Blue Ridge Parkway

Our trip from North Carolina to Virginia.

The Blue Ridge Parkway. It runs for 469 miles mostly through the famous Blue Ridge mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains before ending at Shenandoah Naional Park in Virginia.

Biltmore Estate

The Biltmore house is near Asheville, North Carolina and was built by George Vanderbilt II between 1888 and 1895. It is the largest privately owned home in the United States. It has been used in movies such as Being There and Hannibal.

Marla liked the fountain in the front and asked to have her picture taken there.

Ahhhh! My finger!

The English garden.

The tulips were beautiful.

Orchids in the greenhouse.

Another fountain for Marla to stop and play in.

Our Campground

We spent the night at a national recreation area near Linville Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Linville Falls

This place defies gravity.

This is the lower section of the falls.

We found a nice spot to play for a while before we started driving again.

Blowing Rock

The legend of the Blowing Rock is that a Cherokee brave leapt from the rock into the wilderness below, only to have a gust of wind return him back to his lover on top of the rock. Small items thrown over the cliff will usually return to the top.

Marla had a great time at the gift shop.

She tried all of the toys.

Marla - Armed and Dangerous

Some new snakes to play with.

The view from the top is incredible.

So tired after all of that climbing.

Welcome to Virginia

The view from a lookout on the interstate.

Monticello

The house was designed and built by Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States.

Waiting in line for the shuttle up to the house.

Hello!

The gardens were used to provide food for the house. Jefferson also experimented in them and kept extensive journals about his gardens.

Jefferson used to sit out here and read in the evenings.

Many of the trees were in bloom.

I went shopping and bought a snack and some delicious loose leaf tea.

Just like it looks on the nickel.

Fredericksburg

Fredericksburg, VA has four military parks in or near it commemorating battles of the Civil War. We toured two of them including the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Our tour guide.

This is part of the wall along the sunken road near Marye's Heights.

Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner led several waves of attacks on Confederates behind this wall but all failed. Thousands of Union troops died in the attacks.

Our trip from North Carolina to Virginia.	The Blue Ridge Parkway. It runs for 469 miles mostly through the famous Blue Ridge mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains before ending at Shenandoah Naional Park in Virginia.

Biltmore Estate The Biltmore house is near Asheville, North Carolina and was built by George Vanderbilt II between 1888 and 1895. It is the largest privately owned home in the United States. It has been used in movies such as Being There and Hannibal.
	Marla liked the fountain in the front and asked to have her picture taken there.
Ahhhh! My finger!			The English garden.
The tulips were beautiful.		Orchids in the greenhouse.
	Another fountain for Marla to stop and play in.

Our Campground
We spent the night at a national recreation area near Linville Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Linville Falls
This place defies gravity.		This is the lower section of the falls.
	We found a nice spot to play for a while before we started driving again.


Blowing Rock The legend of the Blowing Rock is that a Cherokee brave leapt from the rock into the wilderness below, only to have a gust of wind return him back to his lover on top of the rock. Small items thrown over the cliff will usually return to the top.
	Marla had a great time at the gift shop.	She tried all of the toys.
Marla - Armed and Dangerous	Some new snakes to play with.
The view from the top is incredible.
			So tired after all of that climbing.

Welcome to Virginia		The view from a lookout on the interstate.

Monticello The house was designed and built by Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the third President of the United States.		Waiting in line for the shuttle up to the house.	Hello!
	The gardens were used to provide food for the house. Jefferson also experimented in them and kept extensive journals about his gardens.		Jefferson used to sit out here and read in the evenings.

Many of the trees were in bloom.		I went shopping and bought a snack and some delicious loose leaf tea.

Just like it looks on the nickel.

Fredericksburg Fredericksburg, VA has four military parks in or near it commemorating battles of the Civil War. We toured two of them including the site of the Battle of Fredericksburg.
	Our tour guide.		This is part of the wall along the sunken road near Marye's Heights.
Maj. Gen. Edwin V. Sumner led several waves of attacks on Confederates behind this wall but all failed. Thousands of Union troops died in the attacks.