Sunday, September 2, 2018

Fries VA August 24-31, 2018


Day 24 Friday August 24, 2018 We relaxed at the RV Park until about 4PM when we drove to Galax for another visit to the Briar Patch Coffee Shop for a Latte and one of their delicious cinnamon buns. The placed was packed because there was a Crusin and Groovin car show going on just outside the door. Part of the main street through town and some of the side streets were closed and lined up with some really nice classic cars and trucks. One of the side streets had a stage setup in a parking lot and a band was playing 50's and 60's music. We look at all the cars and listened to the music until about dark before heading back to the RV Park.

1946 Chevy

1957 Chevy

Rat Rod

Mini Cooper S

1935 Chevy

1936 ?

1957 Chevy


Ford

1934 Chevy

1936 Ford

1946 Chevy

Day 25 Saturday August 25, 2018 Mid morning we drove North through some really pretty farmland on the backroads to the town of Wytheville and on to Big Walker Country Store on top of Big Walker Mountain. The view was fantastic from the lookout. There was a 100' tower at the store that for a small fee you could climb but we neither one had the nerve to try it. A local book author was on site signing his books and a blue grass band was scheduled to play at 2PM but we didn't want to wait around so we drove back to Wytheville and stopped at Skeeter's for some of their world famous Skeeter-Dogs. They were really good. They have been in business since 1925 and in the current location since the 1940's. They were doing a booming business while we were there.

Skeeter Dogs

Co-Pilot











The second floor of the building where the cafe is located was the original home of Edith Bolling Wilson, the wife of President Woodrow Wilson. The downtown was really nice. The street was a wide two lane with pull in parking on both sides and very wide brick paver sidewalks. Most of the old store buildings were occupied. There was music playing through speakers along the sidewalks and free town WiFi available. A really nice clean town.
Home of  Edith Bolling Wilson on second floor above Skeeter's

Really large pencil


We stopped at Sweet Lilly's in Fries to try their ice cream. Sweet Lilly's is located in an old train caboose parked just a few yards from where end of the trail track that came to Fries when the textile mile was in operation. We shared the Big 'Dam' Sundae, named in honor of the hydro electric dam just up the river a few hundred yards that provided electric power for the textile mill.

Day 26 Sunday August 26, 2018 The last few morning have been down in the low 50's but today it was low 60's to start with.

We decided to drive some back roads and check out a flea market outside of Austinville. We didn't find anything we couldn't live without so we continued our drive on back to the RV Park and read the remainder of the day.

Day 27 Monday August 27, 2018 Well Happy Birthday to me. As of today I am a 'Super' Senior Citizen (age 70). Wow, that does sound old. In my mind I think I might be in my 40's but sometimes my body thinks otherwise. I wanted some Mexican food for lunch so we drove to Independence VA to Rio Grande, a Mexican restaurant that we have eaten at before. It was very good. On the way back to the RV park I decided I also deserved a Latte and Cinnamon Bun from the Briar Patch Coffee Shop in Galax so we went there before returning to the RV park.

Day 28 Tuesday August 28, 2018 We did a walk around town and relaxed until after lunch. Then we drove out to the Blue Ridge Music Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway to listen to Scott Freeman and Willard Gayheart play music and sing. They play a variety of instruments, write songs and Willard draws pictures. On the way back we took some country roads off the parkway to check out the country scenery on the way back to Galax.
Fries Display Case - Music DVDs, Kayak Paddle, Bicycle Wheel and Spools of Thread from Old Mill in Town, things the town is know for

Day 29 Wednesday August 29, 2018 About all we did today was a morning walk around town, laundry and reading. The temperature is much warmer than it was last week. The air coming off the mountain stream beside our site is much cooler so I sat my chair there and did some reading.


Day 30 Thursday August 30, 2018 Today is our last full day here so we had to go to the Briar Patch Coffee Shop one last time for a latte and cinnamon bun and then a stop at Walmart to get a few groceries.

A thunderstorm came through about 5PM and we lost electricity. We had planned to go to the music jam session at the Fries Theater but we assumed it was canceled but discovered too late to go that only part of the RV Park was without power. The front part of the park and the town had power. The park will be full for the Labor Day Weekend. There will be fish fry here on Saturday but we will miss it as we are leaving tomorrow. There is not a site available after tonight.

Actually Tom (the owner) thought we were leaving today. I'm not sure if I make a mistake on our checkout date or he did but we had paid for tonight so he juggled a couple of sites so we could stay tonight. The person that was supposed to get our site today will get a nice site beside the waterwheel and Tom's daughter that was supposed to get that site tomorrow will get our site so it all worked out.

