I had gotten used to having No Service. I figured that phone and Internet access were luxuries I didn’t need in the forest anyway, but when I stopped at the visitor center along the Blue Ridge Parkway and mentioned this to the Ranger, he looked at me knowingly and said, “AT&T?” Apparently other providers do just fine, communication-wise.
He checked the weather and it sounded grim – rain on and off, showers to thunderstorms for the next couple of days. That didn’t sound like a lot of fun, especially since I planned to stay at two different campgrounds on the way to Asheville, North Carolina. “Any suggestions for where to stay down near Rocky Knob,” I asked. He gave me a couple of flyers.
I got off at Route 8 and checked out the Tuggles Gap Motel and Restaurant. From a distance it looked really cute – a classic ‘50’s motel. Up close, though, it didn’t feel right. The two women who ran it seemed unfriendly and sour, the food tasted “off” and wifi seemed questionable at best. I drove a few miles in the other direction to Floyd. The town, though small, was interesting, artsy and welcoming.
I checked out the Hotel Floyd, but it was seriously expensive and they suggested that I try the Pine Tavern Lodge. Good call! It was a charming place and I scored a small, but perfectly serviceable room for $77. I later learned that when the proprietors – a retired couple - had purchased the place four years ago it was in terrible shape. They’ve done a terrific restoration and you should stay there if you ever visit the area.
Floyd has two first-rate music venues. I missed the Saturday afternoon show at The Floyd Country Store, which tends towards folk and country music (real country music, not slick and glossy and highly produced). Virginia makes a serious effort to support its musicians and has a well-marked and Heritage Music Trail (“The Crooked Road.”) I had a nice chat with the folks there and learned that there is now a Ralph Stanley Museum in Clintwood, Virginia. https://ralphstanleymuseum.com/
Ralph Stanley and his brother played with The Clinch Mountain Boys and then as The Stanley Brothers in the 50’s and 60’s. My only claim to traditional mountain bluegrass music fame is that I got The Stanley Brothers their first college gig around 1962 when I was at Antioch. This was completely different from their usual audiences and they were a little nervous, but we were enthusiastic and appreciative and I like to think that it opened up new possibilities for them in the burgeoning folk music world.
I went to Dogtown that evening for a reggae/roots/r&b cover band and heard that they had an open mic Sunday night. I had planned to drive further south the next day so I stayed and played. Good sound system, appreciative audience, nice people. It was an experiment for me in a couple of ways. I used my looper for one tune, but that didn't work out as well as I hoped - I have to be able to hear it clearly to make the timing work. Lesson learned. On the other hand, my wireless mic setup was a success and allowed me to move around as I sang. Chris (correctly) points out that with a mic on a stand I fade in and out like a radio station with spotty reception.
So Floyd turned out to be the first music stop (other than my campsites) on the Open Mic Tour. Dave Fason, one of the guys who runs it grabbed some video: