Day 4 – From Christianburg, VA to Mt. Airy, NC…and Back; Miles: 128; Steps* (B) 15,722; (R) 12,301 *We’re committed to exercising while on the road and both wear pedometers to log our daily results.
Mayberry RFD Here We Come
The day had a little slower pace than our previous days on the road. We slept in a little later than usual (8:00 a.m.) and then headed out to take a power walk – needed to burn off extra calories from last night’s pulled pork, smoked chicken, fried green tomatoes and…
We walked 4 plus miles on a trail in Coal Mining Heritage Park, which is located in the middle of the Huckleberry Trail between the towns of Blacksburg and Christiansburg. It was a beautiful trail with informative markers explaining the history of the coal industry.
We decided to pay a visit to Mt. Airy, NC – home of Andy Griffith and the inspiration for mythical Mayberry in the long running television series “The Andy Griffith Show”. Sometimes the journey can be as interesting as the destination, and today’s 128 mile side trip was no exception. We traveled unbelievably beautiful back roads and the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way to “Andy’s town”. Gorgeous farms, rolling hills and picturesque mountains.
Mt. Airy was a wonderful, non-touristy town with genuinely friendly residents who not only love their little slice of heaven, but also the connection to their beloved Andy.
After a tour of the Andy Griffith Museum, we ambled through the downtown on Main Street reminiscing about Sheriff Taylor, Floyd the Barber, Aunt Bea, Barney Fife, Goober and Gomer Pyle, Otis and of course Opie. Floyd’s Barber Shop and the Snappy Lunch, the diner where our hardworking sheriff and his faithful sidekick took a break from a day of fighting crime to eat lunch, are still Main St. fixtures.
After a hard day of reliving one of our favorite TV shows, we ducked into Miss Angels Heavenly Pie Shop AND Walkers old time soda fountain for a little “sugar” break. Can you say sugar high? Miss Angel and her husband Randy don’t just make heavenly baked goods (and Rorie knows how heavenly they are from the gooey chocolately brownie she consumed). They also own the 52 acre farm where they grow their own fruit and berries for their delicious sweets and they are huge supporters of local charities and fundraising efforts. They will be featured on either July 4 or 11 on the AMC TV channel’s Show “Showville”. Sheriff Taylor would be proud! You can order your own slice of heaven on their website: http://www.missangelsheavenlypiesinc.com.
Next stop, an amazing vintage soda fountain owned by David Jones and his wife. At this community gathering place, which has been on Main Street since the 1800’s, Bart and Rorie sidled up to the formica counter, hopped on stools and ordered a gigantic, homemade, over the top banana split. We figured we could cover most of our food groups with this unbelievable culinary treat. We watched an artist at work as David created our masterpiece. Three scoops of ice cream and fresh whipped cream (dairy), fresh ripe bananas, pineapple and strawberry sauces (fruit), wet walnuts (protein), chocolate sauce (not a food group but necessary for daily living), and of course the cherry on top. Please don’t tell our dentists! Here’s to another day of avoiding the scale.
All and all, we had a pleasant, heartwarming and sugar-filled day in Mayberry RFD. On our way back to the hotel we took an auto tour of VA Tech University in Blacksburg. Unfortunately, we got hit by a torrential thunderstorm, so walking the campus was not in the cards. Headed back for a bite to eat and turned in for the evening. Next stop: Ashevile, NC. Stay tuned…