Basic Necessities, Nellysford, VA

Basic Necessities is real a jewel out in the nowhere.  My friend, Billy, suggested that we should pass by for a visit.  We arrived too early for dinner and too late to have afternoon tea.  It sells wine and cheese from all over the world.  We hung out for a while before we could sit for the dinner.  The two color ravioli was alright but the steak was best I have had, from the local organic farm.  We also had a bottle of very nice Virginian vine.

Blue Ridge Parkway

On the last day of our trip to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, we left early in the morning from Christopher Place, New Port, TN to go  back to Washington, DC.  We planed to stop by Basic Necessities in the Virgin wine country to have an early dinner.  The GPS of the rental car took us through a segment of highway then into the mountain.  Before we realized it we are on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It may as well, we have journeyed on the southern end of the Parkway in North Carolina near GSMNP at the beginning of our trip, and it was nice to come to the northern end of the Parkway in Virginia at the end of our trip.

Little River, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Laurel Fall, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We drove back from Christophe Place to GSMNP and mainly visited the region around the Little River.  The first place we stopped was Laurel Fall.  It required a hike on a gentle slop for about 45 minutes.  It was a bit tiring for us.  The waterfall was not too grand and was surrounded by tourists, but we got to walk through the forest at peak of its fall color.  

Christopher Place, Newport, TN

We stayed at Christopher Place for two nights during our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  It is a lovely B&B.  It is about 45 minutes from Gatlinburg, the Tennessee side of entrance to the park.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We drove from North Carolina entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Cherokee to Gatlinburg of Tennessee.  We were treated with specular fall color.  By the time we got to the Tennessee, it was almost dark.