RV Travel – Toqua Campground Rally – Part 2

We began our first full rally day with an early lunch at Donna’s Old Town Café about 10 miles down the road in Madisonville where I went with the buffet and thought the fried chicken and the fish were both very good.

From there we headed for the mountains with a first stop at Tellico Grains Bakery in Tellico Plains, TN where they make artisan breads and pastries while also serving light lunches – we bought cheese cake with berries cooked in it - delicious.

We then headed up the Cherohala Skyway and stopped at the first viewing area for a look out over the typically hazy summer conditions. 

After crossing into North Carolina we turned onto a gravel road and made the few mile drive up to Whigg Meadow, which is one of several unexplained balds in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains – there are several in the Smokies, but I believe this may be the only one you can drive to.  After parking, it was an easy couple of hundred yard walk to the top where we looked around, took a few pics, enjoyed the cool, and headed back to the cars.

When we left Tellico Plains our thermometer registered 94F and when we arrived at the 5000’ Whigg Meadow, it was a very comfortable 72F with a light breeze – I was ready to just stay up there.  It was nice to be guided by Louie Lusk who is very familiar with the area after years of hunting there. 

We then drove back down toward Tellico Plains and stopped a mile out of town for supper at the Tellico Beach Drive-In, usually just called “The Beach” by the locals and it has been in business since 1962.  The menu is posted outside, you order at the window, they cook your food, and call your number when it is ready.  You then sit at picnic tables along the cool waters (and breeze) of the Tellico River.  I had a large hamburger for the outrageous price of $2.80 – no wonder they have drawn in customers for 56 years. 

That cold mountain river water sure looked tempting on this hot day.

After this full day, it was just back to the campground with no planned evening activities.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/19/18 Event Dates