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Because we build our systems on-site, we thought we'd share some of our favorite things from the areas where we work--sort of a travelogue--this could be anything from local brews, restaurants, mountain biking trails, etc. So be sure to check back later! While on site, we work 6 days per week, usually 10 hours per day. These relfect our one day off per week, our day of rest!
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Boyette Reservoir, Florida
June, 2015
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Always nice to be back in Florida, and near familiar stomping grounds
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It's difficult not to make the trip to the Peace River Canoe Outpost (www.canoeoutpost.com) when we are in this part of Florida to search for fossils and sharks teeth!
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And of course, mountain biking at the ever popular4,933 acre Balm Boyette Scrub Preserve
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No major restaurant finds in the immediate vincinity come to mind....I believe we ate the first night at 900 Degrees Woodfired Pizza (www.900degreeswoodfirepizza.com)
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We also dined a couple of times at the City Grill-- good for burgers, local music, and karaoke
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C.W. Young Reservoir, Florida
May, August-September, 2014
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The C.W. Bill Young Reservoir is actually located in Lithia, Florida, which is somewhat out in the middle of nowhere.....However, we had two great rental houses in Apollo Beach, which put us within driving distance to some great destinations!
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| Honeymoon Island State Park, located near St. Petersburg, is at the extreme west end of S.R. 586. The beaches were absolutely covered with seashells, and very few people! Visit www.floridastateparks.org for more information.
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The Dali Museum, located in St. Petersburg, contains the world's largest collection of Salvador Dali's artwork outside of Spain. The building which houses Dali's surrealist works, is a work of art itself. Featuring a helical staircase, which is topped by a large geodesic glass roof.
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| The Balm-Boyette Scrub Nature Preserve was conveniently located in Lithia, very close to our job site. This means that many hours were spent mountain biking here! This 4,933-acre preserve has approximately 6 miles of easy double-track trails; 10 miles of intermediate single-track trails; and 2 miles of technical berm trails along some lakes. To plan your visit, see www.hillsboroughcounty.org/parks
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Everyday on-site provided us with a great opportunity to enjoy the wildlife -- be it all of the exotic tropical birds, alligators, frogs, fire ants(!), turtles, and birds of prey -- there was always something to watch...
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Including these giant apple snails,
which left goodies all over our
boats every night...
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We kept tying to charter a fishing trip, but that always fell through -- so one night found us at the
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A "must-do" if you are in this region of Florida, is a paleo canoe trip! The Canoe Outpost (www.CanoeOutpost.com) offers a variety of trips on the Peace River for fossil hunting. We did an 8 mile trip, and found an abundance of ancient sharks teeth and mastodon bones. This was so much fun -- definitely on the list to do again if we are back in this area!
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We did go to the Florida Aquarium in downtown Tampa, but honestly, there was nothing to write home about, other than the fact that 5 of us fit into that little photo booth!
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We enjoyed some good dining in Ybor City, which is a historic, multi-ethnic neighbrohood in Tampa, named for a cigar manufacturer.
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The Columbia, established in 1905, is known as Florida's oldest restaurant. 4th and 5th generation family members still run this award-winning business, which in addition to it's outstanding Spanish/Cuban cuisine, also features flameno dancers and live jazz (www.columbiarestaurant.com).
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Another Ybor city favorite was the James Joyce Irish Pub and eatery -- known for 50 craft beers, good pub food, and live music (www.jamesjoyceybor,com).
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| Closer to home, at Apollo Beach, the restaurant we frequented the most was Circles, where we could dine outside, and watch some amazing sunsets (www.circleswaterfront.com).
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Other Apollo beach food haunts were the Pita Kabob (for fresh Mediterranean/Greek food); Apollo's Bistro (for incredible hamburgers); the Asian Fusion Buffet (for some really great food and sushi); and Alpha's (for good Italian fare, and dare I say, an Elvis impersonator on Thursday nights!).
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Other outtings included a day at Siesta Key, and Long Boat Key; a day of riding roller coasters at Busch Gardens, Tampa; and a very interesting visit to the Ringling Museum of Art (www.ringling.org).
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Most evenings after work found us enjoying our homes, cooking, fishing, swimming in the pool, watching the sun set, or going out on the boat or jet skiis....
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The Dam Tour
Wallenpaupack, PA...Croton, MI...Mio, MI... and Tippy, MI
June, 2014
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In June, a few of us did about a two week "damn tour" to take care of some maintenance. We had no days off, but a couple of travel days allowed us enough free time to do a little exploring....
