#63 New River Trail State Park, VA

We had a good weather forecast last Sunday: pleasant temperatures, sunny skies and low humidity.  We decided to take advantage of that and ride our bikes on a section of trail in the New River Trail State Park.  This trail is built on an old abandoned railroad track. It has been turned into a trail that can be biked, walked or even used by horseback riders.  We found it's smooth, graveled surface very easy to ride on. We researched online and found that the part of the trail from Fries to Fries Junction was mostly shaded and followed closely along the New River.  I packed water and snacks for a picnic, Ronnie checked the air in our bike tires and off we went.

We had great views of the New River and there were benches along the way where we could rest.

 At Fries Junction, we came to a fork in the trail.  One branched towards Galax and the other towards Pulaski.  We could see that the fork going towards Galax spanned a trestle and that looked way more interesting so we chose to go in that direction.

Once we rode over the trestle we continued a mile or so farther until we came up upon the Grayson Tunnel. 

It wasn't a long tunnel, but it was very dark inside it.

On the other side of the tunnel there was a bench that over looked Chestnut Creek. That's where we enjoyed our picnic.

We rode about 15 miles that day.  We were a little bit tired but not too bad and now we're hooked.  We had forgotten how much we enjoyed riding bikes and hope to try a few other bike trails in the future.

 Later in the week, we visited The River Company Restaurant and Brewery in Fairlawn.  Ronnie and I like to sample different breweries wherever we are traveling and this looked like an interesting place to try.  It was a $2 pint night and that works for us.

The brewery and restaurant was located high on a bluff overlooking the New River.  The dining room was very nice with the exposed beams giving it a rustic, log cabin feel.

Ronnie selected the Southwest "V" India Pale Ale and I chose the Farmhouse Hefeweizen.  Excellent!

Our reuben sandwiches came with hand-cut sweet potato fries.  The fries had an unusual cinnamon infused dipping sauce.  It was so good...

 There are just so many great choices of fun outdoor activities and interesting places to see and visit in southwestern Virginia.  Even though we have been stationary for the past several weeks there seems to be something new to do or see each time we decide to get out. More later..

# 62 Grayson Highlands State Park, VA

We have decided to spend another month at Fort Chiswell RV Park here in Max Meadows, VA.  We would like to spend more time visiting family plus we get to continue enjoying the beautiful southwestern area of Virginia.

We have explored the areas of Floyd, Big Walker Mountain, Narrows, Pearisburg, Polaski, Hillsville, Newbern, Claytor Lake, Draper Mountain and the Draper Mercantile.  We know about the New River Bike Trail and hope to bike a section of it before we leave.

Wildflowers along the roadside have been abundant!  We saw this mix of day lilies while traveling to Floyd.

We found this hidden lake to be the quietest place.
 Gatewood Park and Reservoir outside Pulaski, VA

We also visited Eggleston, VA.  It was here where we learned the amazing story of Mary Draper Ingles.  She was captured by the Indians about 260 years ago.  She traveled over 800 miles on foot through the wilderness to get back home. To learn more about this incredible story, I downloaded onto my Kindle, Follow the River by James Alexander Thom.  After reading this historical novel, I gained a new perspective of her courage and perseverance.

To celebrate the July Fourth Holiday we visited Grayson Highlands State Park.

 We hiked the Twin Pinnacles Trail.  The park ranger said it was the "premier trail" of  the park.

While on the trail, we saw this tree growing on top of the rock.  Can anyone tell me how this tree was able to do this??

Once we got to the pinnacles, we saw the views of the northwestern mountain range. The bald, cleared areas you see are Christmas tree farms.


Our next hike that day was the Cabin Creek Trail.  Ronnie neglected to tell me it was rated as "difficult".  We made it, wasn't too strenuous.  I carried a backpack of snacks and we were able to enjoy a picnic at the base of the waterfall.

In the clear creek below the falls, we saw trout and crayfish.

Today, we took a drive back to Eggleston.  In my research about Mary Draper Ingles, I read about a restaurant in town called The Palisades.  It sounded like an interesting place so we thought we would give it a try.  We were pleasantly surprised, this restaurant was very good.  As the saying goes.. "You can't judge a book by it's cover." Ronnie describes the interior as "modernized old" as that part had been renovated. The owners kept the quaint character of the building's facade.

We selected wood-fired pizza although the menu had other excellent choices.

Ronnie selected the Southwestern pizza.

I selected the vegetarian pizza.

