All American Road Trip Part 3: Blue Ridge Parkway MP 294 - Shenandoah

Mayberry, Music and a Bridge

This summer we decided to stay stateside and go on an All American Road Trip. Starting in the The Smokys, we drove the entire Blue Ridge Parkway to Shenandoah and ended with a few days in Washington DC.

This is Part 2. You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

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Day 5 started with a quick sunrise (yes, sun!) breakfast at Yonahlossee, followed by lots of driving. This would be the longest driving day of the trip, from MP 294- MP 89, with just a little time carved out for hikes, food and culture.

The first stop was a short, relativly easy hike to The Cascades at E.B. Jeffress Park (MP 271.9). The nature trail to the top of the pretty waterfall is a one-mile loop with signs describing area plants and animals. This was great spot to stretch our legs before driving almost 60 miles to our next destination, the Blue Ridge Music Center, though we did make a quick stop at Brinegar Cabin at MP 238.5

Brinegar cabin is right off of the Parkway and features the original root cellar and traditional garden. Rumor has it that there is a pretty great staff on site sometimes, but everything was closed up when we were there. The garden & buildings were worth a look regardless.

We made great time to the Blue Ridge Music Center, which is good because we had somewhere very important to be before 1:00 pm and it would have been a shame to rush through the exhibit or miss the live music playing outside. The Roots of American Music exhibit is very extensive and includes everything from origins to interactive displays. For me, the most memorable part of the exhibit is the display tracing the origins of the instruments, songs and music. A map showing how "the European fiddle and the African banjo met..." is a good example. Between the displays and the traditional musicians performing live, you could spend an entire day here. But we had to get to Mayberry.

Mt. Airy is about 45 minutes off the Parkway. It's also where Andy Griffith grew up. They say  Mt. Airy is the inspiration for Mayberry, but one thing for sure is that Andy went to the Snappy Lunch as a boy and mentioned it on the show and in a song. The Snappy Lunch also has the World’s Famous Pork Chop Sandwich, so we had to get there before they closed at 1:00 pm.

We drove into town at about 12:50, so i dropped Todd off in front and went to park. Mt. Airy is a busy little town, so I wasn't sure how long it would take. Luckily, there was a spot two doors down, right behind Sheriff Taylor's car! Ok, it was one of at least two replica squad cars that we saw before leaving, but I am convinced this was the one. It was a Galaxy 500 and had a cardboard cut out of Andy in the driver's seat. Enough said.

Back at The Snappy Lunch, I found Todd sitting in back booth with a little smirk. Apparently I read the hours wrong and The Snappy Lunch doesn't close until 2:00 on Tuesday. And I may have rushed him a bit at the Music Center. Just a bit. Regardless, the Pork Chop Sandwich was strangely fantastic! I ordered mine with everything (tomato, chopped onion, mustard, cole slaw, and a special chili sauce). It was messy. And wonderful.

After lunch, and a look around at the photo covered walls, we walked up and down Main Street. It was cute, but nothing special, unless you want an Aunt Bee Apple Pie or a haircut at Floyd the Barbers! Still. I liked it. I am glad we made the side trip and would do it again, if only for another Pork Chop Sandwich.

We took a shortcut back the Parkway, lots of turns on State Routes. It was a little confusing, and The Parkway wasn't signed from the small road we entered on (State Route 677/Willis Gap Rd.). If we hadn't been so well acquainted with the road, we may have driven right by.

Taking one road in and another out allowed us glimpses of the area's agriculture and love of hydrangeas. Really, really big hydrangeas. Besides the hydrangeas, we saw apple orchards, peach orchards, Christmas tree farms, boxwood shrubbery farms, wheat fields, corn fields, cabbage patches, squash patches, a flax field and heritage polebean.. poles?

Back on the Parkway, we still had a hundred miles or so to go. We made a couple of roadside attraction stops at: Puckett Cabin (MP 189.9), once home to a famous midwife who supposedly delivered hundreds of babies without losing a patient and Ground Hog Mountain (MP 188.8), a picnic area displaying various fence types used in the area. We saw them all along the Parkway, but it was interesting to see them all together and read about their uses and evolution.

