BumVoyage

We bid farewell to the Outer Banks and headed across the Inner Banks and further into the Carolinas for some family time.

First stop was Inman South Carolina to visit with my Aunt Judy. She has a beautiful lake house there and we spent as much time as possible out on the deck enjoying the views and the company. We were lucky to have her children, Vicki and Patrick, Vicki’s children Casey and Cory, Casey’s son Riley, Cory’s son Sully, along with my cousins from Boone NC, Dempsey and Debra and their daughter Mary Grey for a bbq. What a treat it was to have so many join us for the day!

Next we headed up the to Boone NC for some more family time and mountain time.

Upon arrival, we met up with the family for dinner at Outer Range, a wonderful source to table restaurant in Valley Crucis. I was soo busy soaking it all in that I forgot to take pictures.

We spent a couple days on the Blue Ridge Parkway which pass through the area exploring Price Lake, Cone Memorial Park, and Grandfather Mountain.

Price Lake

Cone Manor is a well maintained summer retreat used by Moses Cone, a wealthy textile entrepreneur from back in the day.

Another great things about Cone Memorial Park is there are miles and miles of carriage trails that were used to get to various spot on the grounds by horse and buggy that are now open to hikers. Dempsey, his daughter Ivy, and her dog Louie joined us for the hike to the fire tower from Cone Manor which give a wonderful 360 degree view of the mountains, including view of downtown Boone, Blowing Rock, Beach Mountain, and Sugar mountain.

After our hike, we were treated to dinner at Dempsey and Margie’s house, which sits on the side of Howards Knob which provides a fantastic secluded mountain setting. Everything was wonderful, but for me the highlight was the warm banana pudding with merengue topping prepared by Mary Grey. Delicious!

Becky and I made the trip along the Parkway passing along the Lin Cove Via Duct to reach Grandfather Mountain where you can walk on the mile high swinging bridge and get wonderful mountain views.

On our final day we accompanied Dempsey and Margie for a bike ride on the Virginia Creeper. A 17 mile ride along and old train logging route through the forest. Did I tell you this was this is all downhill? Yeap, local guides provide van rides to the top so you can cruise your way through this mountain wonderland.