July 11 and BRP

[Popcorn]

Meeting up with some old friends from Pa. in Front Royal Va. and will ride the parkway back to Cherokee. We will spend the 11th. in Front Royal. 2nd night in Hillsville Va. and 2 nights in Cherokee. Come join us if you can.

[Woton]

Enjoy the trip!  BikerGirl and I hope to do the BRP and Skyline Drive south to north within the next month or so.  Wanting to take in the outdoor dramas in Cherokee and Boone along the way, and performances for the season end by mid-August.  Also, hope to stay at the NPS lodging at Pisgah Inn and Peaks of Otter which are just delightful, laid-back places to stay.  Clearly, this is a "take your time" ride and not a thunder run.  Would rather wait for a cooler riding time, but if we want to take in the drams we have no choice.

Live in NC and have enjoyed the BRP all our lives, but have never made the complete run end to end - and have only done a portion of Skyline Drive.

The time has come...

You guys have a safe, fun ride!

[Thunderbolt]

We spent 10 days in Hillsville in an RV park a couple of years ago.  Beautiful place.  Take a few minutes out of your day and visit this one of a kind museum.  It's in the back of a Western Store and has all kinds of old tools, guns, farm implements and stuff that you won't find in any other museum.  I spent an hour or so in there and could have spent a couple more.  It's between Hillsville and Galax if you are heading toward Galax it is on the right a few miles out of town.  The man who gathered it all passed on a few years ago but it is definitely worth stopping for a look.  Oh and it's free.

http://harmonswestern.com/museum

[Jess from VA]

Popcorn, I can't go all the way South, but would like to hook up with you all in front Royal and ride down for the first day or so.  I live 1.5hrs East of front Royal (Fairfax County).

My email is on my profile.

Same goes for you Kelly.

(Weather and life obligations permitting)

Fee for Skyline has gone up from $10 to $15 (I think the daily pass is good for 3 days), but if you are 62, you can get a lifetime pass.

[Woton]

We will certainly inform you of our itinerary, Jess.

Hope you can hook up with Popcorn et al...

[..]

Galax VA bbq

http://thegalaxsmokehouse.com/   

[..]

Popcorn do you have this?

http://www.ncnatural.com/Parkway/MilebyMile.html

[Jess from VA]

This is also very useful.

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=50

[..]

This is also very useful.

http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=50

Thanks.

Added to my BRP bookmark folder.

[Rams]

Sounds like a wonderful trip.  Slow down, stop and smell the roses.   

[Popcorn]

Thanks everyone for the links. Lots of info here. Jess  we are leaving from north ga and will get into front royal the afternoon of the 11th. we are staying at the super 8, also staying at the super 8 in Hillsville on the 12th and the Microtel in Cherokee the 13th and 14th.  I'll e-mail you as it gets closer. Britman didn't we ride the parkway a few years ago? Can't remember all that was with us.

[..]

Thanks everyone for the links. Lots of info here. Jess  we are leaving from north ga and will get into front royal the afternoon of the 11th. we are staying at the super 8, also staying at the super 8 in Hillsville on the 12th and the Microtel in Cherokee the 13th and 14th.  I'll e-mail you as it gets closer. Britman didn't we ride the parkway a few years ago? Can't remember all that was with us.

So many rides.

I believe we did with Joe and others.

[Big Rig]

Not trying to highjack...just a question, from Knoxville TN to Wayneboro Va. How long of a ride is it on the BRP??

[Jess from VA]

Not trying to highjack...just a question, from Knoxville TN to Wayneboro Va. How long of a ride is it on the BRP??

All day long BR.  Leave early, plan your gas stops judiciously (at stops where gas is really close) so you don't end up going way out of your way for gas, don't do a lot of stopping and looking, and a brief lunch... otherwise you finish after dark with the deer.  

I have gone down and up on BRP and I-81 a number of times; BRP is longer of course, but if you keep at it (45MPH limit) and don't dawdle, you can make it in one long day.  If you go on National holiday weekends, you can expect to get behind grandad and his Winnebago at 20 knots (and a lot of his brothers).  They're always out there, but a lot more on busy weekends (as well as more traffic in general).

Using the above link to gas stations, carrying a copy, I stop more often than necessary (briefly) at around a 1/2-1/3 tank for quick fillups when the stations are just over the hill off the BRP.  Before I did this, I really came close to running out of gas a couple times trying to use my whole interstate 7 gallon tank.  Worrying my butt off and coasting down hills to 250 before reserve (my all time record).  It took the fun out of the ride, so don't do it.  

Still, it is a very long way at 45mph.  And perhaps better to do two days up and one back (81).