[Viffermike]

     Featured on BIMMERPOST.com

Thought I'd share some shots I took during a 7-day, 15-state, 3,300-mile road trip I took in my 2er last week. The goals were to drive across Kentucky (one of three states I'd never been to), visit a couple of National Parks (Mammoth Cave, Great Smoky Mountains), and blast down some of lower Appalachia's best driving roads -- the Back of the Dragon (western Virginia), the Snake (northeastern Tennessee), and both the famed Tail of the Dragon and Cherohala Skyway (N.C./Tennessee) -- as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway, Foothills Parkway, and Natchez Trace Parkway.

My car (see my sig for mods) didn't have a single issue the entire trip -- and let me tell you, it was a HOOT to drive on those roads! ... Hope y'all enjoy.

The "Arkansas Grand Canyon" off Arkansas 7 in the Ozarks:


The Peel Ferry, Arkansas' only operating ferry, on the Ark.-Missouri border (I was the only car on the boat):


The Bill Emerson Memorial Bridge across the Mississippi River at Cape Girardieu, Mo.:


The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, Ky.:


A vista on Kentucky 70 west of Campbellsville:


The one-lane, unlit Nada Tunnel on Kentucky 77 near Red River Gorge in Daniel Boone National Forest:


Cabell County Courthouse in downtown Huntington, W.V., just after sunset:


Sterling Drive-In Restaurant, on West Virginia 10 north of Logan, W.V.:


U.S. 421 Country Store in Shady Valley, Tenn., at the midpoint of The Snake:


Bristol Motor Speedway (car in corner for scale!) in Bristol, Tenn.:


At the high point of the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville, N.C. and Great Smoky Mountains N.P. (Morning fog limited visibility to 100 feet in places):


Morning sunlight below the mountain fog on the Blue Ridge Parkway, about 4 miles southeast of Balsam:


At Deal's Gap after driving the Tail of the Dragon (U.S. 129 between here and Chilhowee):


On the Cherohala Skyway at the North Carolina/Tennessee border (note how the pavement changes for the worse at the border. Tennessee roads were worse than other surrounding states in several ways.):


And on Mississippi 444 just west of Duncan in the Mississippi Delta:

[harma24]

Wow! Looks like an awesome trip. Great pictures!

[2msport]

I enjoyed that. Great trip!

[ABPReader]

I love this kind of thread, thanks for sharing !

[axz17]

Love the photos from the trip!

[overcoil]

Where did you eat and stay over at?

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by ScottSinger

Where did you eat and stay over at?

Where I overnighted, in order of the trip:
Springfield, Mo.
Bowling Green, Ky.
Huntington, W.V.
Asheville, N.C.
Chattanooga, Tenn
Oxford, Miss.

I typically eat diner food on road trips -- an omelet at IHOP is a tradition of mine, which I got out the way in Springfield. Otherwise I really only targeted restaurants in three places:
Asheville (Mayfel's: Southern/Cajun fusion)
Oxford (Ajax Diner: awesome comfort food, including some of the best catfish and cornbread I've ever had.)
Greenville, Miss. (famous for hot tamales: I got two dozen from Hot Tamale Heaven to take home.)

[fbsm]

Originally Posted by Viffermike

Where I overnighted, in order of the trip:
Springfield, Mo.
Bowling Green, Ky.
Huntington, W.V.
Asheville, N.C.
Chattanooga, Tenn
Oxford, Miss.

I typically eat diner food on road trips -- an omelet at IHOP is a tradition of mine, which I got out the way in Springfield. Otherwise I really only targeted restaurants in three places:
Asheville (Mayfel's: Southern/Cajun fusion)
Oxford (Ajax Diner: awesome comfort food, including some of the best catfish and cornbread I've ever had.)
Greenville, Miss. (famous for hot tamales: I got two dozen from Hot Tamale Heaven to take home.)

Thanks for the photos and narrative

The Snake and Tail of the Dragon are both on my bucket list......

[mike@x-ph.com]

Thank you for the picture

[WolfGTI]

Great trip - I've been going to Deal Gap / Tail of the Dragon/ Cherohala every year for the last 9 years with my Cooper S - love it down there. Heading there in 3 weeks. I aim to take the M240i there next year.

[vietboyx1115]

Looks like a helluva trip. Scenery was amazing, thanks for the share.

Slightly off topic, but what was your camera setup for these?

[Viffermike]

Originally Posted by vietboyx1115

Looks like a helluva trip. Scenery was amazing, thanks for the share.

Slightly off topic, but what was your camera setup for these?

Hehe ... good ol' iPhone 6 Plus, combined with some cropping 'n' stuff!

[BEM-S4]

Thanks for making me miss my MG coupe again! Looks like a great time really nice photos.

[Chili_Palmer]

Beautiful pics of a beautiful car and vistas! Looks like one awesome trip, I can't wait to do something similar.

[Who's on first]

Gets me pumped for my road trip next June.

One way, east to west, then shipping the car back home.

Same reason as you, wanted to hit the states I've never been to.

Great job.

[ddk632]

Awesome stuff!
Looking forward to similar trips in my M2.
Did one last year in a 6MT WRX 2-up, 17 states, 7000 miles, Miami to Seattle with minimal interstate except to cross the Great Plains -- otherwise, we used all of the mountain and coastal and rural driving roads we could find. Including the entire length of Skyline Dr (VA), BRP (VA to NC), Independence Pass (CO), and Pacific Coast Highway and then US 101 once PCH ended, from Los Angeles to Seattle. We hit a lot of the same roads as you in the TN/NC area. Adding a few of yours to my US roads bucket list, particularly "The Snake" in TN!

[FuriousLucy]

My favorite kind of post! Thanks, and nice ride!

[moozi]

great photos, thanks for sharing. I was thinking of a spring road trip and now the tail of the dragon may be calling my name.

[Drpoomanchu]

Looked awesome and great pics.. looking to take the 2er through the Tail someday

[ase2dais]

Cool Tour, thanks

[BEM-S4]

Saw you made the news feed congrats!

[Jono2112]

Great fun. Posting any dash cam movies?