Fancy Gap, Virginia, late October, 2025
October is a beautiful month in the Appalachian mountains, and this year has been no exception. While last fall, the effects of Hurricane Helene were ongoing, much of the area around Fancy Gap has recovered. A cool front has brought the first freeze, and the weather on my visit remains cool and windy; orange and red leaves cover the hardwood trees, but many have already fallen to the ground and the trees are already bare in some spots.
Where the Blue Ridge Parkway crosses US 52, this wind whips through the gap; the leaf tourists have apparently left, though I encounter a few travelers passing through.
Immersed in the woods on the mountainside, I walk on the path to the clearing where my labyrinth lies. Bright fire-colored leaves hang on trees high above me, sheltering from the breeze.
In the clearing, leaves cover the stone labyrinth and the metal memorial sign has fallen. After a time clearing and fixing these, I walk the labyrinth twice with a song.
In the holler, I visit the Grandfather Tree, the homestead ruins, and the spring. The spring is nearly dry; the bottles are mostly moved or missing; and a newish tire now sits by the old car and a fallen tree. No other humans have walked here, so besides a storm’s effects, these remain a mystery.
On the way down the mountain on Highway 52, the old Blue Ridge Court (aka Double Branches) still stands, slowly deteriorating. I see no evidence of maintenance from the owners, though an ambulance is also parked here, waiting.
From a stagecoach-era tavern to a motor hotel with fuel pumps, this site has been here for travelers passing through Fancy Gap. Old photos depict Blue Ridge Tavern in the 1920s, the Blue Ridge Motor Court in the 1940s (rebuilt), and then the Blue Ridge Tourist Court in the 1960s, when the water wheel and red shutters were added. I’ve only learned about this history in recent years, but I remember passing it as a child and wondered what it was.
Further downhill entering Cana, I pass pumpkins on a table and shelves outside Blue Ridge Boutique, a place I’ve not seen. The lady inside is kind to offer some of the pumpkins and squash gourds today for Halloween. She says they were grown near Hillsville. I carve two of the yellow ones and bake them for dinner.
For music, enjoy the new “Gothic Mountain Bluegrass” EP by Clover-Lynn, of Boone’s Mill, Virginia.
https://clover-lynn.bandcamp.com/album/gothic-mountain-bluegrass
Thank you all for your support and enjoyment of my work! Have a good fall, Arianna
arianna's creative travels 