The third week in October is one of my favorite weeks of the year. No, I’m not talking about a game…I’m talking about fall, y’all. I love the cooler temperatures and the lower humidity. My eyes dance as they take in the brilliant orange, yellow and red leaves that adorn the limbs of the hardwoods. The third week of October is my favorite week of fall because it is typically when the changing leaves are at, or at least near, their peak in color. That is especially true in the mountains of eastern Tennessee and western Carolina. I spent last week there and it did not disappoint. The trees should win an academy award for Best Costume and maybe even for Best in Show.
Having grown up in the northeast Alabama mountains, I have a deep-rooted love and longing for mountains. Jean and I spent last week in a lakeside condo near Banner Elk, North Carolina. Banner Elk is nestled in the gorgeous Blue Ridge Mountains, high above the town of Boone. I first discovered that area some 40 years ago when I took a church youth group there to snow ski. I have returned several times since, but not recently until last week.
The only thing I found there that I did not like were the unbelievably crooked mountain-gap roads. There is a good road up the mountain from Boone, but a couple of times my GPS insisted that I take the scenic route. The rural countryside is indeed a site to behold, but don’t look off to behold too long or you might miss one of those curves and be in a hole off the road. I’ve never seen any snake with that many curves. Boone to Banner Elk is only about 20 minutes on the main road. The back-road scenic route takes so long the leaves could be gone by the time you reach the top! The color became more vibrant as we climbed higher and higher. My prayer life improved slightly, too, especially when I spotted a big yellow school bus on that road.
On the third weekend in October, the town of Banner Elk hosts the Woolly Worm Festival each year. The festival includes two days of woolly-worm races. Kentucky has its horse derby and North Carolina its woolly worm (aka woollybear caterpillar) races. Those worms can reach speeds of up to one-tenth of a mile in two weeks! The problem is they only race for two days. Horse jockeys are required to be small, so you can only imagine how small those caterpillar riders must be! The overall race winner earns a $1,000 purse but also the honor of predicting the coming winter weather. Pennsylvania has its groundhog and Banner Elk has its woolly worm. Each woolly worm has 13 colored bands and the color of those bands represents the 13 weeks of winter. Black bands predict a cold and snowy winter and brown bands predict a milder winter. Hey, it makes as much sense as a groundhog!
On our last evening there, we rode down the mountain to Boone to have supper at the Dan’l Boone Inn Restaurant. Oh my! I had forgotten how good it is. It’s family style. They brought out a platter of fried chicken, country steak and gravy, biscuits filled with smokehouse ham, 367 bowls of vegetables, fried apples and your choice of dessert. You can eat all you want or until you pass out! I think I gained 13 pounds from that one meal!
God did such a beautiful job on the Blue Ridge Mountains. Go take a peek and grab a bite to eat while you’re there!
Bill King can be reached at bkpreach@yahoo.com or 334-728-5514 (office).
