Day 9 (100 Days of 100 Grams) - When closed doesn't mean CLOSED!

Julian Price Memorial Park Campground - Blue Ridge Parkway

Blowing Rock, NC - July 15, 2020

My late husband, Bill, and I were veteran road warriors.  He was a college professor and I was a very early retiree, so our habit was to take off on a lengthy road trip each May the moment he finished the academic year!  We always had a planned destination (usually a National Park area), but the goal was to see everything we could between that destination and home.  We avoided the interstate system if at all possible and loved exploring small towns, parks, greenways, rail-trails, etc as we made our way across the USA.  We discovered that campgrounds were PERFECT places to take a break and stretch our legs.  We'd park just outside the campground and ask for permission at an office or a ranger station.  Only once were ever told NO.  Actually we weren't told "no," we were just told we'd have to pay a "guest" fee! For taking a walk??  I don't think so!  We so enjoyed looking at the different camp setups and seeing families and children enjoying themselves.  Typically, we would just walk the entire campground for some exercise, then get in our car and drive on.  We rarely (although I confess, not always) even made use of the restrooms! 

Julian Price Memorial Park Campground - Loop B

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a gorgeous scenic highway that runs through North Carolina and Virginia for 469 miles primarily along the ridgeline of the Appalachian Mountain Range.  No commercial vehicles are allowed on the parkway and the maximum speed limit is 45 mph.  Along the parkway are eight campgrounds.  Julian Price Memorial Park is one of those and is located very near the cabin I am renting.  It is quite large with 129 tent sites and 68 RV sites spread out over three large loops with interconnecting roads making for a LONG walk if one travels them all.  I loved walking the campground last year, so imagine my surprise to see the "closed" gate when I arrived this year.  (Sadly, I shouldn't have been surprised.  Checking further told me that ALL campgrounds and most of the other parkway visitor facilities are closed due to COVID-19.)  I knew that numerous trails intersect the campground loops and meander around them, so felt confident I wasn't breaking any regulations by walking the paved loops of a closed campground.  (The second day I did this, I came upon a ranger doing some maintenance and he verified that, absolutely, it was o.k. for me to be walking the loops.) 

Julian Price Memorial Park Campground - Loop A

I can't begin to describe the sense of complete solitude I felt while walking through those empty loops.  The mountain laurel is blooming and everything is so lush and green.  It is just beautiful.  I could've been a couple of miles away walking with the hoards of people at Bass Lake or Moses Cone, but I was so happy in my own little private world at Julian Price.

Julian Price Memorial Park - Loop C

I'm a rule-keeper by nature, but a radical at heart!  When it involves a new trail or different way of being in nature, closed doesn't always mean CLOSED!  And I'm glad about that!

Day 8 Recap:

Total Carbs:  106

Total Steps:  11449