Return to the Blue Ridge Parkway (May 23, 2015)

If I have one favorite ride, the Blue Ridge Parkway is it. I loved it in North Carolina and went there many times in the 14 years I lived there. Now that I am in Virginia the love continues.
Getting here is easy...just get on I-64 West and head up the road to Exit 99. Takes a bit over an hour though I did stop for fuel in the (also interesting) Charlottesville. Once there was rewarded with views such as at left.      

Being the Memorial Day weekend, there were a lot of police pulling over a lot of cars as well as Rangers clocking cars on the Parkway. On the Parkway the speed limit is 45. Actually not bad though cause you don't want to miss the views. I believe that is Spy Mountain in the distance. I was at 99 miles from the apartment to the start of the Parkway, I rode on it for some some 50 miles. Was actually sort of cool, which was wonderful with temperatures in the low 70s and low humidity. Being a holiday weekend there was quite a crowd there and on the highway getting there but it was not all that bad for the most part.

This was one of the last photos I took up there, There are lots of pulloffs and a lot of special things to see and do. As I noted saw a turnoff to VA60 which I knew runs to Richmond, so got off and headed on that. For the first few miles that mountain road was quite a twisty challenge and a lot of fun. Was from where I started at the Parkway to Richmond a total of 122 miles. So the total ride was some 261 miles to Richmond and then another few to the apartment. At the end the trip meter said 276 which I think was a pretty good days ride. I could not have asked for a better day, or a better place to ride. Looking forward to my next visit there.