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| Where to next? After a quick visit to Lake Wallenpaupack in Hawley, PA, and having stayed in our favorite accomodations there at the East Shore Lodging (www.eastshorelodging.com) -- we were on the road to a very distant Michigan....
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There's not much out here, so we ate a few times at the Driftwood Bar and Grill...
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Following that, it was on to the Mio Dam, in Grayling, Michigan. Here we stayed at the AuSable Valley Inn (w ww.ausablevalleyinn.com), and had enough time to do a 10 mile Canoe/Kayak trip on the AuSable river with the Hinchman Acres outfitters (www.hinchman.com)....
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| Finally, a couple of us finished the last leg of the journey at Tippy Dam, in Wellston, Michigan. It was very eerie staying at the Caberfae Peaks Resort (www.caberfaepeaks.com), as this is a ski resort -- so on this particular night in the summer, there was only one other room rented out other than our two...
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Almaden Reservoir, California
March-April, 2014
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Once again,
Spring found us in
the lovely little city of
Campbell, California -- within
walking distance to some
fabulous places to eat!
Located in Santa Clara County,
and part of Silicon Valley,
(in the San Francisco Bay area),
there is so much to explore...
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The Historic city of Campbell is very walkable, and has a wide variety of restaurant offerings. Here are the ones at the top of our list....
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Opa! is not to be missed!! This is THE place for authentic Greek cuisine. You must try the Saganaki (flaming grilled Kasseri cheese), and yell "opa" when it's brought to your table. Their website is: www.opaauthenticgreek.com -- go there!
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"Within all of us is a thirst which cannot be quenched with merely water..." Welcome to Liquid Bread Gastropub -- if it's amazing food made with local ingredients you crave, or an awesome beer list (or both), this is the place! Look at their menu: www.liquidbread.campbell.com
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| So many activities to pursue in the region....Of course, prospecting for gold is a must in California, so off to Sanora, CA we went...
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Not too far away (and a beautiful drive to boot) is Capitola Village by the Sea. Situated in the heart of the Monterey Bay, is this quaint and colorful seaside village. There are numerous shops and galleries to peruse, and a variety of eateries where you can sit outside and watch the ocean. Known as one of the oldest vacation retreats on the Pacific Coast, this is a great place to spend the day.
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Ken even
rented a board
(on more than one occasion),
and practiced
his surfing!
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A short drive from Capitola Beach is the Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. This park preserves a 40-acre grove of the tallest tree species on earth. There is a short paved trail here that allows you to experience these majestic trees. Here you can see "The Giant" -- this redwood is over 17 feet wide, and almost as high as a 25-story building! You can learn more at www.parks.ca.gov
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Near Los Gatos, CA (although somewhat tricky to find) is Castle Rock State Park. Located along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, there are some beautiful overlooks, a large variety of trees, and some stunning rock formations. Great for a day hike....
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Of course, this is Mobley Engineering, so there had to be some serious mountain biking going on!! Pictures and details will be posted as soon as I receive them....
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And here are a few closing shots of Half Moon Bay, CA before we headed to the airport. Can't wait to visit and work on the west coast again.
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Pleasant Lake, MN
September, 2013
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Pleasant Lake is in the city of North Oaks, which is located in the Twin Cities, just northeast of St. Paul. This was our second time working in this area.
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It's a long drive from Tennessee to Minnesota, so we are avid listeners of audio books...
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Once again we stayed at the Country Inns and Suites in Vadnais Heights, and took advantage of the big hot tub (with indoor swimming pool and slide) every evening after work!
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This put us in close proximity to some favorite local food haunts...(see our previous MN listings).
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| One of our new discoveries in the White Bear Lake area was Rudy's Redeye Grill (http://www.rudysredeyegrill.com). This had a nice dining room, but the rooftop deck took the cake!
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Another place we tried was Admiral D's (www.admiralds.com). This tavern had a large outdoor patio right on the water, and live entertainment.
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| Of course, the guys new favorite local beer was "Morning Wood", which is brewed locally in White Bear at the Big Wood Brewery (www.bigwood.com).
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Searching a little farther afield, we met up with some of Randy's friends for dinner one evening at The Blue Door Pub (www.thebluedoorpubmn.com). Words cannot come close to describing these unususal gourmet burgers and tater-tots! A must try if you are in the Twin Cities....
Another evening found us in St. Paul at the GreatWaters Brewing Company for a delightful dinner (www.greatwatersbc.com).
