Greg Abernathy
Greg Abernathy’s “not too much of a plan” excursions have taken him to viewpoints such as this one along the Great Eastern Trail in Letcher County, Kentucky.
One of my favorite pastimes when I was at college in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains was hopping in the car and just driving. Any backroad was fair game. I “discovered” small ponds with baby geese; old-timey stores with giant wheels of cheese under glass domes; service stations where they washed your windshield; unimproved mountain roads where the quietness was vast; and, roadside stands of produce where an overall-clad fella would tell me all about this year’s tomato crop and how his honey bees were doing.
In tandem with these mini-journeys it happened…I read the new book “Blue Highways: A Journey into America” by William Least Heat-Moon. The rural roads on my paper maps (picked up at the service station, unfolded once, never to return to their original shape!) were drawn in blue just like the ones used by the author of this now classic book. Somehow, I felt a kindred spirit with his goal of “just paying attention” to the world around him.
And, I still wonder where that road goes…
Our featured travelers also explore their blue highways in the Blue Ridge . . . and that has made all the difference. (Robert Frost)
Let’s meet them!
West Virginia
Brian Hirt
The Anne Bailey Lookout Tower is in Watoga State Park.
Jesse Thornton
John Deans’ backroads take him to the dark skies of Watoga State Park, West Virginia.
“Let nature take over all your senses,” says John Dean, a writer, journalist and editor. “Backroads trips in and around Watoga State Park are a chance to get reinvigorated and inspired by the amazing discoveries along the way. Watch for black bear or deer roaming through the forest. Fill your lungs with fresh mountain air; hear the sounds of nature at work and stand in places so silent that it can be deafening; visit a pioneer cabin; and, maybe even see a ghost,” he adds with a smile.
Generations of Dean’s family have called this region home. “My grandparents’ 211-acre farm bordered the park. They worked with the CCC to ‘build the park.’ And, my dad worked there for 43 years. One of my uncles was West Virginia’s first-ever game keeper; and another was a founding member of The Watoga State Park Foundation” (where Dean now serves as a member of the board of directors). “And, I lived on site for 16-plus years,” he states.
Dean welcomes fellow travelers to experience “the peak months of autumn in nature’s paradise with hues of orange, red and yellow” at a park “so remote that GPS will not find specific directions to it! Once you visit,” he concludes, “you’ll return year after year, especially in the fall. Each autumn when I depart, those rustling leaves whisper my name to return… and I do.”
Donna Dilley
John Dean travels with Jack and Max (standing).
Top Fall Drive Picks:
- U.S. 219 or SR 39 to Watoga State Park
- SR 92 through the adjacent Calvin Price State Forest
More info: watogafoundation.org; wvstateparks.com/park/watoga-state-park
Virginia
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Mike Kendrick
Mike Kendrick’s travels in Virginia include photography of mountain vistas and backroads.
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Mike Kendrick
Mike Kendrick’s travels in Virginia include photography of mountain vistas and backroads.
“I grew up in the shadow of the Blue Ridge Mountains where we could see the Peaks of Otter from our farm,” says Mike Kendrick. “My grandfather taught me the importance of nature and that we should protect it and its wildlife. I remember going every weekend in the fall to see the progression of the leaves turning—from early stages until all had fallen from the branches.”
Mike Kendrick has photographed 168 species of birds in Virginia.
Retired from the U.S. Navy where he spent his career in both aviation and submarines, Kendrick now spends his time on land traveling the backroads. “They allow you to slow down and enjoy the breathtaking vistas and historic sites,” he states. “With varying elevations, the colors will range from just beginning to peak beauty. At different stops along the way you can find wild horses, covered bridges, waterfalls, quaint towns and family-owned restaurants for a homecooked meal.”
Kendrick travels with camera gear at the ready “to capture that perfect picture of the 400 species of birds in the state. So far, I’ve photographed 168 species. This gives me the perfect excuse to keep exploring the meadows, dense woods and streams along the backroads – particularly in autumn when migrating birds stop for a visit during their flights south for the winter.”
He shares, “There is no place in this country (and I’ve been in 42 states, so far) that compares to the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I am still drawn to their majesty and can hear them softly calling me home to my roots.”
