Baseball: Bowling Green Hot Rods

In addition to attending major league baseball games while traveling around the country, we also plan to attend some minor league games. Minor league teams often have fun names, and their ballparks are smaller, so we can often get seats front row behind home plate, something that would be prohibitively expensive in a MLB park.

We went to the Bowling Green Hot Rods’ ballpark in Bowling Green, Kentucky, to attend a game. But it was cancelled before starting due to weather. We had expected the game to have a rain delay midway, but they decided to not even start. We got to see the ballpark, at least.

Love BGKY

The Hot Rods are the High-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays:

Road to the Rays

Ballpark:

Ballpark

Consessions

Ballpark

Ballpark

Ballpark

Ballpark

Ballpark

Ballpark

Team store

Ballpark

Ballpark

Ballpark

Blue Ridge Parkway south end

South of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

This park, barely wider than the highway, is 469 miles long, between Shenandoah National Park in Virginia at the north end and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina at the south end. We visited the northern end a few weeks ago.

Entering the southern end of the parkway:

Entrance sign

There were several tunnels:

Tunnel

Tunnel

Parkway

Tunnel

Tunnel

Tunnel

Views:

View

View

View

View

Fire lookout:

Fire lookout

View

View

View

View

View

View

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Elevation 5,820 feet:

Elevation 5,820

View

View

View

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina over several days, starting with a long drive from Pigeon Forge, north of the park, to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the southern side of the park (plus a bit further to the southernmost visitor center of the Blue Ridge Parkway; see a separate post about that).

The NPS map; click or tap to interact:

Map

An interactive map of our route:

Entrance sign

Parking tag required:

Parking tag required

View

Loop

Tunnel

View

Elk were re-introduced to the park in 2001:

Elk

Oconaluftee Visitor Center:

Oconaluftee Visitor Center

Relief map

Passport stamp

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Farm exhibits:

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Chickens

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Pigs

Stream

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Farm exhibits

Elk in front of elk sign:

Elk in front of elk sign

View

An interactive map of our route for our second visit, to the Sugarlands Visitor Center and Clingmans Dome:

Sugarlands Visitor Center:

Sugarlands Visitor Center

Sugarlands Visitor Center

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Exhibits

Clingmans Dome:

Clingmans Dome

Passport stamp:

Passport stamp

Visitor center

Split rock:

Split rock

Path to the lookout; we decided not to go up there:

Path to lookout

View:

View

View

View

View

View

View

An interactive map of our route for our third visit, to Cades Cove:

Tunnel

Horses:

Horses

Old church:

Old church

View:

View

Visitor Center:

Visitor Center

Visitor Center

Old farm buildings:

Old farm buildings

Old farm buildings

Old farm buildings

Old farm buildings

Old farm buildings

Snakes

Water mill

Water mill

Water mill

Old farm buildings

Old farm buildings

Old farm buildings

Old farm buildings

Old farm buildings

New River Gorge National Park: Thurmond and waterfalls

We visited the Thurmond area of New River Gorge National Park, plus a scenic drive to a couple more waterfalls.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

Map

An interactive map of our route for visiting Thurmond and the waterfalls:

Waterfall on the way to Thurmond:

Waterfall

Waterfall

Waterfall

Waterfall

Waterfall

Waterfall

Waterfall

Waterfall

One-way car and rail bridge to Thurmond:

One-way road and rail bridge to Thurmond

Bridge

Bridge

Thurmond:

Thurmond

Train engine:

Train engine

Passport stamps:

Passport stamps

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Train engine:

Train engine

Train

Train

Train

Historic Thurmond:

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Thurmond

Back over the one-way bridge:

Back over the one-way bridge

Glen Ferris falls:

Glen Ferris falls

Glen Ferris falls

Glen Ferris falls

Glen Ferris falls

New River Gorge National Park: Canyon Rim and Bridge

We visited the Canyon Rim area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Canyon Rim section has a visitor center that overlooks the iconic New River Gorge bridge, plus has a winding scenic drive down into the canyon, that passes under the bridge three times.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

Map

An interactive map of our route for visiting Canyon Rim etc:

Going over the New River Gorge Bridge:

New River Gorge Bridge

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Gorge viewpoint:

Gorge viewpoint

Gorge viewpoint

Bridge viewpoint:

Bridge viewpoint

Bridge viewpoint

We did the scenic Fayette Station Road driving tour, that goes down into the gorge:

Fayette Station Road driving tour

Narrow road

Bridge virw from road

Bridge virw from road

Bridge virw from road

Bridge virw from road

One way bridge:

One way bridge

One way bridge

A view of the New River Gorge Bridge from the one-way bridge:

New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge Bridge

Bridge view

New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge Bridge

New River Gorge National Park: Sandstone Falls

We visited the Sandstone Falls area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Sandstone Falls section features a 1500 feet wide waterfall on the New River.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

Map

An interactive map of our route for visiting Sandstone Falls:

Sign

Boat

Path

“Masks are optional”; haven’t seen any mention of COVID-19 for a while:

Masks are optional

Visitor center exhibits:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Viewpoint overlooking Sandstone Falls:

Viewpoint

Viewpoint

Viewpoint

Sandstone Falls boardwalk:

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

Sandstone Falls

New River Gorge National Park: Grandview

We visited the Grandview area of New River Gorge National Park, the newest full National Park in the US. The Grandview section overlooks a bend in the New River.

The NPS map of the whole park; click or tap to interact on their site:

Map

An interactive map of our route for visiting Grandview:

Grandview sign

A small visitor center:

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Visitor center

Grand Canyon of the East:

Grand Canyon of the East

Path to the main viewpoint:

Path

View

View

View

Road to the Turkey Spur Overlook:

Road

View:

View

The Other Grand View

Path with 150 steps to upper viewpoints:

Path

Path

Steps

Steps

Steps

Steps

Steps

Steps

Steps

Steps

Steps

Train:

Steps

Steps

Steps

Steps

View