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A fascinating fact about the Twin Cities is that Minneapolis has 8 miles, and St. Paul has 5 miles of Skyways that link buildings and attractions -- one of the largest systems in the world. This Skyway is a series of climate controlled walkways above the streets that allows individuals to move about in comfort, regardless of how much snow may lay along the streets. There is an intricate map to help guide pedestrians through a seemingly complicated maze of elevators and walkways -- but the locals seem to get about with ease.
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| The varied terrain in Minnesota is beautiful! These pictures are from a piece of property where we went hunting for agates......
Minnesota Rocks!
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We spent
a fun day at the
Como Park Zoo
and Conservatory
which had truly
lovely gardens and grounds.
It was a cool day,
so the animals were
out and active...
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Of course, the Cafesfian's Carousel, which was built in 1914, was a big hit with Lisa! This is a fabulous place to take a picnic, explore the grounds, and spend a day (or two).
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| What a totally fascinating night we had at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts (www.mnbookarts.org)! This place had old printing presses galore! Here, you can take classes on papermaking, letterpress printing, screenprinting, bookbinding, and who knows what else....What a rare and unique setting--the largest of it's kind in the country. We got to observe classes, and ask questions, while wandering about in this wonderful old building.
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| Afterwards, we had a light dinner up on the roof of the MCBA--although to Les, this was just an appetizer...
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We learned that people from the mid-west and Canada call a bathroom a "biffy"...
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Looking forward to coming back to Minnesota!
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Guadalupe Reservoir, California
April, 2013
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April is a beautiful month to be working in Santa Clara, California -- the mornings are chilly, but it generally warms up in the afternoons, and everything is lush and green!
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| We were enamored with our accomoadtions at the Pruneyard Plaza Hotel in Campbell, California (recently converted to a Double Tree Inn). In particular, the fact that our rooms were right in front of the pool and hot tub! Being located close to San Jose, the Santa Clara Mountains, and our job site was great, but it's proximity to numerous restaurants and shops was invaluable.....
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That brings us to The Pruneyard (www.pruneyard.com), where we could walk every evening to dinner, and potentially not eat at the same establishment twice. There is a huge variety of shops, stores, entertainment and restaurants located at The Pruneyard -- here are just a few that we frequented...
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Cafe Artemis is a Mediterranean restaurant with Turkish-Greek cuisine -- what a treat for our tastebuds! Outstanding and unusual menu with great service and amazing food!
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| Bucca di Beppo is a large Italian family-style restaurant. You could be entertained for hours with the massive collection of photos which adorn the walls of the numerous dining rooms. Our first meal here was unforgettable! Unfortunately, the service was lacking the second time we went...
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| Who can pass up authentic Chicago-style deep-dish and thin-crust pizza? Patxi's Chicago Pizza is an award-winning restaurant with over 30 meat and veggie toppings to choose from -- enough said!
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The Pacific Catch is "a West coast fish house defining the tastes of the Pacific" -- and it certainly lived up to it's mission statement!
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| We happened upon Tessora's Barra di Vino one night, and were thrilled with the live Blues group playing and the well-prepared small plate appetizers that accompanied our wine!
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| We even ventured into downtown Campbell one evening to join some of the folks from the Santa Clara Valley Water District at the Sonoma Chicken Coop Restaurant and Brewery--what a fun night of dancing!
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That's probably enough about food....we had to find some ways to work it off! Hiking, mountain biking, and prospecting for gold were tops on the agenda....
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The Guadalupe Reservoir where we were working was also home to the Almaden Quicksilver County Park, which had an extensive and frequently used hiking trail.
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Big Basin Redwoods State Park is spectacular!! This is California's oldest state park, and was established in 1902. BBRSP is home to the largest continuous stand of ancient coast Redwoods south of San Francisco.
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A couple of us did a 10+ mile hike here. BBRSW encompasses 18,000 acres and 80 miles of trails.
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These silent giants are always humbling and awe-inspiring!
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Beautiful weather for gold prospecting in Sonora, California -- located in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Hard work pays off (in gold)...
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Some thrill-seekers got to do some mountain biking through the Redwoods too!
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We were dismayed, yet intrigued by the constant graffiti that seemed to evolve at the work site every day...
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And we were thrilled when it finally got warm enough to wear our Utilikilts to work (www.utilikilts.com)!
