A Short Scenic Drive

Tim and I took a short scenic drive very close to home.  We have heard about the Foothills Parkway but never had a chance to drive it.  The Foothills Parkway is a National Parkway which, if completed, will traverse the foothills of the northern Great Smokey Mountains in eastern Tennessee.  The 71 mile parkway will connect U.S. Route 129 along the Little Tennessee River in the west with Interstate 40 along the Pigeon River in the east.  It will pass through three counties and several large sections of the parkway will cross a series of high ridges running parallel to the Great Smokey Mountains.  It will offer unobstructed views of the Great Smokies. It is the oldest unfinished highway project in Tennessee and the funding has continuously been stalled by funding difficulties since Congress authorized its construction in 1944.  As of 2010, only one third of the parkway has been completed and opened to automobile traffic.  It is 26.8 miles long with two sections; the western and the eastern.  We took the eastern parkway which is 5.6 miles long.  We will take the western parkway on another day.  It was a pretty drive even with all the leaves off the trees.  I am looking forward to making the same drive in the fall; it should be beautiful.  If you are in eastern Tennessee make sure you drive a portion of the Foothills Parkway.  You won't be disappointed.