Virginia!

We left Jonesborough on Friday, May 17 in cold and damp weather arriving in Salem, Virginia meeting our hostess Marian McConnell at the Hanging Orange Market. It was exciting to ride in and find her waiting for us! Unfotunately, I was too cold to even think about taking her picture...Marian took this of us. We were so happy to get off our bikes and just stand in sunshine.


We headed across the street to Billy Barns for lunch and to warm up. We were frozen to the bone! Even though the sun was shining the air was chilly and damp. Riding in cold, damp weather is really tough - it completely zaps your energy. The warmth of the restaurant was exactly what we needed.

After lunch Marian guided us through gorgeous countryside stopping to get a great view of McAfee Knob, that overlooks Catawaba Valley, which is part of the Appalachian Trail. The view from our vantage point was breathtaking and I can only imagine what it's like from the top of the Knob.

A few miles through the country we arrive at Marian's and I was faced with a packed gravel and dirt driveway with a curve! Yikes! Marian had warned me and I just got my gumption up and followed her up the hill. I was pretty happy that I made it. 

MURDER HOLE CAVE...oh my!
We parked our bikes at the cave entrance and what an entrance. It's slightly shrouded by trees and brush, but the hole is HUGE! We walk all around it and take pictures. I'm a little nervous standing so close to the edge. Marian tells us that people and animals have fallen in and died in the cave. EEK! In spite of my trepidation about staying with total strangers with a cave on their property, Marian was a great guide and didn't attempt to push us in. So far, so good!

Marian is an author and wrote a book entitled Murder Hole which was recently published. Marian gave us a signed copy and I'm excited to read it, especially since I survived my visit to Murder Hole Cave. Here's the cover of her book and  check out this website for an overview of the legend of the cave http://ww2.roanoke.com/roatimes/news/story137647.html

We had a fabulous afternoon on Marian's deck enjoying the Virginia sunshine. Marian introduced us to her husband Dan and her mom Tillie who welcomed us warmly. We felt at home and it felt like we were in the company of old friends.

After a home cooked dinner, we went with Marian and Dan to a Blue Ridge Grotto Cavers Club meeting and saw an amazing presentation about Dry Cave which isn't really dry but rather wet. The photos were incredible and beautiful. Caves have a whole beauty that most of us never see. Everyone at the Club meeting were genuine cavers with an amazing passion for exploring, documenting and protecting caves.   We learned from Dan that "cavers rescue spelunkers" and he's an expert in rescue missions. 

We also went to the Third Street Coffee House which was a remarkable experience and place. It's only open on Friday nights, it's non-smoking, no-alcohol and provides singer-song writers a platform to showcase their music and songs. The place was packed and we had a great time, listening to 3 different singer/songwriters. We'd never been to a place like this before. A fabulous experience. I could have sat and listened to music for hours. In her free time, Marian books the musicians for most of the events.
Saturday found me enjoying an off day, again doing laundry (even on the road it piles up), writing and just hanging out at the house. Dan and Randy went on a sightseeing ride and Marian was off at a gem, mineral and jewelry show selling her new book.

Our conversation centered mostly around the rides that we've done and the McConnell's upcoming road trip to the west. They'll be touring all of our favorite destinations, Yellowstone, Cody, Moab and we'll excited to see them this summer in Utah. 

Dan grilled us the thickest steaks ever.  Marian pulled out a ruler and measured for us - imagine 2" thick steaks grilled to perfection - we ate every bite!  Saturday evening was even more amazing because after dinner we enjoyed a private accordion concert by Tillie who was simply fantastic.


Randy played the accordion in elementary school and he even picked it up again. He didn't remember anything but he looks pretty good holding it.


Dan and Marian also played several songs for us and told the stories behind the song. One of my favorites was a song Marian wrote about her Deluxe, Scarlet O'Harley. Fabulous!







Sunday we parted from Catawba Valley after a terrific ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway up to Roanoke's Historic Star. The star is lit every night and it's huge! It's even on the National Register Historic Places and was installed in 1949. It overlooks Roanoke Valley and we could see McAfee Knob in the distance. The view was spectacular.

We took lots of pictures and didn't say goodbye, but we'll see you again.



We loved visiting Catawba Valley and even more so because we had the chance to meet new friends. Marian and Dan were fabulous hosts and showed us a side of Catawba Valley that we would have missed. We're so grateful for their friendship and outstanding visit. Meeting Marian, Dan and Tillie was an incredible experience and it all happened because of Facebook!