On a brilliant September 30 morning Joe and I started our day trip north to Galax for the wedding renewal of Veronica and Sam Smoot set right after the First Baptist Church 11:00 Sunday morning worship service we attended, where as visitors we received a beautiful little hardback edition of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Prayer of Jabaz. By the end of the lovely reception our camera held over a hundred keepsake photos.
Switching gears from invitation to exploration, we changed back into jeans for the journey to meet a bit of Galax, Gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia. Charming downtown Main Street won our hearts. After lunch at Aunt Bea's Barbecue we started our hike at the New River Trail State Park trail head, a linear "Rails to Trails" recreation park 57 miles to Pulaski often near the scenic New River, second oldest in the world. At the Cliffview Ranger Station we bought Stone Ground Shenandoah Buckwheat Pancake Mix and ended with an eight tenths of a mile trek from the Chestnut Yard Access to Chestnut Creek Falls. From Joe's perspective we walked upstream going and uphill returning…
Mount Rogers and White Top Mountain, Virginia's two highest peaks, provide the proper backdrop for the waxy green-leafed namesake Galax we didn't see along this 2,500 foot elevation. Half the United States population can reach delightful and friendly Galax (originally called Bonaparte) within a day's drive. Come see for yourself!