It is on to the Blue Ridge Parkway Drive today. This drive is over 400 miles and we are not sure whether we will do the whole thing. We have been averaging around 40 miles per hour on the twisty roads. The trees often completely canopy the road and there are lookouts every few miles.

But before we hit the drive we head for our free continental breakfast. Although we are barely into this routine, it already seems a bit old. Rudy says that the hot brown water that is offered can in no way be mistaken for coffee. I pass on the tea. Rudy has the waffles and I have a few scrambled eggs, and some Raisin Bran cereal.  It all sounds way better than it is. I overhear another group at the table beside us reading the ingredient list on the yogurt container and commenting that they have never had this much added sugar by this time in the morning before in their lives. Thank goodness though, there is 0% fat in the yogurt. 🙂

Rudy had discovered at public golf course on our route when researching the trip in Manitoba and this is where we head this morning. It costs $10 for nine holes. Rudy thinks it is terrible but I love it, partly because I have some decent shots in the first number of holes. But no matter what, it is an adventure and lots of fun. Not the least is the beautiful walk in the cool sunny air which, by the time we get to the 9th hole, has become very warm.

We hop in our van and are on the road by 11 o’clock. It feels great to be on the road again and basically we gaze at the beautiful trees and the vistas for hours. We are a bit like the quintessential tourists, pulling over every few miles to hop out of the van and take photos of the vistas.

We arrive in Roanoke, Virginia around 4. I head out to find a park to walk around and then Rudy and I meet at a Mexican restaurant for supper. The food is pretty authentic, and Rudy washes his down with a Margarita and I wash mine down with an Agua de Tamarindo. Time to get back to the hotel and write the blog entry.