It has been a fun few days with our car club at a multi-day event called Appalachian Adventure, running around the higher mountains of Ashe county. Settle in for a long and picture heavy post today! We’ve been enjoying time with new friends on planned drives, having some great food at several dinners, a concours show in Blowing Rock, and more activities in our beautiful part of the world. There are some lovely pastoral scenes along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and on the back roads to get up to Blowing Rock. These old barns are dotted around the countryside. Lots of grazing cows were nearby, but I couldn’t spot them in time to get a photo.
Arriving early, we checked into our room, did a quick drop off of suitcases, then went down to work registration. After our shift, it was happy hour, with heavy hors d’oeuvres. I was really impressed with these shrimp and grits, served in champagne saucer glasses. They were delicious, with perfectly cooked shrimp and flavorful creamy grits.
Oh, so good!
Then there were fried green tomatoes with a garnish of pimento cheese.
And if that wasn’t enough, there was a huge crudite tray, and barbecue sliders. I almost missed the chicken and waffle bites! After I found them, I had several, LOL. You all know how much I love fried chicken. Newer readers, see my post on Fried Chicken I wrote a few years ago for National Fried Chicken Day.
Friday started out foggy, as we worked sweep on our planned drive. That means we are the last car in line, and radio the lead as everyone makes a turn, or gets through a light. As we went higher in elevation, the clouds came down upon us. We stopped at our planned overlook, but we couldn’t see the whole line of 9 cars, much less the mountains!
But the day cleared as it went on, and soon we were seeing prettier scenes of lush green forest and majestic mountains. I was able to get a few shots of us on the road.
Then, it was my turn to drive the next leg, and My Sweet Babboo got this shot while I drove. He can spot a barn quilt almost as quickly as I can.
On the way back to the host hotel after lunch, we went back to the same overlook, and found the fog had lifted. It has a beautiful view of our mountains.
Stopping at a second overlook, it is easy to see why it is called the Blue Ridge.
I did manage to get My Sweet Babboo to slow down here and there on the return trip back to the hotel, especially when I spotted another barn quilt.
Saturday it rained, but that didn’t stop our concours car show. We assembled by class in the parking lot of a church. It was a show advertised to the public, but the rain kept the spectators away.
We braved the rain as it was lighter to do our voting. Participants voted for Best in Class, and sometimes that was really hard. When you have a row of cars that are all essentially the same, it is that something extra that makes the difference. It might be a license plate that supports the Blue Ridge wildlife, or an unusual color.
With that in mind, I took a couple of things along to set inside the dash, just to capture attention. My little dragon has a picnic basket. I thought he was cute, and we often take him along on MINI events.
Unfortunately, the rain on the windshield made him hard to notice. But you all know, I had to point him out to a few of our friends.
So we did our voting, then enjoyed our box lunches inside the church hall.
After the concours, we were treated to a tour of what is called the Car Barn (link to an article in Our State magazine). This incredible facility is a private collection of more than two dozen pristine cars, still regularly driven, in a luxury building with faux wood floors and chandeliers.
Truly, the pictures do not do it justice! It isn’t open to the public, but the owner, Chip Perry, offers it to groups like ours for private events. He hosted this as a party, with an open bar, desserts, and classic music like Frank Sinatra. I said several times that we should have been in tuxedos and evening gowns, it was that elegant.
He also likes Volkswagens, and this black one on the end is special. The 1946 matte black beetle is only one of 30 left in the world. I was amazed to discover that the creator of the Beetle design was Ferdinand Porsche.
Mr Perry loves Porsche because of that connection, and has at least a dozen of various rare models. Every car is in running condition.
Down the center of the immense space, a table was full of treats for us. These huge strawberries were topped with marscapone and chocolate drizzle. There was an orange marmalade layer cake, two kinds of cookies, carrot cake and more.
I had two of these decadent chocolate truffle brownies. We enjoyed the treats while looking at all the pristine cars.
There were over two dozen cars on display, including some British marques.
Back to the hotel to freshen up, then it was off to the cocktail hour and the final awards banquet with a guest speaker. We were excited that My Sweet Babboo won second place in his car class for the concours. I think my little dragon and his picnic basket helped, but he believes that the officers may have pushed the balance in our favor in appreciation for our volunteering. Either way, it is fun to have the trophy for our shelf.
It was an amazing trip, and we are headed home this morning, so our chat time will come a bit later in the day than usual. One last photo of our views for the drive home.
When we get home, I’ll be in football mode the rest of the day. It is truly fall when football season starts!
From My Carolina Home 
We were sorry to have missed this event but even more sorry after seeing the food selections…..sooooo very Southern. Congrats. to your win!! Have to say it….GO PACK GO!!!