At MP 178 is Meadows of Dan and The Poor Farmer's Market, showcased in Southern Living as having "Best fried pies, jams, and jellies on the parkway, plus quilts and pottery." We stopped for picnic supplies for the next day, but ended up with Blenheim Ginger Ale, the best I've ever had. And I've had a lot of ginger ale. You can get it in Hot, or Not as Hot. I had the Hot.

Meadows of Dan also has the best Blue Ridge Parkway sign we saw. Worth a stop for a photo op if nothing else.

Our next, and last, stop of was Mabry Mill (MP 176), one of the most photographed ... on the Parkway. It's a restored gristmill/sawmill/woodworking shop and blacksmith shop and has living history displays and demos. It was pretty and interesting, but we must have been there at the wrong time of year/day, because it was not as photogenic as I had been led to believe. My favorite display is the still. It's kind of hidden out in the woods, which makes it that much better.

Already road weary, we hopped back in the car and drove the last 90 miles to The Peaks of Otter. Unfortunately, that meant driving through Roanoke at rush hour. Traffic was pretty dense for the Parkway, but nothing too terrible. What was bad, was the endless line of bicyclists. I am not anti-bike. I think all roads should be shared and have been on both sides. But this was just dangerous. It was made worse by the rain, but I can't imagine that it's a good idea under the best of circumstances. The issue seemed to be that the bicyclists were spread out too much (or not enough?). Between that and the rush hour traffic it was knuckle whitening to try and pass. It was doable, if scary. Then, one group stopped on the side of the road and one guy stopped IN the road with his foot out about a foot more into the road. I seriously thought I was going to hit him. And, if there had been oncoming traffic I would have probably hit something..... So there's my rant. Just be careful, whether you are on two wheels or four, motorized or people powered. Or just avoid the Roanoke stretch at rush hour, in the rain.

I was very happy to finally arrive at The Peaks of Otter. I was dry, there were no bikes, I could eat and relax. Which I did, mostly. The Peaks if Otter was obviously a popular getaway at one time. It still has a beautiful view and the building is very unique and pretty cool. Unfortunately it's been let go and is outdated. It's very clean, but a little... weird. And not always good weird. I would have loved to have seen it in it's heyday though. The cool 50's architecture, picturesque peak and lake, prevalent wildlife and expansive lawn is still noteworthy, but I bet it was something else at it's... peak.

Peaks of Otter

The next morning, after a quick coffee and some protein bars, we headed back off the Parkway to The Natural Bridge. We were in hurry. Lots to do and many miles to go before we got to The Big Meadows Lodge in Shenandoah.

The Natural Bridge is about a half hour off the Parkway. We considered stopping at The Devil's Marble Yard, but we wanted to get to Shenandoah early enough to do a 4 hour hike that I was really looking forward to. So, we went directly to the Natural Bridge and got there before they opened at 9:00 am, and I'm glad we did. The Natural Bridge is a natural wonder, but it is a privately owned and operated attraction. From the huge gift shop, wax museum and other attractions, I am pretty confident that it is rare to have the bridge to yourself these days. I wanted an unobstructed view to recreate some old family photos that I recently scanned for my grandparents, so the timing was perfect. Not only was able to recreate the photos pretty well, we saw a family of river otters as we walked along the Cedar Creek Nature Trail. For all I know they are out all of time posing for photos, but I like to think it was just for us.

Otter

We ended up spending more time at the Natural Bridge than originally intended, so it was straight to Shenandoah after that. We arrived a bit later than we planned for, so we made a quick stop at the Ranger's station to get the skinny on the "big" hike. After being assured that we had plenty of time, we headed back a few miles on Skyline Drive and started the long hike to Camp Rapidan.

Camp Rapidan was President Hoover's summer reatreat. The president's cabin, "The Brown House",  and the Prime minister's cabins have been restored to their 1929 appearance. It's a peaceful spot.  You can sit on the deck of the Brown House and look out at the Rapidan River, where the president fished for trout, stocked before he arrived.The hike itself is pretty easy and very scenic. It does cross three streams, but there are large, well-placed stone to step across on all there. The hike back up is slightly ore difficult, because it is all uphill.

Big Rock Falls

The cabin is open for ranger led tours in the summer and, if you can't manage the hike, they will drive you in via a park road. There were no tours when we were there, but we were surprised to find a few park employees hanging out on the deck of The Brown House.

In the end, it only took us 3 hours to complete the hike, and we even stopped at Big Rock Falls for a quick rest.  We were checked in and at dinner before 7:00 pm.

