We got up early in anticipation of a good day on the bike. I have never ridden the Blue Ridge Parkway so we decided this would be a good time to do it. First we wanted to ride Maggie Valley, do the Wheels of Time museum and then head over to the Parkway. We would finish the day in the Little Switzerland Inn. This would be a little break from the camping and allow for a nice little get a way. We were excited for what the day would bring.
We had breakfast at Tellico Grains Bakery. What a nice little place. The food was good and the staff was very friendly. We enjoyed our breakfast and then hit the road.
We had a great morning on the bike, making our way to Maggie Valley. The morning was beautiful and the roads were amazing as always. WE arrived at the Wheel of Time, however we were disappointed that it was closed and we would not be able to visit. We will have to make that on our next trip. We jumped back on the bike and enjoyed the great weather and wonderful roads.
While riding the BRP it started to get real cloudy and dark.We were about 40 miles from the Little Switzerland Inn. I talked Jamie out of putting on the rain gear as we were going to “go around” the storms on our route. Well guess what? That was not the case. We got soaked for a good 30 minutes. The last 10 miles the sun came out and we had a very enjoyable ride to the Inn.
We rolled into the Inn and got the bags off the bike, right before the skies opened up. It rained a good 45 minutes as hard as I have ever seen it rain. The lightning and thunder were incredible and we are so glad that we were not riding. There were a number of bikes hanging out and waiting for a break in the rain. We got to speak with a number of riders who were staying 40-50 miles away. They were not excited about that ride and I could not blame them.
The weather finally broke and the evening emerged with cooler temps and clear skies. It was a fabulous way to end the day. We got a little dressed up and had a couple of drinks in the bar before heading down to a great dinner. We then sat outside, had some coffee and enjoyed some dessert. The evening was amazing and such a great way to end this magical day. The little Switzerland Inn was amazing and it will be a place we will remember for years to come.
