Sunday, July 17, 2016:Beautiful Peaks of Otter

Sunday, July 17, 2016:Beautiful Peaks of Otter

I guess all the fun and festivities at Wildacres left me sleep deprived. I slept around the clock at the Blue Ridge Motel in Meadows of Dan—from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. It felt great, as did the hot shower. I was only about a mile from the Mabry Mill restaurant, where I try to stop for a meal every time I travel the parkway. I had a short stack of their famous pancakes and still couldn’t finish them. Then I cruised on north on the Parkway toward Peaks of Otter. The deer were everywhere. I saw five deer within one hour in the area around Roanoke Mountain. The last three were a doe and her two fawns. I stopped to let them cross the road, but only the doe and one fawn were brave enough to cross in front of me. The last fawn turned back and hid in the forest. I decided to continue on my way. I assume the doe would go back and tell her baby the coast is clear and it is OK to cross the road. I also saw a little groundhog or gopher popping his head up out of a burrow near the parkway. And I saw a beautiful red-tailed hawk eating some roadkill on the parkway. Another hawk sailed along beside me for a while. I felt like I was flying on my motorcycle.

All this wildlife was surrounded by a sea of green. The oaks, maples, pines, and rhododendrons are all rich shades of green. The shoulders are often rich, lush grass, with occasional riots of wildflowers. Everywhere you look is beauty. From the overlooks, there are distant views of the Shenandoah Valley to the west or the valleys of the Piedmont to the east. A brochure I read on this trip pointed out that when the Parkway opened air travel was extremely rare, and satellite images of the earth were still decades away. Seeing the valleys from the mountaintop gave a perspective few had witnessed.

Sharp Top reflected in Abbott Lake at Peaks of Otter.

I arrived at Peaks of Otter about 1:30. It was earlier than I had wanted to stop, but I had nonrefundable reservations at the lodge, so I decided to stay. I am so glad I did. Sunlight is sparkling off Abbott Lake, red-winged blackbirds are playing in the nearby trees. A man is teaching his grandson how to fish in the lake. Couples are strolling on the path around the lake. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

I have so many good memories of running around Abbott Lake that I was inspired to run the Lake Trail again, even though I have not been running all year. It is only about a mile, and I took it real slow, so it was just fine—wonderful, in fact. A few places that used to be a rugged dirt trail have now been paved, so the entire trail is now accessible for people in wheelchairs, and I saw a man in a wheelchair enjoying the trail with his family. It was heartwarming. It also made it easier for me to run.

Later I had a lovely meditation sitting by a tree beside the lake. I also enjoyed lovely walks to dinner and back. I'm so glad I stopped at Peaks of Otter.