THanks Donna,
Good advice. One thought I am having is since I do not know my personal stamina, the Blue Ridge Parkway could be a better, because at any point, I could realistically, turn around and head home. Even if I get to the end of the Parkway, and I decided I've had enough, I could just reverse and head back to NYC.
When I was a kid, long drives were never a problem. But I have not done one in about 15 years.