Boone to Asheville

Our morning dawned bright and sunny. We loaded up Miz B and headed for the parkway. It was so nice to see the sun!

Our first stop was to Grandfather  Mt. We already had our tickets, so we just rolled through the guard post. It was a very steep climb to the top. We wanted to walk the swinging bridge and cross over the point of 1 mile altitude. It was blowing hard and was very cold. The thermometer in the gift shop said that the wind chill was 5 degrees. We bundled up in several layers and off we went across the bridge.

The view was spectacular, you could see for miles!  After making a video and taking several photos, we were on our way back down the mountain.

Miz B at the Visitors Center on Grandfather Mountain

View from the Swinging Bridge at Grandfather Mountain

Swinging Bridge

Fay Prince after crossing Swinging Bridge

Miz B with her friends on Grandfather Mountain

Our next destination was to Linville Falls and lunch at the Famous Louise Rock House. Lunch was delicious. I had fresh fried flounder and John had the homemade vegetable soup and grilled cheese sandwich.  It was so nice to have Linda and Walt Kritemeyer join us. Afterward, we dug through the picnic basket for the cookies - we needed dessert!

Soon we were back on the parkway headed for Asheville. We took our exit and made our way across town in 5:00 traffic.  We made a stop at Biltmore for a tour of the gardens.

Miz B in front of Biltmore House

We arrived at the hotel about 5:30 and went for supper. It was a miserable experience to say the least. It took over 2 and 1/2 hours to be served and eat. I don't think the hotel was very well prepared for 400 hunger folks!

The rest was good and in the morning we headed to Gatlinburg, TN .......

On the road to Boone

This morning brought another cloudy cool day. All of us are ready to see a bit more of the sun!  We decided to go to the main dining room for a hearty breakfast, before getting on the road. We pulled out of the hotel parking lot about 7:30, much earlier than the previous day. We really wanted to finish out day much earlier than yesterday. Dinner at 9PM is a bit too late for us.

We gassed up before getting on the interstate for our 10 mile drive back to the parkway. As we were pulling out, the rain got started!  While John put in the gas, I had been busy putting a new coating of RainX on the windshield.  That was a good decision!

Soon, we were back on the parkway. I saw large areas of Trillium, most of it wasn't blooming. We saw another wild turkey and a small herd of deer were observed grazing along the roadside. This morning, the fog and mist was very thick, so we crawled along for about 8 miles. We stopped at the Mabry Mill and enjoyed a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.  The mill still produces grits and buckwheat flour. It is now run by the National Parks Service. The mill was able to saw lumber, grind meal or flour, or operate woodworking equipment.

Mabry Mill - on the Parkway

We continued our drive in the light rain, driving in and out of the low clouds. In some places, there was zero visibility. This has probably been the worst weather we've driven Miz B in - ever!  As we climbed in altitude, we again saw snow along the roadway. Amazing how much colder it is up on the parkway as opposed to down on the valley floors.

We got off the parkway near Mt. Airy - Home of Andy Griffith. The town is what the Andy Griffith Show was modeled after. We enjoyed a great lunch at the Snappy Lunch. It definitely was snappy!  Almost no wait time and very cheap!  A fun place to have lunch. Then it was next door to Floyd's Barber Shop.

John Cockerill waiting for his haircut at Floyd's.

Gentleman in the tie is the character Griffith based Floyd on!  He is still cutting hair!

John at Floyd's Barber Shop

Fay and Bill Prince pose with Barney in Mayberry.

Soon it was time for us to continue our journey on the parkway. We gassed up and made our way back. The weather down off the parkway had been much less rainy, but we soon discovered that it was still foggy and rainy on the parkway.   Our group of 4 doubled for the next 30 miles, as 4 other Model A's joined us.   But, once we pulled over for a quick stop the others went on down the parkway.

The sun made a welcomed, yet brief appearance about mid afternoon. It made for much faster travel.

We arrived at our mile post to exit for the city of Boone. We were only 10 miles from our hotel and we all were ready to quit for the day.

After checking in, we drove the few short blocks to the historic Dan'l Boone Inn for a family style supper of fried chicken.  It was delicious!

We decided to meet at 7:30 in the morning for breakfast then to get back on the Blue Ridge Parkway to head for Asheville in the morning.

