After the Spruce Pine, NC detour, we found our way back onto the Parkway and made it to Grandfather Mountain (Mile 300 - pictured above) before hitting another detour through Boone, NC. The second detour was on good curvy roads through bucolic Boone and only lasted for nine miles.We ultimately stopped for the night in Roanoke, VA (Mile 120) at the Days Inn. Before anyone snickers at the "hardcore" guys from last night's campsite, the weather forecast for tomorrow should be considered. The high temperature for tomorrow in Roanoke is 43 degrees with an 80% chance of rain. That said, a warm bed and a good night's sleep was the smart, safe option. We feel hardcore enough having gone from Mile 410 (Mt. Pisgah) to Mile 120 in one day at an average speed of 40 mph. In the course of today's 340-mile day (the first detour was a big one), the wind was our biggest problem. The photo below is from Mile 168 at The Saddle Overlook near Woolwine, VA, where the wind almost got the better of us. Had this photo been a video clip, the viewer would be looking at a Honda 919, The Bull, and a Mexican Jumping Shane...and yes, jumping does help keep warm.
Roanoke, VA (despite its historical penchant for getting lost) looks a lot like any suburb of Birmingham, AL, so the pictures should resume tomorrow once we get back on the Parkway. The Virgnia leg of the Parkway isn't nearly as scenic as the North Carolina leg and, coupled with the problematic weather forecast, we'll likely get to Waynesboro, VA before lunch tomorrow and hit I-81 and get close to Asheville, NC by tomorrow evening. If the weather in Franklin, NC has cleared by Friday, we have an addition to the trip that might prove to be pretty exciting. For more details on the Surprise Addition to Relay on the Ridge, tune in tomorrow. Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.
P.S. - We did use our camp burner and cookware to eat dinner in the room at the Days Inn. All that dehydrated food need not go unused...
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