As promised this is the second installment of our recent visit to Boone NC and before you read any further Darris you should know Rachel and I were also married the same weekend…sorry buddy it’s true, but look on the bright side you are not the last to know.As for the rest of you if you are keeping up with our adventures then you know Rachel and I do love to travel together, Rachel as my co-pilot and navigator and as for me I sometimes think Rachel just brings me along because she knows that I like to drive, but none the less we travel and boy do we travel. In the past four months together we have traveled 14 out of the last 17 weekends, which equates to 56 days and approximately 6,000 miles…wow.
I do know from this recent trip to Boone I must invest in a map that is less then twenty years old, the one Rachel was using failed to list major towns and more then a few state roads which really didn’t present a problem until the return trip home when Rachel informed me that Damascus VA was no longer on the map. Damascus VA for the uninformed is a major layover for those individuals hiking the Appalachian Trail a great spot to re-supply and relax for a day or two before heading out to the their final destination in Georgia or New Hampshire depending on the north south heading.
I digress, as mentioned before Rachel and I had eloped to Boone, although we had planned an October wedding we decided just days before our departure to include marriage in our plans, while including my sister Lena and her husband Mike as witnesses. Pretty simple process really the state of North Carolina only requires identification, $20 fee and we provide witnesses for our weekend ceremony. An ordained minister can perform the ceremony as well as any local Magistrate…we chose the later. Sorry again Darris! Where else do you get a lesson in elopement 101?
I guess if you were to ask Rachel her favorite part of the weekend besides the wedding it most certainly would include the cabin I rented for the weekend. Close to everything, yet snuggled in the mountains away from town; a very special location just over the mountain from where my father was born and distant family still live. The cabin which can be seen in the provided pictures offered more then enough room for two considering its ability to accommodate eight people comfortably with full size beds in every room and two very large bathrooms. The only thing this cabin did not provide was food, aside from this we had everything we needed which enabled Rachel and me to prepare very nice dinner for the four of us later that evening.
http://fallcreekvacationrentals.com/
The Friday evening before the wedding Rachel and I arrived early in order for me to show Rachel around the area and to stop by the courthouse to get our marriage license information in order. Soon after departing the courthouse we found ourselves exploring RT 321 south of Blowing Rock passing along the way such must see places like Tweetsie Railroad which offers live interactive comedic train robbery while your train clambers its way over hill and dell; back at the bottom of the mountain musical theatrical productions are featured on the hour in the now famous Tweetsie Saloon.
As we also clambered our way up the mountain we happened across a unique restaurant perched at the edge of the canyon…appropriately named Canyons. The evening included live local entertainment, fresh seafood and customer friendly service second to none, I say this because the waiter and kitchen staff went over and beyond in order to make sure Rachel could eat something that did not include onions…nasty reaction when she eats onions. The view of the canyon like the customer service is second to none and was visible from most any seat in the house with outside dinning for even the most timid of height seekers.
Backtracking off the mountain make sure and swing through the small community of Blowing Rock, take in the local fare and atmosphere. Walk the streets explore the shops and galleries and then move over to the park just across the street, purchase an ice cream cone, acquire a park bench then sit back and people watch, you will be glad you did.
The day of the wedding began rather much in a lull things were quiet we had scoped out the floral shop the night before. Good thing we did it had taken us twenty minutes and much back tracking in order to find this little tiny whole in the wall. Before leaving Morgantown I taken time to order Rachel a bouquet of roses on-line, using the sight most advertised and with the highest rated comments I called and placed an order. Obviously the company expends a lot of money on their on line presence and not so much on the store itself, as a matter of fact had Rachel not seen the tattered fabric awning attached to a beat up old warehouse we would still be looking for the florist. However, with that being said the flowers were beautiful and fresh, the thought of walking in there the next morning and seeing a bunch of weeds presented to me on our wedding day was weighting heavy on my mind the entire evening…I guess looks can be deceiving.
Did I fail to mention I was late for my own wedding, yep forgot the ring back at the cabin. We were just driving around killing time and low and behold my co-pilot started going through her trusty checklist and yes the ring was missing. I franticly called my sister and informed her we would be little tardy in picking them up. What I thought would be 10 minute drive back to the cabin quickly turned to 15 and then 20 and then 30 minutes passed, which placed us 5 minutes late in arriving to the courthouse.
After the very simple ceremony before the Magistrate the four of us retired to the Crying Onion a restaurant famous for its humus and ice cold tea…great place just around the corner from the courthouse.
Later that evening as previously mention Rachel and I prepared dinner for the four of us, but not before stopping and picking up a few things from Earth Fare a mostly organic food store, offering great organic coffees, fruits, pasta and bison. I only wish Morgantown or even Charleston West Virginia had such a store, great place to shop if you are really into watching what you put in your body. My daughter Courtney turned me onto the whole health food store concept…very glad she did.
Back in Morgantown Sunday evening we began to plan our next trip… destination Williamsburg VA. Meeting up with the new in-laws I guess we need to tell them we’re married sometime. Wish us luck!
