Day Trip

Mr. P. and I decided that we needed to take a day trip since we have been so busy this summer. Before I share I wanted to let you know that those of you who are participating in Nothing But UFOs be sure to scroll down to see what you could win if you meet one of your goals.

Back to our trip. The weather was supposed to be drier and cooler in the mountains so we decided to take a trip to Boone and Blowing Rock, North Carolina. 

 On our way up to the mountains we stopped at this relatively new rest stop. Look at the quilt that

 was hanging in the visitor center. I love theses kinds of quilts but I know I will never make one so I will just admire those that do.

 We did a little internet searching for a restaurant in the town of Boone. We decided to stop at this one because they serve some fresh local foods.

 We listened to the waiter tell us the specials and the soups for the day. I decided on the tomato basil soup and Mr. P. got a stew. My soup was so good and so was the cornbread they served with it.

 I ordered a sandwich made of homemade sharp cheddar pimento cheese on grilled sourdough. Mr. P. order the special which was a Mackerel fish sandwich. They served homemade potato chips and homemade bread and butter pickled tomatoes. It was all delicious. We brought a small ice chest which was full of water bottles because we planned to go hiking. I was glad we brought it because I could only eat half of the sandwich. We ended up sharing the rest of my lunch later at a park.

 We drove up to the Blue Ridge Parkway so that we could hike around the trail that surrounds Julian Price lake. The temperature was 71* but still pretty humid.

 As we hiked around the 2.3 mile trail I spotted these butterflies.

 Here was an open spot which viewed a mountain called Grandfather mountain.

 Since we have had so much rain in our state the trail was really muddy most of the hike. Very few places were in the sun so the trail did not dry out. Because the trail was so muddy it took us a lot longer to get around the lake. One hour and thirty-five minutes to hike 2.3 miles. At one spot we had to take our shoes off to cross where a stream came into the lake. I was glad to have my hiking boots and a walking stick to help me through the tough places. We were determined to make it around the lake.

 Here is another stream that is getting close to where we started.

 After we finished our hike we were pretty hot so we drove back to Julian Price park. We shared the rest of my lunch while we sat in the shade of the trees. We had brought chairs because we hoped to be able to just sit and enjoy the great outdoors. And we did.

 After some time resting we decided to drive back into a town called Blowing Rock to get some ice
cream. As the day progressed the humidity dropped and the weather was delightful. I am so looking forward to Autumn. Here is a view from one of the lookouts on the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way home. Oh! do we have to go home?

 Now for the giveaway for those of you working on UFOs this month. I have a yard of Simplicity by Three Sisters, a book called Alphabet Garden by Nancy Halvorson and

a white tea towel that you might want to decorate with your initial, some rickrack, ruffles, or some other trim. Good luck with your goals for August and don't forget to link up on the previous post.

With Passion,

Carrie P.