I'm glad you made it to the Trace. We enjoyed our run down it last year and met another Phoenix owner at one of the campgrounds we stayed at. I'm guessing you camped at Rocky Spring. That's where a tornado passed over us and touched down a few miles away. We had heard the warning on the weather radio and alerted the other campers so everyone was huddled in those cinder block bathrooms, even our cat (who seriously did not like the smells in the men's room). We had massive wind and rain but the camp was in pretty good shape after it passed. As we drove out on the Trace the next day, we saw where they had already cut and moved downed trees and branches. It is a very well maintained road.
I hope you had some fall colors. It would be gorgeous driving through them. I'd also like to drive it when some of those trails are blanketed in spring wildflowers. Thanks for triggering some great memories.