Last night a wicked storm cropped up while a bunch of us “residents” at the motel in Bryson City were drinking a few beers and conversing out on the porch in front of our rooms.  The other members of this little group were bikers and, as many of you know, I was a member of that culture for a portion of my life, so I felt at home with them.  We traded stories and laughs until the storm forced us inside.  I was tired at this point anyway so was ready to call it a night.

This morning was grey and gloomy, also a little chilly (62 degrees) but I was set to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to Little Switzerland, NC.  It was drizzling, and visibility seemed to be okay, so I took off at about 8:00 AM.  Unfortunately, conditions deteriorated while on one of the many North Carolina Smoky Mountain roads.  What started out as wisps of fog appearing to occasionally drop down from the sky became more frequent as the road because more treacherous.  At one point I and two pickup trucks were in the midst of about 40 bikers and, it was so bad, none of us were driving the speed limit of 45 mph.  When we finally came to a little town, I decided to pull over for a bit and catch my breath.

I was a bit lost as I had been just following people rather than paying attention to the GPS.  I figured as long as I was going in the general direction of my destination, what difference would it make.  So, I took Chloe for a little walk, drank some water, and then got back on the road.  At this point, I still hadn’t driven on the Blue Ridge Parkway as I had missed the entrance at Cherokee and my GPS stubbornly refused to find it.

So, after this little time out, I decided to just follow my GPS instructions and worry about the Parkway later.  Some of the ride was uneventful but then, I encountered the Diamondback.  Of course, I didn’t know that at the time; I just knew my GPS was taking me on Route 226-A.  Oh my God!  I cannot describe it any better than this description from www.blueridgemotorcycling.com :

“Just outside Marion, NC, The Diamondback – NC 226A – has more than 190 steep, climbing curves in just 12 miles. The temperatures cool as you climb the steep switchbacks looping almost 360 degrees. Runs of S-curves climb and twist sharply as they snake through lush green forest en route to the Blue Ridge Parkway just above Spruce Pine, North Carolina.

At its peak, The Diamondback joins the Parkway above Little Switzerland, NC. Expansive views of the mountain valley, shopping, dining and beverages, plus full-service accommodations and recreational amenities are available at Milepost 334.

Half the fun is getting there via The Diamondback – NC 226A. Sweeping curves, amazing scenery and cool mountain breezes make The Diamondback, NC 226A, a quick, fun route to North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway.”

It was scary!!!!  But, I finally found the Blue Ridge Parkway which I followed to my hotel–the Skyline Village Inn.  I was too early for check-in so decided to get back on the Parkway and head towards the highest elevation east of the Mississippi—Mount Mitchell.  While everything is lush and the scenery breathtaking, the intermittent but frequent fog obliterated most of the pictures I took. Also, even though it didn’t rain hard at any point today, the constant drizzle kept everything so wet that I wasn’t in the mood to hike, especially with Chloe.  So, we stopped at overlooks and campgrounds to check things out.

We headed back to our hotel and discovered what may be my favorite hotel/inn ever–what an absolutely charming place!  The Inn has only sixteen guest rooms, beautiful marble floors, 22 kinds of hardwoods and tables made of thousands of inlaid pieces of wood using a technique called parqueting.  Our room is all handmade hardwood walls and floor with a built-in desk, a comfortable queen-sized bed with lots of pillows and we are two steps away from the deck with a sweeping view of the valley and mountains beyond.  The inn proudly welcomes bikers and dogs and there is a restaurant on premises strictly for the guests.

View from hotel

So now I must talk about the restaurant.  First off, remember, this place only serves the guests; what a novel concept.  So, those of us in the eating room all had something in common and there was a lot of talking among tables.  There was a group of women bikers from Florida and other biker couples from elsewhere.  There were also other couples traveling with dogs!  We exchanged opinions about the area and the food.

Based upon recommendations, I ordered the crab cake with two sides and a glass of sauvignon blanc.  I was planning on having their homemade key lime pie for dessert, but they ran out.  Rather than getting a different dessert (I did consider the bourbon pecan pie), I decided to have another crab cake—it was that good.  I mean this crab cake was in the same class as Mom’s crab cakes.  The owner (the chef) did not serve the crab cake with a sauce that would overpower it; instead, she suggested a light hot sauce and OMG, was it ever good.  I selected cole slaw and potato salad as my sides and they were just as delectable.

So, after being completely satiated, I went back to the room a while later, walked Chloe, and am now settling in for the night.  I love this place and recommend it to everyone!