EDITOR'S NOTE: This guest blog series is being provided courtesy of members of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (wbcci.org) who recently participated in the 2019 Taste of the Blue Ridge Caravan between late May and mid June. Their 500-mile journey began in Cherokee, N.C. and ended outside the historic towns of Charlottesville and Staunton, VA. We hope you'll enjoy following along!
Our fourth stop on the 2019 Taste of the Blue Ridge Airstream Caravan was Boone, North Carolina. Our caravan members quickly learned the impact that pioneer Daniel Boone had on the region.
The first group meal in Boone was at the Dan'l Boone Inn, known for serving family style meals. Our family consisted of 43 Airstreamers sitting at a long table and passing around bowls of well prepared food. It reminded me of happy family Thanksgivings from my childhood and I could hear conversations taking place around the table while we ate.
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The first group meal in Boone was at the Dan'l Boone Inn, followed by breakfast at Shatley Springs.
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The first group meal in Boone was at the Dan'l Boone Inn, followed by breakfast at Shatley Springs.
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The first group meal in Boone was at the Dan'l Boone Inn, followed by breakfast at Shatley Springs.
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The first group meal in Boone was at the Dan'l Boone Inn, followed by breakfast at Shatley Springs.
Our caravan left early the next morning for breakfast at Shatley Springs. By the looks of their parking lot, locals have long known about the food served there.
Some members of our group elected to ride horses through a section of the Parkway while others simply went shopping or toured Blowing Rock.
True to our Airstream traditions, we had two ice cream socials while camping in Boone and we invited other Airstreamers in our campground to join us.
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You cannot visit the Boone area without making a side trip to Damascus to ride bikes on the Virginia Creeper Trail. We rode bicycles downhill for 17 miles on an old railway bed. Ray and Carol Combs, our Airstream Caravan leaders, timed our trip so that we would be passing a restaurant next to the trail that was famous for its chocolate cake.
After five days in Boone, it was time to return to the Parkway, this time heading into Virginia.