der Bayerische November/December 2020 - 5

A Drive in the Clouds
By Mike Bevels

A quick stop at one of the many beautiful overlooks
on Skyline Drive.

S

kyline Drive is a 105-mile road
that runs along the Blue Ridge
Mountains in Virginia's
Shenandoah National Park. The
road is well paved; it has lots of
twists and turns, and with a speed
limit of 35 mph it's a great road for
cruising. Additionally there are
plenty of sightseeing opportunities
at the 75 overlooks, which will
inspire you to get out of the car,
stretch, and take in the beautiful
views of the Shenandoah Valley.
This past Father's Day, my wife
suggested we take the '91 318is
(E30) to drive a section of Skyline
Drive. Despite having lived in
Virginia my whole life, I had never

November I December

been to Skyline Drive. It has always
been something I've wanted to do,
but for one reason or another I've
never made the trip. So at 8 a.m. on
a foggy, cloudy, and drizzly Father's
Day morning my son and daughter
loaded themselves into their car
seats, my wife buckled in the
passenger seat, and we hit the road.
With no traffic, it took us about
an hour to reach the Front Royal
Entrance of Skyline Drive. We paid
the park's entrance fee and started
climbing the winding road. As our
elevation increased, the visibility
decreased due to the heavy white
mist all around us. My son and
daughter were in awe that we were

"driving in the clouds." Whether it
was just heavy fog or actual clouds,
it definitely left an impression on
them. We stopped at a few overlooks, which unfortunately provided
no visibility, but we were having fun
regardless. Perhaps it was due to
the rainy weather earlier that
morning, but we only saw a few
other cars and cyclists on the road.
At times it felt as if we had the entire
park to ourselves.
At milepost 20 we reached
Hogback Overlook, an elevation of
nearly 3400 feet. There were large
breaks in the clouds which gave way
to breathtaking views of the valley
below. This was definitely the high-

light of the trip. We stopped at two
more clear overlooks before exiting
Skyline Drive at the Thornton Gap
Entrance and making our way home.
Overall, it was almost a fivehour and 180-mile round trip.
We all enjoyed the drive, the sights,
the music (Rocknoceros and Disney
soundtracks), and the conversations. The following weekend when
I jokingly asked "Who wants to go to
Skyline Drive today?", both kids
headed for the garage ready to go.
While this isn't something we'll do
every weekend, I certainly hope this
becomes a tradition.

5



der Bayerische November/December 2020

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