gertie's country store

It was hard to make myself leave Crabtree Falls because it was one of the most beautiful places I have ever camped, but I got on the road and made my way west on Route 56. I drove past Gertie's Country Store and BBQ (and chicken farm, liquor store, used trucks and farm stand) and remembered Dan said it was good ("Gertie is a real old lady from the back country so you know her cooking is the best you're gonna get anywhere.") so I pulled over and grabbed breakfast before getting back on the road. I had the Little Fawn (two eggs, bacon and toast) and the best short stack I've ever had. Gertie's is one of those little side-of-the-road places that I've almost driven past and then stopped in on a whim, and then was so glad I did.

Gertie's is filled with a little of everything... Southern civil war memorabilia, ragtag antiques, dusty canned goods and coolers of Miller Lite, and  tens of thousands of signatures, quotes and destinations written on the walls - even a marriage proposal - from people passing through either on the road or hiking the Appalachian Trail. It was really cool. I left mine, and then got back on the road headed north.