Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 29
intendent, had "lone-wolfed it" from
Washington, D.C. down toward the
Smokies in a Dodge pickup to get to
know the mountains. About second superintendent Sam Weems, whose first
parkway job was acquiring land for the
parkway's large recreation areas. Weems
had prided himself on using persuasion rather than condemnation to turn
reluctant sellers to willing ones, an approach that required a lot of front-porch
sitting and making nice with resident
canines wanting their ears stroked (and
once, with a pet billygoat). About Ed and
Lizzie Mabry, whose roadside mill, with
its slowly-turning waterwheel, is probably the parkway's most-photographed
building. About "Farmer Bob" (aka "Muley Bob") Doughton of Sparta, whose
legislative skill secured passage of thricedefeated legislation that put parkway
maintenance permanently within U.S.
Department of the Interior jurisdiction.
I learned all I know about parkway design from Gary Johnson, had absorbed
from him the importance of maintaining
the integrity of its "historic fabric." I knew
he'd done some consulting work for the
parkway since retiring. Looking back, did
the battles he'd fought on behalf of parkway design still seem worth it? Absolutely.
Was funding still a problem?
He rolled his eyes. "We all love our national parks," he said. "We just don't want
to pay for them."
I took my parkway trip a week after
that conversation. Whenever I was writing about the parkway in the past, I'd kept
the radio off, to attune myself to the parkway's own music. The road itself is superbly engineered so that, despite its curves
and ups and downs, by adhering to its 45
mph maximum speed limit, you fall easily into its rhythm, with minimal braking
and accelerating. No doubt that's partly
why motorcyclists (and my Prius) love it.
I'd chosen a sunny day. With no white
lines along road edges, a design feature
that fosters the illusion that the road is part
of the natural scene, it can be a nightmare
in foggy weather. I soon realized I'd just
missed the mountain laurel bloom, and
was a little too early for the Rosebay rhododendron. The spring wildflower flush
There But For
Friends and
Foundation . . .
In lieu of adequate federal funding,
two organizations-Friends of
the Blue Ridge Parkway, with its
numerous local chapters, and the
Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation-
have stepped into the breach and are
providing money and manpower to
support the parkway.
To learn more, or contribute to their
efforts:
Friends of the Blue Ridge
Parkway: friendsbrp.org
Blue Ridge
Parkway Foundation:
brpfoundation.org
visitwytheville.com * 1-877-347-8307
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2018
29
http://www.friendsbrp.org
http://www.brpfoundation.org
http://www.visitwytheville.com
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 6
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 7
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 8
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 10
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 12
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 13
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 14
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 16
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 18
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 20
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 22
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 24
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 26
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 28
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 30
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 34
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 38
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 40
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 44
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 46
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 48
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 50
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 51
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 52
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 53
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 54
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 55
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 56
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 57
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 58
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 59
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 60
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 61
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 62
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 63
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 64
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 66
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 67
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 68
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 69
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 70
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 71
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 72
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 73
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - 74
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - September/October 2018 - Cover4
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