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Our last day in California followed the usual routine -- put boats in storage, prepare the freight for shipping back to Tennessee, and the return of multiple rental vehicles. When all was said and done, we were catching a red-eye flight back east, so we had the aftenoon free for exploring food, wine and the coast!
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Buzzards Roost, South Carolina
March, 2013
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Wow! What a difference a year makes! Last March when we were working in Buzzard's Roost, South Carolina, the temperature was in the 80's every single day -- this year, we had frost on the ground every single morning!
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| Back in Ninety Six, South Carolina, we had rented a house on the lake, right around the corner from our site, but it was so cold that nobody wanted to drive the boats to and from work....that said, we ate at home a lot!
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We dinned at one of our favorite restaurants in Greenwood, SC again - Pascal's Cafe and Grill (http://wwwpascalscafe.com), but this year it was too chilly to sit out on the porch.
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There's not much in Ninety Six, SC, but you can look at our 2012 Buzzard's Roost entry to see some of our haunts in Greenwood, SC.
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Falling Creek, Virginia
August, 2012
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Falling Creek, Virginia is located in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains near Roanoke, and the reservoir we were working was a stone's throw from the Blue Ridge Parkway.
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| We were only here a week, so there wasn't much time to do anything other than work, eat, and sleep. Some favorite restaurants included Awful Arthur's Seafood (http://awfularthursseafood.com), Flannery's Pub, and Shula's 347 Grill at the Searaton Roanoke Hotel and Conference Center.
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We did manage to get a short hike in one evening after work, and saw a huge orange Koi in the river (the size varies according to whom you ask about it)!
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Wellston, Michigan is not very near to any major towns or cities (located half-way between Manistee, MI and Cadillac, MI) so we mainly cooked dinner at home -- which was a wonderful cabin/house that we had rented.
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| Of course, cooking necessitates buying groceries, and that meant a trip to Dublin General Store (http://www.dublinstore.com). "General" doesn't begin to describe Dublin's! Home to at least 50 varieties of world-famous jerky (and probably near as many brats), this place is unbelievable! If you need any type of groceries, wine, liquor, plumbing supplies, hardware, bows, guns, ammunition, and probably anything else you can think of.....just wander down to this general store out in the middle of no-where (and they ship too)!
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In addition to our traditional games of Rummy, evenings would generally find someone on the dirt bike, and everyone else target shooting. Fishing was also a favorite past-time.
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One evening we drove into Manistee for dinner, where we had an enjoyable meal at T.J.'s Pub at the Ramsdell Inn (www.ramsdellinn.net). Lovely old architecture in this area!
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After dinner we shared a nice walk on the beach, had a good time at a great playground, and watched a stunning sunset over Lake Michigan!
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Kayaking on the Little Manistee River, dirt bike riding, and mountain bike riding comprised most of our time off.....
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Lake Wallenpaupack, PA
June, 2012
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Also known as "There and Back Again" -- since we didn't have a day to play in Pennsylvania....Drove up to PA, did the job, and drove home as soon as it was done!
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We did, however, have a couple of memorable meals in and around the Hawley and Honesdale areas. One was at Cora's 1850 Bistro. Housed in a brightly painted old home, the menu here was filled with uniquely prepared and really great food! We drove around for a while before we found the place, but well-worth the excursion.
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Another lovely evening found us dining alfresco on the backyard terrace of The Settler's Inn (www.thesettlersinn.com). A great meal, in the perfect setting!
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We did manage to take advantage of some beautiful weather on our last evening in Pennsylvania for a cruise around the lake...
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Upper San Leandro and Stephen's Creek, CA
May, 2012
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Honestly, California "kicked our butts"!! We worked non-stop trying to overcome scheduling conflicts, two job-sites, a split crew, etc. But somehow, we still managed to find some fun things to do and great places to eat!
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| One very enjoyable Sunday was spent wandering around San Francisco. There were 400 steps to climb through lush "hidden" gardens to get to the top of Telegraph Hill and the destination point of Coit Tower. Lovely views any way you turned!
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You can't be a tourist in this area without wandering around Fisherman's Wharf and seeing the street artists, musicians, and sea lions. We finished the day with a fabulous dinner at the family-owned restaurant, Scoma's (http://www.scomas.com), where the food and the service are impeccable!!
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Relaxing evenings had us surrounded by great music, wonderful home-cooked meals, and old friends.....
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Hands down, the best local brewery was Drakes....view their website for an extensive lisiting of their beers: www.drinkdrakes.com
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Mountain biking is a perennial favorite when it comes to the MEI crew, and CA had a lot of great places to ride (details to follow when they are made available).
