A Stop Along the Blue Ridge Parkway Heading to a Wedding

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Our next planned stop is the Columbus Ohio area for a wedding. We have made reservations for that 3 night stop but left the 6 intermediate nights flexible in case we had issues with getting service completed and needed to wait for parts etc. Given the service went fine, we plan on heading over I-85 towards Charlotte and then north on I-77 with a stop in Mt Airy North Carolina and a second in Charleston West Virginia before Columbus. Of the two stops, Mt Airy seemed to have more things to see and do so the plan would be to spend 5 nights there and one night in Charleston at a casino. Mt Airy is just a stone's throw from the Blue Ridge Parkway and it's been ages since we have visited.

Mabry Mill Awaits Us

Mt Airy is often called Mayberry because Andy Griffith grew up in Mt Airy and many consider the fictional town in his show was based on his home town. As we drove into town, the local Subway shop had and old time police cruiser sitting out front as an advertisement. There are lots of Mayberry themed sites in town including an Andy Griffith Museum. Or you can take a tour of town in one of those replica police cruisers like Barney Fife drove. While we enjoyed watching his show growing up, I don’t think we are likely to spend much time taking in these touristy sights while in town.

We left Gaffney reasonably early because a cold front was coming thru and we wanted to get setup before the rain arrived. It’s only 151 miles so not a long drive. We hadn’t made reservations in town both because of being so early in the year as well as Veterans Memorial Park has 34 sites and from the sounds of it, never fills up. We pulled in before the rain hit and talked to a guy working on a tractor. He told us which spots seems to deal with wet weather better and we pulled in. The sites are a bit short but we were able to angle the rig to fit. Only one other larger motorhome was there and it was taking up 3 sites to fit. Later in the day, we had a truck camper pull in a couple spots from us. There are half a dozen travel trailers setup on the other side of a chain link fence. All these look to be fairly permanent. And many seem to have tarps covering part of their roof. It ended up not raining as much as they had forecast which was fine by us.

The next day we decided to drive up to part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Fancy Gap is the closest place on the parkway and only about 15 miles up US-52. We had to lengthen the trip a bit since this was a new part of North Carolina and Virginia and there were geocaches to find in these new counties. One brought us to the site of the Fancy Gap Pickin’ Porch. I suspect in the day it was popular spot based on all the bench seating in front of the run down building and stage.

The Pickin' Porch in Fancy Gap VA

We headed east on the Blue Ridge and stopped occasionally at historic or scenic pullouts. Or first stop was the Puckett Cabin near milepost 190. It’s unclear when the cabin was built but probably in the late 1800’s. It’s nicely maintained by the park service and is quite the a pretty spot.

Puckett Cabin

Further alone the drive is a small parking lot for the Round Meadow Overlook ( MP 179) It’s only a half mile trail but does have some elevation change as it heads down to to Round Meadow Creek. There was a geocache off a side trail but the stop was still a nice one even if the cache isn’t the incentive. The trail goes under the bridge 50 feet or so overhead and then works it’s way back up to the parking area.

Underneath the Blue Ridge

We spent about half an hour exploring our next stop along the Blue Ridge. Mabry Mill, near milepost 176, is one of the most iconic structures along the Parkway. We vaguely remember being here dozens of years ago but it was worth the stop to experience it all over again. There are several streams that make their way to wooden raceways that feed the large water wheel.

One of the Small Streams Feeding the Mill

Wooden Raceways Directs Water Flow

Water Overflows Raceway

There are several other buildings on the grounds here as well as lots of old time farming equipment and interpretive signs. It wasn’t very crowded on this dreary April day but based on the size of the parking areas around the stop, it can be quite the popular stop.

Old Cabin

Another Mabry Mill View

Our last stop along the Blue Ridge would be at MP 167 for Rocky Knob. The visitor center was closed this early in the season, but we figured we could get in an actual hike. After studying the map of the trail system from this stop, we realized there were lots of options. The full Rock Castle Gorge Trail was nearly 11 miles - well beyond our limit given how late in the afternoon it was already. We instead opted for the Black Ridge Trail. This is a 3 mile loop that starts out following the Rock Castle Gorge Trail before it drops into the valley. The views from this part of the trail were pretty incredible.

Spectacular Blue Ridge View

Hiking Along Rock Castle Gorge Trail

When we needed to cross over some of the cattle fencing along the way, rather than the more conventional gate to go thru the fence, there is a staircase that goes over the fence. Maybe the ranchers have found that visitors aren’t good at closing the gate behind them and the cattle have yet to master climbing the stairs. The trail continued to a place named the Grassy Knoll. At this point the trail splits, straight will continue down Rock Castle Gorge Trail while a hard right down a farm road will lead us back to the Parkway and continue on the other side of the road as the Black Ridge Trail. Another staircase takes us over the barb wire fence that also includes a very rustic looking split rail fence right along the road.

