The Beauty Around Us

North Carolina Vacation – Last Two Days

By Linda G. on June 26, 2014

The last two days (May 17-18) of our 9-day North Carolina vacation were travel days. We departed Maggie Valley around 8:00 am on May 17th. It was raining when we left Maggie Valley. Thankfully, the rain stayed with us for only a short while. Soon after getting on I-40 west, the rain stopped.

Our first stop was to fuel up and get breakfast. We ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Newport TN, off I-40. After a few more stops (fuel, potty break, and a picnic lunch), we arrived in Summersville WV. We checked into the Sleep Inn around 3:15 pm. We went to Shoney’s for dinner at 5:00 pm and took both the car and motorcycle to a gas station to fuel up. We spent rest of the evening, relaxing, in our hotel room.

We departed Summersville WV on May 18th around 7:30 am, after eating a complimentary breakfast at the hotel. It was 35 or 36 degrees, when we left Summersville, which made a chilly start for Bob who was riding the motorcycle. By late morning the sunshine did provide for a more comfortable temperature.

We returned home around 2:30 pm, making stops along the way only for fuel, potty breaks and lunch at Bonanza in Franklin PA. We did take one detour. We were within a few miles of Lutz’s Leather, so we decided to stop there. Bob is looking for a new leather jacket. We forgot that Lutz’s Leather is closed on Mondays.  [Note:  We made a return trip to Lutz’s Leather the weekend after returning home from vacation.  Bob bought a leather jacket that day.]

Soon after we came home from vacation, our neighbor Sue who watched our cat, Patches, while we were on vacation dropped off the house key.  We really appreciate that Sue watched Patches for us.  Sue told us that she would watch Patches anytime for us.  It is wonderful to have someone who lives nearby available to take care of Patches when we travel.

As we were unpacking, I realized that we left behind the painting of the Carolina Wrens that Pete Ferry gave us. We left it in our hotel room at A Holiday Motel in Maggie Valley. I know why we forgot the painting. The painting looked like it belonged in the room. We had it sitting against the wall near the TV. I telephoned Gabi, the hotel owner. She will mail the painting to us.   (We received the painting; thank you Gabi!)

We had someone mow our grass, while we were on vacation.  It needed to be cut again, when we returned home from vacation.  Bob mowed the grass the same day that we returned home, and then left for Hectors (in Jamestown NY) on the motorcycle.  Bob returned from Hectors with bug wash; he washed the motorcycle until it sparkled.

While we were on vacation, our next door neighbor cut down the crab apple tree in their front yard. The absence of that crab apple tree opens up the view from our front porch and allows more light to fall on our front porch as well.  I like the absence of that tree.

This blog post concludes our 9-day North Carolina vacation.  I hope that you enjoyed reading about the details of and looking at pictures from our vacation!