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Other outtings included prospecting for gold in Jamestown, California, where the motherlode was struck in 1848.
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One Saturday afternoon after work found us driving several hours to the Dinky Lakes Wilderness Area of the Sierra National Forest. After a cold night of sleeping in our vehicles, we were able to hug some Redwood trees, and get in some hiking.
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Nestled on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada, there were breath-taking views everywhere! We started at Courtright Reservoir, and aimed for a gem called Cliff Lake. Three people went on to summit the 3 Sisters Peak at 10,619 feet above sea level -- and they did some rock climbing too!
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| We made an earth-shattering discovery with a new wine -- Earthquake -- at least it was new to us! A restaurant that we went to twice in Castro Valley was the Full Belly Chinese Restaurant, which had the largest lazy-susan's we had ever seen! Another favorite in Pleasanton, which we ate at more than once was Strizzi's (www.strizzis.com/ptown.html).
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Of course, the evening we hold in the highest esteem was our night at Alex and Marcia's house! With unforgettable sunset views of the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown San Francisco all lit up at night --the setting could not have been more perfect for the fabulous meal, lively conversation, and foot-tapping music that we all enjoyed!
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Admittedly, 2012 found us traveling to a new job every month for 6 consecutive months, so we were able to enjoy Spring over and over again--well, maybe not so much in northern Virginia in April -- it was pretty cold except (thankfully) on our two days off! Historic Occoquan had numerous quaint shops, businesses, and restaurants. We found a good hot meal at Madigan's Waterfront (www.madiganswaterfront.com), which would have been perfect had it been warm enough to sit outside by the water.
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These rough and ready MEI mountain bikers were thrilled with the Fountainhead Regional Park Mountain Bike Trail (www.fambe.org) which had an "abundance of fast single track, banked turns, bridges, ledges, steep climbs, and fast descents..."
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There were also some good hiking trails here with pretty views!
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| Working in northern Virginia would not have been complete without a quick day trip to our nation's capitol -- Washinton, DC -- wish we would have had more than one day to go exploring the museums and monuments....
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Mark couldn't be in this part of the state without making a road trip to the Dogfish Head Alehouse in Fairfax, Virginia (www.dogfishalehouse.com)! With so many good brews to choose from, it was hard to come up with a favorite...
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Buzzard Roost, SC
March, 2012
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Greenwood, South Carolina had some surprisingly great places to eat!! Particularly memorable was dining out on the porch at Pascal's Cafe and Grill (http://pascalscafe.com), an elegant yet casual place with superb food! A very entertaining evening and good food was had at the Nagoya Japanese Steakhouse, and another great meal was also had at Fusion Japanese and Thai Cuisine.
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Probably our favorite local spot was a "private" club (you had to have your hotel key to become a member) called the Sports Break. This was the spot for pool, live music and dancing! Check out www.sportsbreak.net for upcoming performances.
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Numerous hours were spent searching for quartz crystals (including smoky and amethyst) at the Diamond Mine in Antreville, SC (www.dhmine.com).
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Of course, it wouldn't be an MEI job without some mountain biking thrown in for good measure!
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Lake Vadnais, MN
August, 2011
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We truly enjoyed the beautiful August weather in Minnesota (and the accents)!
Cool temperatures and low humidity made dinning out perfect when there was an outdoor patio to sit on. We couldn't be in Minnesota and so close to Wisconsin without trying some fried cheese curds:) Oakie Doakie, here are some of the places we frequented, in no particular order......
Manitou Station at White Bear Lake (www.manitoustation.com). This place had a fabulous patio, which was equaled in the variety and quality of their food and beverages -- the best surprise was the home-made truffles at the end of every meal! Thank you Mike, for this suggestion!
That's Amore' Deli in Vadnais Heights was a treat.....home-made sandwiches, followed up with dessert bars (on-the-house)......just don't stop to eat here if you're in a big rush.
Mad Jacks Sports Cafe (www.madjackssportscafe.com) also had a nice outdoor patio, we ate there several times since it was very convenient to our hotel.
Jimmy's Food and Drink (www.visitjimmy's.com). If you would like to thicken your arteries a little, Jimmy's is known for it's Hamdog. The Hamdog is a burger, wrapped around a hotdog, topped with chilli, onions, and cheddar cheese, and served on a Hoagie!