Staircase Over Cattle Fence

Split Rail Fence

At this point the trail is basically following a old road that doesn’t appear to get used by vehicles anymore. There were a few trees that were trying to leaf out and several that had were loaded with their early spring flowers. At one point, a wind storm had blown many trees across the road making it impassible. I guess this condition has been present for quite some time because there is a well defined bypass trail that goes along the side of the road.

Fruit (Apple?) Tree Full of Flowers

Fallen Trees Blocking the Path

Near the bottom of the road is a very tall stone chimney. Given the trees growing around it, the home this was once attached to has been gone for many decades. Its at this point that we pick up a portion of the Rocky Knob Picnic Area Trail to head back up to the parking lot. Along the way was a split rock formation that somebody had embellished with various smaller rocks to give the impression of eyes and teeth.

Wonderful Stone Chimney

"Smiling" Rocks

On the way back into Mt Airy, we stopped at the something locals just call “The Rock”. This is the site of the NC Granite Corporation open-faced granite quarry - supposedly the largest in the world. The granite here is estimated to be 7 miles long, 1 mile wide and 8000 feet deep! Quarrying has taken place here for over 120 years and only the top 60 feet of the rock has been removed. The viewing area is closed due to COVID but it is still possible to see some of the massive worksite below. This might explain why there are so many granite building located around town.

"The Rock"

A Mount Airy Granite Church

We were having trouble picking what our adventure for the next day would be. There are several interesting sounding parks with plenty of hiking. We end up choosing Pilot Mountain State Park not quite a 20 mile drive to the southeast of Mt Airy. The mountain there is also known as Pilot Knob. Heading toward the park, it doesn’t take long to realize where we are heading. The “knob” shows up quite prominently towering over the surrounding landscape - sort of like Picacho Peak between Tucson and Phoenix but on a smaller scale. We drive a few miles past the park to a rest stop in another North Carolina county in order to find a geocache. The view of Pilot Knob from here is impressive.

Pilot Knob from a Distance

This early in the year, it wasn’t  too busy in the park so we are able to drive to the upper parking lot. Apparently during the busy season, the road is closed after that lot is full and they have a shuttle system from the parking lot at the lower visitor center. The views from the several observation platforms are stunning. One overlooks the pronounced knob that juts out from the rest of the mountain. There are two hiking trails that start at the upper parking area and a handful from the visitor center. By starting up high, we will save about 1400 feet of elevation change. We had brought along our lunch and figured if we completed the short (0.9 mile) Jomeokee Trail first, we could just eat lunch at the car before doing the more substantial loop trail.

One View from Upper Parking Area at Pilot Mountain SP

A Closer Look at the Main Protuberance

The Jomeokee Trail basically loops around the knob about 200 feet below its peak. And while rock climbing is permitted in part of the park, it is not allowed along this section. The views all along the short hike are nice and apparently it wasn’t too scary being this high up since I didn’t hear Chris whimpering! Back at the car, we had lunch saving us from needing to carry it in our packs.

Very Layered Rock

Sunbathing

Our planned hike was a loop consisting of two trail sections - the Ledge Spring Trail and the upper portion of Grindstone. In all, it’s a 2.6 mile hike with 700 feet of elevation. Not too bad, however all of our hiking for the past 5 months have been in relatively flat Florida so this will be a welcome change. The trail starts out with an interesting warning sign that wasn’t sufficient to make us turn back.

Warning Sign Failed to Deter Us

We first started out on the Ledge Spring Trail just off the Jomeokee Trail. We follow along the trail with steep rock face on our right and a less significant drop off on the left. We knew that somewhere along this stretch of trail was where the rock climbers might be. At first the best we saw was a strange lizard with a small blue speck on its neck - possibly a northern fence lizard? We eventually got to a quarter mile stretch of the trail where we came upon several groups of climbers. A mother, father and 6 year old daughter were just finishing up one climb and moving to another spot. Another group had a guy way up at the top of the cliff and from the sounds of it, we was having some difficulties trying to make his way back down. The two spotters down below were yelling up instructions. I’m glad it wasn’t me up there! A bit further down the trail was a group of three climbers. The guy was just starting his descent back to the trail. I’ve highlighted him in red to help you spot him way up there.

