... than to be in Carolina ... Part 2

After our visit to Old Salem, we set out for the Blue Ridge Parkway, which stretches almost 500 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge mountains. Starting in North Carolina and continuing up through Virginia, it encompasses some of the oldest settlements of both pre-historic and early European settlements. There are many mileposts along the way, which designate look outs, hiking and biking trails, historical landmarks and even a few restaurants and a lodge. Our goal was to get as high up and to see as much as we could in the few hours we would have before dusk. Dianne was a great tour guide!














There are a number of old European settlements that have been preserved, and the Brinegar homestead is just one of them. Occupied for over 60 years, this 19th-century log cabin illustrates the isolated existence of mountain residents.














On our way back down the mountain to head home, we stopped briefly at one of the campgrounds. Before we even got out of the van, I spied a young fawn just beyond the clearing.





We had just finished our walkabout and were turning to leave, when we saw a doe we could only presume was the mother. It was a great finish to wonderful excursion!