Top Fall Drive Picks:
- Blue Ridge Parkway for 200+ Virginia miles
- Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park
More info: blueridgeparkway.org; visitskylinedrive.org
Kentucky
“I think of backroads as paths less traveled where you can find the lesser-known special places from wild hikes to unique communities,” says Greg Abernathy, executive director of Kentucky Natural Lands Trust (a nonprofit working to protect, connect and restore wildlands). “These are places that require you to take more time to fully experience and appreciate them.”
Greg Abernathy and his pup Arnold explore Pine Mountain, Kentucky.
He continues: “Pine Mountain, a ridgeline on the western edge of the Appalachians, is part of a continental-scale conservation effort known as the Eastern Wildway. To travel here is to be within one of the most biologically diverse temperate zone forests on Earth. There are spectacular wildflower displays, notable neotropical bird migrations (come in autumn for the hawks), a remarkable diversity of salamanders and an extraordinary mix of tree species for a fall color showcase.”
While exploring the backroads, Abernathy “likes to let the trip unfold without too much of a plan. Travel is best when challenges turn the journey into an adventure,” says the longtime cartographer who still prefers a paper map.
“As Yvon Chouinard so eloquently stated,” he says with a smile, “‘It’s not an adventure until something goes wrong.’ The unexpected can be wonderful!”
Abernathy concludes, “Travel broadens your ‘world’ and gives you an appreciation for new and different things while also often reminding us of just how special our home places are.”
Top Fall Drive Picks:
- U.S .119 for the southeastern side of the Pine Mountain Wilderness corridor
- KY 221/KY 510/KY 160/KY 197 for the northwestern side
More info: knlt.org
Tennessee
Lorye Nichols compares the path of outdoor life to a stream: “There is fast- and slow-moving time like the flow of waters.”
“Life to me is an adventure,” says Lorye Nichols, a physical trainer who owns and operates Tru-Line Fitness Center. “Traveling the backroads is like taking the ‘original’ routes to small towns, farmlands, marshes, trails, mountains and rivers. And, fall is always a favorite. The freshness of cool, crisp air; the smell of leaves; the positioning of the sun; a harvest moon; clear night skies and bright stars; fall grasses; and, of course, the brilliant fall colors.”
On her journeys, Nichols finds opportunities to rock climb, mountain bike, camp, hike, scuba dive and paddle any and all available waterways in the region.
“Some of my best adventures,” she says, “were not part of the original plan! Travel allows me to see and experience new places and activities, sample different foods, and meet new people. It’s about paying attention to the details.” She recommends joining clubs, social groups and online events for ideas.
“There are highs and lows like mountains and valleys. There is fast- and slow-moving time like the flow of waters. Circumstances, choices and callings take us down different paths like a fork in the road or divider on the trail.
Lorye Nichols’ explorations of the Tennessee mountains usually occur with pup Skye, who has her own hiking boots.
“Some of my clients have health conditions like multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or stroke challenges,” she continues. “I encourage them to work toward a quality of life that includes venturing outdoors.”
Nichols’ final advice: “Explore the backroads, and go somewhere you haven’t been before.”
Top Fall Drive Picks:
- U.S. 64 (Ocoee Scenic Byway) to Benton, Parksville Lake, Cherokee National Forest, the TVA dam system and Ocoee and Hiwassee Rivers
- SR 28/U.S. 127 (Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway) for Walden’s Ridge, Cumberland Plateau and many small towns
More info: fs.usda.gov/main/cherokee/home
North Carolina
“The wonders of nature have always been a part of my life. And, fall’s color palette in western North Carolina is stunning,” says Linda Riesenberg Fisler. A co-founder of Artistic Harmonies Association (whose mission is to bring to light the creative passions of artists), Fisler is a published author and “an oil painter who loves to capture landscapes.”
Linda Riesenberg Fisler recommends using all the senses in a visit to a place such as Bridal Veil Falls in the Nantahala National Forest.
When it came time to relocate, she and her husband, Tom, chose Asheville.
“As a child, my parents took us on many trips around the country—including the Smoky Mountains. Later in life, Tom and I would take long weekend trips to hike there.”
Speaking about their journeys off the beaten path, Fisler says: “We stay off the interstates or cycle on the country roads. Loaded with water, snacks, trekking poles and my camera, we explore the less-crowded backroads. We fancy the brisk air at higher elevations where the trails are also less crowded. You can hear the crunch of fallen leaves and see dozens of mountain ridges.”
