Great American Road Trip 2011 – From D.C. to the Blue Ridge Mountains

Last Updated on February 22, 2021

As Hurricane Irene approached Washington, DC last night we weren’t sure where we would end up today, but although our plans were completely rearranged, a little serendipity seems to be a great thing!

The original NYC2NOLA road trip plan was to pass through Richmond and Jamestown, Virginia Beach, the Outer Banks and Wilmington, NC and then on to Myrtle Beach before hitting Charleston, SC on Monday. Instead, we headed out of DC and spend the day driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains on our way to Asheville, North Carolina.

Today was one of those deliciously perfect road trip days. The ominous clouds hanging over DC and Alexandria very quickly gave way to sunny skies, just as gentle green hills rolled up on either side of us. We sang to old school classic rap on the satellite radio and stopped off at the classic American roadside restaurant Cracker Barrell, where Dani had uh-mazing Cherry French Toast.

Despite passing by the Bristol Motor Speedway, which is hosting a major Nascar race event, there were almost no cars on the road with us as we weaved and curved through the Blue Ridge Mountains, stopping off at viewpoints as they came up along the highway.

After driving through three states (Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina), and literally as the sun was setting we pulled in to our hotel outside of Asheville, North Carolina surrounded by 360 degree views of fresh green foothills. We can’t wait to go hiking, explore Asheville and the nearby town of Biltmore tomorrow before heading to Charlotte tomorrow night.