2023 Summer Road Trip – Day 1, Blue Ridge Parkway

Thursday, July 6, 2023

It’s been a busy week.  We spent last weekend and the first part of the week helping Jen, David and the littles move into their beautiful new-to-them home.  They didn’t move very far so that made things easier and Randy and Debra will still get to see the littles often.  Moving is always hard work but it’s a lot more fun when you are spending time with family.  We pray for many happy years in their new home.

After getting the last few items moved Tuesday, we completed our packing of Beyond Blessed (BB) our 22 foot Coachman Beyond van. Wednesday morning we pulled out of Johnston, SC to begin our Summer 2023 Road Trip.  We plan to visit several east coast and New England states as well as the Canadian Maritimes.  We don’t have many definite plans or reservations because we can be very flexible in BB.  We hope to take a lot of back roads and explore areas we have never visited.

For starters, we headed north on the Blue Ridge Parkway beginning in Ashville, NC at the 388.3 mile post.   We have done the section from Ashville to Smokey Mtn NP previously. First stop was at the Visitor’s Center where we got an update on the sections of the parkway closed due to construction, stamped our passport and picked up the current maps, etc.  The rest of the day we spent enjoying the beautiful and peaceful drive.  The spring foliage is still pretty with lots of flowers still blooming, especially at the higher elevations.  Occasional beautiful vistas mixed in with fog and rain – and it was so much cooler!  Morning temps in Johnston were already in the 80’s and on the parkway we were at 64.  We drove to the first road closure which was at about the 280 mile post.

About 7 miles off the parkway from the closure, we parked at the Land of Milk and Honey Farm, a Harvest Host site. The farm was so much fun.  They have cows, sheep, chickens, quail, ducks, alpaca, fish ponds, pigs, and probably other animals we have forgotten.  Made us remember our years growing up on a farm.  With the cooler temperatures we were able to sleep with the windows open and listen to the creek and animals.  We slept so well.  The Harvest Host store had lots of choices but since this was day one of our trip, our pantry and refrigerator were pretty full.  We purchased some home-made caramels, homemade marshmallows, granola, and Amish made ice cream – all very good.  They also had beef, pork, eggs, honey, and more.  Great HH overnight stay.  Hope you will travel with us for the next few months.  Enjoy the pics.