Well Wednesday turned to be another gorgeous day as we traveled down the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Boone area after another chilly start; no frost as the temps hovered around 45 degree's. The sun was shining and the skies were a deep blue and just enough breeze to make it comfortable as we climbed the Grand Father Mountain trail for about 2 hours or so each way. We never made it to the summit which is about 6 miles one way now that there is a new entrance. We stopped at Foscue Mine view for a few then I turned back as my feet were starting to ache due to the plantar fasciitis. We then met the gals at Bella's Italian eatery in Boone for a delicious meal before heading back to the cabin.
I started the morning with a 7'ish roll out before anyone else awaken. We did our our thing for breakfast which entailed anything from oatmeal to a vegetable omelet. We wanted to be on the road by 10. I did my routines which started with a cup of hot green tea laced with clove honey and turmeric while I spent some quiet time with my Creator. The update on GG hasn't changed from the day before as we were gone all day until 8'ish. The ride down the parkway was uneventful and we made a couple of stops along the way to sight see at Freeborn's in Laurel Springs and then Doughton Park overlook where we once again took pictures along the stone fence which falls away to several hundred feet below. Needless to say there were a few words of caution which we all denied and continued with our poses.
We got down to Boone around lunch time and headed to the eatery Our Daily Bread for soup and a sandwich which were very tasty. Mostly Appalachian College students run this eatery and the place was jumping. We left the girls there then headed down to the mountain trail south of Boone. We headed out on the trail around 1'ish. There were several cars in the parking lot and we met several folks on the trail which progressively got steeper the further we climbed. There were so many exposed roots which took its toll on the bottom of my feet so after two hours of climbing we had reached a scenic overlook and I decided that was enough for me. My cardio was great but the bottom of my feet were hurting so I turned around and headed back. Patrick and Dan decided to climb further to the portrait of the mountain which was another 20 minutes or so with a steeper ascent. Well they changed their minds and decided to return to the parking lot. I passed 3 markers that indicated a mile each so we did at least 6 miles over all. They reached the parking lot about 20-30 minutes after I got back.
We met up in Boone at Bella's for a delicious supper of a Stromboli for me which I brought half of it home. The dinner's included fresh salmon, chicken picatta's, salads, and lots of different pastas. We met this really nice older couple who were visiting the area from Texas and who had just visited the ARK in Kentucky. They showed us pictures and gave us a complete tour vicariously. They were very nice. We headed out from Boone around 7 and headed back up the parkway. The sunset was just awesome as we twisted and winded our way around the mountain. We saw lots of deer and a very large coyote on our way down the parkway on the morning ride. We finished up the left over cake and watched a little of the Yanks beating the Astros before showers started. I was ready for some horizontal lab by 10'ish, LATER