Possibly Northern Fence Lizard (only small blue spot visible)

Climber Up High (highlighted in red)

As we passed beyond the climbing section, we had the trail nearly to ourselves. Just over a mile into the hike, I hear a falling sound behind me. Chris had slipped on loose rocks and fallen, twisting the same ankle she had twisted back just before this past Christmas. This was a dilemma. The trail wasn’t really wide enough to help support her, plus we had over 2 miles if we continue. If we backtrack, we know it is over a mile and mostly uphill. She progressed slowly and at one point near some climbers, we realized there was a “short cut” up the side of the cliff that would get us back to the parking lot in the shortest distance. There were some very large steps to go up and even I had trouble with them. With a bit of pushing from below, Chris got thru the climb and was on a relatively smooth trail with a slight uphill climb back to parking. We considered bushwhacking her to the road that was 500 feet away and I would pick her up with the car on my way down. But both the uneven terrain and a fence near the road made us decide to go with the known route. We eventually got back to the car and unsuccessfully tried to ice her ankle with our blue ice packs. When we got back home, the ankle did not look good. The last time this happened the recovery process lasted for many, many weeks. We shall see how Chris recuperates this time.

A Nice Trail While It Lasted!

With Chris out of commission, I headed out for a drive in the country to get a couple more North Carolina counties for our geocaching map. But rather than making it just a drive, I had scoped out a hike in the town of Bethania. The Reuter Survey Trail was just down the road from the town hall and a parking lot for another set of trails. As I drove past the trailhead, I realized there wasn’t any parking specifically for this trail and I would need to use the other lot and walk the quarter mile along the side of the road. Once on the trail, I found I had the place to myself. There are several old homesites along the trail but often all that is left are some of the discarded items - no real homes. It ended up being a rather pleasant 3.5 mile hike that includes a few spring wildflowers, a creek and a snake.

Reuter Old Fields Trail

Creek Along Trail

Snoozing Snake

One of Many Spring Flowers

With Chris’ injury, we didn’t get to explore the area as much as we would have liked, but there is always the option to return. Our travel day would take us out of North Carolina, thru Virginia and into West Virginia. Mostly along I-77.  We dusted off our EZPass and logged in to make sure our account was still active since we hadn’t used the thing in a couple years. Our stop was at Mardi Gras Casino a bit outside of Charleston West Virginia - just under 200 miles from Mt Airy. They permit RVers to stay overnight in their parking lot. They don’t offer any utilities but they do have special spots marked out for us to use. It is on the far side of their large parking lot but it does overlook the dog racing track. We aren’t into gambling and definitely not dog racing, but I was interested to see how the race worked and given our view spot, we got a good look.

Mardi Gras Casino and Resort

Overlooking Dog Track

By dinner time, there was a string of these special trucks, many with matching trailers, bringing the greyhounds from their pens to the track. The races started at 7:00 and lasted a couple hours to get the dozen races in for the evening. Each race had 8 contestants. The dogs were led by handlers past the casino’s enclosed grandstands. I suppose it was for the bettors to see how each dog looked before placing their final bets.

Dog Delivery Vehicles

Dogs Paraded Past Audience Before Race

The dogs were placed in their starting gate and as the mechanical hare went flying by, the gates opened and the dogs were off. The race was one loop of the track with the dogs stopping at the near end of the track when the mechanical hare was stopped. The handlers rounded them up and headed into the building. After each race, the track was smoothed out by a tractor with some sort of attachment. After three passes around the track, the next race was ready to go. We watched 3 of the races before we grew cold and bored. Fortunately the PA system wasn’t too loud so it didn’t interfere with our evening.

And They're Off (mechanical hare on far left of shot)

Prepping for Next Race

We now had 160 mile drive from the casino to our stop just outside the loop around Columbus Ohio. Alton RV Park was the closest we could find to downtown where my niece was having her wedding. The campground has an odd layout probably designed to fit as many rigs into the small property as possible. We were only here for 3 nights, so the proximity to our neighbors wasn’t a big issue. Some of the people here were obviously here thru the winter months. They had rigid insulation panels taped to the bottom of their trailer to prevent the cold wind from going under the rig. Not sure this would be the type of place I would want to spend months on end, but I suppose they have their reasons.

We had skipped skipped lunch on our drive once we realized there was a Skyline Chili just a few miles from camp. While I was setting up camp, I had Chris run off to get my usual when we have the opportunity to have Cincinnati style chili - a four way onion and cheese coney, no mustard. On Saturday, we drove into downtown Columbus for the wedding. It was nice to see so many family members we hadn’t seen in quite some time. It was the first time we were in such a large group of people in well over a year, but with our first vaccination and our masks, we felt reasonably safe. The wedding was wonderful and I was thrilled for my niece (and god daughter). I don’t recall the last time I saw her so very happy. So glad we were able to make it.

We had booked Sunday night as well so we didn’t have to travel the day after the reception. We found a nice little park for an easy walk and Chris managed it okay with her ankle. We stopped by Skyline for our second meal in our 3 night stay. This was a good stop. Next up, Ohio’s largest State Park.