Ken was up early after a restless night. I only forced myself out of bed around 8:30! Wow! It was about 42 degrees and rather breezy! Felt chilly!!! We had a leisure morning getting ready, packing our lunches, and having breakfast.
The men put our 4 bikes on our CRV and we left at 11 to go to the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway Trail about 1 hour from the CG. We enjoyed the drive, stopping at a scenic viewing point to see the beautiful countryside!
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| What a view! |
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The trees here are not nearly as colorful as in the states
further North! |
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| A beautiful vineyard! |
Then we stopped at the Nelson Farmers Market on the way. An interesting market and the live entertainment was playing the Tennessee University's "fight song" when we got out of the car. Chuck and Melissa were so excited and joined right in. Our only purchases were 2 whoopie pies and without a doubt, the pumpkin one was the best beating out the peanut butter cookie one.
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We only got to hear 1 song from this talented group, but
Chuck and Melissa told us that was the one we needed to hear! |
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It was about time to close when we arrived, but they offered
lots of organic vegetables and meats! |
We got to the Piney Creek Trailhead of the Virginia Blue Ride Railway Trail, unloaded our bikes, and took our snacks and water bottles with us. Chuck did take time to talk to a fellow bike rider about his bike rack, one that Chuck has been thinking about purchasing. The conversation was helpful. The bike trail, which the 1st part opened in June of 2003, is well maintained and much money has been spent to provide benches, picnic tables, and many bridges, including a covered bridge. One thing they could invest in is restrooms. Ken and Chuck found one at the end of the trail, but Melissa and I just couldn't find it! We were glad for our jackets on the trail, because the breeze was rather strong and "nippy". It was a fairly level trail, but at some spots you were definitely going up small grades!
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| This is the beginning of the trail! |
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| A lot of the trail is bordered by the Piney Creek! |
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| It was a narrow trail for the 1st several miles, but then it widens! |
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| They even built a covered bridge! |
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| So beautiful and peaceful looking! |
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| Another "Kodak" moment for Melissa! |
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| Very nice bridges along the trail! |
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| Only Ken and Chuck saw the deer! |
The round trip bike ride was 14 miles and we only returned to the car around 3:45 (just in time for lunch!) Last evening Ken said we would be back to the car by 1:30 at the latest - we have decided not to trust his time schedules any more!!!!! Whether it is a hike or a bike ride he always tends to under estimate the time it will take, the difficulty of the trail, and the time we will have lunch!
On the way back we passed many breweries and decided to stop at just one - Blue Mountain. What a place! Their parking lot was huge and FULL and we were told it is like that every weekend. They had lots of seating both inside and out and for such a cold day, many folks were eating outside! Ken tried their IPA and then we continued on to the CG, stopping to take a photo of a beautiful vineyard on the way.
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Ken's IPA. This one was not as tasty as the ones
he tried in Vermont! |
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| What a view when eating and drinking outside! |
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This is a very small section of their parking lot! It is
in a beautiful area! |
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A view of the same vineyard we took from the scenic
lookout earlier in the day, but this is "up close and
personal". |
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| What a setting for this gorgeous home! |
We were at the CG by 5:45, unloaded the CRV, and then Chuck and Ken went for a walk around the CG. Melissa and I decided to stay in our warm Motorhomes and work on our blogs.
They came to Waldo at 7:30 and left at 10:30. We played Pinochle (M), Spades (W), and Skip-Bo (W). Felt good!
Another Best Day!
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