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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