The Blue Ridge Mountains are a sub-group of mountains from the Appalachian Mountain Range and extends for 550 miles. They go through Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. The Blue Ridge Mountains are noted for having a bluish color when seen from a distance. Trees put the “blue” in Blue Ridge, from the isoprene released into the atmosphere. This contributes to the characteristic haze on the mountains and their distinctive blue color. We started our Blue Ridge adventure in North Carolina and continued through a lot of Virginia.
The Blue Ridge Mountains are also home to the highest mountain west of the Mississippi, at 6,684 feet above sea level. I laugh at this though, because we are at 5,480 feet and we are just at the base of the foothills. Some of our mountains are over 14,000 feet. We call them the 14ers. I think we have 54 that are over 14,000 feet high here in Colorado. But as I mentioned in my post yesterday, these mountains are just as impressive and beautiful as ours, only in different ways. The Driving Adventures Begin – The Blue Ridge Mountains
We are standing at the gravesite of Elisha Mitchell, the scientist and mountain lover who set out to prove this peak was the highest point west of the Mississippi River. He is forever looking out over his beloved Blue Ridge Mountains.
This is the view from afar, but up close, there were plenty of beautiful, colorful flowers and flowering trees all around too. Some of the flowers and trees are the same ones we have here, but there were many others that were very different.
These trees were so fragrant and beautiful, particularly those that were in full bloom.
For this portion of the trip, we drove through North Carolina through the Blue Ridge Mountains and into Virginia. Coming back, we followed the coastal route, but more on that later. We literally covered the whole state, and what a beautiful state it is too. I would go back again in a heartbeat.
Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.
A Jeanne in the Kitchen 