Start of day: 39359
End of day: 39555
Day Total: 196 miles
Total Trip: 1284 miles
States: (9) Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina,
Tennessee
Gas Prices: $1.57 in Sevierville, TN (Saw $1.49 down the road)
The day started off looking great. It was clear, bright but windy and cold. Great for taking pictures and I was
expecting to get some pictures from the most scenic parts of the BRP, from the highest vantage points, some
above 6000 feet! I drove to the access point near mile marker 383 outside of Asheville, NC and began my
journey South.
It was bright and clear!! Only a couple clouds off to the East.
The BRP has 26 tunnels, 25 of them in NC. The Grassy Knob tunnel
is the first one I went through.
The view of the surrounding mountains from Bad Fork Valley Overlook
is still amazing. You can see a section of the BRP I am heading for on
the side of the mountain across the valley.
Nice! Wash Creek Valley Overlook.
And then Road Closed... I was not a happy camper. This was near
mile marker 402. I had only gone 19 miles this morning. I found a
phone number for Blue Ridge Parkway information. Working through
the menus, I found a recording saying that the BRP was closed from
mile marker 402.6 (here) to mile marker 469. That's the rest of the
way!!!!! So my hopes of seeing and driving the best part of the parkway
were killed. I only ended up going through 5 tunnels.
So I had to back track 8 miles to the previous access point and get
off the BRP. On to my next destination - Tuckaleechee Caverns in
Townsend, TN.
Welcome to Tennessee. Very scenic roadway along Interstate 40.
I stopped at the Visitors Center at the first Rest Area inside Tennessee.
There I found out that Tuckaleechee Caverns was closed for the winter.
Heavy sigh! So before I headed to my next destination I made sure that
they were open! They are, and I'm staying for the night in Sweetwater, TN
only 6 miles from the Lost Sea. Check out their website at www.thelostsea.com.
I'll be visiting them in the morning before moving on to my next spot.
I hope to get some good pictures!!