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Back in March I wrote a tongue-in-cheek column about Larry Vander Maten's "secret" plan to develop Explore Park. It was chock full of spurious schemes, like a National Star Trek Convention headquarters.

I heard from lots of people who got a chuckle out of that column. If you missed it, you can find it here.

If you read The Roanoke Times today, you got a pretty good glimpse of Vander Maten's long-awaited, closely held plans to take over that state-owned land and develop it as a "family destination."

What do you think? Would it be great for the Roanoke Valley, or bad news? And do you think there's a chance of it ever happening?

Give me your answers to the two questions above in your comments, as well as any other opinions you have.

(Note: I'm away this week, but folks will be moderating the comments and making sure they get up online).

See you next week!

Just north of the Roanoke River bridge on Tuesday March 31.

Retired Roanoke schoolteacher George Hunter isn't the only area cyclist who'd like to see the speed limit lowered on Roanoke Valley portion of the fabulous Blue Ridge Parkway.

Another says she quit bicycling on the parkway because of "oblivious motorists using it like an Autobahn."

"Probably not tolls, but decidedly drop the speed limit and enforce it convincingly -i.e.,  mandatory fines large enough to pay for the additional patrols - including after dark patrols," writes S. Spangler.

"Local traffic from county road to county road wouldn't be seriously impeded by a lower speed limit.   In fact, they might be a lot more secure while traveling/crossing the Parkway on some of those famously foggy days."

Allison Cassels of Richmond begs to disagree.

"I frequent the town nearly every weekend and the Parkway is always at the top of my agenda. It is the stress release I need but will never get in our state's capitol. During my frequent visits, what I see is a bunch of happy, nature-loving people driving at their own pace, rarely any speeders. Read more »

Lower the speed limit to 35 mph on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Roanoke Valley.

Turn the road over to a private contractor.

Sentence me to 200 hours of litter-picking for increasing parkway commuter traffic by 20 percent.

Is Casey smoking some of Floyd County's primary cash crop?

It seems everybody's got an opinion on the Blue Ridge Parkway tolls and/or fees -- and of the nitwit who would dare raise the question.

Thursday's column generated dozens of e-mails, phone calls and blog comments, a level of response that surprised me. Thank you for those. Keep them coming. The rest of the column is here.

Doug Thompson

Doug Thompson, a reporter and Floyd blogger, has started an interesting conversation on Blue Ridge Muse about my column Thursday that raised the question of tolls or fees for users of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Doug strongly disagrees and sets forth some good arguments against tolls or fees in rural communities along the parkway.

He takes a funny dig at me with the line, "Wow, Casey must be smoking some of Floyd County's primary cash crop."

Other posters have weighed in, too, with some good observations. It's worth checking out.

Sentence: 200 hours community service?

From an email I received Friday morning, referencing Thursday's column raising the issue of tolls or fees on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

"...BOO HISS.  In one column you have effectively increased the traffic on that Parkway shortcut by, in my estimation, 15 to 20% or more.  Think about it.  All those readers who weren't aware of such a great shortcut, but now are.  You should be sentenced to 200 hours of community service.  Yes, the Parkway Service should require you to pick up litter for 200 hours.

Sincerely,

Tom"

What do you think, folks?

Is Tom right?

Or are the valley's citizens smart enough to have figured out by themselves that the Blue Ridge Parkway and its four exits are here?

Post your comments below.

If you're in a hurry and you need to get from Clearbrook in southern Roanoke County to the eastern county section of Bonsack, there is exactly one quick and hassle-free road you want to take: the Blue Ridge Parkway.

So many Roanoke-area drivers have happily discovered this nifty National Park Service shortcut that it's often swarming with rush-hour motorists. Some wags already call it the "Wal-Mart Expressway."

Spend any weekday evening on that gorgeous blacktop ribbon and you'll see what I mean. Long lines of hurrying-to-get-home commuters zip along at 50 to 60 mph or so, unimpeded by traffic lights, stop signs or typical traffic bottlenecks.

That's one of the reasons it's time to reconsider an idea floated but rebuffed in the past: tolls, or some sort of fee system, for parkway users who get a free ride now.

If you're thinking, "That darn Casey is one of those infernal parkway bicyclists who doesn't like all that traffic," you're partly right.

But what you may not know is that all those motorists are helping to wear out that beautiful road much faster than the National Park Service's repaving budget can handle. Read the rest of today's column (here).