Arrival in Roanoke

I had a bit of trouble near the end of the previous entry, so here is the rest of yesterday's story .....

We observed a bit of snow at elevations above 3700 feet. Also, the trees had not leafed out, yet. The views of the valleys between the ridges was a spectacular sight to behold. So lush and green. We drove past rushing waterfalls and very swollen creeks, streams, and rivers, most had spilled over their banks.

Not much wildlife was seen, but, there have been a lot of cars going through their habitat. Several wild turkeys and squirrels were seen. Everyone is hoping to spot a bear, but that remains to have happened.

Just about the end of yesterday's ride down the parkway, we encountered a thunderstorm. The rain came down pretty hard. We arrived in Roanoke just a bit after 6, but had to make our way completely across town from the east side to the west side. Our destination was the Sheraton near the airport. Fortunately, the traffic was light, because it was raining pretty hard and we were to get on Interstate 581.

Upon arrival at the hotel, we were met by a huge crowd of Model A'ers. Not sure if they were just standing around waiting for the last few of us to arrive or watching to see if Elvis was able to repair the head gasket on his car!

Upon check in we made reservations for supper in the dining room. It would be late, but no one seemed to mind.

It was agreed that we needed to get an earlier start in the morning, because we have closer to 200 miles to go on Wednesday to get to our hotel in Boone.

I'm not able to post photos on this blog with my phone or iPad, so I will add the photos upon completion of the trip at home. Or if you want to see them sooner, just visit my Facebook page.

More tonight .......

Charlottesville to Roanoke

Today began dark, rainy and foggy!  What better way to start out on a Model A adventure!  Before breakfast, we decided to get the tarp off the car and load up our gear. So, out we went at 7:30AM. I think everyone else had the same idea!  There was a great deal of bustle under the portico. Elvis was trying to get his car in good working order, along with about 10 other Model A'ers trying to load their gear under cover. We proceeded to the parking lot and just dealt with the rain.

After loading up the car, we went upstairs for breakfast and to connect with our group. We enjoyed seeing several other friends, as well.  Soon, it was time to make our way to the Blue Ridge Parkway. So, we said our goodbyes and said we would see each other soon..

We had directions to the parkway, but decided that we didn't want to use them, as they would put us on the Interstate highway for 18 miles.  That was just too much high speed traffic to deal with in the rain and fog during rush hour traffic this morning!  So, we put in the coordinates for mile marker 0 of the Parkway and off we went.

We actually backtracked the exact route we had taken into Charlottesville on Sunday afternoon. We got to the beginning of the parkway and decided that we best stop for a potty break - as there is nothing commercial on the road, at all.  It was pouring cats and dogs by that time!  We were very thankful the visitors center was open.  After a quick 15 minute stop, we off.  We did make a wrong turn, but Model A's are great at making U Turns and that was exactly what we did!

Very foggy on the Parkway

Above the clouds on the Parkway

We drove the beautiful parkway in heavy fog for the first 30 miles. Honestly, it was uncomfortable to drive above 30 mph. I couldn't see more than 15-20 feet in front of the headlights!  The bright spots in the woods were the beautiful dogwoods heavily in full white bloom.

At mile marker 46, we got off the parkway for lunch and possibly gas. We chose the Subway in the little town of Buena Vista. After consulting the route and the availability of gas, it was decided that we should gas up, as well. It was an interesting journey getting back up to the parkway. You literally must go down the mountain to get off and you must climb the mountain to get back on!

It was nice that the rain stopped just as we left for lunch.  We took a break of about 45 minutes, but then we were back on making our way to mile marker 86. We were headed for the National D Day Memorial in Bedford, VA.

We arrived about 3:15. They have a beautiful, fully restored 1927 Seagrave Fire Truck on display in the Visitors Center, and we really enjoyed looking it over.  Soon, it was time to go over to the Memorial area for our guided tour.

This memorial is really well thought through and extremely symbolic of the exact happenings of that triumphant, yet tragic day.  Per capita, Bedford, VA lost more young men than any other city of the US on that fateful day than any other.  Therefore, the memorial was built in this tiny little mountain town.   Here is the link for the site.  http://www.dday.org/

We spent two hours here listening to a very knowledgable gentleman. He explain all of the symbolism of the memorial.  It is a wonderful tribute to all who were there on that fateful day in 1944.

