Sunset on Blue Ridge Parkway

So after a wonderful time on Skyline Drive (105 miles), we thought we might as well continue along the Blue Ridge Parkway (aka BRP, another 469 miles!), which picks up right after you leave the Shenandoah National Park.  The views continued to be spectacular.  This was clearly gonna take some time ;-)

As you can see from this photo, it's pretty clear where the Blue Ridge Mountains get their name.

Literally, the "Blue Ridge Mountains", Blue Ridge Parkway, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

And as the day was drawing to a close, we found a nice overlook to park and watch the sun set.

Sunset on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Blue Ridge Parkway, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

After doing some research on-line (cellular service varies along the BRP, but can be quite good in many places), we found we were not allowed to park overnight anywhere on the BRP (even though it is not a national park).  Well, bummer.

So we did a search for nearby National Forest campsites and found one that was originally used by the CCC "boys" when they built the road.  This one is called Oronoco Campground, and had a stocked trout stream nearby.  It is located at GPS 37.746931, -79.263976. 

Oronoco Campground, GPS: 37.746931, -79.263976, Vesuvius, VA, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]

Falling Water, Oronoco Campground, Vesuvius, VA, February 2017 © Steven Crisp  [Click on the photo to enlarge]