There are now only two days left on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but as it turned out, these final 120 miles had a lot of hill climbing in store. The climb began almost immediately at the start of the Jefferson National Forest with a long gradual uphill to Peaks of Otter. For a while, the Parkway runs parallel to the Appalachian Trail and intersects this famous hiking trail on several occasions. Arriving at Peaks of Otter, a helicopter rescue was under way, causing the road to be temporarily closed for a good forty-five minutes. At this point, I am halfway towards my destination and ready for a break anyway, and from the visitor center watched the ambulance to helicopter transfer in action for a while.
By 3:30 in the afternoon, the road was cleared and the next thirty-miles of the ride, went first up to the highest elevation on the Virginia Parkway and then down to the lowest point of the Blue Ridge. It was one of the toughest workouts uphill to 4,000 feet, followed by a thirteen mile thrilling downhill to 650 feet. When I got to the bottom near the James river, I was cold and my hands were cramped from pumping and squeezing the breaks, as gravity from the weight of the trailer was constantly trying to push me beyond my comfort zone. Upon arrival at the Otter Creek camp ground it was still light, and I spotted a nice camp site near the restroom facilities, to stow my trailer, out of sight from any wildlife. After having gathered enough firewood from fallen branches and having set up my tent, it was time to start a fire to warm-up and keep the insects at bay. With the help of a few sheets of paper ripped out of my camping guide, the little twigs soon caught fire, fueling the bigger branches and larger logs. The evening darkened and a few more vacationers on motorcycles rolled into camp. Labor day was around the corner and tomorrow this place will be filled for the final summer holiday of the year.
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