Roan Mountain Leg VA TN NC PA

Leave a Comment

May 2020

Road Trip Tally

States: TN NC VA WV MD
Miles: 400
Total_Miles: 1316
MPG: 17.8
Keeper Photos: 68
Total: 296
New Species Added: 3
Total Road Trip Bird List: 74

The next leg of this journey took me south to Roan Mountain, where the Appalachian Trail crosses the Tennessee – North Carolina Border. Pretty certain that I was too early for the Catawba Rhododendrons that cover these hills, I set my first destination to Bojangle’s Chicken, planning to arrive by lunch. Why? Because I have a nostalgic sort of food issue that sometimes causes me to plan trips like this: first, I plan around food that I loved in the past that I can’t get anywhere else, and second, I think about legendary local diners, drive-ins, and dives that I have never been to. Bojangles is the former, and I ate there twice! Popeye’s, Royal Farms, and Chik-fil-a do not hold a candle to Bojangles in the chicken department, and there are no better biscuits on the planet (that I am aware of).

I did pop back onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for a short time with the Orange T@B, just to see how it would do. It did great as the Pilot pulled it with little effort. Of course, the plan was to do most exploring when the camper was cut loose and parked in a campground.

I am inclined to take unimproved narrow roads on impulse. I especially like the harrowing narrow ones that switch back and forth to climb steep mountains, the kinds of roads that would have to wait until the camper was unhooked. Now, I don’t really have the tires or clearance on my vehicle to go too crazy, but I did cross a couple of creeks on this road, windows down, hoping to find a Cerulean Warbler by ear. (no luck)

I am fascinated with old barns, especially in the Appalachians. I stopped by this farm to take pictures.

point b on map

Miller Farmstead, Roan Mountain, TN . Click to view full frame.

Finally, I spent much of a day on the Appalachian Trail, where I wanted to cross from one state to another.

point c on map
North Carolina, broken and lying on the ground…selfie with pink cheeks from hiking…but not broken or lying on the ground

I only had to hike a couple of miles to get from NC to TN, but I stayed on this ridge for a good while as the sky was a little overcast and the breeze much cooler than below. I took a lot of photos, but the gallery shows a couple of my favorites. You can click on them to view them larger.

The Appalachian Trail was well-worn and well-maintained here, where it crosses from Tennessee into North Carolina. I met a group hiking through from Georgia to Maine, with all their REI gear and fancy Merrell boots. One of them defiantly smoked a cigarette on the crest of this hill, which seemed like an uncharacteristic “Fuck You” to his body…”You will walk a thousand miles over mountains even as I fill you with smoke!”

Road Trip Birds added this trip

EBird Location Appalachian Trail, Roan Mountain, Tennessee, US

31 Species observed 38 individuals
  1. Alder FlycatcherNumber observed: 1
  2. Blue-headed VireoNumber observed: 1
  3. Northern ParulaNumber observed: 1

Uncategorized

Leave a comment