Elizabeth has had a love affair with the Blue Ridge Parkway for nearly 40 years upon discovering the 469-mile road on a bicycle tour of its length with her husband Charlie in 1985. Since that time, she has gotten to know every mile having bicycled the Parkway from Waynesboro, Va., to Cherokee, N.C., more than 16 times. As the author of Bicycling the Blue Ridge: a Guide to Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway (Menasha Ridge Press, 2020, 6th ed.) she has become intimately familiar with the terrain, natural beauty, landscape architecture, and cultural opportunities and amenities along the roadway.
"When traveling the Parkway by bicycle, one becomes highly aware of where the road is well maintained and where poor road conditions and closures occur," Skinner says. "Ongoing maintenance of the roadway is certainly one of the Blue Ridge Parkway staff’s biggest challenges."
Bicycle safety and awareness—and the potential for more trails and greenways—are exciting focus areas that Elizabeth hopes to work toward. Since retiring, she has co-led bicycle tours of the Parkway with Blaze Adventure tours. One admirable tenet that public libraries and the Blue Ridge Parkway share—they are free and open to everyone. "It is an honor to celebrate and share this amazing resource with current and future generations through work on the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Council of Advisors," Skinner said.