Some Harley riders pass by while I'm shooting pix of Linville Gorge. Most of the bikes that I passed on the two-day trip were Harleys, but adventure styled bikes are gaining rapidly in number. I figure that about 25% of the bikes that I saw had dual sport touring setups.
Something else that I noticed was that everybody that I met along the Parkway seemed to be in a great mood. Even the motorhome drivers were waving at other drivers. It must have been the great weather.

I passed this big gobbler near the Moses Cone area north of Grandfather Mtn. He had a coterie of hens in attendance, as well as a couple of rival toms. This shot is a crop taken from a telephoto attempt - he was at least two hundred feet away.

That's Grandfather Mtn. coming up - it's the newest addition to our state park system! I'm glad that the incredibly rugged peak was saved from development by the Morton family. At one time, it was in competition with the Great Smoky Mountains as a candidate for a southern highlands National Park. Luckily, the Smokies won. I love the Grandfather region, but the Smoky Mountains provide a much larger and wilder region to explore.

At one time, Hwy. 221 meandered along the lower slopes of Grandfather Mountain, and the Parkway traffic had to use the highway to link up the northern section of the Parkway with the southern end. The stretch of the Parkway that now runs along the viaduct across the slopes of the mountain was the last section of the Parkway to be completed. I ran the Grandfather Mtn. marathon in 1986. At that time, it started in Boone on the Appalachian State University track and climbed up to McRae Meadows on Grandfather Mtn. to finish on the track there where the Highland Games were being held. The last few miles of the race were along the sloping, twisting Hwy. 221 and were pure hell on tired legs and ankles. However, as the runners ran the last few hundred feet of the marathon, we'd pass through the crowds gathered for the Highland Games, with bagpipers and Highland dancers lining the final lap around the track. The marathon still remains my favorite out of all that I ran. It took me nearly 4 hours to cover the 26.2 miles from Boone to the mountain, but I've never had much more fun that I did during the race.

The famous viaduct that was built along the lower slopes of Grandfather Mnt. was designed to protect the unique wild land that it passed over. Several miles of the Parkway along this stretch are suspended above the mountainside, allowing easy passage for wildlife beneath the structure. It's one of the most beautiful stretches of mountain highway in America.

Further north, right before crossing into Virginia, I stop for a short break in Doughton Park, a sprawling mountaintop park of meadows and deep valleys. It's one of my favorite stretches of the Parkway.

The Puckett cabin in Virginia sits by the Parkway. On the sign below, note that the lady had 24 kids, all of which died in their infancy. And they called it, "The good ol'days!"