After making a few purchases in the gift shop, we decided that we needed to make our way back up to the parkway for our final leg of the day's journey. It was a very steep climb, which we made in second gear!  The rest of the days journey was a bit uneventful, although, the scenery was spectacular.  There aren't as many flowers blooming as I had anticipated, but we were treated to trillium, dogwood redbud trees.rees.  

Red Trillium

Charlottesville and Monticello

It has been a great day for ducks here in Charlottesville!  It has been very chilly and misty most of the day.  After breakfast, we decided that the best plan of action was to head up to Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson-our third President. It wasn't really raining, just a heavy mist. We wanted to be able to walk through the gardens before the heavy stuff came down. 

The drive up the mountain was rather uneventful. We were prepared for a very steep incline, but that wasn't the case. The countryside was absolutely beautiful!  Dogwoods, rhododendrons, and squill were blooming.  The road was very curvey. 

We arrived at the new Visitors Center about 11. We had some time to kill, so what better way than a bit of retail therapy!  We enjoyed perusing the many books about Jefferson and his magnificent gardens.  I bought a few gifts and a pin for my Model A vest.  We enjoyed the video presentation about Thomas Jefferson and Monticello, then it was time for our tailgate picnic.  I mean literally - we had a picnic lunch from the tailgate of Buster, the Austin's 1930 Model A Pickup in the parking lot of Monticello.  We enjoyed barbecue sandwiches, chips, okra pickles, homemade cookies, fresh fruit, poundcake and sodas.

Soon it was time to tour the house. We went in through the front door, not the facade which is so photographed - the same image which is on the US nickel.  Once inside, we were in a two story foyer with many Indian artifacts, clothing pieces, antlers from several different game animals. We progressed into the private rooms of the Jefferson family. Jefferson's library consisted of hundreds of books in the 7 different languages he was fluent in. Jefferson's home was a beautiful example of his architectural genius. There were dumb waiters for transporting wine bottles to and from the wine cellar beneath the main floor and to transport food from the kitchens to the dining room.

Once we finished touring the home, we went out into the formal gardens. There were beautiful paths lined with peonys, various spring bulbs, French Lavendar, and many other species of Spring perennials. 

We further wandered down to the household garden. There were vegetables and herbs of just about anything imaginable.  Below were the vineyards and orchards, all perched on the mountainside.

Our last visiting place was to Jefferson's grave. It is set at the edge of the woods in a quiet and peaceful spot.

Our visit concluded back at the Visitors Center. 

We left Monticello intending to follow the directions - but got turned around, so we decided to follow Garmin's directions and took the scenic route through a beautiful old neighborhood. There were many turns, but we enjoyed not driving on the Interstate in the rain!

Upon return to the hotel, we joined many other Model A'ers in the Executive Lounge before going to supper in the main ballroom of the hotel. We enjoyed a great cookout spread of hotdogs and hamburgers. Then we were enlightened to the history and sights we would encounter on our drive this week.  After a few Longevity Awards and closing remarks, we decided to call it a night and will meet up in the morning. 

Tomorrow we are bound for Roanoke. Lets hope the rain lets up a bit, because right now it is pouring cats and dogs!

Reidsville, NC to Charlottesville. VA

Yesterday morning dawned cooler, cloudy and very windy. We met for a quick breakfast in the lobby, checked our cars over, loaded up and were off by 8:30 headed for Charlottesville, VA. 

Garmin was our guide as we travelled the back roads of northern NC. and southern VA. The azaleas were blooming and the dogwoods scattered through the woods were so beautiful!  We decided to grab an early lunch to beat the church crowd. So, about 11:15 we pulled into a Cracker Barrel for lunch. It seemed that everyone else had the same idea. It was packed!  We were in no hurry, so the 35 minute wait was no problem. 

After a great Sunday dinner, we were back in the cars headed up the road for our destination. We arrived at the Doubletree Hotel about 4 and quickly found many friends from all over the country. The parking lot was full of Model A's!  A right hand drive was spotted by another in our group. I'll have to find the owner and meet him/her sometime this week. You just don't see very many of these.

Below are a few snapshots of cars in the parking lot:

We enjoyed the Executive Lounge before heading out to check out the parking lot and button up the cars for the night. So many beautiful A's!  

