We drove into the darkness on Sunday to get to Birmingham. The only observations from the drive on Sunday were we both commented on how dry Mississippi looked. It was a noticeable change right at the state line. The roadside went from green in Louisiana to brown looking in Mississippi. I think it was actually a difference in mowing patterns more than actual dryness.

The leaves were beginning to show some color toward afternoon, just not much. The change to Daylight Saving Time sure played havoc with arriving in Birmingham before dark. We probably drove two hours after sunset before we could get lost looking for the hotel.

I am in love with the GPS enabled laptop and DeLorme Topo Maps. Being able to see where you are at all times is great (especially for those in the car who can’t read a map anyway).

Waking up this morning and walking outside…Oh, my God…Is this what fall is supposed to look like. From the first mile of the drive out of Birmingham the colors just glowed in the rising sun. All the way into Tennessee the hills and then the mountains were just beautiful. We didn’t stop much as we were trying to cover miles and make Asheville before sundown.

One of the few stops was made at the Boyd Gap Overlook. We stopped there last year in July and loved the view. Here is one shot I grabbed there…

Once we checked in in Asheville we decided to go out and get our bearing. Since it was getting close to sundown I decided to run up the Parkway and see if I could catch a shot. Here is one I managed to push through this evening…

It’s been a long day and we have the Biltmore to do tomorrow, see ya.