Day 5: Arriving in North Carolina

We awoke early this morning to begin our day. Next to our hotel was a Waffle House. I so remember Waffle House restaurants when I was a kid traveling to Florida to visit my aunt. We'd live Michigan at some early hour in the morning, ride all night and stop for breakfast in Macon, GA at a Waffle House. We headed over and each loaded up on a great breakfast. The waitress was so friendly. The whole experience was wonderful. The morning dawned cloudy. The rain of the past evening had moved east. The weather channel seemed to show that we would ride out of any threat of rain if we continued south to NC as planned. After gassing up we headed for the Blue Ridge for another day. Upon mounting the Blue Ridge we saw numerous deer and wild turkey. They seemed to see us to and dart back into the woods. This portion of the trail was far more woody with fewer overlooks. The view was no less beautiful. The overcast made the ride enjoyable as the storm seemed to have pulled the heat from the air. After a little more than an hour ride we came to a stop - the music house. Here we stretched our legs and was treated to wonderful Blue Mountain music from two wonderful local musicians. One of our riders plays in a band, so he clearly enjoyed this stop. We took our time, enjoying music and the beauty of the Blue Ridge. After about an hour break we headed south down the Blue Ridge. As we got closer to the NC state line we found another stop. Here we stopped at the Old Mill. This mill was once a working mill in the area. As one of our riders made arrangements for our stay in the evening, I explored the wonderfully restored old mill and learned a bit about the history of the area. Clearly the Blue Ridge was full of wonderful discoveries. Upon arriving back to the rest area we discovered we were able to find a set of cabins south into NC about 30 miles. The cabins were rustic, devoid of TV, and set in a meadow with wonderful mountain views. One thing about this trip, the days ended with as wonderful of a view as during the entire ride. After another couple of hours we arrived at our cabins. After unpacking we quickly mounted back on our bikes to head a short distance back up the road to this wonderful restaurant we learned about. Upon entering the restaurant, we quickly discovered home cooked meals. From home made corn bread, the pull pork, the bean soup and hot biscuits; we were in heaven. After loading up on the best home cooked meal in years, we headed back to the cabin to watch the sun set over the meadow and mountains. The peace and tranquillity of the evening was unmatched by any other setting we experienced to date on the trip. As the dusk descended, the deer came out. They peppered the hill north of the meadow grazing in the lush golden grass. Totally beautiful. As the sun set lower in the sky, the hues of orange, pink, purple and blue were beyond description. They mountains began to take on another personality. After sunset the valley came to life with dots of twinkling lights. The view was outdone by the wonderful sky show. The dark of the sky was contrasted by the bright, clear stars. Without light pollution from a city, the stars and sky were even more prominent. We all hung out on the huge deck, taking in the warmth of flickering light of an evening fire in the fire place, gazing at the sky, sharing more stories and enjoying each others company. Soon sleep began to creep in and one by one we headed back to our cabins, knowing that tomorrow some of us were heading home while another was continuing south to finish the Blue Ridge.