Blue Ridge Parkway could get an update

Hersey — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:11:06 +0000

ROCKY KNOB — Either the mountains are getting harder, or the people who spend vacation time in them are getting softer.

Consider the plight of officials at the Blue Ridge Parkway: Faced with a public increasingly seeking a cushier mountaintop experience, the National Park Service is considering a makeover for the venerable linear park that would bring more air conditioning to its lodges, along with telephones and televisions.

Primitive campgrounds along the 469-mile scenic drive would begin offering electricity to campers to power their microwaves. And new paved trails in the surrounding woods would accommodate visitors who prefer bike rides on asphalt to rugged hikes over roots and rocks.

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Motorcycle ride with dad revs up bond

Hersey — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 22:39:24 +0000

“This is my daughter. We started in Staunton, Va., and we’re riding the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway — it’s our first father/daughter trip.”

I lost track of how many times my dad introduced me like this to fellow motorcyclists. Then, he invariably would add, “And she rode 500 miles her first day. She’d never been on the bike more than an hour.”

If only I’d known years ago that’s all it took to make my dad proud.

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The Virginia Biker Network » parkway

Blue Ridge Parkway could get an update

Motorcycle ride with dad revs up bond