Big Meadows Lodge is one of my favorite places we stayed during this, or any, trip. They have done a fantastic job of keeping it authentic without letting it become rundown. This is not any easy task. The rooms are small, but very cozy and clean, with beautiful views of the valley. The main room is huge with a fireplace at one end, a community puzzle (at least when we were there), windows along the back wall and a deck outside. The Spottswood Dining Room is a great place with great food and more of those windows along the back wall, perfect for watching the sunset. I had Chesapeake Fried Oyster Stew and we split the Rainbow Trout and Black Iron Roasted Smithfield Pork. We also split dessert, which we very rarely do. The Blackberry Cobbler is amazing and the Blackberry Sundae is something else.. good, but a little too much sweet for my savory tooth. I would eat here even if I weren't staying overnight!

After dinner, we headed down to the Taproom, had a couple local brews, Devil's Backbone for me and a seasonal draft created for the park for Todd, and listened to some pretty decent acoustic guitar cover.  After a sleepless night at Peaks of Otter I was more than happy to turn in early to the cozy room a few steps away.

The next morning we enjoyed breakfast in the Spottswood, hiked to Dark Hollow Falls, saw a couple bears and headed for D.C. (Post coming soon!)

Mugello 2011: Photos

I just watched the MotoGp race at Mugello on TV.  Last year I was lucky enough to watch from Tribuna Poggio Secco.

Tribuna Poggio Secco

Here are a bunch of photos from the weekend.
You can read an essay I wrote about our fantastic B&B here.

B&B Alla Corte di Carla

Track Food Italian Style

Track Food Italian Style

Mugello 2011: Pasta, or How to Speak Italian

I just watched the MotoGp race at Mugello on TV.  Last year I was lucky enough to watch from Tribuna Poggio Secco.

Below is an essay I wrote about the B&B where we stayed during last year's race weekend. It is called  B&B Alla Corte di Carla and was by far the best place we stayed in Italy.

You can look at photos from the track here.

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B&B Alla Corte di Carla

B&B Alla Corte di Carl

Pasta, or How to Speak Italian

“Inglese.” That’s what the neighbor said when she introduced us to Carla, our host. I’d spent months teaching myself to speak Italian, but to Carla and the neighbor, I spoke English. Carla didn’t.

Carla smiled and summoned her son Alessio to help us settle in. He asked if we would be dining with them. We hadn’t planned to, but it was late and we'd driven all day so we said “yes”. We would eat out tomorrow.

Between my bad Italian and Alessios decidedly better English, we settled on a time and arrived to find that we were the only guests. This was a relief. We were road weary and not feeling sociable.

The wine from the family keg was welcome, as was the bruschetta that arrived soon after. The tomatoes were perfect, the bread was perfect, everything was perfect. Then the pasta came. It was perfect. When Alessio asked if we wanted more I greedily accepted. Todd made a polite, but futile, attempt to decline. It's not easy to say no to pasta in Italian.

Carla brought the pot and started scooping. Todd gestured no more. She smiled and kept scooping until the pot was empty. Not wanting to offend, and because it was perfect, we ate it all. When she drilled an index finger into her cheek we responded in kind, with nods and smiles. We knew that this gesture meant “delicious!” We didn’t know that parents use it to encourage their children to eat.

Dinner lasted for hours. We lingered after desert, drinking and talking with Alessio. Todd asked, “Alessio, how do you stay so skinny?” He just shrugged. We decided the secret was the digestivos, so we were sure to drink plenty of Grappa.
We never did go out to dinner. More guests eventually arrived, and we were happy to share meals and Grappa, but always felt more connected to our hosts. On our last night, after making our way through 8 varieties of pizza, Alessio asked Todd if he wanted more, adding, “It’s like pasta.”

All American Road Trip Part 2: Blue Ridge Parkway MP 408 - 294 Food, Fog and Water (falls & rain)

This summer we decided to stay stateside and go on an All American Road Trip. Starting in the The Smokys, we drove the entire Blue Ridge Parkway to Shenandoah and ended with a few days in Washington DC.

This is Part 2. You can read Part 1 here.

