When traveling on a motorcycle! Often quite by accident and totally unexpectedly too. This was the case last week while myself and two of my riding buddies, Luis Santiago and Mike Laatsch were traveling from the Cincinnati, Ohio are to the TriSTAR Rally in Sparta, North Carolina.
That late afternoon/early evening we were riding one of our favorite stretches of road, route 58 from Damascus to Mouth of Wilson, in southwest Virginia and we ran into a very strong thunderstorm. We had stopped in Damascus to gas up and noticed that the skies had started to cloud up a little bit in front of us, but nothing really serious looking at that time. 20 miles further down route 58 that would change in a flash. Right past where 58 and 603 come together. 58 turns to the right and starts to climb up over Mt. Mitchill and Whitetop. A few miles into that section it began to sprinkle and very very quickly it turned into a deluge. Real Wrath of God type stuff with rain coming down like a river along with close by thunder and lightning. There not being any settlements out there, we didn’t find anywhere to stop and put on raingear or even get out of the storm. So we pressed on for another 10-15 miles through the storm until we came upon a welcome sight….the Grayson Highlands General Store and Inn. By then it was becoming very difficult to even see the road becuse of the rain, the fading light, and the shade trees we were consistently riding under. We really needed to stop!
We pulled into the lot, put our bikes under the canopy that covers the gas pumps, and got ourselves out of the storm and onto the front porch. The store is closed on Wednesday’s, and this being a Wednesday, we were satisfied to just stand there out of the rain and let some of the water we had collected drain off. We were all riding in gear that was either mesh or textile with the vents open, so we were pretty much soaked to the skin and had waterlogged suits, gloves, and boots. About 10 minutes later and angel stuck her head out the front door….Paula Biehler, the owner and innkeeper. She could not of been nicer! After letting us know that while the store was closed for the day, we were very welcome to stay where we were for as long as we wished. She then asked if there was anything we needed and offered to bring us some very much needed and welcomed dry towels. Yes Please! We took the opportunity to dry off as much as possible while she stood there and talked with us, telling us about the store and Inn.
She and her husband moved up from south Florida a couple of years ago, bought the store and Inn and set about fixing it up into what we see today. The rooms have been remodeled and she and her husband live on the premises, providing groceries, meals, and accommodations to whomever stops and stays there.
We stayed there for another 30-45 minutes before the storm, which had caught us from behind as we headed east, rained itself out. As we left we thanked Paula sincerely and promised to return the next day or so. What a godsend she and the store were!
We made it to the rally around 8pm that evening and spent a couple of hours dryng our gear in the hotel laundry, but never did get it all completely dry.
The next day turned out to be sunny and nice and the three of us, along with 3 other rally attendees got a great ride in that included our promised return to the store to eat lunch, do some shopping, and thank Paula once again.
This time I took some pictures of the inside of the store to show what all it has to offer, and it has just about anything and everything you could want!
Great food from the cafe!
Cold drinks, meats, cheese, and dairy in the huge cooler!
Snacks of all kinds!
Hardware and camping supplies!
Even some wines!
In additon to the cafe and store they also have a few rooms, with private baths, that they rent out:
And also offer camping out behind the Inn for $25 per night, with a private bath and laundry facilities included!
All of this is owned and operated by one of the nicest persons you will ever meet, Paula Biehler herself:
You can find out even more about the store and inn by visiting their website at:
Graysongeneralstore.com
4929 Highlands Parkway
Mouth of Wilson, VA 24363
276-579-4602
pauls@graysonhighlandsinn.com
I can’t recommend stopping there high enough. For myself and my riding buddies I know that it will be a regular stop while we are in the area and hope that you will also make it one of yours.
Thanks again Paula!
You really do meet the nicest people while riding motorcycles!
by Patrick Mogavero