Day 8 and 9. On the road again......

We spent Wednesday enjoying perfect weather and a delightful 2.5 mi walk around the lake.....and this one WAS easy......The one dominating feature on the landscape is the rhododendrum. The groves are expansive and as high as trees. It must be stunning in the spring ......... Most of the walk was fairly smooth on narrow paths, woven with the spiderweb-like rhodie roots and larger tree roots. It required some diligence to avoid an untimely trip. It was cool, breezy and for most of it we had a view of the canoers and kayakers. There were a couple areas of mud and slime and soggy grounds.....sometimes a log or plank was placed to test your balance. This particular
spot was almost a turn around decision. It looks innocent enough but required some planning and creativity and nerve to get over the deeper waters and rocks.
And this required the ubiquitous 'holding up the rock' picture.

We stopped in Blowing Rock for a late lunch at the Storie Street Grille. Food was perfect as was the service out on the deck. Highly recommend if you are in the area.

We had planned for a 9 am departure today. As much as we like the setting for the campground, it has so many natural pitfalls that seem to reach out and grab you. After tethering the car, we started forward, only to come to a scraping halt. Two more attempts were futile and by then, the crowd was gathering. A small hump in the ground got caught on part of the undercarriage and we weren't going anywhere. So we unhooked, backed up (not easy to do in such close quarters) and reversed course and reattached out on the road. So, by 10, we were on the way to Lexington. It seemed to be a long trip or maybe we were just tired. Scenary was exceptional thru the Appalachians and the day was clear. Tomorrow it's the Horse Farm and the new baby if she's accepting visitors.