Tony and I were able to getaway without the kids this summer to a Bed & Breakfast at Pilot Mountain. Our friends, Justin and Mary, kept our kids for 3 days so we could get away and then we kept their kids later in the summer. It is a fun trade off and we enjoy this time very much. We enjoyed a weekend full of hiking, eating good food, and relaxing together.
We stayed at the Pilot Mountain Bed and Breakfast. We stayed in a beautiful cabin.
This is a photo of our kitchen and living area.
Another view of the living area.
We spent the first evening getting settled, eating at a wonderful BBQ place and then we drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway right before sunset. In this photo, you can see Pilot Mountain in the distance.
Breathtaking views of God's beautiful creation.
We were hoping to see the sunset on the parkway but it was getting late and we had at least an hour drive back to our cabin. So, we left and this is the view we had in our rearview mirror on the drive back to our cabin. I climbed in the back seat of Tony's truck and started snapping pictures out his back window. The sky was so gorgeous.
Tony and I at Pilot Mountain.
Pilot Mountain
We are hiking around the knob of Pilot Mountain. It was amazing to look up at the rocks towering over us and to see all the many layers of the rocks.
This photo shows all the layers of the rocks - this was taken for Tony's mom.
We came across a trail (Ledge Springs Loop Trail 2.2 miles) that had this sign next to it and another sign saying it was strenuous. Tony could not pass this up, especially since our kids were not with us. So, of course we hiked it.
At one point, I got us off the trail (unknowingly) and we slid down the rocks above. The picture does not do justice on how steep it was. Tony was saying he thought we were on the wrong path and I insisted we were not. Once we got down this "path" we came to the next view (see below)....Oh the trail! :)
Imagine that, a clear path with yellow markers on the trees. Huh?? I wonder how that got there. I told Tony he was blessed with a wife that makes his life more interesting and entertaining. :)
We took a break on a ledge of rocks that overlooked this view. It was very nice and relaxing. I felt like a bird up in a tree.
Here is another ledge we rested on overlooking this beautiful view.
After hiking at Pilot Mountain, we headed to Hanging Rock for more hiking.
The ledge at Hanging Rock.
Here is one of the falls we hiked to at Hanging Rock.
The falls were quite pathetic in size but they were still pretty. Not sure they were worth the hike but we got good laughs out of it.
After a long day of hiking, we enjoyed a wonderful restaurant in Cody Creek called, "The Depot." It had great food, good service and beautiful grounds.
This is the covered bridge you drive through to get to the restaurant.
There was a chapel on the property where they have weddings.
Here is the inside of Cody Creek Chapel. They were decorating for a wedding while we were there.
This is the General Store next to the restaurant.
A beautiful gazebo that sat in the middle of the parking lot.
After dinner, we headed back up to Pilot Mountain to see the evening view. There was a ledge of rocks you could get to right near the parking lot so we thought we would take some photos. It started drizzling and we were both in nice shoes. I ended up kicking off my shoes, Tony set our camera on a rock using the timer setting, and we got a photo of us. I won't even mention how many times Tony had to run up and down the ledge of wet rocks to reset the camera timer and jump back in for another photo. But, we finally got a good one and it was worth it, I think. :)
On our last day, we headed back to Hanging Rock to hike the Moor's Knob trail. The trail was about a 4 mile loop trail. We found out after the fact that we could have gone up and down a shorter, easier trail but we took the loop instead which was definitely more challenging. We were close to the top when we ran into a lady walking a dog. I said "hi" and then commented on how surprised I was at all the dogs on the trail since it was such a challenging trail. The lady then asked, "Are you from around here?" We replied, "No." And she informed us to be careful because this range of mountains has had an abundance of Rattlesnakes. I did NOT need to know that!!! The rest of the way up as we climbed over rocks and forged our way through overgrown paths, I was freaking out!!! To say I was panicking was an understatement and there was times I was running up the rocky trail. All I could think of was I still have to hike back down this trail (for about 2+ miles) after we reach the top, and with the notion in my head about Rattlesnakes. Not a good thought! Once we got to the top it was foggy and raining (see above photo). We could not see a thing. I am SOOO glad we hiked this mountain, NOT! We stayed on the top for a while and the clouds were kind enough to break a little so we could see below. We talked to some people on the top of the mountain that reassured me the hike down was very easy and they have never seen Rattlesnakes on this trail. So, I was starting to feel much better. The hike down was much better with a wide, clear trail and I could finally breathe again. It was quite the adventure for sure. After the hike, we grabbed a snack and then headed for home. We stopped for dinner at my favorite wings place before going to get the kids. It was a great weekend away!
On top of Moor's Knob - the clouds cleared briefly.
This is the visitor center with Moor's Knob behind it. You can see it was clear except at the top of the mountain. Wish we would have paid attention to this before starting our hike up.
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