We decided we were just too tired to go anywhere, so we opted for the hotel dining room and John and I split a salad. We discussed having a picnic at Monticello, but are concerned that the rain maybe upon us in the midday. Well prepare for the picnic, but have a backup plan if there is no covered picnic area. 

It was off to bed by 9. We are looking forward to our adventure beginning this morning!

Day 1 - Columbia, SC to Reidsville, NC

Yesterday morning dawned crisp and cloudy. We finished putting the last of the items on the rumble seat area. It was so full, we couldn't close the lid. No worry a couple of bungee cords and we were all set.

We pulled out of the drive at 7 AM. We made our way into Columbia to meet the rest of our group. After a quick stop for gas, three of our group of four A's were ready to roll. I put a few items into the truck , closed the rumble seat lid and we were off to meet the last of our group headed to Reidsville.

The day went well, as we had no problems. Garmin, our handy nav system, took us up the back roads as we drove along.  Lunch was enjoyed by all. Most of us got chili to warm up with. The sun still hadn't made an appearance, so everyone was a bit chilly.

By noon, we had well progressed into NC, skirting Charlotte and driving through Thomasville and High Point. Most of the furniture manufacturing has been moved off shore to the orient, so these beautiful old towns are not so thriving anymore.

We arrived in Reidsville close to 4 and checked into our motel. Soon, we were back in our cars headed for the downtown area. Very little was open And most of the Main Street buildings were empty. Signs of a failing town.

Reidsville is the home of Lucky Strike cigarettes. With the decline in smokers over the years, the factory has seen better days. They still produce cigarettes here, but not at the capacity of the 60's and 70's.   there is another corporation here, Ball. They make metal containers at this plant.

Dinner was enjoyed by all of us at The Celtic Fringe. It is an eclectic Irish pub. The food was great!

John and Twila Cockerill

John and Happy Begg

Cheryl and Danny Austin

Bill and Fay Prince

Then it was back to the motel for- hopefully a good nights sleep. Today, we will make our way to Charlottesville, VA, less than 200 miles up the road.

Floor Boards

While most of us never think about what is under the carpet in our modern cars, this is not so for the Model A owner.  We've always called this subsurface "floor boards," and with good reason!  In the older cars, they had a lot of wood in them.  My little roadster just happens to have very little wood.  There are a couple of pieces in the sides just behind the doors, one in the rumble seat area, and the most important two are where you put your feet - the floor boards!  Well, Model A floor boards are very important in that they not only are the place you put your feet, but they cover the battery, transmission, and the back of the engine.  Every time you need to connect or disconnect the battery or oil the transmission, you have to remove the larger of the two floor boards or a trap door in the floor board.  It just so happened that I noticed that Miz B's floor boards were looking a bit sad and very warped.  The car is supposed to have a 7 layer Birch plywood floor board.  Miz B's were 2 layer particle board.  No wonder why they were warped!  

So it was off to Smith & Jones for a replacement set.  Unfortunately, they only sell left hand drive sets.  No problem!  The larger and flat positioned board is exactly the same as the left hand drive.  The trick was going to be fitting the top, slanted board.  The pedals are on the opposite side of the car, naturally, but they are not configured exactly the same way.  Left hand drive cars have the gas pedal to the right of the brake and clutch, while right hand drive cars have the gas pedal between the clutch and brake!  So, we flipped the board upside down, cut a circular hole for the gas pedal and made one of the slots, for the clutch, a bit wider.  Simple!  I have a few extra small holes, but the floor mat and carpet cover it all.

Little by little, this car is getting put back together the way it should be.  

Most of the packing is complete for the Blue Ridge Parkway Tour.  We are trying out a new way of packing clothes with this trip.  I've packed a days worth of clothing per person into a 2 gallon zip lock baggie for each and put them into an easily accessible bin.  That way, we can grab out toiletries and a change of clothes to take into the hotel each night and not have to lug in a big suitcase.  We are going to be staying in a different hotel for 7 of the 8 nights we are on the tour.

Saturday morning, we are meeting the Prince's and the Austin's at the Starbucks in Trenholm Plaza at 8AM.  We will then travel up Percival Road and meet up with the Cockerill's near Clemson Road.  The weather is supposed to cooperate on Saturday and Sunday as we travel up to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Next post will be from the road . . . .