Finding Mitford
Our goal for today was to check out the little town of
Blowing Rock, which is the inspiration for the town of Mitford in Jan Karon’s
books. I took a wrong turn immediately, which sent us past stunning views of
the Watauga River and a couple of little waterfalls as the recent rains drained
down the mountainsides.
Once we got on the right track, it was a quick trip to
Blowing Rock. It’s an interesting mix of vacation spot (i.e. touristy places)
and tiny town charm. It has a cute Main Street with good places to eat, and
plenty of places to spend too much money on things you can get cheaper
elsewhere. But I suppose it’s all in the experience. We spent about 3 hours
(the length of time you can legally stay parked) eating an early lunch
(whistlestop – which was basically a BLT made with fried green tomatoes - and
trout sandwiches) at the Storie Street Grill, then browsing the shops. I
managed to get a bear Christmas ornament that is reminiscent of North Carolina,
as well as some fudge and gifts. As we were leaving, we drove past the
Methodist Church, which the google says is only open in the summer. Wouldn’t
that be a posh appointment?!
Next in our plan was a visit to the original Mast General
Store in Valle Crucis, and dinner across the street at Over Yonder. But when we
finished in Mitford – I mean Blowing Rock – it was too early to head over
yonder. So, we made the short drive back to Boone and stopped in at the Daniel
Boone Native Gardens. We had a lovely time looking at all the native Appalachian
botanicals, taking pictures, and resting on the occasional bench. While resting
on one such bench in front of the cabin that once belonged to Daniel Boone’s
father, a nice gentleman came by and asked if we’d like to see inside. The sign
said that it was furnished with period furniture, but the door was locked with
a padlock. We took him up on his offer and got a personal “tour” of the tiny
cabin (not much to tour, but we learned about the old odds and ends in there,
the design of the fireplace and the roof, and heard the story of how they
pulled it down off of the mountain in Ashe County and rebuilt it here). Turns
out, the man who opened it up and told us about it is Dr. David Kline, a
retired neurosurgeon who is the volunteer director of the volunteers for the
gardens. What a treat!
We were warm, thirsty, and generally worn out. So, we headed
on to Mast General Store. Mom was probably a little too tired to thoroughly
enjoy the experience, but we found a few things to take home with us, including
a new puzzle, some sugar free syrup for Dad, and fried apple pies to have for
dessert later. We sat in some Amish rocking chairs and almost didn’t get up.
As we were getting ready to check out, it looked like a
storm was coming over the mountain quickly. It hadn’t rained on us all day, and
I fully expected it to. We lucked out, though, and it moved on past without
incident. We were the first at the door for dinner at Over Yonder, and were
seated in the same dining area that Kef and I enjoyed around this same time
three years ago. I had the meat loaf with mashed potatoes and broccoli slaw,
and Mom had the chicken fried chicken with cheese grits and green beans. The
food and service were excellent, as before.
Having had an early dinner, and being overly full and tired
from a long day, we headed home and were tucked back into the cabin by 6:30 or
so…. In time for a nap before time to watch the sun set on our last evening in
Boone.
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