Road trip just for apples

Who else drives two hours for apples!?! And apple cider donuts—still warm from the fryer! Yes, I do!

We had eaten all the apples from our last visit to the apple orchard in North Carolina so today we drove the two hours to go get more straight from the trees.

First was breakfast at the Waffle House..good coffee, a plate size waffle and crispy bacon. Fuel for the road.

I got these varieties of apples since you can mix and match in your bag. Winecrisp, Crimson Crisp, EverCrisp- all crossed bred ? with Honey Crisp(my favorite apple!). Arkansas Black, dark redskin and extra crispy crunchy and Shizuka, green and slightly tart-sweet. There were so many varieties as this orchard has trees all over NC. Some really crazy bumpy gourds on display too. And the view to the west was a little cloudy over the mountains.

This area was on the edge of all the destruction from Hurricane Helene and did lose some trees and the corn field where they normally have a corn maze for the kids. Tomorrow they are having a big fall festival to raise dollars for the relief effort in NC.

North Carolina, East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia are slowly digging out of mud and removing huge trees, cars and homes. For over 30 days now. Many, many volunteers. I read one report that over 600 homes were lost in one area. There are sheds and campers being donated for people to live in on their land. It is getting cold in the mountains. Water in Asheville area and other areas is still not good for drinking or bathing. Power crews are still working to rebuild infrastructure. Jobs are gone as the businesses are closed or gone. Schools have been closed over a month now. The helpers and workers have been going non stop and I can see the tired in the faces. Their faces are weary and they remind me of war zone survivors, which they are.

I watched a video of someone walking a “trail” that Jerry and I walked several sections near Damascus, Virginia. It is an old railroad bed that had been abandoned and made into a bike and hike trail for about 40 miles. His video showed an area where bridges were gone, rocks and concrete pushed up against trees and so many trees down. The water rerouted on a new path in some areas. The strength of water is just astounding! It will be years and probably not in my lifetime remaining before this is back to the trail it was. If they even attempt this humongous reconstruction.

My heart breaks every day for these people and I cry still. I love these mountains.