The Parkway was authorized in the 1930s as a Depression-era public works project, the Parkway was more than a half-century in the making. It was the nation's first, and ultimately longest, rural parkway, connecting Shenandoah National Park in Virginia with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. Enduring standards for parkway engineering and design were pioneered here.

Being located in Charlotte, I can easily get to the Blue Ridge Parkway in a matter of a couple of hours. So, one Fall Saturday morning after a very hectic work week, I decided to head West to Blowing Rock to get on the parkway. 

At Blowing Rock, I was a bit disappointed because many of the leaves were gone from several windy days at this higher elevation. As I wandered down the parkway towards Asheville, I was pleased to see more and more color as I went down in elevation. I also experienced a 20 degree temperature drop, a huge increase in wind speed and lots of fog. However, the weather didn't keep me from jumping out of my car for some quick pictures. I'm sure glad I had a pair of gloves in my car.

If you ever are on the East Coast in the Fall, please make plans to take a drive on America's Favorite Drive.

I began the chilly morning in the dark wondering why I had volunteered to spend the day chasing cyclists across South Carolina. By the end of the day, I knew. 

I've already offered to photograph their spring walk and any other bike event they have. These are incredible people doing amazing work for a great cause. Let's hope that one day there will be no need to have fundraisers like this ever again.

Over the Labor Day Weekend, I traveled to Anaheim to walk the Disneyland Half Marathon!

Not only was the race great, but I also had time to wander around the parks with my camera.

Part of the route took us through Angels Stadium where there were 2000 volunteers in the stands cheering! What a cool event!