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OK, the guys rated this as
their favorite local beer:
Surly Furious Beer
So if you're serious about Surly Furious, check them out -- their website is: www.surlybrewing.com
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A fun and inexpensive evening was had by all when we ventured to White Bear Bowl, in White Bear, MN! Did we mention that this was an inexpensive way to spend the evening? The bowling alley was easy to get to, clean, and had good, friendly service!
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On one of our two days off in Minnesota, some of us drove up to Silver Bay, MN to go rapelling and rock climbing. We spent a chilly night sleeping in a pick-up truck out in the middle of nowhere -- the stars were abundant and glorious!
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Before our climb, we fueled up at an old local dinner, the Northwoods Cafe. Nothing like a big hot breakfast to start off a day of adventure. If you end up here, be sure to get some of the hot chocolate!
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On our way to and from Silver Bay, we stopped in Duluth, MN. Located right on the shores of beautiful Lake Superior, we wished we would have had more time to explore this wonderful city. We enjoyed roaming through an enormous old warehouse, Fitger's (www.fitgers.com) which contained a hotel, brewery, and numerous shops -- and especially liked the Trail Fitters store there (www.trailfitters.com). We wanted to have dinner at the Fitger's Brewery, but the wait was over an hour long, so we had to move on.
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Our visit to the St. Paul area wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the Minnesota State Fair! What a fun evening of people-watching and eating.....anything you could imagine was deep-fried and served on a stick (including Twinkies, butter, and Oreos). Parking was easy, with frequent free buses to get you there and back. If you're in the Twin Cities area in August, you should definitely spend an evening at the fair: www.mnstatefair.org
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On our other day off, we ventured north again, this time the destination was Taylor Falls, MN. On the way, we happened upon a large outdoor sculpture park -- Franconia Sculpture Park -- which encompassed about 20 acres. With a fasinating array of mediums and styles of sculptures, this park is free and open to the public. For more information (including their live concert series), check out: www.franconia.org
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Oh....(said with that great Minnesota accent),
there was some really good climbing at Taylor Falls too!
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We really enjoyed Minnesota!
Hoping to return again some day to make more bubbles and do more exploring....
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Lake Tillery, NC
June - July, 2011
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June and July were very hot months in North Carolina! We usually brought our lunches to work, but a couple of times, we ate at Milano's Italian Restaurant in Norwood, NC. They don't have a website, but they are located on Main Street, and have a small outdoor seating area for those willing to brave the heat. The food was very good, and the portions were very large -- allow a little extra time or call your order in if you're in a rush.
The Eagle's Nest at the Tillery Tradition Country Club was very enjoyable with good food and good service in a surprisingly casual atmosphere.
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| Z Pi Pizza Company in old downtown Albermarle, NC was a favorite with every body!
They had an impressive and extensive beer menu, which also featured many North Carolina Craft Beers. One of the co-owners, Edward Hill, made all of us feel welcome on numerous visits to this establishment.
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Featuring hand-tossed pizzas with unusual toppings, paninis, and salads, it would be hard not to find something you like on their menu. For those cooler summer evenings, there is patio seating where one can watch passers-by. Z Pi doesn't have a website, but you can follow them at: Z n (on FaceBook).
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Most evenings found us dining at home, with meals that would make a lot of people envious. There was always something going on the grill!
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Of course, we were lucky to be working with Max Gardner (of Progress Energy) who is an award-winning BBQ-er! We had an incredible feast one evening, with Max at the helm!
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| We rented two houses that were right next door to each other on Tillery Lake, and found one of them on www.homeaway.com. You can also contact Dave Jackson at djackson.charlotte@gmail.com. We were just a few minutes away from our work site via boat or truck.
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Pretty much every evening found us cooling off in the lake before starting dinner. It's not enough to weld pipe for 10 hours per day, but we like to use it as a water toy too!
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Of course, there's always jet skiing
to help pass the time in the evenings....
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| One Saturday after work, we drove to the Linville Gorge in the Pisgah National Forest (about 4 hours away from Mt. Gillead), to go rock climbing. The Linville Gorge is considered the "Grand Canyon" of the east, and is over 14 miles long and 2000 feet deep.
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We climbed The Daddy, which had 5 pitches at a 5.8 variant for a total climb of 5oo feet.
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Precisely 12 hours later, after the long hike out, we returned to the truck.....We had conquered "The Daddy"! Now for the 4 hour drive home.
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We ate dinner both coming and going to the Linville Gorge in Morganton, NC. A very quaint and walkable downtown which had a variety of options for diners.
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