May 19, 2013
To Roanoke
And the fog thickens
According to our guidebook Rocky Knob is one of the most scenic stretches along the parkway, but we had to use our imaginations. This morning's fog was even more dense than the day before, leaving us unable to see more than a few trees into the distance in any direction. Fortunately there was very little traffic and safety was no concern, but we'd like to return someday and see what we missed in the first pass through.
Our big stop for the day was at Tuggles Gap, for a second breakfast (we'd had a smallish one at the lodge before starting out). It came only 10 miles into the ride but this was the only stop until the day's end at Roanoke, and it gave us a place to wait out the weather and hope the fog would lift.
The cafe at Tuggles Gap is just yards off of the parkway, but we struggled to find it. There was so little visibility at the exit that we couldn't see far enough in any direction to know which way to turn. By chance we picked the right one (east), and after 50 feet were rewarded with a sign announcing a cafe ahead. We had no clue how far ahead and down the road it might be though, and we were a bit concerned for safety on this road with zero visability. As it turned out, we were almost in its parking lot - 15 feet further, and its lights started shining through.
The fog did lift a bit over breakfast, to be gradually replaced by a light drizzle that held for the rest of the day. It wasn't until we began the long descent into Roanoke that the skies started to clear a bit, so we really have no clue what this stretch of the parkway really looks like. We're sure it's quite beautiful though.
We did enjoy wandering around Roanoke's old town though, once we checked into the elegant and historic Roanoke Hotel and dried ourselves out.
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Today's ride: 58 miles (93 km)
Total: 185 miles (298 km)
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