We took a short drive down I-77 to Dobson, North Carolina to tour the Shelton Vineyards and winery. Prior to the 1990's there were no wineries in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Two brothers, Charles and Ed Shelton, who were natives of Mt. Airy, wanted to give back to their community. They first purchased a dairy farm and then bought several adjacent tobacco farms, planting their first vines in 1999. The clay loam soil of the Yadkin Valley is ideal for growing European varietals such as merlot, cabernet franc, chardonnay, tannat and riesling grapes. Our guide said that the soil retains moisture so they rarely have to use irrigation techniques. The local tourist pamphlets tout the Yadkin Valley as the Napa of the East.
There are vines planted all along the picturesque main driveway leading in from the road. Our tour guide explained that the rose bushes are used as a barometer of possible insect or mold infestations on the vines. If there is a problem with a rose bush, they inspect the vines carefully to identify the problem and be sure it doesn't affect the vines and most importantly, the grapes.
The Shelton Vineyards have many serene areas for having a picnic on their grounds. You can see several picnic areas along a meandering stream with a small pond.
The front entrance is impressive as well. Their logo, concrete square at Paul's feet, is an interlocking design of five "S's"; one for each of the two brothers' five children. These brothers were very family oriented. Several of the reserve wines are labeled "two-five-nine" which stands for two brothers, five children, and nine grandchildren.
We enjoyed our tour of this modern and very clean winery. We also enjoyed sampling about a half dozen of their wines. We were both fond of the Madison Lee White and the Estate Cabernet Franc.
Crushing season is in late August while we are still in Virginia. We hope to return to see the winery in full operational mode.
We choose another pretty spring day to take our first bike ride in Virginia. We began our journey at the trail head where we had hiked to previously along the New River Trail. You may recall this trail is along a former railroad track that was once part of the Roanoke Southern Railroad back in the 1930's.
This first bike ride was two weeks later than the hike we took. You can see the trees are now almost fully in bloom. Paul is standing on a long trestle we crossed admiring the view of Chestnut Creek below.
The date of the construction of this part of the railroad was marked on another trestle along our route.
In building the track bed along the creek, sometimes part of the hillside had to be carved out. In the photo below, this hillside was supported by rocks on the left and railroad timbers on the right.
Slow meandering Chestnut Creek increased significantly in speed at several rapids along our route. It is still only about 40 feet across at most locations.
Here is another set of rapids, maybe we could call this a small waterfall.
The flowers were more colorful in the bright sunlight. Here are some of our favorite flowers from our ride. First spiderwort.
some honesty ...
a wild geranium ...
a lighter shade of honesty ...
and some fire pink, also called scarlet catchfly.
We enjoyed watching swallowtail butterflies, often flying two or three together, playing with each other as we rode past them. A picture? The butterflies we have seen never seem to land even for a moment, but they were fun to watch.
At the end of our ride, we came across this sculpture. Later we asked a park ranger about the sculpture since we were baffled. Can you tell what it is? [answer below the photo]
The ranger told us it was a project done by some eagle scouts several years ago. The sculpture is supposed to be a train.
A week later we explored a different portion of this trail by bike. We started in Fries (pronounced freeze) and traveled about 5 1/2 miles up the trail. We were now riding along the New River, which is about 400 feet across in most areas. These photos of the New River are quite a contrast to narrow Chestnut Creek shown above. The views reminded us a bit of views of Maine coastal islands, with the rocks protruding from the water, steep inclines and trees lining the water.
We did spot this snapping turtle, we think getting ready to lay her eggs. She had dug a large hole in the grass with her hind feet and was just sitting in it as we rode by.
One of the new wildflowers we spotted were everywhere along the bike path. but we could not identify them even after several searches on the internet. As you can see, they were beautiful white clusters.
A close-up view
We did find the name for white milkweed, not nearly so spectacular.
We enjoyed our bike rides along this wide and level pathway which was mostly covered with cinders. The views were serene as we rode along in partial shade and partial sunlight, so it didn't get too hot, even though the temperature was around 75 by the time we finished our ride each day. We anticipate going back again and again to explore other parts of this fabulous trail.
Paul receives periodic emails from West Chester University, our alma mater. Recently, we got a message that their women's softball team qualified for the NCAA Division 2 College World Series. As it turned out, the games were being played in Salem, VA, a town about a 90-minute drive from Hillsville. We thought it might be fun to see the Rams in their first-ever appearance in this event.
We headed north from the resort to I-81 and turned towards Salem. As we entered I-81, we encountered a long line of motorcycles heading in the same direction. It turns out that we entered the interstate in the midst of the southern route of the Run to the Wall, one of three motorcycle caravans heading to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. The group we encountered began in Rancho Cucamonga, CA, and happened to be passing through Virgina this day.