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We woke up at Pisgah Inn to rain. We ate a good breakfast at the restaurant and watched the rain and fog roll across the Blue Ridge Mountains. It was pretty to watch from the safety of the dining room, but we weren't looking forward to climbing Mt. Pisgah. So we skipped the hike and headed north, past Asheville. There was restaurant up the road that we had to make by 3:00, so we figured it was worth it. Plus, we are pretty sure we climbed the mountain a while back when we were backpacking in Pisgah.

There's a lot to do/see in Asheville, but my sister lives there so we've seen or will have chance to to see it next time we visit. For your purposes, here are some things worth stopping for:

Art Deco buildings in downtown Asheville
The Biltmore if you have the time. It's pretty cool.
The North Carolina Arboretum
Eat at: 12 Bones, Tupelo Honey, Luella's, Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company, My Father's Pizza in Black Mountain & Early Girl (full disclosure: Early Girl is not my favorite, but Todd and most other people think it's the bees knees).

Craggy Flats

On the other side of Asheville, we stopped at Craggy Gardens at MP 364.5, past Craggy Gardens Picnic Area. It had stopped raining, but there was still a lot of fog, which made the views and hike through rhododendron tunnels to Craggy Flats more magical. Craggy Flats is a an open, windswept heath bald, as if there is any other kind. Balds are summits "covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses or shrubs occurring in areas where heavy forest growth would be expected." This particular bald has a lot of rhododendron and flame azaleas.

Todd and his spirit bird at Craggy Pinnacle

.5 miles away, on the Parkway, is Craggy Pinnacle. We drove. And then realized that we could have hiked up from the Visitor's Center at Craggy Gardens. The trail is a little steeper than the Garden trail and features cool, wind-twisted beech trees among the rhododendron. At the top you will find sweeping vistas that include a great view of the Parkway itself. Todd found his spirit bird here. Then it started to rain.

Brunch at Knife & Fork

Hot Tub at Little Switzerland Inn

Back in the dry car we made a beeline to Spruce Pine (exit near MP 330) and The Knife and Fork for brunch. We really wanted to eat here, but had to make it a priority, because they close early on Sunday (when we were there) and aren't open at all on Monday. The rained out hike at Pisgah had put us ahead of schedule and the continuing rain made us feel better about driving past Crabtree Falls. We made it well before our 3:00 deadline. It was worth all of the trouble.

We split Chicken & Pancakes, Three Cheese Plate, Chicken Wings & Rabbit Wings. Everything was delicious, but the Rabbit Wings were off the charts! I'm going back just for more of those and the great service. Everyone was super sweet and really wanted to know that you were enjoying the food & the space.

After lunch, we checked in at The Little Switzerland Inn (MP 334) and decided to backtrack to Crabtree Falls (MP 339). There were a few other cars in the parking lot, but the rain was really coming down & the fog was getting thicker, so we went back to our lodgings at Little Switzerland Inn and waited it out in hot tub.

Lobby at Little Switzerland Inn

Little Switzerland is a strange, not in bad way, place. It is very old school fancy & is kept up pretty well, which is good because we spent a lot of time there. We ate in the bar, instead of the Chalet Restaurant. After our amazing brunch, we weren't that hungry, so we had what we called "Blue Ridge Tapas": Swiss Onion Soup, Homemade Chips with Blue Cheese and Carolina Caprese ( fried green tomatoes with homemade pimento cheese & a red pepper puree). They put the game on, so we stayed for a while.

Crabtree Falls, NC

We woke up well rested. It was still raining, but we decided to head back to Crabtree Falls for the third time & just go for it. The Ranger at the Visitor's Center said we should be ok, just be careful on the rocks. He did not tell us that trail was almost all rocks at some points! We went slow & made it down the steep, rocky, wet trail. Luckily, the Ranger also told us that we could shorten the hike by driving to a trailhead in the campground, instead of hiking in from the main parking lot. This cutting .5 miles out of our hike. In the rain, this is a very good thing. Regardless of how long & slippery the hike, the 70-foot falls are definitely worth it. And I think they might have been even better in the rain. We had them all to ourselves! Note: don't get these NC falls confused with Crabtree Falls in VA, also off the Parkway.

