Virginia Creeper Trail (Times Two)

"Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt." -- John Muir

Over the past few weeks, I have been blessed to be able to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail twice. For the first time ever, I went with friends. I had such a great time; we laughed the entire time. Neither of them had been before, so it was fun to be able to show them all the beautiful photo-ops along the way and to introduce them to all the wonders of this magnificent ride through the woods across and along the river that runs down the mountain. 

We spent the night in Wytheville and ate at Graze on Main. We all three had something different and all enjoyed our meals. We also had fun browsing the open stores along Main Street. The following day we visited Wytheville's Farmers Market (not that impressive) and Wytheville's Goodwill Store (impressive). We tried to go out a little ways from town and pick apples at a farm, but they no longer allow people to pick. We did buy some apples and got to see a surprise friend in a pasture beside the road. 

On the way back to Greensboro, we took our time and decided to stop wherever we wanted. We stopped in Hillsville, Virginia at an exit off of I-77. It was a really good market. All three of us made purchases. It would definitely be a worthy stop if you are ever on 77 south of Wytheville. We decided to stop for lunch in Mt. Airy and ate at the old drugstore. It is family owned and operated and a lot of fun. It was also nice to walk up and down the busy street in Mt. Airy, stopping at antique stores and candy shops. Overall we had a terrific weekend, and the trail now has two new enthusiasts!

Then... I got to visit the trail again! The leaves had not turned much when we were there, so I went ahead and made a reservation for two weeks out, hoping for some more color on my return visit. I had another very enjoyable ride, this time by myself. Due to the hot weather and lack of rain, the leaves weren't much more colorful. I didn't mind though. I even walked on a short nature trail before I arrived in Damascus. The trail is right off of Hwy. 91. It runs beside Laurel Creek and is a little over two miles round trip. I got some good pictures of the creek there.

I stayed in Abingdon on this trip, but before I left Damascus I ate a late lunch at the Old Mill Restaurant. It was delicious and not terribly expensive. Even nicer was that I got to eat right next to the water. I highly recommend it!

I stayed at a small local hotel in Abingdon, nothing impressive. I believe in saving money on hotels when I am only staying one night. As long as it's safe, clean, and has a comfortable bed I'm happy. I went on a new adventure the next morning but will save that for my next post. You'll want to read it, because it's something really neat. I'll try to post soon.

Autumn Weekend in Virginia

"I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string." -- Anne in Anne of Avonlea

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.

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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.