Budget Travel Vacation Ideas: Incredible NC Road Trips

A Blue Ridge Parkway experience is unlike any other, a slow-paced and relaxing drive revealing stunning long-range vistas and close-up views of the rugged mountains and pastoral landscapes of the Appalachian Highlands. Protecting a diversity of plants and animals, the Parkway meanders for 469 miles, providing opportunities for enjoying all that makes this region of the country so special.

Did You Know?

The Parkway uses short side roads to connect to other highways, and there are no direct interchanges with interstate highways, making it possible to enjoy wildlife and other scenery without stopping for cross-traffic.

Plan Your Blue Ridge Road Trip

10 Tips for Driving in the Snow

Well Greensboro it feels like we are back in the 1980's with all this snow we have been getting. It had probably been a while since you really had to think about getting around in weather like this and I know most of us southerners prefer to just stay at home.  If you have to go somewhere or just like to be adventurous here are some tips to get you back home safe and sound from our friends at The Weather Channel.

Tips for Driving in Snow

1. Decrease your speed and leave yourself plenty of room to stop. You should allow at least three times more space than usual between you and the car in front of you.
2. Brake gently to avoid skidding. If your wheels start to lock up, ease off the brake.
3. Turn on your lights to increase your visibility to other motorists.
4. Keep your lights and windshield clean.
5. Use low gears to keep traction, especially on hills.
6. Don't use cruise control or overdrive on icy roads.
7. Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and infrequently traveled roads, which will freeze first. Even at temperatures above freezing, if the conditions are wet, you might encounter ice in shady areas or on exposed roadways like bridges.
8. Don't pass snow plows and sanding trucks. The drivers have limited visibility, and you're likely to find the road in front of them worse than the road behind.
9. Don't assume your vehicle can handle all conditions. Even four-wheel and front-wheel drive vehicles can encounter trouble on winter roads.

If your rear wheels skid...

1. Take your foot off the accelerator.
2. Steer in the direction you want the front wheels to go. If your rear wheels are sliding left, steer left. If they're sliding right, steer right.
3. If your rear wheels start sliding the other way as you recover, ease the steering wheel toward that side. You might have to steer left and right a few times to get your vehicle completely under control.
4. If you have standard brakes, pump them gently.
5. If you have anti-lock brakes (ABS), do not pump the brakes. Apply steady pressure to the brakes. You will feel the brakes pulse — this is normal.

If your front wheels skid...

1. Take your foot off the gas and shift to neutral, but don't try to steer immediately.
2. As the wheels skid sideways, they will slow the vehicle and traction will return. As it does, steer in the direction you want to go. Then put the transmission in "drive" or release the clutch, and accelerate gently.

If you get stuck...

1. Do not spin your wheels. This will only dig you in deeper.
2. Turn your wheels from side to side a few times to push snow out of the way.
3. Use a light touch on the gas, to ease your car out.
4. Use a shovel to clear snow away from the wheels and the underside of the car.
5. Pour sand, kitty litter, gravel or salt in the path of the wheels, to help get traction.
6. Try rocking the vehicle. (Check your owner's manual first — it can damage the transmission on some vehicles.) Shift from forward to reverse, and back again. Each time you're in gear, give a light touch on the gas until the vehicle gets going.

Sources: National Safety Council, New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Washington State Government Information & Services

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My Excellent Prius Adventure

Jennifer P bought the very first Prius ever sold at Rice Toyota and returned in 2014 to purchase a 2014 Toyota Prius, this is her story.-Mary Curry General Manager Rice Toyota

My Excellent Prius Adventure^©

After 13 years and 282,276 miles in the first Prius sold by Rice Toyota, I felt it was time for me to get another car. I had not completely settled on another Prius as my next vehicle, so I thoroughly researched ConsumerReports.com and narrowed my choices to 3 cars. With a strict budget to follow, the criteria for my next car were reliability, economy, and price. The top 3 finalists in this intense Internet investigation were Honda CR-V, Ford Fusion hybrid, and Toyota Prius; and all 3 had top scores by my strict research standards. Thus, many things being equal, I chose Prius again for the relatively low initial cost plus the highest MPG rating.

Now, I have been told that I have difficulty with decisions – on a scale of 1-10, how difficult is it for you to make a decision? I truly can never decide! And now I was faced with a major decision ... which Prius was I to get? C? V? 2? 3? 4? 5? Too many choices!

When I began looking at the first Prius model in 2000, there were no choices, there was only 1 Prius. It was easy: with no feature or package options there were no decisions to make! Select your color and you’re ready to go – but only after 6 months of waiting for it to arrive from Japan. Luckily, I was probably the only person in the country who did not have to wait 6 months for my new Prius!

Early in January 2001, having expressed initial interest in the car at Rice Toyota – and remember, buyers then had to go online and order their car: there was no test drive, there was not even a car on any lot to look at – I got a call that an unordered Prius had been delivered to their dealership and was I interested. Absolutely – no decision here!! It was light teal, so there was no color choice to make! It came with 2 cup holders (hey, in Y2K, cup holders were a real selling feature!), AC and a radio/cassette player – I did have a CD player installed. Plus – and very important to me – it came with Rice Toyota’s commitment to making me comfortable with this mysterious, inexplicable, scary, new-fangled, hybrid technology. And Robert Kane and Rice Toyota’s Service Department were instrumental in keeping that commitment.

Fast forward 13 years and 282,276 miles: Having just selected another Prius via my arduous online analysis, I was facing a daunting decision. Toyota now had 2 additional, completely new Prius models along with innumerable, countless, and untold numbers of packages, options and features for safety, comfort, and technology. At this point, I was beginning to hyperventilate … I needed some help here!

So I headed again to Rice Toyota and told the General Manager, Mary Curry, the story behind my old, faithful, first-ever Prius from her dealership. She introduced me to David Senkus – a truly awesome representative for Rice Toyota and a Prius owner who understood and reveled in “Prius Speak”. We traded stories and jokes and highlights and the green pride of Prius ownership.

So with David’s assistance, I decided (yes, a decision!) that the C model was too small for me. Then I decided the V model was too large … another one down! Now I was facing the major part – do I get package Two, Three, Four, or Five – and I was overwhelmed. That was way too many choices!

David to the rescue again: with his knowledge, guidance and questions and my list of preferred features, comforts and colors, we came to the conclusion that the Prius 5-Door Three Liftback in Barcelona red with gray interior was the car for me. And, with the Toyota incentives, I was able to upgrade to a leather interior. Decision time was over! When everything was said and done, David told me that I was again the Princess I was meant to be, and he took care of absolutely every single detail for me.

Now imagine my technology-shock at facing all the new gadgetry, features and options invented since 2001! But, after some intense tutelage in the automotive, creature-comfort, and technology improvements and upgrades, I was ready to go. I got into my new, reliable, economical, affordable, spotless, shiny, luxurious, safe, Barcelona red Prius … Ah, the indescribably wonderful fragrance of a new car and leather … and I drove home … 52.8 miles per gallon ... and I was in Green Heaven!

Am I happy, am I satisfied? I believe you can make that decision!

Jennifer P

Concord, NC