Our waiter brought us a sample of the sweet mesquite popcorn they serve at the bar and our dessert choice of homemade pomegranate chocolate chip ice cream was so creamy and good.  And yes..we have dinner for tomorrow....

A view of the New River Palisades.

# 61 In Our Own Backyard..

It seems there are many scenic byways, points of interest and a variety of outdoor activities in the Wytheville area..and all of this is here in our own backyard.  We have only scratched the surface of everything there is to do and explore in this beautiful part of the country.  We plan to be here for a month visiting family but with all there is to do..we could stay longer.

One day we took a drive to the New River Trail..specifically the Foster Falls area.  We also discovered a very nice bike trail there.

We found some interesting exhibits at Foster Falls Park.  This was a large furnace used by the iron foundry, built in 1880-1881.

Ronnie and I were amazed at it's size.

If you look closely, you can see the foundry's furnace behind the building seen in the foreground.

We also visited the Shot Tower Historic State Park in Austinville.  I didn't take any photos that day but it was an interesting place, full of history and beautiful scenery.

 We have discovered a couple of interesting wineries very close to us too. 

Rural Retreat Winery & Dye's Vineyards

We didn't want dinner after this cheese platter!

We have enjoyed the West End Farm Winery as well.  It is located about 4 miles from Fort Chiswell RV Park.

The swing was an excellent addition to our glass of wine.

We found this winery to be a serene and peaceful place.

The weather and outdoor temperatures have been very pleasant so far.  We've got a hand full of brochures describing places to explore and things to see.  What to do next?   We are enjoying our visits with family and also having a great time motoring about these rolling hills and mountain vistas.

#60 Rockets and Blue Grass

We were invited by Ronnie's sister and brother-in-law to their monthly launch meeting of the New River Valley Rocketry Club.  http://www.nrvr.org/  We attended one of the club's launch meetings last October and really enjoyed ourselves.  The launch site was at Kentland Farms located about 15 miles outside of Blacksburg. 

Several members launched rockets of all sizes and shapes that day.  Ronnie's sister Terry even achieved her own Level One status by assembling and launching this rocket.  I liked the slogan she placed on it.

Since all I had was my cell phone camera, I knew it would be useless to try to capture an image of a rocket lift off.  All rockets went off as planned and none spun off uncontrollably.  One rocket did land in the tree branches so that it couldn't be retrieved and unfortunately one of Carlos' rockets landed in an uncut hay field and it couldn't be found. 

Carlos launched several rockets that day.  One even had an HD video camera attached to it, recording as it launched.  Now that was an interesting video!   

Sunday, we took a drive down VA Scenic Route 52.  As we were motoring along we came upon the "Big Walker Lookout Tower and Country Store" (http://www.scenicbeauty-va.com/) and we pulled in to get some refreshments.  Wow! There was a wonderful 7 piece bluegrass band playing on the front porch. (Tune Town Old time Band)  It seems they have different musical performers and craft demos every Saturday and Sunday during the summer.  We sat with a cup of coffee (it was chilly outside) and enjoyed the music and scenery.  We enjoyed that unexpected experience.

No, I did not climb this tower at Big Lookout..but we all know Ronnie would climb it.

So far we are enjoying our monthly site here at Fort Chiswell RV Park..but no more than Little Boy.  He's having a ball!

 I wonder what more interesting things we can find around the Wytheville VA area?  New places..new discoveries..one of the many reasons why we have always enjoyed traveling.  Stay tuned.

# 59 Fort Chiswell, Virginia

What happened to the month of May?  We blinked our eyes and it's gone.  When we were preparing to go full-time, it seemed that time just stood still or moved at a snail's pace.  Now that we are full-time RVers, it feels that time flies by.  Who was it that said "Time flies by when you're having fun."?

We have just spent the past few weeks visiting my Mom and family as well as attending to our yearly scheduled appointments.  Ron was able to complete several "handy-man" type projects for my Mom too.  I didn't take a single photograph that entire visit except this one. My Mom, Ronnie and I went out to eat at Heath's Steak House in Dunn to celebrate my birthday.

We traveled this week to Virginia where we are camped at Fort Chiswell RV Park http://www.campingfriend.com/fortchiswellrvcampground/, located in Max Meadows.  We plan to spend the next month or so camped here to visit Ronnie's family.  We're looking forward to exploring this area too.  There are a few wineries near by, we're close to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the New River and some interesting museums.  Stay tuned..