How Blue Was My Ridge

Ever since we met, Judith would always talk very fondly of her memories of the Blue Ridge Mountains and exuberantly praise the natural beauty of the range and we had both always been planning a visit to the mountains. The mountain range is so breathtaking that the government has built a road all along the parkway to allow easier access to non-hikers such as us to leisurely drive the entire length of the mountain range. This is the 469 mile Blue Ridge Parkway which starts in Tennessee and travels through North Carolina and ends in Virginia and is dubbed “Americas Favorite Drive”. We planned on driving a portion of the parkway while we were in Asheville and then heading on to our next destination, Blacksburg, Virginia.

After our tour of the Biltmore Estate, we saw a sign to the parkway and although it was not planned, we decided to take a quick drive on the parkway before it got dark and get a feel for what this is all about. The speed limit on the parkway is around 35 – 45 miles per hour and the GPS does not quite work there very well so we stopped and picked up a detailed paper map. It was love at first sight! The parkway is a dream drive for anyone who enjoys handling any kind of automobile. After driving around twenty minutes or so, the weather got a little misty and it looked like it was going to rain. Just as we were commenting on how high it felt we were above sea level, there was a cloud right on the road in front of us that we were driving into. It was a rain cloud and for the next ten miles or so, we had to drive at 15 miles per hour in pouring rain because you could barely see the front of your car, let alone the mountain road ahead of you. Needless to say, it was a teeny bit harrowing.

The first sight

We turned around and headed back to the hotel before it got dark. It was a very quiet drive back because Judith was still recovering from the near conniption she had during our drive in near-zero visibility and I was trying to put two and two together and see if there was some advantage to be had here. Not only is this one of the most impressive roads that I had driven in my life, it also seemed to make my dear wife a tad bit nervous… to a point that she refrain from commenting upon my driving as it could distract me. I also found out that she tends to shut her eyes when we take tight turns on the edge of a precipice and completely misses out on the stunning views. This was it! I could finally get a few days worth of peaceful driving. We had to drive the entire length of this magical roadway.

It did not take much convincing on my part because Judith clearly saw the gleam in my eye and knew that this is something that I had to do and she is always extremely supportive that way. We frantically made alternate plans that would allow us to push back our visit to see David and Gail in Blacksburg and made hotel arrangements in various places we were not planning on visiting.

We set off bright and early the next morning on our way through the southern portion of the parkway. The air is so clean and crisp up there and the breeze is so comforting that you have to drive with your windows down and your arm hanging out of the window. The road curves ever so delicately as it snakes through the mountains and suddenly opens up to these gorgeous views of the mountain ranges that go on for as far as the eye can see. This is when the man, the machine, the road and the environment all become part of one system and have an understanding of each other’s temperament and mood. This is what pure bliss feels like.

My state of blissfulness was suddenly interrupted by the sound of air suction and I realized that Judith had a death grip on the armrest, her head pushed back into her seat as far as it will go and her face drained of all color, fixed with a taut expression of horror. The air suction was being produced by her in an attempt to grab my attention and politely point out that my driving was bothering her. Clearly, she was not a part of the circle of bliss we had going so I slowed down a bit and she relaxed herself. It was not very long before I regained my composure and was one with the road again. And it was not long at all before the air suction started all over again with each accompanying gesture just a little more extreme than the last time, thereby breaking my rhythm again. This went on for a few more cycles and in desperation, I decided that I had to use my trump card early on so that I could enjoy the rest of the drive. I pulled over to a stopping area and suggested that Judith do the driving since she seemed to know more about driving in the mountain and appeared extremely keen on providing tips all the time. It worked! Judith agreed to back off and let me continue driving in my way.

I was not very happy about having to pull that stunt but I really had no choice here. In the meantime, we had passed the highest point on the parkway at 6,053 ft, seen a waterfall on the way, some small wildlife here and there and just marvelous scenery all along the way. We visited a place called Blowing Rock where the winds blow in an upward direction from the face of the cliff such that it is impossible to throw anything over the edge because the wind simply pushes it back up. We spent one day in a lodge on the parkway in a place called “Little Switzerland” and it was a fantastic experience there as well.

We had covered about half of the parkway when it happened. After a particularly painful experience where I had to use my trump card on the dear wife yet again, she calmly turned to me and said “If you ask me one more time, I will simply say yes and I will drive the parkway and I will drive it my way”. Now that took me completely by surprise and for a moment I did not know what to do – she had that look in her eye that told me she meant it. Truth is, there was nothing left to do but to bow down and admit defeat. We worked out a compromise and continued on through the rest of the drive without much more drama. It was a moment of bittersweet emotion as we crossed the mile zero finish line (at the north entrance) in one piece and both happy for our own separate reasons. Judith was happy that we were out of the mountains and I was happy that I had driven the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway and we are very sure to go back and do it all over again, perhaps in the fall.

Next time, I will be better prepared and drive a stick shift that Judith does not know to drive 🙂

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