Linville Falls: Erwin's View

With one rainy waterfall hike under our belts, we decided to stick with that day's plan and go to Linville Falls (MP 316.5). We checked with the Ranger to make sure conditions were good and headed up. In the end we felt a little silly, since the trail at Linville Falls is pretty easy, at least the main trail. There are three spurs off of the main trail that lead to three different views. At .5 miles is the Upper Falls, at .6 miles is the Chimney View and at .8 miles is Erwins View. We went to all three, but if you only have time for one, Chimney View is the most popular. However, we preferred Erwin's View, it's higher and farther out, giving an overall perspective of the falls and valley.

It stopped raining by the time we left Linville Falls, but we decided to skip Wiseman's View anyway. It sounds like a great hike, dubbed the "Grand Canyon of the East", but is a couple of miles off the Parkway and the drive involves "leaving pavement", which didn't sound like a great idea after all the rain. Instead, we backtracked to the Linville Falls Community (MP 317.4) and had Pimento Cheese Sandwiches and Pie at Famous Louise's Rock House. It was really good and is indeed a rock house. It's also on the National Register of Historical Places, which is cool.

Driving

Next stop, Grandfather Mountain. And stop we did. And turned around. And left. Grandfather Mountain sounds like it would be a lot of fun. It's a privately owned attraction that UNESCO has designated an International Biosphere Preserve. There is a huge backcountry, which would be interesting if you have the time, but we were going for the wildlife habitat and walk across the mile high swinging bridge... until the nice lady at the gate informed us, the rain & fog would mostly like keep the animals out of site and the bridge views would be lost. In fact, she said, we wouldn't be able to see the other end of the bridge. So we left.

Time for more rain hiking, but first, a quick stop at Linn Cove Visitor Center (MP 304.4) to learn how they built the Linn Cove Viaduct, said to be "the most complicated concrete bridge ever built."

Rough Ridge hike in the Fog

At MP 302.8 is a pull off that seems to overlook nothing, until you climb a steep and rocky (and in our case wet) Tanawha Trail to Rough Ridge. We were told, buy our guidebook (Best of the Blue Ridge Parkway by Nye Simmons) that Rough Ridge "takes on a special magic in fog, when the weather is otherwise frightful." Perfect! It really was magical in fog. Once we got there. But the hike was pretty rough, lots of large puddles that almost had us turning around at least twice.

Wet and tired, it was time to head to our most deluxe accommodations on the trip, Yonahlossee. Just what we needed. There were two ladies on the covered porch when we arrived. They were the only other Inn guests (there are also cottages) and have been coming every year since the were girls and Yonahlossee was a summer camp. They were exited to hear about our day's adventure and wanted to tell us all about the trails that they used to hike and the wonderful Manhattans on the terrace at the Crestwood. I think they were a little disappointed to find out that we were only there for one night and already had dinner plans.

We had reservations at The Gamekeeper that night, but had plenty of time to relax in the sauna and big fluffy beds. We skipped the workout room.

Todd at The Gamekeeper

The Gamekeeper is my favorite restaurant of the entire trip. Knife & Fork is pretty close. We showed up early and relaxed at the bar. I thought that it might be a littl too fancy, but it isn't at all. It's a cozy, elegant space and the people are exceptionally nice. We loved our waitress, Sandi, she was very helpful, laid back, but attentive, and she sounded exactly like Amy Sedaris.

We split, as we do, the following fantastic appetizer: Mixed Grill (including ostrich, antelope, rabbit and alligator sausage and bison sausage), Pork Belly, Gazpacho and, of course, the Cheese Plate. It was all fantastic, but I was surprised by how much I loved the antelope... I really, really, really loved the antelope!

I would go back to Yonahlossee just to eat at The Gamekeeper. But, I would also check out some of the hikes the "camp girls" told us about  & maybe even have a Manhattan on the terrace at the Crestwood. Fancy!

Part 3 is here! : Blue Ridge Parkway MP 294 - Shenandoah (Including Mayberry, bears and a bridge!)

All American Road Trip Sidebar: Happy 4th of July!

As I sit here in my air conditioned living room watching baseball, waiting for family to come over for some of my husband's fantastic BBQ, I am thinking about our recent visit to DC, specifically the National Archives.

The National Archives is where the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are preserved and displayed. In addition to these Charters of Freedom, the Archive houses everything from military records to naturalization records to slave ship manifests and the Emancipation Proclamation. The records belong to, and are available to the people of the United States to "help us claim our rights and entitlements, hold our elected officials accountable for their actions, and document our history as a nation." And a lot of folks use them to trace their family history.

