Mount Mitchell and the Blue Ridge Parkway

This is the "reader's... condensed" version. I'll add more later. I'm in Tom Johnson RV Sales & Camping Resort, Marion, North Carolina. I camped here last year and know they have free WiFi in their lobby. So I wanted to lock in the time and date, and upload some pictures--before they lock the door at 5 o'clock.

I had hoped to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway all the way from Asheville to Linville Falls, and Linville Caverns. However, two closures. I was able to drive to Mount Mitchell but a few miles thereafter I was detoured toward Marion, NC. I'll have to take secondary highways to Linville. ~~ I'll spend the night in the parking lot of the nearby Walmart.

I could have stayed at Mountain Stream RV Park but laughingly told the owner that I wouldn't be able to travel if I spent every night in a Good Sam or KOA campground. "I'm just stopping by to say hello." It was a pleasant surprise (for me) to see Mountain Stream RV Park--on NC 80 (the detour)--because in one week a number of T@BBers (Lorraine included) will attend a Rally there. It is a lovely campground!!!!




~~~~~~~~~~~
Postscript, 9:00 PM: It has been raining off and on all afternoon. Sometimes quite hard. I've been cozy inside my T@B since 5:10 PM. I did not "shut down" the laptop when I left Tom Johnson's; I transported it with the T@B Yahoo forum open. ~~ I parked as close to McDonald's as possible without being in their parking lot. "Yes, I was immediately able to pick up McDonald's WiFi signal." For one-and-one-half hours I read and answered messages. Then the laptop battery went dead!! That's OK; I can recharge it tomorrow. Then I got out my little Sony DVD player and watched a DVD on its battery. I was able to see the entire 90 minutes without a problem. Several days ago I purchased "The Bucket List"--on sale--at K-Mart. It was at my fingertips and just the movie to watch on a chilly, rainy evening (IMHO).