While we did not cycle on Black Friday, we did take a trip to the Peaks of Otter near Bedford, Virginia.  We spent Thanksgiving week with my daughter and her family in Raleigh on our way home from our trek across country. We did manage to get a few bicycle rides in during the week and also a trip to the MC Escher exhibit at the North Carolina Museum of Art.  Boppa made 3 batches of homemade ice cream with his grandgirls (maple black walnut, vanilla, and peppermint) during the days preceding Thanksgiving. That’s a whole lot of ice cream! Other food preparations were occurring as well for a delicious Thanksgiving dinner shared with my daughter’s family and friends.

Friday morning we were up and ready to travel in the RV from Raleigh to the Peaks of Otter for our traditional annual hike to Sharp Top.

We usually do this hike in October with various members of my husband’s family. It is never too late to hike Sharp Top. With the leaves off the trees, this year’s hike provided different views down the mountainside.  Photos below capture the grandgirls and their wish to be photographed on every large boulder along the trail.

This year’s trip up took a little longer as we also brought my daughter’s dog, Maizey, who had to stop and greet every other dog along the trail.

We spent the night at the Peaks of Otter Lodge and enjoyed a delicious dinner and breakfast the next morning at the Lodge Dining Room.

The lodge is situated so that all the rooms have views out over Abbitt Lake and towards Sharp Top.  The trail around the lake has now been improved with paved walkways and wooden platforms and bridges.  Also the lodge rooms have been upgraded with new bedding and TV’s (yuck to the TV’s) and also wi-fi.

Craig, my son-in-law, met us Saturday morning at the Lodge and we hiked another trail to Johnson’s Cabin before we all packed up to travel home – us to Wiliamsburg and my daughter’s family back to Raleigh.

We are finally back home in Williamsburg and integrating back into life in a house after being away for more than 2 months. Bill is already busy on house projects, mowing up leaves, and RV cleanup.

Hope we get a bicycle ride in today at some point!