Day 5 - Wednesday, June 20, 2007

We are dry and ready to ride!

We left Galax, probably for the last time, and headed to North Carolina. Just a few miles after returning to the Blue Ridge, we stopped for pictures at the North Carolina state line. Again, the breakfast at the motel wasn't much so we drove to Bluff's Lodge, just south of Doughton Park. Dave and Manuella had eaten there before and it was as wonderful as they said. (Is everyone seeing the trend here? Eating is one of our favorite pastimes.) Our next big stop of the day was at Blowing Rock where we parked and walked the main street, looking at all the little shops and boutiques. We needed lunch before getting back on the Parkway. Bill was the only sensible one, he had a sandwich; the rest of us had ice cream. :-) We next drove over the Linn Cove Viaduct and then watched a documentary on how it was constructed. Afterwards, Dave, Manuella, Bill, Shelly, and I walked the path under the viaduct. It was awesome. Since it was the last section of the Blue Ridge Parkway to open, most of us had never been on it. To describe how the viaduct just seems to float in mid-air as it circles past Grandfather Mountain doesn't do it justice. Our last sight-seeing stop of the day was at Linville Falls. On the way there, our "sensible" Bill tested the off-road worthiness of his Road King - and survived. We were all impressed, and relieved. At the Falls, we split into to hiking groups; Dave, Manuella, Bill, and Shelly took the longer hike to Linville Falls; Ted, Wanda, David, and I took the wimp hike to the smaller falls. Even though we didn't do many miles on this day, with all the sight-seeing, we were ready to call it a day. We ate dinner at Famous Louise's Rockhouse in the town of Linville Falls. Three things really stand out about this place - the food was outstanding and very reasonably priced, they don't take credit cards (good thing the prices were reasonable), and by walking across the dining room you can go in and out of three counties. We had reservations for a Bed & Breakfast at the Inn at Blue Ridge. I am telling everyone who has any plans at all in the general vicinity of Linville Falls - this is the place to stay. It was very luxurious and priced very reasonably. Our hosts were Jan and Charlie and they were warm and friendly. Our breakfast the next morning was the healthiest we had eaten the entire trip for any meal. Our one down side was that evening, Bill and Shelly received word of a family emergency and had to make a decision about the rest of the trip. After considering many scenarios, they decided to ride their motorcycles back to Columbus. For safety, Dave and Manuella agreed to accompany them. So on Thursday morning, we waved good-bye to those four and there was just four of us left.

Highlights: Linn Cove Viaduct; Famous Louise's Rockhouse; The Inn at Blue Ridge and our hosts, Jan and Charlie.