We were up early this morning anxious to make the last leg to home. After a quick breakfast in the motel, we loaded up the car one last time, programmed the GPS for the FASTEST route home and were off.
With the 4th of July holiday this week traffic was heavier than normal, particularly on I-85 but the trip was finished without incident.
After a short recovery period, we put together this final daily log. We plan to add a summary after we have a short period to appreciate what we have accomplished. Our goal of finding the "Extreme East" cache was accomplished but the true goal was exploring all the land from here to there and back.
We liked what we saw. This was a road trip.
Final leg - 211 miles, 2376 feet, 6 inches.
Total distance traveled - 6715.11 miles
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Day 17 - Roanoke to Asheville
Our goal today was to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Roanoke, VA to Asheville, NC. We left the hotel and were soon joined the parkway at Roanoke Mountain and started driving south.
We made a stop at Mabry Mill. It features a restored gristmill, sawmill, and blacksmith shop all restored to operating condition. There is also a virtual cache at the site. 
Of course, there are a number of overlooks all along the way. With today's good weather, some were just stunning. 
We were surprised to notice there was a geocache just off the side of the road. Here I had just climbed back up the hill after finding the ammo can.
It was a clear day and cool so we put the top down and it stayed down all day.
We made a stop at Mabry Mill. It features a restored gristmill, sawmill, and blacksmith shop all restored to operating condition. There is also a virtual cache at the site.Of course, there are a number of overlooks all along the way. With today's good weather, some were just stunning.
Unfortunately, the parkway was closed for road construction not too far south of the North Carolina state line. Bummer. It was a tough drive into Asheville on the detour route.
Tomorrow, we will drive the last leg back home.
Today's trip - 277 miles
Cumulative mileage - 6501.56
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Day 16 - Scranton to Roanoke
We started the day going south on I-81 but as soon as we were clear of the congested area around Wilkes - Barre, we got off the interstate and used two lane roads roughly paralleling the main roads. It's slower but a lot more enjoyable.
Then we were back on the road. In this part of Pennsylvania you are likely to encounter horse and buggy traffic on the roads which we did. We also spotted this in a small strip shopping center parking lot.
As we continued south, we went down into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We saw a sign pointing off to our right labeled "covered bridge". We couldn't resist turning off and found the longest covered bridge in Virginia. We didn't realize it at the time but it turned out to be a virtual cache.
As we were driving along, Hannah was looking at a road map and noticed the Appalachian Trail running in the general area. We made a short detour to find where it crossed one of the local roads.
While we were there, we took a short hike down the trail to stretch our legs.
Then we were back on the road. In this part of Pennsylvania you are likely to encounter horse and buggy traffic on the roads which we did. We also spotted this in a small strip shopping center parking lot. As we continued south, we went down into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. We saw a sign pointing off to our right labeled "covered bridge". We couldn't resist turning off and found the longest covered bridge in Virginia. We didn't realize it at the time but it turned out to be a virtual cache.Finally, after a long day of driving, in rain at times, we reached Roanoke, VA, our destination for the day.
Today's mileage - 446 miles
Cumulative mileage - 6224.33
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