#9 Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Fleeter Log #9 

Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway

2005 October 29-30

We were "fleetering" about without Fleeter. The weather was a bit cool and unsettled so we took this trip in the pickup instead the motorcycles. Technically, this shouldn't be a Fleeter Log since I wasn't riding Fleeter, but we'll stick with the format and provide full disclosure that Fleeter was safe at home in the motorcycle garage.


Fritz was happy since this meant that he gets to go too. We headed west to the Blue Ridge Parkway via Orange and Charlottesville. At Afton, we entered onto the Parkway and headed south toward Roanoke. We spent the night in Roanoke and continued along the Parkway to Mabry Mill. Fritz gets settled into the backseat with his blanket. Flat Hannah is still with us for this trip.

When it's time to GO, Fritz gets very focused!

After a while Fritz couldn't resist getting a better of view.

US20 is a beautiful stretch of road between Gordonville and Charlottesville.

Grapevines growing along the entry of a vineyard on US20.

Since we are in the pickup, we can more easily take pictures of the parkway as we travel along.

An old Appalachian Cabin found on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This is a "catch'em alive trap" like the pioneers made and used along the Appalachian Trail.

Water seeping down the rock face catches the sunlight in the afternoon sun.

 

We didn't see any bear...

 

... but Fritz was on the lookout!

Scenic lookouts are plentiful along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  

 

Signs like this are constant reminders that it would be nice to have Fleeter when on the Parkway.

The next morning, driving through Roanoke, we saw this church downtown. It looked like it needed to have its picture taken. 

So we went to find it.

Andrew's Catholic Church in Roanoke, Virginia.

This is the view from the church looking across downtown Roanoke toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. We're headed there.

And here we are looking back on downtown Roanoke. 

Typical bridge along the Parkway. 

Oh ... the BLUE Ridge Mountains. We get it now.

Still missing Fleeter!

 

 

The Trail Family cabin, a typical home of the Appalachian pioneer family.

Flat Hannah finds that she is the perfect size for a Keebler elf tree.

She likes the window!

Split rail fence leading up to the famous Mabry Mill.

This is the Mabry Mill, this most photographed mill in the US. I took my turn taking photos...I'm sure I took at least my share.

The Mabry Mill is so popular on postcards that it often shows up on postcards and is credited to other states...But there's only one Mabry Mill and it's in Virginia on the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Copyright 2005 Fleeter Logs