There is no direct route between the Outer Banks and northern Illinois. National Parks and the Smoky Mountains block the way, thus the major Interstates drift either either north or south, and I always struggle with which route to take. This time, since the forecast called for no ice or snow, I decided to go through the mountains of West Virginia. The foothills of the Smokies began in northwestern North Carolina as I approached the twin towns of Pilot Mountain, with its distinctive knob-topped mountain,
and Mount Airy. The signs here are a dead giveaway: Route 52 is “Andy Griffith Parkway” and the most famous diner in town is “Aunt Bea’s.” If you haven’t figured it out by now, the town of Mayberry on the Andy Griffith Show was modeled after Mount Airy, and when Andy occasionally made reference to “going down to Mount Pilot,” he was referring to Pilot Mountain. Continue reading







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