For those ready to explore, she says, “Take time to stop and admire the sounds, sites and smells of the region. The climate mirrors a rainforest; so, if possible, enjoy the fragrances after an afternoon rain. Ponder how old our mountains are and how some areas look and feel like the Scottish Highlands. It’s all there just waiting for you to notice!”
Bridal Veil Falls in the Nantahala National Forest
Top Fall Drive Picks:
- U.S. 441/US 74/NC 215/US 276 and other points to access Mountains-to-Sea Trail
- U.S. 276 to Looking Glass Falls and Brevard
- U.S. 64 to Dupont State Recreational Forest and Nantahala National Forest
More info: mountainstoseatrail.org; dupontstaterecreationalforest.com
South Carolina
Dale Wilde
The waterfall at Lake Jocassee.
“The backroads are where we find how real, local people and wildlife live,” says Dale Wilde. Both retired, Wilde and wife, Elaine, chose Upstate South Carolina for their new home. “It has everything we love—mountains, clean lakes and a simple way of life. It is diverse and pristine with a vast watershed protected by acres of conservation that are amazingly beautiful.”
As president of the Friends of Lake Keowee Society, a non-profit with over 1,000 members and hundreds of volunteers, Wilde leads their efforts for advocacy, conservation and education. “The northern part of Lake Keowee and its neighbor Lake Jocassee are part of one of only two temperate rainforests in the lower 48 with over 75 inches of rainfall per year.”
Autumn is a particularly special time. “We are both avid birders and travel extensively to see both endemic and rare birds. Fall is a unique time for migration in the area. Also, the waterfalls are spectacular this time of year,” Wilde adds. “We start with a general plan in one direction and often just follow wherever the roads lead us. Being retired has its advantages!”
“Our love of traveling the backroads,” Wilde sums up, “is like the line in the song – it ‘get[s] us right with [our] souls.’”
Dale Wilde is president of South Carolina’s Friends of Lake Keowee Society.
Top Fall Drive Picks:
- Roy F. Jones Hwy off SC 11 in Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area
- Chloe Chapman Hwy (SR S-39-100) to Mill Creek Rd for streamside habitats
More info: folkskeowee.org; visitoconeesc.com/lake-jocassee-is-open
Georgia
Ellen Honeycutt relaxes in a old-growth forest in North Georgia.
“Plants are my passion,” says Ellen Honeycutt, chair of the Georgia Native Plant Society. “I’m a big fan of fall wildflowers such as goldenrods, blazing stars, perennial sunflowers and asters. I also like to play a game with myself and try to guess which trees I’m seeing on the fall roadsides by the colors they’re displaying. For example, early bright colors are red maple or sourwood; the rich golds are hickories; and, late deep reds are oaks.”
Honeycutt, who works in IT System Development, says, “taking the road less traveled to find hidden beauty, natural vistas and special places is a wonderful change.” She plans her routes through north Georgia—“but then I let what I find take me ‘off course.’ I encourage people to stop at waterfalls in early November when they start to get full again. Also, bring paper maps as backup in case of poor GPS signals.”
Ellen Honeycutt
Among Ellen Honeycutt's favorite places to relax, as above with a view of the North Georgia Blue Ridge, are spots where she can guess the trees by their fall leaf color.
She shares: “My family knows I want to go slow and see what’s there. Learning to recognize plants has multiplied my appreciation of our backroads, which still have amazing native flowers and natural combinations of fall leaf colors.”
Honeycutt concludes with a smile, “Sometimes I have to find a safe place to stop beside the road to see all the plants more closely. I need a bumper sticker that says: I pull over for wildflowers!”
Top Fall Drive Picks:`
- SR 53 to Amicalola Falls SP
- SR 180 to Vogel SP
- U.S. 441/23 for Tallulah Gorge and Black Rock Mountain SPs
- SR 136 to Cloudland Canyon SP
- SR 60 from Dahlonega to Blue Ridge
More info: gastateparks.org; gnps.org
The story above first appeared in our September/October 2021 issue. For more like it subscribe today or log in with your active BRC+ Membership. Thank you for your support!