Ode to the Blue Ridge (Part II)

WHEN: July 28th for 4 days

WHERE: Vilas, North Carolina (Dale's Wheels Through Time & Oconaluftee)

WHY: To Escape the Heat and Finish our trek of the Blue Ridge Parkway (see April, 2024)

SHELTER: Random Resort in Vilas, NC (originally tent camping for 7 days but plans changed)

PERKS: The Mountain Air

Let's pick up where we left off at Ode to the Blue Ridge (Part I). These last two stops were quite memorable and deserved a special post.

Milepost 455, Dale's Wheels Through Time  $15, AND WORTH EVERY PENNY and wheelchair accessible!

It is not like us to spend $15 to go into a museum, but this museum is the reason we came to Maggie Valley. We tried to come when we were passing through in January on our way back from Florida, but they were closed for the season. So make sure you check their hours if you are taking a long ride. There is much more to see in Maggie Valley as well. We hope to return one day soon!

Every bit of Dale's collection is precious and cared for and while you wander in awe of all these precious memories you will also get to experience the sounds and scents of many of these vehicles.

The staff regularly goes through the museum to run all the working bikes to keep them in working order.

Trust us, for some crazy reason it is very exciting once the hum of a bike has started running around until you find the crowd also enjoying the sounds.

I was really excited to find this bike and quilt which belonged to the founder of Motor Maids; an eighty-five-year-old women's riding club. I know a few Motor Maids and I feel in my heart they are goddesses. These women are much older than I am and are fearless, strong, and independent...maybe I can grow up and be like them one day.

These bikes go way back and they even have this odd semi-trike pulling a full trailer.

I am sure plenty of us use a GPS to get around and we have a few older biker friends that don't use them but always seem to go where they are going...

...we don't know if our friends are using this groovy paper map scroll thingy or just running free.

This thingy is called a rollchart and solves the problem of riding with a map or without technology.

Photo Dump Below...

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Milepost 462, Oconaluftee Visitor Center Free, handicapped accessible, and we got a stamp!

We didn't mean to see an elk...we saw the warning signs everywhere as we wandered our way to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center as it was our last stop for our final stamp in our National Park Passport Book. Our prior experience with rare animal sightings told us that if there is a warning sign there isn't a chance in Bob and Mel Hell of seeing one.

As we approached the visitor center we became agitated when we saw all the cars. Ugh, what is so special to everyone else that they too want to see this visitor center? We wander off-season as much as possible just to avoid crowds and what have we found here!?!

We found hundreds of people stopped in the road for elk to cross. Not one elk...several dozen elk.

Why are they here? I have spent years of my childhood in these mountains and never heard of such a thing outside of a zoo. Here is what I found...they died off 200 years ago in these mountains and in 2001 they were reintroduced and thriving. I immediately became concerned for their well-being during Hurricane Helene. Currently, a quick Google search tells me that they are fine although shortly after the storm they appeared exhausted.

Here is a photo dump the groovy stuff we actually came to see, the Mountain Farm Museum. Which has a self-guided tour book for $1.00 if you want to be prepared.

Apologies for the delay; we've been quite busy! Keep an eye out for our upcoming adventure to New Orleans, Cowpens National Battlefield, Chickamauga/Chattanooga, and Kings Mountain National Military Parks!