Looks like a lovely time. That car barn is truly amazing! How wonderful of Mr Perry to host you all. Hope you are enjoying your football.
Oh my God. You are living my dream. As a child I always wanted a Porsche. When I graduated college my father gave me a toy Porsche and wrote a note that one day I will have the real deal. Still waiting 🥺 I’m not loosing hope . It looks like you were having a great time. I love blowing rock I’m about an hour away. I love the tea exchange and the park . Please do not stop posting these events. You are amazing God bless.
What a lovely time you had, Carole, despite the rain! I love your photos of the Blue Ridge. Driving the Parkway from Great Smoky Mountains NP to Shenandoah NP is on my bucket list of places to visit.
I will need to go back and re-read this – the photos are so lovely and the car museum very special. The food you showed is making me so hungry! We had a Dog Rescue event with 43 vendors scheduled for today but your rain storm made it to Chicago and we are in hip boots already at 8 am. Thanks for sharing this special trip!
Thank you for sharing this amazing adventure. Too bad it was rainy
I love the car barn. I am going to biggify these pictures for a closer look
I was thinking of you yesterday (not knowing you were having this fun weekend), because we, too, are ready for some football! Your car events always look delightful, with friends, travel, beautiful sights, and good food all mixed together. Thanks for sharing the events!
Looks like a fun time.
Yes, the Car Barn definitely deserves a dressed up crowd. Imagine dancing amongst the cars with Frank Sinatra tunes. Heavenly.
What an interesting life you lead. I love reading all your posts and find your car adventures so interesting. What kind of car were you riding in? I know you have a red Mini, but what did you have here? You live in such a beautiful part of our country. Thanks for posting your adventures.
I’m Brazilian and I’ve been following your blog for years. I love seeing everything about her Carolina Home, including her patchwork work and table decor. thanks for sharing!
Thank you for sharing your adventures and pictures with us. We have memories of all the great motorcycle ventures and rallies we were fortunate enough to attend. Bill and Brenda VanHoy
What a grand event, cars, and food combined, extra special.
What a great trip! The food looked amazing, the cars fabulous. We had a couple days this past week where the fog was thick until early afternoon, when the sun broke out and skies were blue! Too bad the weather hampered your views, but you still got some good shots. Congrats on the trophy.
Incredible post. The food, pictures of the magnificent cars and barn quilts are terrific.
What a thrill to have The wonderful chance for a private showing of someone’s treasured autos. Thank you for sharing your great week end.
Now I think that was a weekend to remember. Lovely scenery even though you had to battle the elements a bit.
It must have been so exciting to see such a wonderful display of cars together with some very inviting food. It really invited people to dress-up to see this fantastic display.
You have a well presented motor and I think you won your 2nd place prize fair and square not just because you had done a brilliant job of volunteering.
I really enjoy your newsy articles of the things happening in your life. Great fun to read. :))
Oh, what a fun weekend! Truly beautiful scenery and the food you were served up with the vintage cars had me drooling! I absolutely don’t blame you for savoring two of the brownies with caramel truffle filling. Glad to hear you had such a fun time especially after all the hard work you & Sweet Baboo put into it.
Hi Carole, I know you own a MINI but do you also have a Porsche? We are members of PCA but rarely attend their events. We also belong to the 356 Registry and participate in some of their events. That looked like a fun trip even though the weather didn’t cooperate!
What an amazing event in spite of the rain and fog. The Car Barn was simply amazing. How wonderful it was of Mr. Perry to treat you in such high fashion. Those giant strawberries looked like they were to die for!
A great trip, gorgeous views and amazing, beautiful food, the fun of friends with like interests, and a trophy to top it off!🙂
What a very special weekend! Sounds like you were treated to some lovely food, views, and venues. Great job spotting barn quilts! BTW – I’m sure it was the picnic basket that clinched the win!
I’m so sorry about the rain but it certainly didn’t drown out your fun times! That food looks fabulous (shrimp and grits is my all-time favorite main dish but I love the idea of using it as an app in a champagne coupe! Very elegant and yum! Blowing Rock is delightful and the views along the way lovely (glad you didn’t have that rain on the ride part!). Congratulations on your prize!
omg so much food……..the car barn looks amazing lucky you could enjoy it……..and do random barns just have quilts on them or how does that happen???
Such a beautiful area of the country you live I , Carole. I have never been to NC, but seeing those Blue Ridge Mts in your pics and the beautiful rolling green spaces definitely calls to me! I will see it in person one day:)Lynda Duncan, Puyallup, WA
Tell your husband Congrats. I would love to see some of the cars,Rochester, Ny is a little drive.