I don't know why I can't seem to get through a weekend of Unicoi without having a sleepless night. In this case, James was a participant as well. The latest beds at the lodge are firm enough, but we are used to a mattress with baffles enough to stabilize the Queen Mary. Every time one of us moves the lodge beds ripple, not to mention my knees aching woke me up all night.

So it was two distinctly bleary-eyed folks who made their way out of the room and had breakfast at the lodge hotel: French toast, bacon, cereal, skim milk, also waffles, sausages, grits, quick-cook oatmeal, fruit, and other goodies. Then we got into the car and headed for Blue Ridge.

It was a nice cool, breezy day, with fluffy clouds all around (until we got back to Helen late in the afternoon, it was in the 60s), and we headed on our plotted route, up 368 to Blairsville. There was a note that the road was closed, but other folks were using it, so we hoped it might have been some teenage pranksters. Unfortunately, about six miles up a very twisty-turny steeply ascending road, near a scenic overlook where over half a dozen cars were parked enjoying the view—and it was a lovely view, the trees about a week or two behind in blooming and still in soft greens of many shades and even some pinks—the road was indeed blocked off.

We turned around and went back to the road we had taken to 368, and went in the opposite direction, going toward Cleveland. The navigation on the Droid "caught its breath," and rerouted us to the road that connects Cleveland and Blairsville, so we were once again headed north, and then west, through a patch of National Forest, but not like what we had driven through previously.

We arrived in Blue Ridge and here the navigation performed a bobble: it said we were there and we weren't. But we were on the correct street, and once James made a U-turn, we found Free Time Hobbies quite easily. While he was in the shop, I called the vet back (we had received a call on the road) and gave them permission to take a X-ray of Willow's chest. She's been coughing off and on, before the pollen began.

We also went one street over to downtown Blue Ridge. In what was once a bustling small town on either side of the railroad tracks, the old buildings were now antique shops, boutiques, restaurants, fudge and candy shops, etc. We walked some way down Main Street, stopping at a pet-oriented store, a little shop that stocked Christmas ornaments along with gourmet foods, a book shop with an impressive collection of military books (James got an aviation book), and a little candy shop where I bought a quarter pound of dark-coated orange creams. I haven't had orange creams since the last time my mom bought us some from Sweenor's at Thanksgiving 2004.

The ride back was much quicker, especially since I kept dozing off. Sorry to miss the pretty scenery, but–

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. . . . . noted and logged by Linda at 4:27:00 PM

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