By Bob Tagert

For our September adventure, we decided to head south to the mountains of Nelson County and spend a couple of nights at Love Ridge Mountain Lodging in the town of Love, Virginia. We also decided to make our drive down to Love Ridge a real adventure and pick up Skyline Drive at Thornton Gap near Sperryville and then continue to the end and pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway to mile post 16 right before Love Ridge Mountain Lodging. With a speed limit of 45 mph on these beautiful roads we knew it would be a long trip.

We departed Old Town at 10:45 on Monday morning and made our way to Sperryville, Virginia. We arrived in Sperryville at 12:30 after driving 85 miles. We made a stop at the Corner Store for some traveling treats and Lani had to have her Bud Light Chelada and some beef jerky! Leaving Sperryville, we entered the Thorton River Gap at 12:45 after a total of 92.4 miles of travel. It was a pretty cloudy day and we encountered heavy clouds at the highest point of the drive. The normally beautiful scenic overlooks were all clouded over so we didn’t stop much enroute to our destination.

At 3:00 and 167 miles we picked up the Blue Ridge Parkway. Having never driven the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was expecting something akin to Skyline Drive. I was wrong…this is more of a transient roadway rather than a tour of the country side. There were few over look stops and very little traffic. We arrived at our destination at 4:48 after a total of 228 miles. Our cabin was one of the very first we came to. A rustic, well appointed, one room cabin with back and side porch as well as a grill and fire ring out back. Lani had preordered a snack basket of cheeses, meats and other tasty items that was accompanied with a bottle of Gabriele Rausse’s Malbec. We opened the bottle of wine and settled in.

After securing some firewood for later, we used the wifi at the cabin to find directions to Wintergreen Resort for dinner. We were at an elevation of 2800 feet and our Verizon cell service in the mountains was spotty at best. Also, signage on the Blue Ridge Parkway is minimal as no commercial signage is allowed. Our turnoff from the BRP was Love Road or Route 814 in big letters.

Our drive to Wintergreen was uneventful except for the fact that these were mountain roads with steep hills. Down shifting is a good practice going downhill to save your brakes. In a matter of 15 minutes, we entered the Wintergreen property and headed to the resort and The Edge restaurant. I would imagine that during ski season this place is packed. On top of the mountain with wrap-a-round windows, the views are excellent. We sat at a high top near the bar where we had a nice view of the cloudy mountain and also a good view of the young man playing music. Perfect. Tyler – bartender, server and Assistant Edge Manager – was fantastic and made a great vodka gimlet.

Lani and I both ordered the Cajun spiced pork tenderloin that was on the specials menu. It was accompanied with mashed potatoes and a green bean/carrot vegetable combo. This was very good and paired nicely with a bottle of Seaglass Rose’.

The dining room was crowded with a more mature group of diners. The draw may have been the Burger Special – buy one, get one free. The guitar/singer’s music was perfect for this group.

We made our way back to the cabin, secured some more firewood and lit up the fire ring. I lit up a cigar and we finished off the rest of the wine. This was a perfect ending to a long day.

That night the massive king size bed was a real treat. It was one of the most comfortable beds I have ever slept in, or I was dog tired. The one room cabin itself is a great layout. In

the corner there is a water jet tub for soothing those muscles after a day of hard skiing at Wintergreen. There is also a small couch with a wall gas fireplace next to the sliding glass doors that lead to the back porch. A small kitchen lines the opposite wall with everything you would need. The bathroom is set off by itself next to the bed complete with a walk-in shower.

The next morning, we enjoyed our morning coffee on the side porch. The clouds remained and the air was still. This was our day to explore the town of Nellysford – a short drive off the mountain to the valley. Our first stop was Belties Farm Inn for a late breakfast. Belties derives their name from the Belted Galloway, a hardy Scottish beef

cattle breed known for its distinctive white belt, which encircles its black, red, or dun-colored body. There are four Belties on the property but they were all in the barn at the feed bunk the whole time we were there. This was a great way to start the day with one of their breakfast sandwiches and their excellent coffee. They are located in the heart of town on the Rockfish Valley Highway.

Our next stop was the Three Notch’d Brewing/Craft Beer and Distillery. Our “Let’s Get Crafty” craft beer and whiskey writer, Tim Long, recently wrote about their bourbon from their Richmond distillery. They do not give tours but they do have a large bar that features their draft beers and whiskies and a pretty extensive craft cocktail selection. I

enjoyed one of their bourbons while Lani tried one of their craft cocktails in a can…SOUR PATCH’D, a vodka-based cocktail. Both were very good. We enjoyed the bar as well as the locals who came in for a drink. We took a look at their menu and it looks like that is where we will grab some eats next time we are in the area.

Not knowing what we were going to do next, Lani picked up a flyer for the Nelson 151 Craft Beverage Trail. The Nelson 151 is a trail comprised of 7 wineries, 6 breweries, 3 cideries and 4 distilleries. Thinking this trail was right up our alley, we decided to try another distillery.

A few miles up the road in Afton, VA, we stopped at Silverback Distillery. This was a distillery with a very active bar. As we arrived a bus load of young tourists were just leaving. As they left in a loud rush I felt like I was in a rip current and could be sucked

out of the front door. That soon passed and we settled in for cocktails. Silverback is the only mother and daughter distillery in the nation. I was first struck by the incredible packaging of their products. In keeping with the Silverback theme, the vodka and gin bottles have primates pictured through the clear liquid. Very impressive. We bought a bottle of each just because of the package but Lani said the vodka cocktail she had was very good. I had a glass of their Blackback Alpha Series bourbon. It was excellent. I asked to buy a bottle of that as well but they were running low and needed that bottle for service. Unfortunately, they do not distribute to stores and sales are only made at the distillery. Maybe next time. After some more conversation with three fun locals and getting to know the entertaining Alexis behind the bar, we decided to head back to the cabin.

After debating what to do for dinner, we opted to stop at the local IGA and pick up some house-made subs and macaroni salad with a side of chips accompanied by some chocolate chip cookies and headed up the mountain.

Our last night at the cabin was the best. With the clouds seemingly resting on our shoulders, we used some old Town Crier issues to start our fire, as we invited our new silverback friends to be our cocktails. In the glow of the fire and the smooth taste of the drink we noticed the mist about us. It became clear that we were immersed in the cloud. As the mist began to collect on the tree leaves above us, they soon became drops of water that began to lightly fall. It was magical, something you would expect on a cloudy night at 2800 feet.

The next morning, we left early in order to make it back for my 2 pm eye doctor appointment in Vienna. Our homeward route was going to be more direct. We took the road out front, Love Road, north to I-64 and west to I-81 north. Traffic was good and we didn’t hit any slowdowns. We left the cabin at 10:00 am and arrived in Vienna at 12:57 and a total of 171.5 miles.

This fall, if you are looking to escape to the mountains, I would highly recommend booking a cabin, a house, a camp site or a glamping tent at Love Ridge Mountain Lodging. Love Ridge has many amenities. Give them a call and make your booking…you will be pleased. Check out their website for full details. (see their ad in this issue)