Dateline September 6, 2019, A Winery, the High Country, and Old Friends
We left Williamsburg and stopped in Jamestown, hoping to spend some time in the restored village. The fellow at the information desk told us to set aside several hours to do it properly, so we put it on the list for a future visit and moved on.
Janice got to talking with Sandie St Onge. We have played a great deal of golf with Sandie and Skip, at their course in Stuart, Florida, and at their home in Flagler Beach. They have an RV too, and they were over in Cherokee, North Carolina having a fine time, so we decided to join them the next evening. It was a seven-hour drive, so we figured we would play golf along the way the next day, up in Linville, and we picked a Harvest Host location for the night.
Grove Winery. We called Grove Winery; they had a few RVs staying for the night and would be glad to have us. We rolled in about half past four and parked by the vines, behind a larger rig.
Max Lloyd, the owner, was standing outside and waved us in, and he introduced us around. One couple was on their way home to Richmond, well past the tasting part of the evening and into a bottle. Samantha, the tasting expert, set us up with a list and walked us through the wines they make. The tasting was ten dollars for six healthy samples, and as we usually do, we picked a few different ones so we could share. The wines were really good. Max had an old friend named Joe who owned a local radio station; the two had been friends since the fifth grade, and Joe was a regular at the winery. Another couple turned up, retired from the military, last stationed in Alaska and living in their RV for months while they hunted for a place to call home.
The party was on. We all bought some extra wine, and Max kept the place open and gave us a tour of where he makes it. We each took a turn stirring the grapes, with a long while yet to go before that batch would be ready.
Afterward we went back into the tasting room and decided a group picture was in order. Max liked the idea and put it up on his Facebook page. These Harvest Host places are such fun, wineries, breweries, farms, and golf clubs.
Linville Ridge. We picked another course to play on our way to meet up with Sandie and Skip, Linville Ridge Country Club, and what a find, with panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. At 4,949 feet above sea level, it is the highest-elevation golf course east of the Mississippi River. We had a fun round on a fine course, another gem we were blessed to play.
The course was originally laid out by George Cobb, whose best-known work may be his shortest, the Par 3 course at Augusta National, which he designed in the late 1950s with a hand from Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones; he made changes to Augusta's main course over the years as well. Bobby Weed, known for his work on a number of TPC courses, gave Linville Ridge a full renovation in 2007. The views are spectacular, and it was one of the most beautiful days of golf we have ever had.
Cherokee. We had to hurry out and start the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Cherokee, where Sandie had said they would hold dinner for us. We ended up driving in pitch-black dark on winding roads, and we finally found the campground and parked next to them. Sandie and Skip had drinks ready when we pulled in, and it was a wonderful steak dinner with a lot of stories, a little drinking, and plenty of fun. We made our plans for the next day: a local spot for breakfast, and then tubing down the river.
When we woke the next morning we could see the beautiful Ravenfork River, right where we were parked, and a good many people out fly fishing for trout. It is a fine trout river, and we saw a few anglers with their catch, some of the fish several pounds. Then off we went to breakfast and our tubing adventure.
We stopped at the local tubing outfit and signed up for a two-and-a-half-hour run; they would drop us off upriver and we would float down the Oconaluftee, where they would pick us up again, all for twelve dollars a person. They let us out and away we went. It was shallow in places, so we had to push ourselves off the rocks, and there were some small rapids that were a blast. About halfway down, John steered to shore for a pit stop, and wouldn't you know it, he slipped on the rocks and went down a few times. He was fine, but the tube got away and headed downstream without him. As luck had it, there was a way up to the road, just down the street from where we had rented, so John could walk back. Sandie went after the runaway tube in her own, caught it, and tied it to hers for the last hour of the float.
We finished up and headed back to the campground to settle in for a few drinks and another great dinner. If you are ever in the area, River Valley Campground is a fine place to stay.
Grandfather Mountain. We left Cherokee first thing in the morning to visit Grandfather Mountain and the Mile High Swinging Bridge, which stretches across a valley at the top of the mountain, a mile up at 5,280 feet. The wind was blowing about twenty-five miles an hour, and there is a sign out in the middle of the span that tells you that you are a mile above sea level. With the wind it was chilly, so we dressed for it, the first day on the whole trip we needed our jeans, sweatshirts, and windbreakers. Face it, we are from Florida. The views were just awesome.
We drove on into Linville to pick up a phone signal and call our friend Ric Simeone, who lives on Beech Mountain in the summer. Ric and Shaun are old friends from Fort Lauderdale, and we have kept in touch over the years. We joined Ric for a great barbecue lunch; Shaun had her regular Friday golf game and could not make it. Good food and good conversation, and then we pointed the RV toward Raleigh and the grandchildren.
