By the way, I had to post two maps above because Google Maps does not seem to recognize the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Today dawned bright, sunny, and chilly…a beautiful day for a drive.  Since the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance was less than a half mile from the Skyline Village Inn, I decided to drive north on that roadway for a while.  Predictably, it was beautiful, especially since the sun kept everything bright and I could still see the morning dew glistening on plant leaves.  I even put the top down as the speed limit on the Parkway is only 45 mph and since the morning temperature was in the low 60’s, I used my seat warmer.  This was the first time I had put the top down for any length of time and it was amusing watching Chloe’s reaction.  She kept looking up as if completely confused but, good traveler that she is, she stayed in her seat.  Of course, I did have her tethered to the doggy seat just in case.  😊

Anyway, before we even left the hotel, I had sort of made the decision that I had driven enough twisty, curvy mountain roads for a while and was going to shorten my trip a bit by taking some highways.  So, after a little more than an hour, we left the Parkway somewhere around Linville, NC.  The GPS route ended up taking me through an adorable little town called Minneapolis in North Carolina.  Despite being barely a dot on the map, it was so full of American flags that I took notice.  I looked the town up–its population is 376. I think the flags outnumbered the people!  On this same road I saw a sign “Enough about gun control.  What we need is idiot control.”  A little further on, a sign proclaimed “Every man dies.  Not every man truly lives.”

And then, after those profound statements, I was listening to a radio station where the hosts debated whether there was a difference between soul food and Southern food other than the skin color of the cook.  I listened to their yammering for almost ten minutes before I finally just turned the radio off.  As I was writing this blog, I decided to google the question and here is one answer:

Trying to differentiate soul food from Southe­rn food is a bit complicated. While not all Southern food is considered soul food, all soul food is definitely Southern.  So, there you go.  If you want more details about this very important topic, you can read Ultimate Guide to Southern Food

Shortly after this, I entered Tennessee and continued through the Roan Mountain State Park which is within the Cherokee National Forest.  More spectacular scenery.  When I reached Bristol, TN, the speed limit reduced to 35 mph but I didn’t mind since I could look around as I drove.  This is why I usually avoid interstates—I like to see what is around me.  I passed the Bristol Motor Speedway—good thing no events scheduled today and I discovered that Bristol has been recognized by Congress as the birthplace of country music!  Pretty town.  Before I knew it, I was in Bristol’s sister city, Bristol, VA where I jumped on I-81.

I usually avoid interstates as I find them boring without a lot of interesting scenery but occasionally, they serve a purpose (like going under a mountain).  I passed a place called Mt. Rogers, which, as it turns out, is the highest natural point in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  The mountain is named for William Barton Rogers, a Virginian educated at the College of William and Mary, who taught at William & Mary as well as the University of Virginia, became Virginia’s first State Geologist, and went on to found the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  I don’t have access to my genealogy software right now but I do not recall him as an ancestor.

Also, I saw signs for a place called Hungry Mother State Park; curious about the name’s origin, I found this story on http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state-parks/hungry-mother#general_information :

“A legend states that when the Native Americans destroyed several settlements on the New River south of the park, Molly Marley and her small child were among the survivors taken to the raiders’ base north of the park. They eventually escaped, wandering through the wilderness eating berries. Molly finally collapsed, and her child wandered down a creek. Upon finding help, the only words the child could utter were “Hungry Mother.” When the search party arrived at the foot of the mountain where Molly had collapsed, they found the child’s mother dead. Today, that mountain is Molly’s Knob (3,270 feet), and the stream is Hungry Mother Creek.”

After about seventy miles, I switched to I-77 North into West Virginia.  So, now I am in Princeton, WV after traveling in four states today.  I am actually staying on the outskirts of town near the Walmart (that part wasn’t planned) but I contributed to the local economy by shopping there for Chloe and getting a takeout dinner for me from Outback.  We had gotten here pretty early so drove around and the town is kind of nice.  I found out that Bob Denver adopted Princeton, WV as his home (remember  Maynard G. Krebs from Dobie Gillis and Gilligan from Gilligan’s Island).

Anyway, Chloe and I decided we needed a nice relaxing Sunday so basically, she’s doing her favorite thing (see picture below), and I have been reading…one of my favorite things to do.