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Blue Ridge Mountains
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The Blue Ridge constitutes the eastern front of the
Appalachian Mountains, stretching from Georgia to Pennsylvania. The
name comes from the distinctive blue hydrocarbon haze released by the
region's forests.
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| We passed through the Blue Ridge Mountains
on our way out to Virginia in September 2005, and returned two years later
for a Labor Day weekend getaway. |
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| When
the National Park Service was organized in 1916, no areas had yet
been
set aside for protection within easy
reach of the nation's major population centers along the East Coast. |
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| In
1924, the Secretary of the Interior formed the Southern Appalachian
National Park Committee to identify potential
national park locations. The most accessible site was in
Virginia's
Blue Ridge Mountains, within a day's drive of 40 million Americans. |
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The committee
noted that the "greatest single feature" of the future
Shenandoah National Park was a "possible skyline drive along the
mountain top" following the ridge overlooking the Shenandoah Valley from the
east.
"Few
scenic drives in the world could surpass it." |
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Two years later,
Congress authorized the creation of Shenandoah National Park, along
with Great Smoky
Mountains NP in North Carolina and Tennessee, and Mammoth Cave NP in
Kentucky. |
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Construction
of 105-mile Skyline Drive began in 1931, providing access to the
19th-century Skyland Resort and President Herbert Hoover's retreat on
the Rapidan River. This scenic route was linked up with the Blue
Ridge Parkway in 1939.
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In 1933, the Civilian
Conservation Corps began work on developing trails, picnic areas,
overlooks and other infrastructure for the future national park.
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With the establishment of
the park in 1935, hundreds of families were
forced to relocate, although some residents managed to hold out. |
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| Construction of
the parkway began in 1935, and was about halfway complete by World War
II. Most remaining sections were opened to the public by the
1960s. |
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around Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina was completed in 1987. |
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The parkway passes through
several Natonal Forests, but is administered by the Natonal Park
Service.
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We drove
the Virginia portion of the parkway twice first on our way to Hampton Roads in 2005, and again
two years later, when we took the time to explore the flora and fauna
along the route.
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Discovered in 1878 by a
local tinsmith, this extensive cave system near Skyline Drive is billed
as the "largest and most popular caverns in Eastern America".
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An 1880 Smithsonian
Institution report noted that, "there is
probably no other cave in the world more completely and profusely
decorated with stalactite and stalagmite ornamentation". |
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Built in 1901, the "Limair"
sanitarium was the first air-conditioned house in America thanks to a
fan which draws cool 54°F air through a shaft from the cavern below.
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Another Luray
Caverns attraction is the "Great Stalacpipe Organ", the largest musical
instrument in the world. Invented in 1954, the organ produces its
haunting melodies by striking stalactites with
electronically-controlled, rubber-tipped mallets.
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Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance | Cally's
Restaurant & Brewing Co.
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| Roanoke is a major transportation,
commercial and cultural hub, and the largest metropolitan area in
western Virginia. |
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Roanoke was founded in 1852 as "Big
Lick", a reference to nearby salt outcroppings. In 1882, the
city adopted the name of the river which runs through it. |
| We stopped over in
Roanoke on our way from Texas to
Hampton Roads in 2005. |
This page was first published
1 September 2008, and last updated
01 September 2008.
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