In the middle of October, I taught a photography workshop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. After the workshop was over, I drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway with the goal of making it to Marby Mill in Virginia. I hadn’t been to Marby, yet, and wanted to see it.

My first stop was at Waterrock Knob to watch the sunrise. The best view was away from the sunrise and watching the morning light creep down the mountains in the distance.

I camped at Mt. Pisgah campground and photographed the area around Mt. Pisgah the next day. I’ve been in this area several times and still haven’t seen it all. I did a sunrise at Pounding Mill Overlook and sunset just next to the road. I also spent time photographing Sunburst Falls.

I drove up through Ashville and checked out the town and the folk art center just outside of town. I camped at Linnville and shot the Viaduct at sunset. The sunset was blah, but I hung out with a couple of other photographers and had a good time talking about photography. The next morning, I decided to shoot Price Lake. When I got there I wasn’t excited, so I drove north. I ended up at Thunderhill Overlook.

I spent the day checking out the sites, visiting a few stores along the parkway and enjoying a stop at the Blue Ridge Music Center to learning about mountain music. There were several pretty locations and historic cabins alongside the road that I stopped at, including the Brinegar Cabin. I also hiked a few of the trails along the parkway.

At the end of the day, I arrived at Marby Mill. After getting a campsite at Rocky Knob, I returned to photograph Marby Mill. I waited for the sun to drop in the sky and then photographed the mill in the shade. After the light faded, I drove to an nearby overlook that had hay bails in it to photograph the afterglow.

After sunset, I decided to celebrate a fun drive up the parkway at Jane’s Country Cafe in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. I ordered a cheeseburger, fries and peach cobbler. The bill came to $10. It was like I was transported back in time. And it was good!