The Rest of the Non-Scenic Route to Maine

 The scenic beautiful drives over, we're left with the Urban Jungle path to Maine. But you know what Suburbia has that the Great Outdoors doesn't?

Chocolate!

Our quick visit to Hershey's Chocolate World done, it was time to get back to business. We crossed many states but the next memorable state for us was New Jersey. 

New Jersey welcomed us with a rock to the face. Literally. Not 100 yards over the border, a truck kicks a rock into our windshield and cracks it. Thanks New Jersey! 

New England is a cool area, you can tell you've arrived because everything looks like it's from the 1700s. White church steeples peek over the tree tops. Brick buildings are everywhere. You cross through 4 states and don't even realize it.

We stopped in Boston to see an old friend from the Before Nomad times. Our hotel was hosting a very interesting convention at the time... just one of the things you stumble upon as a Traveler! 

It was fantastic seeing our friend! He showed us around town and took us to some really neat places. He's familiar with the New England area and gave us a lot of pro-tips about exploring farther north. 

 

He even made us our first ever Fluffernutter! What is a Fluffernutter you might ask? It is one glorious invention from the Far North, a match made in heaven: a peanut butter / marshmallow fluff sandwich! We've heard of these before because they are Joe Bishop's favorite treat and it was 100% a must-try for us on our way to Maine! (Joe Bishop is the main character of our favorite roadtrip audiobook series, The Expeditionary Force, if you haven't read it then I highly recommend it! Much of our trip to Maine was inspired by the book and you'll hear about it more in future posts. Yes we are nerds. No we don't regret anything 😆)

After such a great visit it was time to get back on the road. The North was calling and we must away!

The North is Calling and We Must Go... via the Scenic Route

We've explored half of what North Carolina has to offer, so it's time to broaden our travels! To the east lies ocean, west is backtracking, south is hot, so that just leaves the wide open north for us to explore. And what better way to travel than the scenic route? 

The Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile drive traveling up the Appalachian Mountains. It's specifically engineered so you can't see the road from far away, and we definitely noticed this. The drive was an amazing experience. You feel like you're in uninterrupted forests, like you're somewhere no one else has been and yet you're on a paved road the whole way. 

Pictures are worth a thousand words or something, so here.

                                                 Half Way!

 

We found an absolutely lovely inn with a great view of the mountains!

The end!! Or.... maybe not?

Shenandoah Sky Line Drive

As it turns out, about 10 feet after the BRP ends, the 100+ mile scenic drive through Shenandoah National Park.