Blue Ridge Parkway Panorama

 

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I enjoy making panoramas of the beautiful scenery we have around here since it is often the case that a single photograph doesn’t do the scene justice.  This is a panorama made from three photos I took on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina last year. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lake Abbott

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Betsy and I celebrated her birthday this year at Peaks of Otter Lodge on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.  This is the view we had from our room of beautiful Lake Abbott.

Mabry Mill

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Mabry Mill (milemarker 176) is reported to be the most iconic — and photographed — structure on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It’s easy to see why it is so popular with tourists and photographers.  Betsy and I stopped there on our way home from the Peaks of Otter in September, which is when I captured this photo.

Cahas Mountain Overlook

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Earlier this month Betsy and I took a couple of days off to drive up into Virginia in search of some cooler temperatures and some relaxation.  We got onto the Blue Ridge Parkway as soon as possible and enjoyed this view from the Cahas Mountain Overlook in Virginia.

Autumn in the Mountains

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Betsy and I think the mountains are beautiful any time of the year, even if the Autumn colors are past their peak.  This late October picture, from my archives, was taken at the Woolyback Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.

Devil's Backbone

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The Blue Ridge Parkway is an enchanting drive any time, even when the weather is not perfect.  We drove the Parkway in 2010 to celebrate Betsy's birthday, and stopped at the Devil's Backbone Overlook in Virginia.  The Devil's Background is almost lost in the distant clouds, but the valley below is still beautiful.

Mountains and Clouds

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As most of you know, Betsy and I love the mountains -- the Smoky Mountains here in Tennessee and the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina and Virginia. We enjoy visiting the mountains just about any time of the year.

The picture above shows the view in late November from Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway north of Asheville, North Carolina. I really like the clouds and mountains stretching to the horizon.

Rakes Mill Dam

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Betsy and I found this dam at the site of Rakes Mill while driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. The miller, Jarman Rakes, allowed customers, and only customers, fish for brook trout in the mill pond while their grain was being ground.

Headforemost Mountain

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We were driving up the Blue Ridge Parkway early one morning last month through patches of fog and mist. The fog had lifted around us when we came upon the Headforemost Mountain (I have no idea how the mountain got that name) Overlook. From our vantage point we could look across at the mountain, which seemed to be floating above the clouds.

Morning Reflections

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I captured these early morning reflections at Abbott Lake in the Peaks of Otter along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia. We were treated to this view from the balcony of our room at the lodge in the park.

Parkway Clouds

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We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina on an overcast day earlier this month. At one overlook we were able to take a short hike and look down on clouds in the valley below us.

Looking Down on Clouds

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We were driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina earlier this month on a cloudy, overcast day. We came to an overlook near Shining Rock that gave us a view of the clouds in a valley below us.

Evening on the Blue Ridge Parkway

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I mentioned a couple of days ago that Betsy and I visited the Blue Ridge Parkway last week. We headed back to Asheville in the late afternoon, but stopped at the Craggy Dome Overlook to take in the view. Craggy Dome is off to the right, but I liked this view of the mountains, sky and shadows in the evening light.

Blue Ridge Parkway

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Last week Betsy and I went to Asheville, North Carolina for a couple of days. While there, we took a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The trees were mostly bare, but the mountains were as beautiful as ever. This was the view from Tanbark Ridge, northeast of Asheville.