We love driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, and these pictures are from a drive we did last July. There are a number of neat tunnels on the parkway, fun to honk the horn as we go through with our car club. I haven’t shown the tunnels before, so now is a good time to show them, while I study. The mountains are so gorgeous in summer, so green with many days of hazy blue over the distant peaks.
Rocky bald areas accent those lush green hills.
Most of the tunnels are stacked stone, with lovely green mountain laurel, rhododendrons and other green shrubs surrounding the openings.
Inside, some are short enough to see light on the other side, while others will put you into pitch blackness for a bit. These are all west of Asheville, before you get to the high point.
Coming out into the sunshine.
And then a short drive to another tunnel.
Sometimes as soon as you leave one tunnel, there is another one in sight.
There are five or six of these fairly close together on the parkway going west.
Stopping at one of the many overlooks, the view is just spectacular.
Each overlook has beautiful views. It is heaven to live in the mountains.
DH sold his little British car, so we haven’t been out for a drive recently. We are hosting a special kind of rally event Saturday, but we will be doing timing and scoring, so not driving. We really need to go on a hike soon. Do you have nice areas nearby for a day drive?
How about some shopping without having to drive anywhere?
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From My Carolina Home 
What beautiful views as you drive the parkway. I have been on the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia, but never as far South as you venture. The green looks lovely and the view s are breathtaking. Thanks for sharing!
Very pretty. I love all the tunnels.
Truly beautiful!
Your views are magnificent ♥ So love going to the mountains , a real thrill for this flatlander 🙂
It’s hard to beat the Blue Ridge Parkway for a beautiful view!
Good Morning Carole! These pictures are gorgeous! We live on a mountain also, but it sure does not seem like it. But here in Grants Pass and surrounding areas you drive and see mountain scenery everywhere it is beautiful. I am almost ready to put my quilt blocks together today (we have had company) and then a border or two onto quilting and binding. We will see if it goes as fast as it is to write it. LOL. I hope that all of your studies and testing is going well and you are getting closer to being done! Have a fantastic creative day, if possible.
Looks like a lovely drive! But I’m shocked that your DH sold his little British car — seemed like you two had a ton of fun in that cute little car!
We don’t really take day drives, though we live in a gorgeous area with the ocean less than an hour away and Mt. Rainier and beautiful state parks about an hour away as well. Lots of beautiful biking and hiking trails nearby, so we prefer driving to a destination to enjoy it, and don’t hop in the car just for a drive. Though with my elderly inlaws living here with us, may be time to revisit that idea; they very well might enjoy just driving around to see the pretty scenery around here.
I love that area west of Asheville, even on I-40. It’s just beautiful. We do, of course, have lovely drives though the Great Smoky Mountain area. I was reading today about a moderate 2-mile hike to gorgeous falls. I’m thinking I may investigate that one of these days.
OH my, the childhood memories you have brought back to me! My dad was brought up in Seneca S.C. and every year when we would go to see grandma and grandpa
We would go to the mountains, get a watermelon and stop for a picnic by a good sized stream, put the melon in the cold stream while we had our picnic lunch and eat
The melon for desert. You cann’t do that these days, this was back in the late 40’s and 50’s. I have a picture of myself and the grandparents and parents out on the b
Boulders of the White Water Falls which aren’t there anymore cause they opened up the dam and covered them up. I still want so much to move to the mountains but
At my age now, soon to be 76, don’t know if I will be able to unless I marry again and he MUST be handsome, tall and rich, any chance of that? I had an uncle that lived
In Waynesville, N.C. for a number of years but that was back in the late 50’s. Only the good Lord knows what’s in store for me now so I just sew my fleece hats and scarfs
To match and do craft shows for now so I’m happy and that’s what counts.
Tell your husband Happy Fathers Day and ya’ll have a great time together.
Your Fayetteville Ga. Friend
Phyllis Smith
Those views are breathtaking and I love those tunnels, especially how you come out of one and go right into another. I am sure my kids would be amused! Thanks for joining the Take Me Away party again!
Shelley
We visited the Blue Ridge Parkway last Thanksgiving and it was just beautiful. How wonderful to live there! I’m clicking over from the Take Me Away linkup.