35th Day - March 17, 2022

Due to COVID, several hotels have now adopted the practice of handing guests a breakfast bag instead of serving breakfast in a crowded dining room. That's the case with me today. The contents are manageable. A bottle of water, which I can use well, a terrible sweet processed snack, and a cereal bar. Category: the world doesn't really need that. But one should not be ungrateful. Others don't give anything at all. Which would have been better in this case, however.

Today, the last part of the Blue Ridge Parkway is supposed to follow. And the entrance is only a few minutes from my accommodation. It rained last night, but now it's dry and even the sun comes out occasionally. So I set off hopefully and after 15 minutes I experience a nasty surprise. It's totally foggy. And I mean really foggy. With hardly anything to see foggy. After about 15 minutes, I see no point in continuing. I can hardly see my hand in front of my eyes. It's not only dangerous, but also tiring and boring.

So I leave the trail at the next exit, and as soon as I'm a few meters further down, it's clear again. I realize how high the trail is. And that's the problem today. So I drive cross-country and only return to this beautiful road at the end. To do this, I have to climb again on a completely deserted road. And what awaits me just before the entrance to the last 30 miles here? Fog.

I'm almost turning back when suddenly the fog clears. And indeed, the final stage is almost free of fog. This is because it is slightly lower. The views of the nature enriched with fog are something special. I am even inclined to say that it's not so bad that it's the way it is. But maybe I'm just trying to make it sound nice.

Right at the end of this 700 km long route is the entrance to the Skyline Drive of the Shenendoa National Park. And unlike the Blue Ridge Parkway, this one is not free, as you have to pay $30 for the park. For seven days admission. I don't need to mention that the entrance is in fog. And the ranger at the gate really encourages me. The entire 100 miles is like this. I consider it briefly, but then decide to come back tomorrow anyway. My accommodation is also pretty much in the middle. So it doesn't matter if I drive in today or tomorrow. And I can also exit after 50 km if I can't stand it.

I'm not the only one taking the risk. A few more cars drive through this magical light at the allowed 35 miles/hour. And it's not as bad as it was this morning. But it's not particularly good either. At the viewpoints, you can't see anything at first. If it continues like this for 50 km, I'll turn back. But I'm lucky. The fog clears six times in total and reveals the view. And I accept the condition as something unique. I'm a little concerned that some animal might run in front of the car. I've already seen a few deer. But I hope for the best and everything goes well. I even avoid a squirrel by a wide margin.

After two-thirds of the route, I reach my exit to Luray. And as soon as I'm out, it immediately becomes clear again. What a difference those few meters make. The Cardinal Inn, where I booked a room, is so retro that it's cool again. It's clean and feels like the sixties. If it weren't for the large flat-screen TV.

Luray is a small town with less than 5000 inhabitants and I immediately like it. After checking in relatively early, I stroll through downtown. There is zero hustle and even a sheriff greets me. A few meters from my hotel, there are hot dogs that have a good reputation according to the internet. They don't look good at all, but they taste really good. And the onion rings are the best I've ever had.

I thought about driving back if the sun shines tomorrow. And begin the Skyline Drive again. But I'm not going to do that. I will finish the last third, whether it's foggy or sunny, and the first 2/3 are my foggy stages. In life, you can't go back when it's not all sunshine.