October has turned into a very special month for us. It began with Tess falling in love with the music of Darius Rucker and our spontaneous decision to go see him with Hootie and the Blowfish at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island. That connection turned prophetic when we were then invited to join in the celebration of Sandra Boynton's latest creation Frog Trouble in Nashville, Tennessee.
Darius is one of the featured performers on the Frog Trouble Book and Album singing Beautiful Baby, which just happens to be an incredibly beautiful song. The advent of that event provided an opportunity for my sister to visit us in Hendersonville where we could share with her and hubby some of our most beautiful sights. Not to mention a visit with our own beautiful grand baby in Charlotte.
The Loveless Café in Nashville
proved to be the perfect place for the Frog Trouble kick off, or Hop Off as it were, where hundreds of Boynton's fans and faithful gathered to wish her well.
Our Thanks to Sandra for sharing a Wonderful Evening with Friends and Family and for creating Beautiful Music for a Fun Filled Family Album and Book.
Don't be a Pollywog ...
"Jeepers Creepers wheredya get those Peepers
Jeepers Creepers wheredya get those Eyes"
Somehow I just had to get that out of my system.....
We began our journey with a hearty breakfast at Mountain Pie and Cake on Hwy 25 in Hendersonville - Outstanding!!!
The Virginia Creeper Rails to Trails had reached almost mythological proportions in my mind. A continuous car free conveyance, 34 miles of converted rails crisscrossing the Appalachian Trail through pristine rolling hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in southern Virginia. We began our ride at the southernmost point of the trail in Whitetop, elevation 5518 population 535 and wound our way to Damascus, elevation 1952 population 815 and back to Abingdon, elevation 2087 population 8191. My point in mentioning these stats is that we are traveling slightly northwest we are decidedly pedaling downhill for much of the way making the journey infinitely more enjoyable and definitely doable for everyone in the family. On this particularly
beautiful Saturday in September I would guesstimate the riding population to be double that of the combined populations of Whitetop and Damascus. Statistically the Creeper averages over 100,000 people per year and has generated over 1.6 million in economic impact, supporting close to 30 jobs.
http://resources.bikewalkvirginia.org/greenways/case-studies/the-virginia-creeper-trail-benefits-and-facts/
I see the Virginia Creeper Trail as a role model for the rest of us who would like to see the proliferation of these family friendly trails continue, like the Swamp Rabbit in Greenville, The Silver Comet in Atlanta and I hope the soon to be Ecusta Trail from Hendersonville to Brevard.
Til then I'll just keep pedaling.
