I just had two of those days! My trip began with an early morning departure on Saturday. It is interesting to me that even though I left my house at exactly the same time which I leave every morning for school, but somehow it felt so different. My very fingers clutched the steering wheel differently, and a sense of excitement filled my heart. I was leaving on a journey, albeit short.
My destination was Damascus, Virginia, a quiet hamlet in at the center of the Virginia Creeper Trail which follows an old railroad line from Abingdon to White Top Mountain, a total of 34 miles. Damascus is filled with bike rental/shuttle services which will take you to the top of White Top Mountain. Once at the top, you can take your own time riding back down to Damascus on the most amazing Rails to Trails route that I have been on. Below are several pictures I took on the trail. Those marked with an (*) were actually taken last year.
*
*
Riding all the way to Abingdon is also an option, but that part of the trail is flatter and often runs unshaded near a busy road. I prefer to ride only the 17 mile downhill stretch from White Top to Damascus. This part crosses 29 bridges, passes an access to the Appalachian Trail, and meanders under gorgeous trees. There are many other riders on the trail, so be aware that it will not be exactly a time of solitude. I have ridden alone on each of my trips, and am often passed by faster riders. I do a good bit of passing others myself though.
After my morning of bike riding, I made my way to Wytheville, Virginia where I love to spend the night. It is a small town near the intersection of Interstates 77 and 81 (neither of which I drive on to get there). It is the birthplace of Edith Bolling Wilson, wife of Woodrow Wilson. There is a hotel there which bears her name. The hotel houses the restaurant Graze on Main which I have written about in an earlier post (How to Make Your Trip More Meaningful) and I could not wait to visit it again. I was NOT disappointed. I had the blackened salmon as I did before, but the meal has been upgraded in the last year. See my meal below. The orchid is a new addition, and I liked it! They now place an orchid on every plate to commemorate Wilson's giving his wife the flower every day that they were married!
I was served by Shelby, a friendly competent young woman who took good care of me. I sat next to a couple from Winston-Salem, and we had an enjoyable impromptu talk about the Creeper Trail and shopping at The Loft!
The final part of my Autumn weekend was my scenic route back. I love to take the road less traveled, and this time I kind of took the road not traveled. I saw a sign near a gravel side road that directed drivers to a mountain overlook and took it. I soon worried that I wouldn't make it back down. Then I worried that I wouldn't make it anywhere. God was watching out for me and gave me a place to carefully turn around. I prayed my way back down over large pointy rocks and deep treacherous gullies, finally making it back to my original detour turn. Upon looking at the sign again, I noticed the small addendum at the bottom, "Not recommended for passenger cars." Oops! I got some pretty pictures though...
The next few are just some random pics from my drive. I can never resist abandoned buildings or overlooks.
The place where I rent my bike and ride the shuttle is Adventure Damascus. They are extremely friendly and helpful.
This is a Creeper Trail site that is helpful.
No comments:
Post a Comment