I woke up again this morning in Winston-Salem and headed, once again, for the hills. I was bound for Blowing Rock, a town high in the Blue Ridge Mountains where a couple of attractions were beckoning me. As you enter town from the east on Hwy. 321, you encounter the titular Blowing Rock. Its signs proclaim it as "Carolina's Oldest Travel Attraction," having opened in 1935. As cheesy old roadside attractions go, this one is not bad. The rock itself is a huge stone that juts out over a rather steep mountain wall. This stone has a legend attached to it. The story goes that an Indian maiden (why are they always called Indian maidens, never Indian girls or women?) fell in love with a warrior (and they're always warriors, never dentists or accountants) from another tribe. They were quite happy until one day he received an omen that he was to return to his tribe. He was terribly upset at being faced with this choice: being true to his people or staying with the woman he had come to love.

Wracked with anxiety, he decided instead to kill himself. He kissed the Indian maiden goodbye and leapt from the rock. The distraught maiden prayed fervently asking the gods to save him and return him to her. Her prayers were answered when a huge gust of wind from below blew her loved one back into her arms. I must tell you, I have some doubts as to the veracity of this tale, but it's a nice one with a happy ending so what the hey. In any case, it's not just the legend of the rock that should draw one here, it's the wonderful views. There's a stone path that leads to the rock and along the way, one is treated to beautiful Blue Ridge vistas. And all for only three bucks.

Next was lunch at Holley's Tavern, a small lunch counter in the back of a general store. Holley's has a terrace just behind it with a great view, too, so I enjoyed my burger and fries out there.

The next stop was somewhat less satisfying. Mystery Hill, a few miles further along on 321, claims to be one of only three spots in the U.S. with a strange gravitational pull that defies explanation. The focus of the tourist's attention is a house where water flows uphill, balls roll uphill and people stand leaning at impossible angles. It was an interesting diversion but this house is surrounded by other lame attractions, through which one must pass before reaching the featured attraction. The presentation by our guide was also pretty annoying, ridden as it was with leaden, cornpone humor. It was as if the proprietors feared a room that defies gravity wouldn't be enough to keep visitors happy and decided that adding this HeeHaw reject was the solution. To top it off, Mystery Hill was a more expensive proposition, at $5.

The best attraction the town of Blowing Rock had to offer, though, was the road leading out of it. Hwy. 221, heading south and west, was as challenging and enjoyable a drive as any I've encountered. I was almost alone on this stretch of asphalt and the sharply winding twists and curves, all headed downhill, were a blast to navigate. It's worth a visit to Blowing Rock just to leave town by this route.

That night was spent in and around Asheville with my old friend, Pam. She has a home outside of town in a beautifully bucolic setting - surrounded by trees, a brook babbling out back, snakes everywhere you turn... Aaiieeeeeeee! Snakes! Where!?! Actually, I didn't encounter a snake but Pam enthusiastically recounted for me the time she came home to find a big black one waiting for her on the mantel just above her fireplace. This, just as I was laying out my pallet to go to sleep - on the floor right next to the fireplace! Thanks loads, old friend.

Earlier, just after dinner, we decided to stop in to see the local baseball team, the Asheville Tourists, battling the Columbia Mets. The Tourists play in a brand new park that is a pretty impressive facility and Pam had, in her three years in the area, yet to attend a Tourist game. We arrived a little late, the third inning, and the ticket offices were already closed. So we moseyed in for free and sat right behind home plate. It's beginning to seem as though I bring good luck to these minor league teams. The Tourists won, as had the Durham Bulls on Saturday night, in their final at-bat, 2-1.

Continue on the American Odyssey.
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