SNAKE MOUNTAIN SOIREE
We
got the invitation in the mail a few weeks ago.
I’m usually pretty adept at inventing a prior commitment when it comes
to wedding invitations, but in this case I made an exception. Christy and I met Bill about 10 years ago
while tailgating before an Appalachian State football game. Bill was a freshman, and we were already
old. Bill and friends were tailgating
nearby and were quite noticeable since they were all wearing togas. However, the real reason we met Bill was that
we’d run of beer (party foul) and they had a full keg. Yes, you’re reading this correctly – the
adults got beer from the 18-year-old. I’m
pretty sure that’s not entirely illegal.
Somehow,
improbably, we kept in touch over the years.
We have season tickets directly behind Bill’s seats, and we still occasionally
tailgate together. And yes, Bill still
wears the toga on special occasions.
Bill
was getting married to Sallie on Saturday, and there was no thought of trying
to dodge this one. We had to go. For one thing, Bill and Sallie are still in
their 20’s, so we figured that the reception might actually be fun. At the very least, the music was bound to be
better than the typical wedding reception.
Also, the invitation mentioned something about margaritas, which sounded
encouraging. It didn’t say anything
about pre-ceremony tailgating though, and Christy adamantly refused to let me
bring the cornhole.
We
took the dogs to the sitter on Saturday morning and drove towards Boone. I was pretty nervous on the way up. It was to be an outdoor wedding, high up on
Snake Mountain, and the weather looked hostile.
Angry black clouds had swallowed Grandfather Mountain long before we
reached Blowing Rock. A downpour
appeared to be imminent.
We
parked in a small field just outside the Sunalei
Preserve, on the west flank of Snake Mountain.
Bill sells real estate when he isn’t working one of several other jobs,
and the company he works for owns Sunalei. Bill used to live there, but he moved into a
house with Sallie in Boone a few months earlier.
Sunalei is very close to the Tennessee state
line, but fortunately it’s still in North Carolina so their marriage is all
legal and everything. Not that us North Carolinians have anything to brag about when
it comes to the institution of marriage…
We
eventually caught a shuttle bus up to the wedding site. The ceremony was outside near the Sunalei lodge. It
was a beautiful spot, surrounded by blooming Catawba Rhododendron. The view of Snake Mountain from there was
fantastic, as the clouds magically lifted just before the ceremony was about to
begin.
The
ceremony was pleasant and reasonably brief.
The reception featured plentiful booze and music from a local string
band. Another highlight of the day was
Sallie’s dress, which was made from her mother’s wedding dress. The dress featured a lacy strap over one
shoulder. I pointed out to Christy that
it was highly appropriate that she wore a dress in honor of Bill’s traditional
toga. Christy kicked me in the ankle
while stifling a laugh. After a couple
of beers I suggested mentioning it to Sallie, but Christy thought it was a bad
idea. Apparently it’s something of a
faux pas to make jokes about the bride’s dress at a wedding. Who knew?
I did share my observation with Bill though. He laughed, but didn’t kick me in the ankle. On the other hand, he was in agreement with
Christy about not mentioning it to his wife.
So I didn’t, but it looks like I’m going to post it on the interwebs and also the facebooks.
It
started raining shortly after we left.
After a stop in Boone, we headed over to Bob and Laura’s place in Ashe
County, near Fleetwood. We spent the
evening there enjoying their hospitality.
They will be traveling to London for their daughter’s wedding in a
couple of weeks.
The
next morning I dropped Christy off in Todd so she could do a bike ride. She planned to ride Railroad Grade Road along
the New River between Todd and Fleetwood.
She was planning to make two round trips (40+ miles), which would take
close to three hours. I decided to spend
that time up at Elk Knob State Park. Elk
Knob is one of North Carolina’s newest parks.
I’d last been up Elk Knob back in the 90’s, when the only route was an
old eroded jeep road. A proper trail to
the summit was recently completed, and I was looking forward to checking it
out.
I
stopped at the park office and picked up a trail map. The new trail is 2 miles long and gains
around 1,000’ of elevation. The forest
surrounding the park office was covered in blooming Large Flowered Trillium,
but I hadn’t seen anything yet. The
first mile of the trail was lined with more of them, covering entire hillsides
with giant white blossoms. After a mile
the Large Flowered Trilliums faded away, but they were replaced with Wakerobin Trilliums.
Several of the Wakerobin Trilliums were nearly
white. I’m not sure if that was their
natural color, or if they were albinos, or if the red had just faded from them.
I
reached the summit a little more than an hour after I started. The summit features two overlooks. I went to the north overlook first, where I
was treated to views including The Peak, Three Top, Bluff Mountain, and the
rest of the peaks of Ashe County. Mount
Rogers was visible in the distance, but obscured by heavy clouds. The southern overlook featured an even more
dramatic view including Snake Mountain, Rich Mountain, Grandfather Mountain,
Beech Mountain, Sugar Mountain, Roan Mountain, and the Black Mountains. Ugly black clouds were rolling in over
Grandfather, so I didn’t linger long. I
made a quick hike back down the mountain, and drove back to Todd to pick up
Christy. She had just finished her ride,
and we headed to Boone for lunch.
I’ll
definitely return to Elk Knob State Park.
The trail is fairly short and not particularly difficult, but it’s ideal
for a quick hike. The park includes
quite a bit of additional land (including parts of Snake Mountain), but there
aren’t any official trails in those areas.
Still, the more remote parts of the park might be worth exploring.
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