Month: November 2015

The Ever Striking Blue Ridge Parkway

Road in a Difficult Place
Road in a Difficult Place

If you enjoy mountain driving you will be in your element driving the Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia through North Carolina. The parkway is essentially a mountain crest highway joining peak to peak through the long Appalachian chain of mountains. This means there will be a lot of climbing up the side of one mountain, and descending the other side for over 469 miles.

Always Great Scenery
Always Great Scenery

However, if the weather is good, it will be 469 miles of forests during the climbs, and tremendous panoramic views from the mountain tops. Mostly it will be necessary to use the lay-bys to see the valley sights. Years ago the forests had been cut and it was easy to see across the countryside below as you drove. Now the trees are maturing and are too high to see over.

Viewed from the Top
Viewed from the Top

The road is generally in good shape, but some sections are grown in to the point where you have to keep away from the edges or suffer scratches from limbs. It is necessary to watch for branches above as well or endanger your air conditioner if you have a high RV. There is a section of road at the southern end that has three tunnels too low for many RV’s.
There are several excellent campgrounds without hookups so it’s a good opportunity to try out your RV’s self containment features. One drawback is the use of noisy generators. Although there are new quiet generators on the market, many people insist of using the cheaper, noisy variety, thus ruining the camping experience for those around them.
In the spring miles and miles of beautiful rhododendrons line the route and these along with the other spring flowers make it a terrific drive. In the fall the leaves and mountain ash berries provide another colourful time to make the trip.

Blue Ridge Mill
Blue Ridge Mill

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels. Visit his website at: www.stonesstravelguides.com

Linking to the Grand Canyon by Train

Take the RV to the Edge
Take the RV to the Edge

When was the last time you visited the Grand Canyon? Driving by car or RV is a great, fun way to see this great spectacle.  One of the most exciting ways of visiting is to leave your RV at Williams, Arizona, and ride the train. I can remember the train rumbling into the South Rim Station before it ceased

Fine Scenery by Train
Fine Scenery by Train

operation in 1968. Now, since its reopening in 1989, people are again able to ride to the rim in style. The old cars are refurbished and drawn by good old nostalgic steam engines, although once it gets cold in the fall they switch to diesels.

Scenic Overlook
Scenic Overlook

The trip starts from the historic Williams Depot, now fully restored to its former grandeur. Nearby is the brand new southern style Fray Marcos Hotel, now called the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, with 196 rooms, is handy for travellers who want to stay in Williams overnight.

The Grand Canyon Railway RV Park is across the street from the hotel and the train depot which means there is easy access to the train when it’s time for your train ride to the canyon. Campers can also get away from the noise of town by driving a few minutes north to the Williams KOA and leave their rigs while they visit the canyon.

Comfort at the Maswik Lodge
Comfort at the Maswik Lodge

The train leaves for the canyon right after an exciting shoot-out at the corral. At first you cross several miles of open grassland shadowed by a few volcanic cinder cones. I saw a cattle roundup in progress on my last trip there. Later the open landscape is replaced by the green shade of evergreen trees. After executing a couple of loops,

Colourful Buildings
Colourful Buildings

where the train almost runs back over itself, you begin to climb to the rim of the canyon.

You can see it on television a dozen times, but the wonder and amazement of the first view of the great canyon will stay with the visitor for a lifetime. The Grand Canyon is a mile deep and perhaps eighteen miles wide. Erosion has created freestanding buttes and mesas as well as several steep sections of cliffs. The morning or evening sun blends with the natural colours of the rock layers to create a kaleidoscope of reds, purples and mauves that change steadily as the light level changes.

Time will be short if you go up just for the day,

An Old Steam Engine
An Old Steam Engine

so the obvious thing to do is to book an overnight trip go up on the train and stay at one of the Grand Canyon National Park Lodges. There are several lodges, all with good rooms, excellent food, and with prices to accommodate almost any wallet. We stayed at the Maswik Lodge and found it very comfortable. You can exit right onto the rim from some lodgings, but you’re never very far from a shuttle stop so it doesn’t matter which one you choose. You can ride to the end of the paved trail along the edge, and walk back at your leisure. That’s nice, and no vehicle to park, or to have to go back to get. It’s like being young again with no worries. Just wander as you wish and stop where you want to.

Good Accomodations
Good Accomodations

I suggest riding the shuttle east, getting off at either Pipe Creek Vista stop, or the South Kaibab Trail stop, and walking back along the trail which edges the top of the canyon wall. The views are great, and you’ll likely find solitude along the way. It seems not too many people take the time to get away from the crowd.

You can also book bus tours to take you to the more remote parts of the rim. These tours are well worth the money and the scenic overlooks you will stop at provide excellent views into the canyon.

For more than four decades James Stoness has travelled the roads of North America, photographing and writing about what he has seen. His travel articles and beautiful pictures have been published in several magazines and newspapers. He is also the author of five western novels.  Visit his website at:  www.stonesstravelguides.com.