Snow at the Peaks

We had read online that there was four inches of snow up on the mountain. We didn’t have any snow in Altavista Thursday morning as we started west toward the Peaks of Otter, but as the road started to climb in Bedford County, we began to see patches of snow. And we could see snow on Sharp Top Mountain in the distance.

By the time we got to the Peaks of Otter Lodge, it was clear that for the second year in a row, we were going to have Thanksgiving dinner in a snow-covered natural setting.

You probably know by now that Larry and I love snow. When we visited Mountain Lake in Giles County last Thanksgiving, we were thrilled to find snow.

This year, the forecast for snow caused us a little concern because if it got too heavy, the Park Service would close the Blue Ridge Parkway, and dinner would be canceled.

We made it safely to the lodge, though, and enjoyed a beautiful buffet of roasted turkey, cornbread and apple stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, and so many other meats and side dishes.

It seems that now Larry and I have started a tradition: we must eat Thanksgiving dinner where there’s snow.

 Once we parked the truck, I got out my camera and started taking photos. We slowly walked to the lodge as I stopped again and again to try to capture the beauty around us.

This is the first photo I took of Sharp Top.

  

When we turned back around a few minutes later, clouds were rolling in.

 There seemed to be at least four inches of snow resting on the ground around the guest lodgings.

  

This is a view of Abbott Lake behind the lodge.

  

These red buds were a pretty contrast to the brown of the weeds and the white snow.

 Snow on trees—one of the loveliest ways snow decorates nature.

  

Another view of Sharp Top.

More views of the lake.

They already had their Christmas decorations up. A large tree stood in the lobby.

  

I especially liked these decorations because of the bears included.

Our table had a good view of the lake. A small tabletop tree stood beside the table. I took this photo with my phone against the light, so it's not a great shot. But I liked the rustic decorations.

Once we sat down to eat, facing the lake, the sun broke through the clouds and shined directly into Larry’s eyes. So we quickly adjusted our seating at the table. You never know when nature will change.

No, I didn’t get any photos of the food. But it was delicious. And I ate a lot. The first thing I did when I got home was to change into sweatpants. My nice dress slacks seemed to have gotten tighter just since that morning. Wonder what caused that?

Snow and some randoms

Happy Friday, everyone! Nancy, of A Rural Journal, started a meme called Random 5 Friday, and I’m hooked. Even though Nancy is on a break, I still find it fun to share random facts with you each Friday.

One

Larry and I enjoyed Thanksgiving at Mountain Lake in Giles County, Virginia. If it wasn’t the best Thanksgiving ever, it was close to the top. We had a wonderful time.

The closer we got to the top of the mountain, the more snow there was.

Two

It snowed in Altavista on Wednesday, but not for long, and it didn’t stick. Up at Mountain Lake, there was snow! Larry and I are like kids when it comes to snow—we love it. We were so excited to walk around and enjoy the soft crunch of the white stuff underneath our feet.

It wasn't deep, but it was snow.

The barn with a background of trees glittering in the sun at the top of the mountain.

Three

We had a fabulous meal. There was a full array of food on the buffet, and a man stood at the carving station, ready to slice off turkey or roast beef, or both.

I had turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, a green salad, and butternut squash.

Yes, I cleaned my plate.

They had a lot more selections, including cornbread stuffing (which Larry said was the best stuffing he had ever eaten) and pecan stuffing, but that’s what I ate.

We had two baskets of different breads on our table, with honey butter and a cranberry relish to spread on them.

The dessert table was lovely, but by the time I got to dessert, I could only eat a small lemon cake.

We both ate too much, but we did manage to stop before we were miserably stuffed.

Four

We went by the gift shop and bought a pottery ornament shaped like Virginia with the name Mountain Lake Lodge on it. This is the second time we’ve been there, and we’ve had a wonderful time each visit. I wanted something to commemorate this visit.

At a fenced off lookout near the Mountain Lake Lodge.

Five

I find being in the mountains restful for my soul. That’s the only way I can say it: my soul feels at peace when I look across the blue mountains.

I’ll share more photos next week. I probably went overboard with the picture taking, but I wanted to capture every piece of beauty I saw.