Eventually -- The Smokey Mountains

Well the weather couldn't stay perfect forever, and as the clouds rolled in, so did very dense fog, at least along the ridgeline, and that made driving all but impossible.  This picture doesn't really do justice to the thickness of the fog.

Cut It With A Knife, Blue Ridge Parkway, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

So we had to leave the BRP and make our way down to lower elevation.  That was still an enjoyable drive with different scenery.  We found another place to stay in the Pisgah National Forest at Wolf Ford Roadside Camping located at GPS coordinates:  35.366019, -82.738652

Wolf Ford Roadside Camping, GPS: 35.366019, -82.738652, Pisgah National Forest, NC, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

So we did not travel the full length of the parkway, although we did return once the weather was sunny again.  This time, into the Great Smokey Mountains of Georgia.

Smokeys and the Bandit?, Blue Ridge Parkway, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

The Great Smokey Mountains, Blue Ridge Parkway, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Finally, we completed the Blue Ridge Parkway and over-heated our brakes a bit in the up and down process.  I vow to downshift more in the future.  But after cooling down, everything seemed safe again.

We used the Ultimate Campground app (by fellow LD'er Ted Houghton) to find our next campsite -- Sandy Bottoms along the Toccoa River, in the Chattahoochee National Forest, at GPS: 34.786292, -84.239739.  You'll need to cross a bridge that has a 7-ton and 10' 6" limit -- just barely enough for Thistle Dew Too.  But we made it!  This campsite has an $8 USFS camping fee.

Sandy Bottoms Recreation Area, GPS 34.786292, -84.239739, Toccoa River, Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge, GA, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

And here is the view from our bedroom window overlooking the Toccoa River.  Good news is that the glass is tinted so morning fishermen cannot look in ;-)

View from Our Bedroom, GPS 34.786292, -84.239739, Toccoa River, Chattahoochee National Forest, Blue Ridge, GA, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

So there you have it -- our first week's activities on Thistle Dew Too's Encore Adventure!  So far we have gone through NH, VT, NY, PA, WV, VA, NC, and GA.  More to follow!