Blueridge parkway day 2

We were up early again and away from camp by 8.30. First stop, climb a mountain!

It was a steady uphill climb up mt Pisgah for about 40 minutes, but it was a stunning view from the top. 360 degree views over the Blueridge mountains. We could see as far as the great smoky mountains where we were a few days ago.

After the walk we continued along the Blueridge parkway. The skies were a brilliant blue and the views were even more stunning than yesterday.

We met a couple from Florida who are camping for free at the overlooks. Apparently it’s not allowed but nobody has hassled them. I asked if they felt safe and he said he felt really safe with his handgun in the door! So that might be an option for us. Not the gun, but camping for free with incredible views

The highlight was seeing a bear run across the road in front of us, but it was too fast to film.

We also climbed to the top of Mt Mitchell which is the highest point east of the Mississippi River. But it was only a 300 ft uphill walk.

We didn’t get to our camp until after 6pm and when we got there, another surprise awaited us. Up in the tree was a big owl. I’d never seen one in the wild before and it was very exciting. I managed to get some nice shots of it.

We are in another nice national park camp, still no electricity or showers though. But our battery didn’t run flat last night so Mikes changes seem to have worked.

We met a couple of South African guys who are cycle touring. The have cycled all the way from Argentina and are cycling to New York, then to Ireland and working their way down to France. What an adventure!

We had a simple feed of bacon and scrambled eggs in a tortilla wrap. We are absolutely exhausted.