The motorcycle convoy stayed in the right hand lane while other vehicles passed on the left. It took us a good 30 minutes to pass several hundred cycles as they made their way to honor their comrades who died during the Vietnam conflict. There were local folks on many of the bridges waving to the cyclists as they rode by, a very patriotic sight to see.
We arrived at the Moyer Softball Complex in Salem to see these logos on the data sign outside the front gate.
The field was adorned with championship banners . . .
and the stands were full; thanks to about 5 or 6 bus loads of elementary school children attending as part of a field trip. Otherwise, these smaller schools would have played in front of maybe 150 fans.
West Chester scored first with a home run in the top of the 4th inning only to end up on the short end of a 5-1 score. The Rams did win their next game before losing a 2nd game in the double-elimination tournament.
We explored Salem and nearby Roanoke during the remainder of the afternoon. Yes, we found a small craft brewery and enjoyed a cold beer. This was not a photo opportunity since the "tasting room" was in the back of a warehouse. We were the only people there but got to learn some of the history of Roanoke from the bartender. Did you know Roanoke was the railroad capitol of the south, and several railroads called Roanoke home including the Norfolk and Western RR and the Virginian RR?
Why have we become such craft beer fans? The answer can be found in this sign which was in the restaurant where we had dinner.
In the early evening, we headed off to see the Salem Red Sox, the advanced single A farm team of the Boston Red Sox. The better players from this team will eventually move up to play for the Portland Sea Dogs, the team we watched last summer. The Salem Red Sox call Lewis Gale Field home, an impressive looking stadium as you enter.
The stadium was generic on the inside and not very full of fans. The view of the Appalachian Mountains in the distance did enhance the experience, though.
Paul got to meet Mugsy during the game.
The Salem team played poorly this night. Twelve of their 27 outs were by strikeouts and the Sox only managed 2 hits in the entire game, losing to the Winston-Salem Dash.
We had a fun filled day and were ready to begin work again the next day, with over 100 check-ins for the Memorial Day weekend.
The resort is still not very full as we approach Memorial Day weekend. Families are not yet traveling on vacation because children are still in school.
Our two resident geese are just wandering about the paddle boat dock waiting to head north for the summer. Since the mother goose is out and about, we have concluding that there are no baby goslings this spring.
Paul is relaxing by our portable propane fire pit after grilling our dinner.
We did have a decent crowd over Mother's Day Weekend. Among our guests, were five families all camping together, with the common bond being that all husband sing together in a bluegrass band. On Saturday evening they got together to play for the other campers. Enjoy listening to some of their music.
The rhododendron is the state flower of Virginia. They grow wild here at the campground and are in full bloom all around the resort. Take a look as these beautiful and colorful flowers. First, this dark pink bush that we walk by every day on our way to work.
Here is a close-up of one flower cluster. Look how vivid the color is in the bright sunlight.
This light pink rhododendron is located in front of one of the homes in the resort.
Our slower and shorter 6-hour days are about to come to an end. The pace will intensify over Memorial Day weekend when we are sold out. Hopefully our guests will enjoy the beauty and tranquility that our wonderful RV resort has to offer. If the weather is nice, I'm sure the pool and water slides will get used heavily.
The Andy
Griffith Show was a popular television series in the 1960's that many
baby boomers enjoyed. Andy Griffith was born in Mt. Airy, North
Carolina. In the show, he played Andy Taylor, the sheriff of Mayberry.
Did you know, Mayberry was filmed in Mt. Airy, North Carolina? We decided we wanted to visit the town to view the places featured on the TV show.
Mt. Airy is located about 25 miles south of Hillsville, an easy drive from our campground. We began our day with a hike along the Emily B. Taylor Greenway Trail built beside a creek on the outskirts of the town. Here are a few different flowers we encountered along our path. These spring flowers pictured below were in full bloom. First, some Hepatica,
And Blue-eyed Grass.
Both Andy Taylor and Barney Fife, played by Don Knotts, enjoyed lunch most days at Snappy Lunch and had their hair cut at Floyd's Barber Shop, shown on the right below. Floyd's was also where the town folk got caught up 0n the gossip of the day. Both of these businesses are still in operation today.
Further down Main Street we found Mayberry Courthouse. The sign still reads Mayberry even though the TV show has not been filmed in nearly 50 years.
Next to the court house is Wally's Service Station. This was known back then as a filling station. Look at the old truck parked on the right. No diesel at the pump here.
