The weather hasn't cooperated either. We planned to do the five mile Seven Sisters trail--named after the seven hills that the hike crosses on the ridge of the mountain. But we got rain every day, so we didn't have enough dry weather time to take a long hike.
The highlight of our stay here was a visit from new friends. We had spent a few days parked next to Joe in Gaffney, South Carolina, while we both waited our turn for service at the Freightliner shop. His wife, Dotty, hadn't made the trip for the motor home's oil change, so we didn't get to meet her then. When Joe went home to West Virginia, we promised that we would let him know when we were traveling in his area. It seems he wanted to introduce his wife to this crazy couple from Oklahoma. When we got to this area north of Wytheville, Virginia, we realized we were around 50 miles from Joe. We were delighted when Joe and Dotty drove all the way to our campground to see us.
We got to visit (as it rained outside) inside our cramped motor home, and then we made the trip into Wytheville to eat. We landed at Skeeter's--where they have sold over 9 million of their "world famous hot dogs." We had to order a hot dog, but we all agreed that the flounder fish dinners were better than the dogs.
Then we wandered down Main Street, to take a picture of one of the world's biggest pencils. At 30 feet in length, Mark had to back up a long ways to get all three of us and the entire pencil in the photo. It looks like a wooden pencil, but is actually made of metal, and it has been guarding Main Street in Wytheville for over 60 years.
We always appreciate advice and insights from locals, and it was fun to get that from Joe and Dotty. We mentioned a very woolly caterpillar we had seen on a recent hike, and had been told that was an indication of a hard winter ahead. Dotty also mentioned that the number of foggy days in August foretold the number of snows in winter. We have seen a lot of fog in this area in the few days we have been here. From all indications, it looks like we need to get out of here before the record-breaking snowy winter ahead.
In between rain showers, we visited other Virginia oddities. That would include the tower at the top of Walker Mountain. At an elevation of 3,405, the view from Walker Mountain was already very nice.
But a six dollar ticket would buy the opportunity to cross the swinging bridge and climb to the top of the Big Walker Lookout Tower. Considering it was sprinkling rain when we arrived, we didn't opt for the tower ticket.
We were really here for the live music. Every Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the BW Country Store hosts bluegrass music on their front porch.
This group was quite good, and we enjoyed the sing-along songs as the rain poured down. We were glad there were picnic tables and chairs under a roof so we could listen without getting wet.
Just to our left was another mountain overlook. This was the view of the Civil War Battle of Wytheville in July, 1863. Since we are now in Virginia, it just seemed appropriate that a Virginia Creeper plant was growing up the old wooden fence that was protecting the edge of the viewpoint.
As we listened to the music, we were also entertained by the resident hummingbirds. This guy almost blended in with metal holder as he sat atop the feeder that he had claimed. But if any other hummingbird tried to drink that nectar, he sprung into action to drive them away.
A different feeder by the window was not guarded, and hosted a wide selection of little birds that were better at sharing. The wall of old license plates next to the hummingbird feeder featured some very old ones. But we recognized a relatively new Oklahoma plate in the upper left hand corner of the picture below, and wondered how it had made its way there.
The front porch music we had just enjoyed was free, and part of a state-wide program called the "Crooked Road Music Trail."
On their web-site, we saw that another performance was slated that evening at Wytheville Community College Auditorium. We were there for the 7:00 opening that started with Adam McPeak and the Mountain Thunder. Last week there was a huge bluegrass competition in Galax, Virginia, and we were sorry that we missed it. The audience applauded when it was announced that this band was ranked 10th among the 162 bands in the competition.
After an hour of their gospel and blue grass music, another group took the stage. The Mountain Park Old Time Band specializes in something called, "old time music." They featured the usual instruments, but they also had a washboard-playing percussionist. This "heavy metal" player also doubled as a flat-foot dancer on some songs. He brought out his wooden square that could make any surface into a dance floor, and danced a very calorie-burning version of the Virginia flatfoot. The band encouraged people in the audience to come to the front of the auditorium to dance.
Denisa is not one to turn down an invitation, even if she doesn't know the dance. She got some instruction from one of the locals on how to flatfoot, and got some good exercise too. Mark got the night off, since the flatfoot is a one-person dance. Together we danced to a couple blue grass numbers that had a two-step beat, but Mark got to enjoy most of the concert from his chair this time.
We always like to find a local farmer's market, and we hit the jackpot here. We went first to the Saturday morning market in downtown Wytheville, featuring baked goods, home-made popsicles, and a nice selection of home-grown vegetables.
Then we headed to Williams Orchard, about ten miles down the road. After a very warm autumn, the local fruit trees started blooming too early and met with a heavy frost in December. So Williams has to truck in apples and peaches from North Carolina this year. Between our two market stops, we bought an impressive display of produce. Even if our camping spot isn't ideal, we'll be eating lots of beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables this week!
Before we left this area, we attended worship in a little white church just down the road on Sunday morning. We broke another attendance record for us that morning, as we were two of only eight people in church. The 92-year-old patriarch recalled that there used to be as many as 160 people in this church in his younger days. Considering that we were the youngest people in a congregation that isn't used to having visitors, we were welcomed with open arms. That is what we have found all over the south--that southern hospitality has always made us feel welcome.
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