The AM Forum

Took off for the mountains for a few days with the good wife this past week, a nice distraction from so much else going on at the time. We headed over to the western part of the state near the Tennessee border and did a little sight-seeing. There were a lot of neat little hamlets, even a town named Todd which we opted not to visit this time. The concept was just too much, and the possibility of clones, doppelgangers and so on too frightening.

Visited a cool place called the Mast General Store which was like stepping back in time 50+ years. The trinkets adorning that place were incredible, including a few old wooden radios. The old glass top gas pump was still out front, along with the original Esso sign swinging in the breeze. Wish we'd had another hour or two there just to look at stuff, but the place was closing.

Most amazing to me was our time on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'd heard of it for years and even seen a show on the History Channel about its building. Nothing compares to being there though. I was thinking of the Merritt State Parkway in CT initially, and it does have a similar 40s-50s flavor to it. But instead of being a 4 lane interstate arrangement, it's simply two opposing lanes like an older country highway. Speed limit is 45, slower in some areas. The entire length of the Parkway that we traveled (30-40 miles) was like this, with no shoulder but well groomed sides, numerous scenic turn outs, and views that take your breath away.

Coolest of all is the Linn Cove Viaduct. They built this structure in such a way as to have minimal impact on the surroundings, and did a very good job of it. It snakes around trees and large boulders and appears to be hanging in the air. A hiking trail beneath it offers excellent views of how it interacts with its surroundings. Snapped a few photos out of sheer amazement.

As we drove along visiting many of the sites and turn outs, it struck me how fun it would be to travel this road in an old car with a mobile AM station, making contacts along the way and operating from some of the rest areas, elevations of 4500 feet or so. You could easily park in one of these stops for an afternoon and operate, letting folks see and hear the mode of AM and amateur radio in action. An old vehicle would make it that much better.

We only saw a small part of the Parkway, but since it's only 3 hours or so from here, more investigation is in order.

The Viaduct, some great engineering as well as visual appeal...

A few more.

Around here we have Skyline Drive, on a "mountain" ridge at the edge of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley.

"Mountain" means less than 3000 feet (so I won't get busted by folks with real mountains), but the road is, as yours, very scenic and lends itself very well to vintage car excursions.

Here's one such trip with about a dozen Datsun Roadsters that date from 1965-1970.  I co-founded the Datsun Roadster Registry in the 1980s, when these pictures were taken.

No room for AM mobiles ...

The National Park System's Blue Ridge Parkway goes all the way to Front Royal, VA, and most is very similar to Todd's section.  - including a tunnel on the next to the last northern segment.

That's right Rick, it's the same mountain ridge. The south end of Skyline Drive connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I was showing these pics to some of the other guys in the engineering department here and we all broke into the
song: "Country roads, take me home, to the place I belong, West Virginia " etc.
Wicked cool a four wheeled motorcycle club.

Last time I drove down the Skyline Drive was about 8 years ago on a trip from Pennsylvania to Georgia.
I took the scenic route and it was a wicked pretty drive.
Regards
Q

Great shots Todd! That viaduct is an engineering marvel.

Somewhere I remember a section where a similar viaduct crosses back under itself on the way down the mountain, corkscrew fashion.   
-have to look it up.

There are a lot of interesting bits along the Parkway, Rick. I did a little reading and was amazed at the history. going back to the 30s and FDR. My dad and a bunch of his biker buddies did the entire route a couple summers ago. I'm looking forward to doing the same at some point, would be cool to bring AM along. The total length is listed at 469 miles I think. Plenty to see along the way, places to stop for the night and so on. No intersections or traffic lights apparently, just side roads/ramps to other highways. A much better way to build a road IMO.

Found a good side view of the Linn Cove Viaduct on Wikipedia, see below. The foliage had long passed before we got there, somewhat surprising at first since the trees here near Raleigh are just now turning, but considering the elevation - maybe not so much.

Definitely a good road trip to make from the little I saw.

The Blue Ridge Parkway used to be in my 'back yard' when I lived in Lynchburg. You have to stop at the Peaks of Otter. Nice gift shop and if memory serves me, a good restaurant.

Last April my wife and I traveled to Florida via back roads.    We hit the Blue Ridge Parkway and traveled part of the way on it.    The last part where it ends in the Smokey Mt. National Park has some 6000 ft peaks.    Closest thing to real mountains this side of the Mississippi.    From the end you can just go straight south to Georgia.    Went though Georgia via Athens on the old highway.    No traffic, no trucks and four lane part of the way.   We took a week to get to FL from PA and two days via I-95 to get back.

A few years back... more than I'd like think about now I delivered a speaker system down to Asheville NC... we headed back up via the Blur Ridge Pkwy... wait that's the Blue Ridge Parkway... and make a run up to Tommy Jeff's nice house with the oval room up top (obviously intended to be the shack?). Quite an impressive bit of american road and terrain!

I wondered what happens if you roll off the road down one of those little paved or barely paved roads... we didn't try it, not brave enough... I had seen the movie Deliverance, and we was "damn Yankees" after all.

Looks like most of it is good mobile HF and in general good hilltop DX locations!!

I hear tell that at one time that was the road in those parts?

Kewl.

                  _-_-

Hammer:
    ... Now here is a little peninsula, and here is a viaduct leading over to the mainland.
Chico:
    Why a duck?
Hammer:
    I'm all right. How are you? I say here is a little peninsula, and here's a viaduct leading over to the mainland.
Chico:
    All right. Why a duck?
Hammer:
    I'm not playing Ask-Me-Another. I say, that's a viaduct.
Chico:
    All right. Why a duck? Why a--- why a duck? Why-a-no-chicken?
Hammer:
    I don't know why-a-no-chicken. I'm a stranger here myself. All I know is that it's a viaduct. You try to cross over there a chicken, and you'll find out why a duck. It's deep water, that's viaduct.
Chico:
    That's-why-a-duck?
Hammer:
    Look ... Suppose you were out horseback riding and you came to that stream and wanted to ford over there, you couldn't make it. Too deep.
Chico:
    But what do you want with a Ford when you gotta horse?
Hammer:
    Well, I'm sorry the matter even came up. All I know is that it's a viaduct.
Chico:
    Now look ... all righta ... I catcha on to why-a-horse, why-a-chicken, why-a-this, why-a-that. I no catch on to why-a-duck.
Hammer:
    I was only fooling. I was only fooling. They're going to build a tunnel in the morning. Now, is that clear to you?
Chico:
    Yes. Everything---excepta why a duck.

well axxually,
 a why-a-duck carries water
in the Roman sense.
 veni, vidi, vici.

bridges carry traffick and waggons.

I thought an aqueduct carried water, a viaduct carries a 'road' or 'way' as in railway viaduct ? Not that the Romans were great railway builders.

You're right, Ian. Rick's been into the 'shine again by the looks.  ;D

 Not that the Romans were great railway builders.

I thought el duce (Mussolini) made the trains run on time.... ..


klc

Nice pictures.  My brother had one of those Datusn convertables with a 327 jammed under the hood.   No way would I ride on those roads with him in that thing!

Via Appia (very famous)
Via Sacra,
Via all happy too,  ;D

I still like 'why a duck.'

say, did'ja all see what the Ducks did to California?
...and with little wings on their uniforms too.