Ronny Howard played Andy's son, Opie. We saw Opie's candy store as it exists today. As we remember it, there was no such place in the TV show. Paul enjoyed some hand-dipped ice cream on the bench in front of the store.
Mt. Airy is a sleepy little tourist town that was fun to visit. There were historic sights to see as well as several souvenir stores selling all types of relics from the past, including TV show memorabilia. Our visit made us want to watch some of the episodes from the show to see how the town was portrayed - when we get home and have decent internet connectivity.
Our second day off, and it was another nice sunny day with temperatures in the low 70's. We decided to take a drive to Fancy Gap, a tiny, blink and you will miss it, Virginia town about 10 miles south of Hillsville, where there is an entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This was our first time driving along this famous roadway built after the Depression. Construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway began on Sept. 11, 1935, and was built in sections that were later connected. The Blue Ridge Region was economically depressed, and the idea of this new paved road appealed to many mountain residents.
There were frequent turnouts along the Parkway, where you could stop to see the views either to the south towards North Carolina or to the north further into Virginia. The views were spectacular but our camera did not due them justice.
You can see a hint of blue in the distance. Perhaps this has something to do with the name--Blue Ridge Parkway. The dark or shaded areas are where clouds were blocking the sunlight from reaching the earth.
Paul is seen here taking in the view.
Just how high up are we? This sign was at the first turn-out.
When we walked along a path at a turnout, we enjoyed viewing this Pink Azalea Rhododendron fully in bloom.
The terrain quickly sloped downward from the Parkway, which was built mostly alog the crest of the mountains.
As we drove west along the Blue Ridge Parkway, we did seem to be going more uphill than downhill. The elevation signs at the turnouts verified our assumption. This overlook is over 600 feet higher than the previously pictured overlook.
The mountains were a collection of steep rolling hills which is the norm in the eastern United States. There were plenty of trees and some great views. It was easy to see why so many of the early settlers decided to try to build homesteads here.
We stopped to view a very famous old cabin, the Brinegar Cabin. Martin and Caroline Brinegar purchased this cabin, along with 125 acres of land, after they were married in 1878 for a price of $200. They lived here for nearly 60 years and either grew or made everything they needed. For example, Caroline made her family's clothes from the flax she grew. Notice how the wooden shingles on the roof are curled up on the edges from the weather. There are not a lot of windows because windows would not keep out the cold during the winters. No such thing as double pane windows back then.
If you look at the side view of the cabin below, you will see two fireplace chimneys, with the larger chimney venting the fireplace in the main room of the cabin and the smaller chimney in the kitchen. These fireplaces provided the only heat source for both cooking and warmth during the cold winters.
The outdoor pantry, shown below, was a separate building about 50 feet to the side of the main cabin. This building was where all their food was stored to be able to exist during the winter. The upper level was used for dry storage, items such as dried corn, buckwheat and herbs. There was also a meat box holding the butchered meat after it was cured with salt.
The lower level, below ground and encased in stone, was their root cellar. They kept fruits, vegetables and canned goods here because the food was protected from freezing by the surrounding earth and stone.
After our leisurely afternoon drive, we exited the Parkway in West Jefferson, NC. Our purpose for this evening was to attend the Boondocks Brewing Company's monthly beer dinner. Dinner consisted of a four courses, each paired with a different beer to complement the flavors in the food.
Our first course was Chipotle Black Bean Soup paired with Allagash Odessey. The beer was a limited brew that helped cool the palate after the heat in the soup. Note: We toured the Allagash Brewery in Portland, Maine last summer.
Our second course was Buffalo Chicken Bites, shredded buffalo chicken wings hand breaded and drizzled with an Ashe County Bleu Cheese Bechamel. The beer was Blind Squirrel-Belgian Tripel, a sweet beer which complemented the hotness in the wing bites. We enjoyed the chicken wing flavors without having to pick meat off bones.
Our third course was a Jalapeno-Cheddar Beer Brat with Great Divide (Denver, CO) Chocolate Oak Age Yeti beer. The beer provided a good mix of flavors to chill down the heat from the brat. Yes, there was a hint of chocolate which provided most of the cooling affect. After the cool down, the beer was not a good sipping beer. It is rare that we leave a glass on the table with beer remaining, but we did with this glass..
Our fourth and final course was homemade key lime pie paired with Wyerbacher-Insanity Barley Wine, which was actually a beer. The key lime pie was as good as we have eaten, even in Key West. We both would have preferred to replace the beer with a cup of good coffee.
Paul is holding the two souvenir pint glasses we were given at the dinner. We had another great day of sightseeing and beer sampling. Boondocks holds these beer dinners on the 2nd Thursday of each month. We plan on attending a few more beer dinners while we are in Virginia.
