We are back home but I am sharing my diary/
journal from each day while away. I will also be repeating this paragraph and sharing the link in red to the website, for anyone who would like to take a look at this pretty place, and if you ever want a lovely spot to stay if ever you find yourself in this picturesque area.
Monday, July 22nd, 2019
10.30 a.m.Starting off with a promise of rain. The skies looked very foreboding when we started out, but cleared up some after a drop of rain.
I took these photos while driving by in the passenger seat.
Students are home for the summer and it was very quiet.
Their homepage can be found here.
On the way to our destination I had noticed signs to a dinosaur and safari park. Forever curious we took a detour and set out to find them. Not sure what happened to the GPS. It sent us down winding, country roads...
and no traffic behind us or in front of us. They were very pretty roads, with wild-growing Chicory all along our route.
I love the color of this pretty flower. If you look here it will tell you all about chicory. The first time I heard the name was when we went to New Orleans many years ago. It was the first time I had ever tasted chicory coffee.
I sometimes think these confusions with directions take you to places you do enjoy but would otherwise miss, definitely and more often than not, a happy happenstance. We even found a make-shift road sign that read 'Tinkerbelle Lane'.
Eventually we came across dozens of old, broken dinosaur statues on the side of one road, on a stretch of land about the size of a small parking lot. From what I could see, as we didn't bother to stop, they looked very run down, many in pieces and lying on their side. We also might still not have been in the right place. We have fun looking around kitschy places but it looked way beyond kitschy, as though it had been abandoned years ago. We never did find the safari park but we enjoyed our side trip.
At noon we found a Starbucks in Roanoke. Nice, friendly young people.
I like looking at the prints in these places. Each one we go into is always differently decorated.
I saw a coffee press for sale that I thought might come in useful, not just on this trip but also future ones. The young lady informed Gregg that he had more than enough points on his account to get the coffee press. She said quite seriously and very surprised, "You have LOADS of points!" He looked over at me and said, "She drinks a LOT of coffee!" (not to mention all his Iced Black Tea Lemonades I said under my breath and yes, the occasional cookie). I have cut back considerably but after all, we were on vacation. Certain things slide when having fun.
I asked Gregg if he had ever used any of those points - he usually picks up our drinks on the way back from the library - and the answer was a negative. I said to him when he deposited our new coffee press on the table, that we ought to do our Christmas shopping here. He thought I was joking. I was, sort of says I with a smile.
We made a quick stop at Blacksburg as Gregg wanted to see the university. "Take a photo!" Another snapshot from the passenger side. I can't remember much of what we saw, as I didn't take any more photos in Blacksburg. Probably getting drowsy again and it started sprinkling. A good excuse to go back for a walk around on a sunnier day.
Not sure of the exact time but at around 4 to 4.30 p.m.'ish and when we knew we weren't far from the cabin, we stopped at a supermarket for a few supplies. By that time it was raining harder. It wasn't long after that we found Pilot's Perch and you know all about our reaction at my post here. It was so much fun to explore this pretty cabin, and enjoy the view even with the rain. It wasn't a torrent, and we were able to go out on the balcony. There was enough shelter without getting damp. A great first time experience looking at the view. Stormy clouds overhead and mist rising from Yadkin Valley, absolutely gorgeous!
I have lots more to share and will continue our trip in my next post.
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