We spent the day on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina, and up through to Skyline Drive in Virginia on Thursday - traveling through the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachians.A journey we typically do on the Harley, we decided since it was going to be a long journey done in one day that we would do it in the Jeep with the windows out - in order to appreciate the cool temperatures, the rustling of the leaves and the glorious smells.
The day started out a bit gloomy with grey and white clouds sifting down through the mountains...
I really didn't mind though, because the sky suited the day. Crisp, cool, breezy - a perfect Autumn day.Around lunch time the sun was warm and started melting the clouds away. TheY were evaporating before my very eyes....
At lunchtime, we decided rather than eat in a restaurant - we'd eat out. So we got sandwiches and found a spot with a perfect view... 
Some unusual "hitchhikers" on an expired Lady's Slipper flower. I couldn't resist bringing one of those pods home.
As the blue sky unveiled itself, the muted colors of the forest came alive. Red, Orange, Yellow, Gold leaves - everywhere. The forest was on fire!
After a leisurely day of just taking in beauty, we decided to Start heading home around 4, (we left the house at 5:30 a.m.) It began to get cloudy and cold....
Every turn around a bend, every time the sun went behind a cloud - the scenery changed, the colors changed, the mood changed. 
We spotted a Christmas Tree Farm along the way. I wondered if this is where our tree comes from every year??? What a cool way to make a living. I could seriously do that.
Around 7:30 pm it was pitch black. We drove slowly around the twist
s and turns of the mountains as the night came alive with wildlife. The highlight of our journey was the sight of a black bear cub bouncing across the Blue Ridge Parkway in the dark without a care in the world. We stopped and watched him for a few minutes. I so wanted to get out to take a picture, but my husband reminded me - where there's a baby, there's a momma. It was a sight I will NEVER forget.I so love the Autumn and the Winter.
I just can't stay indoors. The Reccas come alive with the arrival of the cold, windy, weather. I'm already thinking about our next adventure. Maybe Tennessee, the Smokey Mountains -- when the snow starts falling.
I'll be posting in a day some of the stuff I've been working on. My new header is a sneak peak. The studio's a mess - that means progress!! Now turn off that computer and go outside and PLAY!
