gas stations and billboards are prohibited.



Motorcyclists love it, despite the speed limits.



And locals amble along it.

Twenty years in California and I had never seen it, just heard of it. Now I've driven chunks of it in both states. Cool.



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Signs Of Virginia

Wherever I go I try to keep an eye open for human made oddities. This one I loved in a thrift store in Monterey, Virginia.

I wondered how the thermostat reacts to being "bothered." Signs for public consumption should be proof read and spell checked.

I always want to make Virginia whine. It's not well known but there are lots of wineries in Virginia and if the wine has eighty percent locally grown grapes it can be called Virginia wine.

Outfitters and yuppy coffee. Sounds about right.

The Roanoke Times seems to be a thriving local paper and judging from these boxes it's been around a while.

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Roanoke's Greenways

The city of Roanoke Virginia has established a bunch of walking and cycling trails around and across the city.


They are a way to get out into nature in the middle of the urban sprawl of a city of a hundred thousand, but as I am quite unfamiliar with the geography of Roanoke I can only tell you I walked a couple of them wherever it was they went... The Murray Run started through a patch of wild strawberries.


The trail wandered between a school's sports field and a street of suburban homes.


The dirt and gravel is well graded to make for easy running or cycling, though some runners prefer the athletics field.


I took a seat and watched the action of which there wasn't much.


It was a delightfully peaceful spot on a weekday evening in the middle of the urban hustle.


I found some strange flowers, or whatever they are...


And the trail became wooded like a real forest. A hell of a commute!


Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city I found a similar greenway under the Memorial Street Bridge.


This one was more popular.


Quote a bit more popular yet hardly crowded!


People everywhere.


I paused for pictures while my dog hustled along seeking new smells.


Huckleberry Finn was out learning to kill fish on the Roanoke River.


Quite the spot.


Deep green grass to refresh a hot Labrador.


I don't think Cheyenne was missing mangroves and mugginess and limestone...



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