Anniversay # 44 Little Getaway

 A last-minute getaway to celebrate our 44th anniversary.  We decided to explore some more of our beautiful state. We left Maggie Valley and took a scenic drive which led us through a couple of towns we passed through on our Hwy 64 road trip to get to our destination which was Wilkesboro NC. We stopped in Lenoir NC for a delicious lunch and then arrived in Wilkesboro.  We went straight downtown to walk around before checking into our hotel. After walking around, we stopped in Talia for a latte and an expresso.  Talia Coffee was by far one of the loveliest coffee places we have ever been to before and the coffees were delicious too!  

Driving through Marion, NC.

What a beautiful cloud layer we saw as we drove through Marion!!

Most all the towns we passed through had quilt blocks around the town.

Morganton was another pretty town we drove though on our Hwy 64 road trip.

On our 64-road trip this building and the whole block was being remolded.

Next town was Lenoir where we stopped for lunch. Lenoir is a cute, small but lovely town.  We enjoyed a delicious lunch looking at a Valentine Tree, which of course I loved being the heart & Fleur de Lis lover I am!

Selfie on Mair Street in Lenoir after our yummy lunch!

We decided to stop and check out Madison Falls.  It looked like at one time this was a nice campground area with cabins and even a big pool with a huge slide.  Not sure if the pool is still used??

Arriving in Wilkesboro.

Talia Espresso, lovely place!!  Delicious lattes & espressos too!

Talia, wow, what a beautiful place! 

We even found a small quilt shop around the corner!

And we found this shop on our way to our hotel.

Saturday, we drove to Winston Salem!  First stop --- yummy Dewey's Bakery for breakfast and then on to Old Salem.  Our last trip to Old Salem was in the late 80's.

Old Salem Visitor Center

Old Salem is a historic district of Winston-Salem, North Carolina that was originally settled by the Moravian community in 1766. This small city features a living history museum (operated by the non-profit Old Salem Museums & Gardens, organized as Old Salem Inc.) that interprets the restored Moravian community. The non-profit organization began its work in 1950, although some private residents had restored buildings earlier. As the Old Salem Historic District, it was declared a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1966 and expanded in 2016.The district showcases the culture of the Moravian settlement in North Carolina during the 18th and 19th centuries, communal buildings, churches, houses, and shops.

Two buildings are individually designated as NHLs: the Salem Tavern and the Single Brothers' House. Additional buildings and properties have been added to the National Register that expand the historic area (see St. Philips Moravian Church below, Single Brothers Industrial Complex Site, and West Salem Historic District). Ownership of the buildings and land is divided among Old Salem, Inc., Wachovia Historical Society, private owners, Salem College and Academy, and Salem Congregation (the successor to the Salem Congregational Council to whom all ownership of Church properties was transferred).

I love this lady; she didn't leave room for her whole last name, but she didn't rip it out and redo it! 

Look at how they placed the handles.

Oil lamp!

This was a private home and there are lots of homes in Old Salem that are still private homes!

There were sweet potatoes baking under the ashes.

A beautiful private home, right by the coffee pot!

We left Winston Salem and took a drive to Mt. Airy, the home of Andy Griffith, and The Andy Griffith Show, Mayberry R.F.D.  In the show they always talked about the neighboring town called Mt. Pilot.  The actual town is Pilot Mountain which we saw as we were driving to Mt. Airy. 

Pilot Mountain, a metamorphic quartzite monadnock rising to a peak 2,421 feet (738 m) above sea level, is one of the most distinctive natural features in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a remnant of the ancient chain of Sauratown Mountains. The Saura Native Americans, the region's earliest known inhabitants, called the mountain "Jomeokee", meaning "great guide".

U.S. Route 52 passes through the town of Pilot Mountain near the mountain, which is about 20 miles northwest of Winston-Salem, and the city of Mount Airy is 14 miles farther north.

Pilot Mountain has two distinctive features, named Big Pinnacle and Little Pinnacle. Big Pinnacle (also called "The Knob") has high and colorful bare rock walls, with a rounded top covered by vegetation, reaching approximately 1,400 feet (430 m) above the surrounding terrain. Visitors can take a paved road to the park visitor center and campgrounds, then up to a parking lot on the ridge. Trails from there allow access to the main Little Pinnacle Overlook and other viewing stations.

Pilot Mountain is part of Pilot Mountain State Park, which extends to the Yadkin River via a corridor of land, and it is associated with nearby Horne Creek Living Historical Farm. The curved depression between the ridge slope to the Little Pinnacle and then to the round knob of the Big Pinnacle gives the entire mountain an even more distinctive shape from a distance. Other interesting rock formations are to the east at privately held Sauratown Mountain, and the higher complex at Hanging Rock State Park.

In November 2021, a massive 500+ acre wildfire covered Pilot Mountain State Park. This fire enveloped Pilot Mountain as well, with smoke covering the iconic Knob.

After leaving Mt. Airy we drove to Ronda, NC. to visit a couple of wineries! 

We only had time to visit two of them.  First stop was Raffaldini Vineyard, and it was lovely! 

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This glass of wine was a house reserve. They do not sell this one, the production of this reserve was small. Of the 4 wines on the tower, 2 were okay but the other two we really enjoyed and brought some home!

After leaving Raffaldini, we went to the Piccione Vineyard which is only 7 years old. They had a bubbly that was written up in Our State magazine.  We tried it and it was lovely! A few of these bottles found their way into our car as well! 

It was a beautiful sunny day! We took back roads back to Wilkesboro.

 We left Wilkesboro Sunday morning and drove to Boone, NC for a wonderful brunch at Sunrise Grill.  After breakfast we walked around Boone and then went on to Blowing Rock to walk around there before heading back home to Maggie!  

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Waterfall on US 221 after leaving Blowing Rock and heading towards Linville.

We have driven past this rock many times over the years travelling in this area we love ...it was sad to see someone needing to add some graffiti to the rock!

Always fun to see all the quilt blocks around!  This one was just outside Burnsville.