Day 28

We woke up to a rainy Friday morning, so for the first time on this trip we made coffee inside the van...not a problem.  Since it was raining we modified our intended itinerary and decided to do our laundry, so our first stop after leaving the campground was in Blacksburg, VA, the home of Virginia Tech.  It happened to be graduation weekend at VT, so we thought we'd have trouble finding a place for lunch but we lucked out and had delicious margaritas and tacos at "Cabo Fish Taco".  Our tacos were a cut above!

One of those margs is Joni's.

Leaving Blacksburg we headed for Floyd, VA, which is always a highlight of our trips to the South.  Floyd is one of the capitols of country music and the weekly Friday Night Jamboree is something we schedule our entire trip around

Floyd is a very small, population=433, artsy town, and their shops and signage clearly reinforce that theme.

The Floyd General Store is a true general store; they sell everything including mandolins.

This poster was displayed in the Blue Ridge Music Center in Galax, but the portable individual dance  platform shown above is clearly still in practice in Floyd.

I published this photo last year, when the Jamboree was held outside due to COVID.  This guy, whose using a platform,  won the best dancer award.  I think this style of dancing is called "flat footing."  Speaking of COVID, of the approximately 200 people watching the Jamboree inside the country store, only three people were wearing masks.  Joni and I were among the three.  Speaking to one of the ushers at the Jamboree, in response to my comment that over a million people have now died due to COVID, the usher replied, "...if you can believe those numbers."

As you walk down the street in Floyd, you'll come across live music anywhere there's enough space for one or more musicians to gather.  These groups were playing while the Jamboree was going on.

Country music isn't the only genre being celebrated in Floyd, jazz is alive too.

The first hour of the Jamboree is Gospel Hour.  These guys were very good and almost converted a heathen like me!

Check out the bald spots!

Dancing is not allowed during the gospel hour, but all hell broke loose with this act!

I don't know when the Jamboree actually ends, we wish we could have stayed longer, but 30 mile drive back to campground was over some very treacherous roads, so we left early enough to complete the drive in the daylight.

 

Day 27

Continuing north on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Our first activity after breakfast at our campsite was a short walk to see the top of Linville Falls which is the deepest gorge in America.

Leaving Linville Falls we continued north along the Parkway.

Typical view of the roadway on the Parkway, no shoulders, just grass, trees, and...

...lots and lots of incredible views of the Blue Ridge Mountains!

The summer home of Moses Cone just outside Blowing Rock, NC.  Mr. Cone made his fortune in textiles and at one point was the single largest producer of denim fabric in the world.

The Blue Ridge Music Center celebrates the roots of American music and the contribution to music made by the people of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The museum was presented many of the stories on which Ken Burns focused in his PBS series on country music.

The Blue Ridge Music Center, outside Galax, VA, and right on the Parkway, celebrates the contribution to music made by the people of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The museum was presented many of the stories on which Ken Burns focused 

Half staff in memory of the 1,000,000 who have died of COVID.

Live music presented every day when the museum is open.

This man is displaying a mountain dulcimer which he made using exclusively repurposed woods from the immediate area.

A guitar made by a local luthier

Campsite #34 at Fairystone State Park

Using the awning for the first time on this trip in order to stay dry as we sip a wee dram of whisky and enjoy our campfire.

Our route on Day 27 from Linville Falls, NC to Fairystone State Park, VA

Day 26

For dinner on our last night in the Asheville area we went to the Sierra Nevada brewery, which is their only brewery east of the Mississippi.  Our expectations weren't high, we figured it would be just bar food, but it was pretty close to our campground.  Boy were we surprised.  The facility was gorgeous, the beer was very good, but the food was even better.  We started off with a big pretzel with a mustard/cheese sauce.  Then we both had salads:  a brie and ham for me and for Joni greens, peas, almonds, strawberries and ricotta cheese  Sorry I only took pictures of dessert. 

 

A bittersweet almond chocolate cake with a raspberry gelee, estate honey and almond brittle, marscapone cream and almond soil.  Yummy!

On Wednesday we were on the road early after our breakfast at the North Mills River campground of OJ, cereal, & coffee.  No pictures necessary, you can use your imagination.  

One of the many farms along the North Mills River.  Apparently these will be for tomatoes. 

Our first destination for Wednesday was the small town of Black Mountain, which is 15 miles southwest of Asheville.  This village was gorgeous, completely nestled on all sides by mountains, beautiful and well restored old buildings, plenty of funky shops and very friendly shop owners.  

If you look closely at this photo you can see the shops from across the street in the reflection on the glass.

Clearly this town encourages the arts!

Leaving Black Mountain we returned to our favorite restaurant in Asheville, the Sunny Pointe Cafe. Joni had been dreaming about their mimosas, fried chicken and waffles, and she her dreams came true  I had shrimp and grits that were equally tasty.

No longer hungry, we started our journey north following the Blue Ridge Parkway as much as possible.  Construction of the Parkway started in 1935 during the Depression as one of many WPA projects. Linking the Shenandoah National Park and the Smoky Mountains National Park, the Parkway stretches 460 miles along the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Unlike any other road in our country; the speed limit is a constant 45 mph, no commercial vehicles are allowed, and it seems like most of the parkway is at an elevation of 3000 ft. or higher, providing incredible views at every turn.  During our two days on the Parkway we encountered no traffic, and were only passed once. 

Our original destination for this day was Mount Mitchell.

Our campground reservation at the state park was for a tent site on Mount Mitchell, but once we discovered that sleeping in cars or vans was not allowed, we decided to continue along the Parkway, confident that we could find a vacancy at another campground.  

The foliage color almost looks like fall.

Surprisingly many of the campgrounds right along the Parkway are still closed, but we eventually found an open one operated by the National Park Service at  Linville Falls, NC.  So we set up our gear and dined on bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches on a brioche!  Yes, those are Gary Gardner specials.

Campsite #42