Into the Virginia Mountains

Yesterday we were sad to drive away from Wilmington, NC and toddle our way to Roanoke, VA but it was sure a pretty drive.  The mountains in this part of the country aren't nearly as mountain-y as they are out West but they're way more mountain-y than Rib Mountain, the only one in Wisconsin.  I noticed a cool thing about North Carolina as we drove along, they've planted flowers, masses of flowers, in the little plots of ground surrounded by on and off ramps along the highways.  Naturally no cameras were in reach but trust me, it was very pretty--pink, white, yellow, orange, and red flowers--all the same kind in a tight bed so there'd be a swath of pink or orange with yellow dots.  Pretty.  And they were cutting trees along the way so every once in a while the lovely scent of pine would fill the car.

We got here around 6 PM and searched mapquest.com for a nearby place to eat--that wasn't the next door Subway.  We found a place called Thelma's Chicken & Waffles that looked nearby and we drove there which was a real "trick with a hole in it" since it involved rapid on-ramp then off-ramp moves, at high speed and in the dark, and the downtown area was poorly lit and had zipping bicyclists with tiny flickering blue headlights as added spice.  Our trusty Robert, the GPS, led us right there but it was in a trendy area with no parking visible and a line.  *sigh*  So we went to Sheetz, a gas station with made-to-order burgers you order from a touch screen terminal.  It was pretty cool to build a burger and they were pretty darned tasty.

I wrote in the travel diary before bed since I'd left it in the van all the time we were in Wilmington (gotta catch up before I forget) so there's no "prompt" writing to add here.  Enjoy your day.  Huntington, WV tonight, the last "new" state for me this trip.
--Barbara