Next Stop - Galax, Virginia

After passing through the East River Mountain tunnel, we arrived in the State of Virginia. We had not visited Virginia before and didn't know what to expect. We envision what other States are like based on experience, word of mouth, history books, our early school teachers and books and magazines that we've read. We have been shocked at how wrong our perception of some states have been. While I had no idea what I expected Virginia to be, I was pleasantly surprised. From reading about the Civil War, I knew to expect some hills, valleys and rivers. What I didn't expect was the farmlands, the greenery and the pleasantness of the people.

As we left the tunnel and entered Virginia, the Appalachian Mountain ranges greeted us.  The town of Rocky Gap was just ahead.

At first we thought we could jump off the Interstate at Rocky Gap. After looking at the maps, we continued on the Interstate as none of the secondary roads were suitable for our size rig.  Traffic continued to be light and the weather was holding, with puffy clouds and no rain.

We finally exited the Interstate in Wytheville, Virginia and wouldn't you know it....construction. After a short wait, we were allowed to continue. I still don't know what they were "fixing", but the road was closed to only one lane.

Welcome to our target City, Galax, Virginia, population 7,000.

"Gateway to the Blue Mountains".

I can't tell you the last time I saw a Gulf Service Station. I thought they had all disappeared. Glad to see there's at least one left.

Arrived at our campsite and set up. Yes, that's an Executive 9 hole golf course immediately behind our rig....

This is where the Scenic Hwy intersects with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Although the two highways sometimes are referred to as one, they are really two distinct entities.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway noted for it's beautiful scenery. The speed limit is generally 45mph and commercial vehicles are prohibited except by special permit.  The parkway runs from Rockfish Gap in Virginia across the Blue Ridge Mountains and ends near Cherokee, North Carolina and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

While we enjoyed our time on this parkway as there was hardly any traffic, we also found it to be somewhat boring as it is miles after miles of pristine forest land. We did stop at a couple look out points but the trees and vegetation had grown so much, any view was totally obstructed. Hopefully we will see more when we get into North Carolina.

"Virginia is for Lovers"