Elkin, NC, a small-town treasure of our state

Judy and I recently got away for a couple of days

of hiking, great food, and backroads exploring.

We returned to Elkin, NC, where we had last been

four and a half years ago when we hiked at Stone

Mountain State Park.

We hit town in time for an early lunch to fortify

ourselves for an afternoon of strenuous hiking.

We lunched at Southern on Main, which had previously

been 21 on Main.  There were different owners, but

the fare was equally impressive.

While we waited at the outdoor patio for our orders,

Judy admired their herb garden.

Our server kindly snapped our picture. She also

gave us some local history information.

We shared an appetizer: flash-fried brussels sprouts

drizzled with sorghum. Oh my goodness! This was

a mountain of yumminess!

Judy got a beet salad and a BLT with fried green tomatoes.

Awesome.

I ordered the Shepherd's Pie, and when it arrived

it blew me away. It wasn't a scoop from a serving

dish -- it was the entire pie.  It was so good, and I

was going to need that energy later.

A nice touch unrelated to the meal was that I could

photograph these locomotives from our patio.

After lunch we went directly to Stone Mountain State

Park for our hiking, but I'm composing an entirely 

separate blog post about that adventure.

In the meantime, here's a lot more we discovered

about Elkin, a small town with classic character.

This now-defunct rail line is still visible.

This old bridge now leads to nowhere, but I'm glad it's preserved.

Nearby, we discovered an impressive greenway trail system.
We ended up hiking four miles on it the following morning.

This is one of the dams we saw on Big Elkin Creek, which pours
its waters into the Yadkin River. In turn, the Yadkin is one of the
rivers that feeds into Lake Tillery, which many of my readers know well.

When we hiked this greenway trail the following morning, a very
friendly local couple "adopted" us and gave us the grand tour.
They explained that last fall's floods had toppled one of these
two supports for an old railroad bridge.

Below this dam is a well-stocked trout fishing area.

A creative artist used old railroad spikes to create this peace
sign with a capital E for Elkin.

Our friends explained that locals have added tiny figurines at this
natural waterfall.

Children and adults alike enjoy seeing what is on display.  One of our
 friends had once hung a superman action figure from a hanging vine.

Following last fall's storms, much restorative work had to be done.
The local community is committed to a world class trail system,
which even connects to North Carolina's Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

This loud gong allows you to alert fellow hikers -- "Incoming!"

Three interesting plants in close proximity.
One is ground cedar.

This is false Solomon's seal.

Across the creek and in the distance you may spy a white cross.

Here's the zoom.  We later met the man who placed it there.

Besides the wide cleared trail we used, there was this rustic
trail which went for only a short distance.  For the hardy and brave.
Maybe next time.

This deep gorge was our turn-around point. The next project on
the trail is a bridge to span this gulf, possibly even a swinging bridge.

More lovely native flowers.

Our lady companion pointed out this rabbit tree.
I hope you can see the rabbit's face.
(It's a sign of your high intelligence!)

This is a little harder.  Do you see an alligator's head pointing
downward at the center -- with grass in his mouth.

Maybe you can even see the WHOLE alligator. Hmm?

Back in town, we saw well-placed signs to facilitate local touring.

Of course, we had to stop to see the local library.  A smart designer
built in a wall of windows to take in a view of Big Elkin Creek.
I imagine school children may line up at this window at times.

As this signpost indicates, Elkins is an ideal jumping off point for any number
of destinations.  Study it closely and you'll find Oz, Over the Rainbow, and even
Hogwarts.  MST stands for Mountains to Sea Trail.

Getting to know Elkin better was a highlight of this trip.

In my next blog post I'll detail our hiking at Stone Mountain.

I guess it goes without saying that we survived it again!