The National Archives Washington D.C.

We just wanted to see the Charters of Freedom. We made reservations before we left, so we didn't have to stand in the line that wraps around the building. In fact, we didn't have to stand in line at all. It costs $1.50 (it is free otherwise), but it was well worth it to walk right in and head up to the The Rotunda for the Charters of Freedom.

Once at the Rotunda be sure not to miss the Magna Carta. It's right when you walk in, before you get in line to view the Charters of Freedom. It seemed like most people were passing by without noticing it.

The line in the Rotunda wasn't bad and they have a few plaques describing the documents you are about to see. You have time, so I would suggest reading them, instead of acting up and being reprimanded by the Secret Service. Oh, and don't chew gum. They don't like it.

Small-ish groups are let in together and given instructions to not line up once in The Rotunda. Instead, they prefer that you spread out and look at The Charters and the displays flanking them. Take this advice. And, look at the displays. They look at the making of The Charters and their impact. Two of my favorite displays are a draft of the Declaration of Independence with edits and the Expansion of Rights and Liberties.

MLK Memorial with Jefferson Memorial in background

It is important to remember that people struggled and fought hard for our freedom during the Revolution. It is also important to remember that not all of us equally created people were given the same, if any, freedom and rights at that time. People have been rising up and fighting for them ever since. Some still are.

The Declaration of Independence was an amazing start, but there is still a lot of work to do.

Read The Declaration of Independence here.
Plan your visit here.

All American Road Trip Part 1: The Great Smoky Mountains to Blue Ridge Parkway MP 408

This summer we decided to stay stateside and go on an All American Road Trip. Starting in the The Smokys, we drove the entire Blue Ridge Parkway to Shenandoah and ended with a few days in Washington DC.

We drove, hiked, ate, explored and learned. It was a lot of fun.

We have been to the Great Smoky Mountains a few times together and I went with my dad as a kid. So, we were in familiar territory & didn't schedule a whole lot of time to explore. In retrospect we should have scheduled more.

Clingmans Dome

We zoomed through Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and went straight to the park. Our intentions were to drive the Cade's Cove Loop, but we arrived later than planned, so we headed up to the top of Old Smoky to check out the view from Clingman's Dome. It was a pretty great view. And we were there at the end of the day so the crowd was pretty small.

Once we had our fill of mountain views and picture taking, we drove back down to Gatlinburg. We were lucky enough to find an oasis of calm in the spectacle that is Gatlinburg. The Hilton Garden Inn is a new, LEED certified property along the river. It was a pretty spot, but close enough to the main drag that we could walk to dinner, which included a great pizza at the Smoky Mountain Brewery. Not only did they have great pizza and brews, they put the Reds game on without us asking. We were very impressed with their mind reading until we realized that we were both decked out in Reds logowear! Great wait staff, even if they aren't psychic.

Great Smoky Mountains

The next morning we headed back to the park, took the requisite photos with the park sign and drove through to the south entrance. We made a few stops for views and photos and spent a good amount of time exploring Mingus Mill, 1/2 mile north of the  Oconaluftee Visitor Center. We thought we were going to see the mill that is on the old National Park posters. The one with the wheel. But that is at Cade's Cove (we will be returning to finally do that loop!). Mingus Mill, built in 1886, doesn't have a wheel. Instead, it has a water-powered turbine, which is pretty cool. The mill is still working and you can go inside to see how it works and buy some cornmeal from the miller.

Mingus Mill

After that we said goodbye to the Smokys and hello to the Blue Ridge Parkway, our companion for the next 5 days and 469 miles. One thing to note is that we drove the Parkway backwards, so the MilePosts with be decreasing.

The Blue Ridge Parkway

Most folks start at zero, in Virginia. We started at 469 and I am glad we did.

Our first stop was, of course, lunch! We had done our research (via Chowhound, friends, Tripadvisor and lots and lots of Google searches) and got off the Parkway at MP455 to Maggie Valley for BBQ at Butts on the Creek. It's a little past the main commercial area, but worth the extra miles! Great BBQ in a great spot, along a creek. Duh.

