Blue Ridge Parkway, and the valley blues

I made the decision last night to skip the Parkway.  What finally prompted this is that I took all the bags off the bike at a campsite, and was amazed by how much faster it was.  I'm really pushed a lot of weight.  Skyline was amazing, but the BRP is more difficult:
1 - Farther between campsites/food/water.  As much as 60 miles or more, which is more than I did all of yesterday on Skyline)
2 - Steeper, more challenging
3 - Higher speed limit for cars, less bike friendly overall.

So, I would ideally return some day with a lighter bike and lighter load, so I can enjoy those extra hills and make it from camp to camp (or at least from water to water).  And also more time, so I could go for a hike one day instead of biking.  Im sure I'd be capable of doing it now, but I'd probably be frustrated.

Finally, I'm not biking in Europe or Asia...I could drive from Boston to Waynesboro in one day.  Biking the parkway, fortunately, is not a once in a lifetime opportunity.  I'll come back in the future and do it right.

Ok.  So, I finished skyline, biked 100 feet onto the parkway just for fun, then zoomed down into Waynesboro.  And I miss the hills.  It's hot down here and ugly and full of traffic and trucks and overpasses.  I still think I've made the right choice, but I do already look back on the last few days very fondly.

This made me feel a little better...the Waynesboro soap box derby!