I Want my Baby Back Ribs

The morning dawned clear and crisp after the white out yesterday. This was a relief as we had a date with two of the attractions on the Parkway I was most looking forward to. Breakfast was a quick stop at Chick-Fil-a for burritos and coffee. Almost immediately I regretted opting for the vanilla flavoured coffee creamer. The 7ml containers of UHT milk accompanying nearly every coffee purchase are a source of confusion and frustration. It requires at least 4 to mask the taste of your standard half litre roadside cup of Joe, one of which tends to end up on your pants. A jug of plain old cow sourced milk would be appreciated. Anyway, I have digressed.

Will be Pleased to See the End of these Bastards

First stop of the day was at Blowing Rock just outside Boone. The site is famous as it is fabled that the wind currents channelled up the valley blow snow, light objects and even one disenchanted Native American upward, back onto the cliff. Much to Safety Officer Vickie's horror, we clambered up the rock and could indeed feel a strong breeze despite the morning being relatively still.

We eventually coaxed Vickie onto the rock long enough to get a family portrait style photo.

Back on the Blue Ridge we soon arrived at what is surely the most photographed stretch of the Parkway. Hugging closely to the gnarly Grandfather Mountain is the Lynn Cover Viaduct. The engineering marvel is a curving section of road supported, almost floating over the canopy of orange, brown and red foliage. The way the concrete structure blends seamlessly into the mountainous terrain is a testament to the ingenious design. We enjoyed a brisk, rocky walk underneath and eventually located the spot where the postcard photographers must hang out, although not with quite such professional results.

We eventually had to move on but the spectacular scenery continued as we climbed to over 6000ft above sea level. We passed through several tunnels and got out to enjoy the view at the numerous lookouts along the way. 

Tunnel Under Craggy Dome

The windy road began to get the better of us after a few hundred miles of unbelievable driving and the decision was made to take one of the exit roads out of the mountains to Asheville for a late lunch. Packs Tavern came recommended for lunch and it did not disappoint. I am by no means a connoisseur of ribs but I can't imagine them getting much better than these. My full rack was slow cooked and falling off the bone to the point where the meat came clean off with a fork. I'm dribbling a bit just now thinking about it. The locally brewed IPA was fantastic as was the poultry, fish and burgers we sampled. 

Another KOA camp site in Cherokee was the planned stop for the night so we hit the windy road into the town built on an Indian Reservation. True to stereotypes the and in complete contrast to the surrounding run down motels, the entrance to the town is dominated by a huge modern Harrah's Casino and Hotel complex. It looked completely out of place in a small Smoky Mountain town where the next tallest building would have been 1/3rd as tall. After passing an seemingly endless stream of tacky Indian Souvenir shops we arrived at our cabins, threw some wood on the fire and got grilling. Perhaps burning would have been a more accurate description, especially in the case of my sausage. S'more s'mores were enjoyed before we turned in for another night in sleeping bags.

Beer of the Day:

Asheville Brewing Company Shiva IPA - $3 Draft Pint - Distinct delicious grapefruit smell, clean citrus flavours with nice warm malty goodness coming through. This stuff is seriously enjoyable.