Day 10 Wheezy Rider

Day 10 Sid and Musical Park Ranger, originally uploaded by Gail S.

Well, after an entertaining evening at the Williams Motel in North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, I awoke with full blown bronchitis. Yes, I was sneezy, weepy, wheezy, whiny and the rest of the seven dwarves. Sid MADE me get out of bed, pack and get on the road, assuring me I would feel better once I started moving around. Fearful that he would leave me at the motel, I complied.

After an omelet at the Woodhaven Family Restaurant, we headed back to the Blue Ridge Parkway via Hwy 18. Our primary destination on the parkway was the Blue Ridge Music Center in Virginia.

Promoters of traditional music have always said that picking banjos and sawing fiddles are everyday occurrences in the talent-rich Appalachian region. Music is as commonplace as air in the mountains, and musical ability seems to come as naturally as eating or sleeping to a surprisingly large portion of the population. You don't have to attend a concert or convention to hear the best musicians the mountains have to offer - just pull up a chair on a porch packed with pickers or stop by an old country store.

Or you can stop by the center to hear some of their talented resident musicians.

Day 10 Blue Ridge Music Center, originally uploaded by Gail S.

It was our good fortune to hear and interact with the Buck Mountain Band who were playing in the breezeway of the center.

Day 10 Buck Mountain Band, originally uploaded by Gail S.

These talented folks shared some of the history of their band and their traditional blend of mountain music. It was truly delightful and engaging. After visiting with the musicians and buying a CD, we toured the center's historical exhibit. What a surprise to discover the Park Ranger playing the dulcimer and other instruments in the center.

We headed back out on the parkway, stopping for lunch at the Lake View restaurant in Fancy Gap, Virginia. At this point I was feeling worse and we stopped our travels for the day after logging only 78 miles. Would we ever make it to Roanoke? I slept 9 hours that night.

As the band Alabama sings:
"Oh, play me some mountain music
Like grandma and grandpa used to play
Then I'll float on down the river
To a Cajun hideaway, hey hey

Oh play me mountain music
Oh play me mountain music
Oh play me mountain music
Oh play
Yeehaw"