31 Days of October, Day 20

“The road to a friend’s house is never long.” –Danish Proverb (Blue Ridge Parkway, October 20, 2018)

Today was what makes us enjoy this time of year. With cool temps and overcast skies that turned partly sunny in late afternoon, along with a robust breeze, Mr. Mitchell and I traveled the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way to visit friends.

The overcast skies made for some muted photos but there was a little fall color along the Parkway. Last year color was late because it had been so dry so, because we had so much rain this year, we all thought the fall colors would be spectacular and possibly early. Nope. It’s been an odd autumn.

Warm temps continued until a few days ago when we had our first frost and overnight temps in the 20s.  Views of House Mountain west of Lexington were clear from the Parkway. The crisp air of the past few days made the mountains sharp against the sky.

We were curious to see what the fall color was doing at higher elevations but, whatever time of year, the backroads of Virginia are always beautiful.

Americana on rural roads.

Colors are muted and many leaves have turned brown and fallen.

The clouds….

Sharp Top Mountain at Peaks of Otter.

The “Golf Ball” high atop Apple Orchard Mountain along the Blue Ridge Parkway. For six decades it has been a landmark for folks on both sides of the mountain.

The James River, looking west from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The James River looking east from the Blue Ridge Parkway, the lowest elevation of the scenic drive. On the north bank is the James River Visitor Center with interactive walking trail along the locks once used in river navigation. On the south bank Route 501 will take you to Lynchburg or Buena Vista.

Dusk was falling as we returned home at the end of another glorious day. It’s autumn in Virginia….

Photos by Lynn R. Mitchell