Cited as one of America's scenic highways, the Blue Ridge Parkway stretches over North Carolina all the way to Virginia. Along the highway, there are several scenic points where motorists can stop and enjoy the scenery. Ravens Roost is one such place. Located at milepost 10.7 on the Virginia side of the parkway, it is a great side trip prior to a wine tasting spree in the area.
Aside from the "official" viewing deck, there are other interesting spots not far from Ravens Roost that offer equally magnificent views of the highway as well as the mountains.
Just be careful while traversing the sharp and pointed rocks over the steep cliff. Be on the lookout also for poison ivies (at least there were some when we went there).
Don't lean too far! It's a long way down.
If you do decide to go on looking for secret cliffs like we had, do it another day or prior to any wine tasting tours you have planned. The idea of danger is always fun, but one wrong step and it would be bye-bye world. Don't do it our way -- that is .. rock climbing after wine tasting.
What were we thinking, you ask. The truth is, we were not thinking at all. Our trainer took us wine tasting in the morning and rock climbing after. Maybe he thought his "secret" cliff is too good to pass up when it was just along the highway back to Charlottesville where we were staying. The wine robbed us of reason for that brief period of time.
Looking back, maybe the idea that we had just wine, were not wearing proper footwear, and that we were about to traverse a steep cliff sort of awakened senses we didn't know we had. (read: we were extra careful.) Our senses worked full-time that whole time that we were still full of energy at sun down. It was as if our bodies were recharged. lol
It may have been liberating to do something spontaneous and for once not think of the consequence, but we were just lucky nothing bad happened. Not everyone will be lucky so don't risk it. Don't drink and climb!
** Please excuse the morbid closing as I am now back to my lucid and over-analytical state. :)
[...] This photo was taken after climbing a steep cliff at the side of the road after a wine tasting spree at two wineries (read entry, here.) in the Virginia area. The wine-tasting spree wouldn’t have been as memorable if we didn’t climb that cliff, considering that one of us was terrified of heights. The one who had a problem with heights would certainly have a different view, don’t you think? Read more about our road trip along the Blueridge Parkway, here. [...]
ReplyDelete[...] city is that one need not go far to find ocean (Virginia Beach is 4 hours away), mountains (the Blue Ridge Mountain and the Shenandoah Valley is just a few hours drive), Washington D.C. (about 3 hours), rapids [...]
ReplyDelete[...] along the parkway is the Humpback Rock Mountain Farm. It is located at milepost 5.8 on the Blueridge Parkway. The farm serves as an outdoor museum, reminiscent of an 1800s Southern America mountain farm. Most [...]
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's really that simple, isn't it? I feel a little stupid for not thinking of this by myself.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Is that Talia? Geez, i miss those days!
ReplyDeleteyessss! si talia nga. hehe let's do it again, kahit local lang. =)
ReplyDelete