Day 31 Friday August 31, 2018 We got power back sometime after 3AM. We had packed all we could yesterday so we were pulling out of the park at 8:30AM headed for home. We arrived home about 4PM after a stop at the Greensboro Farmers Market for some vegetables and a stop in Dunn at Smithfield's Chicken and BBQ for lunch. We had a good trip and arrived home safe which is always good.

Recap for 2018  5 Trips and 91 nights

Friday, August 24, 2018

Fries VA August 19-23, 2018


Day 19  Sunday August 19, 2019 We departed at 9AM and headed for Fries, VA to stay the remainder of August at Fries New River RV Park. We arrived at 12:05 PM and set up in site 9, the same site we had last year.

This is our third year coming to this RV park and it is one of our all time favorite places to stay. It sits down in a small cove and has16 sites that are situated along a small mountain stream and is about in the center of town. The grounds and bathhouse are kept immaculate and the owners are some of the nicest people you will ever meet and they always provide you with two home made muffins on the first day of your stay.
Site 9

Site 10

Site 9

Site 10

The town of Fries is an old mill town. It sits on the high banks of the New River. Most of the houses on the end of town nearest where the mill was are smaller homes that are probably around 1000 sq. ft plus a basement and this appears to be the older part of town. Some are maintained really neat and others not so neat. The houses along this part of main street sit just the width of the sidewalk off the street.



Old train Caboose - now an ice cream shop

New River view from Fries 



Day 20  Monday August 20, 2018 We did a morning walk around part of town along the street overlooking the river then back along main street before breakfast. Other than Lena doing laundry and me doing some minor maintenance on the motorhome we just relaxed today and enjoyed the cooler mountain temperature.

Day 21  Tuesday August 21, 2018 We drove to Galax to get our Latte and Cinnamon Bun fix at Briar Patch Coffee shop. From there we got some groceries and returned to the RV Park for the day. When we got back I discovered the power was off to the motorhome. I contacted the owner and he checked and the power was off to the entire park so he called the power company. The power came back on a couple of hours later. We got several light rain showers throughout the rest of the day.

Day 22 Wednesday August 22, 2018 The temperature was 66 degrees this morning at 8AM. Other than a morning and evening walk around some of the town streets we didn't do much today except enjoy doing almost nothing except read, relax and enjoy the nice cooler temperature.

Hydro Electric Dam near site of old Fries textile mill

Hydro Electric Dam near site of old Fries textile mill


New River view from Fries

Hydro Electric Dam near site of old Fries textile mill

Hydro Electric Dam near site of old Fries textile mill

Hydro Electric Dam near site of old Fries textile mill

Day 23 Thursday August 23, 2018 53 degrees was the temperature at 8AM. Mid morning we drove to the Gambetta parking lot on the New River State Park Trail. In years past we have ridden different sections of this 57 mile trail. In prior years it was the bed of railroad track. It was converted to a trail for bicycle riding, walking and horseback riding. We rode our bicycles from the Gambetta parking lot to Chestnut Falls and back for a total of 8.5 miles. Not bad for a couple of “old farts” that will be 70 in a few days. Along the way we came up on a man and women that was doing some fishing in the Chestnut Creek that runs along this part of the trail. They commented on our bicycles as we approached them so we stopped to talk to them. Somehow the conversation went from our bicycles to fishing and then an abrupt switch to when they had a job in Florida working for a funeral home picking up dead people. Not sure how that happened but it was kind of weird.

Cleveland Falls



Cleveland Falls

Cleveland Falls


Cleveland Falls

Donkey in pen beside the trail

Farm along trail




We had a good ride and saw three deer along the trail and a lot of beautiful scenery.

We returned to the RV Park to rest for a couple of hours before driving to Galax for a good brick oven pizza at the Italian Garden Restaurant. Then we went to the Rex Theater to watch the preview of a newly released documentary film on the music, the people that play it and make the instruments in and around the Galax VA area. It is amazing to us how many people in this area play at least one instrument. I have said it is in the water but I think I am wrong because we have been coming to this area for few years and have drank a lot of the water and we can't play a note but we do like the music.

One tidbit from the movie: Wayne Henderson is a well known Master Luthier (musical instrument maker) that lives in the area and is basically self taught in his skill. He has a 10 year waiting list for one of his guitars. His 30 year old daughter has a college degree in a completely different field and she wanted a guitar so Wayne told her she should make it herself. She sold the first one she made for $25,000. So it seems she has the skill also.