Waterfalls

We only got to see one waterfall on Sunday due to unpredictable weather and simple bad luck. Elk Falls was closed due to an accidental drowning and several other falls were inaccessible due to the unpassable nature of a few forest service roads. So in the end we hiked to Harper Creek Falls.

Along the way we hit the 1000 mile mark on the new car on a gravel road!

Here is the view we had for much of the day… driving out and back on gravel roads in a light drizzle.

Food + Drink

Blind Squirrel Brewery – A great name for a brewery, but a decidedly mediocre experience. Our last stop in the mountains on Sunday before we started our return to Morganton. It seems they no longer offer food, only a food truck. Also, there is no list of the available beers, you either read the tap handles or talk to someone to get a description of each (the list of beers on the far side of the bar is ‘members only’). I would characterize the whole experience as fairly indifferent.

Several restaurants in town were closed on Sunday night, so we ended up getting a sandwich and a pizza from Buck’s Pizza. Not bad, and reasonably quick to takeout. We dashed through a sudden thunderstorm a few blocks down to Catawba Brewing Company and ordered a beer each, the coffee blonde for me and a light saison for Eric that paired nicely with our takeout meal.

We headed back home on Monday morning, stopping in Statesville at Son Rise Cafe. Full of local color with the named tables and decor, and featuring big Southern breakfasts, it was a good first stop on our way back.

An hour after brunch, we stopped at Foothills Brewpub in Winston-Salem to taste the tangled vine berry rose, quite nice!