Butts on the Creek

After lunch we retraced our drive past The Shack, and other roadside stands selling everything from dishes to boiled peanuts to frog jam, whatever that is. Back on the parkway we stopped at the Water Rock Knob Overlook (MP 451.2) and hiked a little past the 1/4 mile paved trail. We didn't hike the entire 1.2 mile round trip to the summit, because we were on a fairly tight schedule. We had a couple waterfalls to see before meeting my niece and nephew at Sliding Rock at 4-ish. It was pretty though: sweeping views, beautiful ferns and flowers and a cave!

Ferns at Water Rock Knob

View of Parkway from Water Rock Knob

At MP 431, we made time for a quick stop at the Richard Balsam Overlook, the highest elevation on the Parkway at 6053 ft. The next stop was supposed to be at MP 422 to look for flying squirrels at Devil's Courthouse. It was raining & we figured the squirrels wouldn't be doing much flying, so we kept going to MP 418.8 to check out the waterfall at Graveyard Fields.

There's a trail map in the parking lot.  Either way, you walk through a rhododendron tunnel and cross a bridge before turning left to the Upper Falls or right, down a lot of steps, to the Second Falls. We took the shorter, 1/3 mile one way hike to the Second Falls where there were lots of swimmers and photographers.

This a popular spot and for good reason. The falls are beautiful and, in season, so are the rhododendrons.

Graveyard Fields

Looking Glass Falls

Because of the rain and skipping Devil's Courthouse, we were a bit ahead of schedule, giving us time to check in to Pisgah Inn (MP 408) and backtrack to Looking Glass Falls before meeting the family at Sliding Rock. Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock are both on Hwy 276. Exit the Parkway at MP 412 and drive about 10 miles, passing Sliding Rock, to the falls. You can see the 60 ft falls from the highway, so it's a very popular, quick stop. Drive a few miles back toward the Parkway to Sliding Rock.

Sliding Rock is another popular spot, but for very different reason. It's a giant, slippery rock that is perfect for sliding down into a deep pool at the base. It's an official recreation area, so there is a $1 fee, a parking lot, restrooms, a long line to slide and lifeguards. Unfortunately, the lifeguards were very busy and the rock was closed when we arrived. A few minutes before, a man had slipped and cracked his head while trying to walk across the top of the rock. It's a pretty cool, natural water slide. So I do recommend checking it out, But if you slide, be very careful. It was created by nature, not man made to specific safety standards! Take it slow and consider scooting out on your butt instead of walking.

Since our time at Sliding Rock was cut short, we got back to the Inn earlier than expected. Luckily. We thought we had dinner reservations for eight, but did not. Pisgah Inn does not usually take reservations, but they claim they will make arrangements for larger parties. This turned out to be a false claim. It wouldn't have been a huge deal to wait out on the deck in rocking chairs enjoying the view, but the kids were hungry and tired. We knew this would be the case, which is why we called and reserved a table. The food was ok, but the view is why you go. And it's worth it, as long as you don't mind waiting.

View from our balcony at Pisgah Inn

 After dinner and saying good bye to the family, we watched the sky change from the rocking chairs on our private balcony. I definitely recommend staying at Pisgah Inn. It's old school, with out being old. The rooms are big and comfortable and you can't beat the view. Be sure to make reservations early and requests a second floor room.

View from our balcony at Pisgah Inn

Click here for Part 2: Blue Ridge Parkway MP 408 - 294 (Including lots of rhododendrons, waterfalls and three of our favorite meals of the trip!)

Pinterest

It’s Spring and I haven’t been on a trip since last summer. Thank God for Pinterest!

If you know about Pinterest, you know what I mean. If not, check it out.

It’s the perfect way to organize travel planning/dreaming. I can “pin” all of the cool things I want to do someday, or in June.

So far, I have created boards for my top 10 list and am creating new ones as I find things I must do (I refuse to call it my “Bucket List”, sorry.) Hopefully it never goes under or I will have to go back to actually remembering things!

In addition to organizing my own cool stuff, I get to search other people’s “pins”, making it even easier to find more places and adventures and add them to my ever growing list.  The one thing that’s missing, I think, is the ability to create subcategories (subboards?). I would love to be able to group a bunch of cities under “See the USA” for instance, or maybe a group called “See MotoGP.”  If you know of a way to do this please let me know ASAP. I will be forever in your debt and repin all of your stuff.

Now, if I can only tear myself away from Pinterest long enough to visit all of these places.

Check out my boards here.

Check out Mashable's "Pinterest: A Beginner's Guide" here.