Guessing Game Leads To Adventure For Grace Ridge Seniors
By Byrd Cornwell
It’s hard to say who was more excited about our mystery trip on July 10, those who had earned the
right to go or those who planned the event. Off hand, I’d say it was the planners.
Kelli Huggins, Wanda Miller and Evelyn Beaver had been going around for days looking like the cat
that swallowed the canary. The only thing they would say is, “The biggest surprise will be at the
beginning.” And they were so right.
For three months, Grace Ridge residents had been working on the Phase 2 Challenge in our Wellness
Program — the mental challenge. Through working weekly puzzles and mind teasers, attending
classes and participating in selected activities, 30 of us had earned the right to take part in the
mystery trip. We were waiting in the lobby when Evelyn announced, “You’d better come outside if
you want to see your surprise.”
I don’t know what we expected. It certainly wasn’t what we saw. I for one felt I must be in the wrong
place, perhaps even the wrong century, when what should roll up but a trolley car — ringing its bell!
Greeting us was the driver, Joe Johnson, in a bright-red vest, beard and big smile. “This is our first
tour,” he announced. We were more impressed than ever to be sharing the “maiden voyage” of such
a splendid vehicle. With its shiny brown exterior, scalloped windows, twin skylights and shiny gold
poles to hang on to, it was magnificent.
Several travelers chose to go with Evelyn in her red open-air convertible. But 21 of us clambered
aboard the trolley. As we squeezed into the slatted wooden seats, we marveled at how small people
used to be.
Ed Phillips, director of Burke Tourism, told us about the history of the trolley, a new city of Morganton
acquisition and its name and number.
Ridgeline Trolley Co. is to celebrate Morganton’s unique mountainous location and the ridgelines
visible from every vantage point, Table Rock, Hawks Bill, Linville Gorge, Grandfather Mountain, even
Mt. Mitchell.
The trolley’s number is 1780, in memory of the local Over Mountain Men of Revolutionary War fame.
Evelyn Beaver, Life Enrichment Director for Grace Ridge, outlined the basics of the day. There would
be two 20-minute rides to two different locations for different activities.
“I bet we’re going first to Catawba Meadows,” I suggested. “If this thing only goes two miles an
hour, we could well take 20 minutes.”
Wrong! At far more than two miles an hour, we zoomed past Catawba Meadows and out Jamestown
Road, turning on Yellow Mountain Road. Now we knew — surely we were going to Lake James.
Wrong again.
We chugged along, past one landmark after the other, guesses coming thick and fast until Joe turned
on the sound system and Burke County music flooded the interior. At one pause in the music,
Rosemary Enos up front grabbed the microphone and burst into song: Ding, ding, ding went the
trolley. Clang, clang, clang went the bell. Obligingly, Joe rang the bell.
Riders were still guessing our destination when the trolley swung into a side road, climbed up a steep
hill and landed us all at the headquarters of Perry’s Berry’s Blueberry Farm.
We were welcomed by Debbie and Terry Perry, owners of the beautiful 85-acre spread. While a
group of stalwarts headed off to the fields with buckets to pick blueberries, and a few kept cool on
the air-conditioned trolley, the rest of us took seats in a shaded area and enjoyed the breezes, talked
to the proprietors and bought berries, jams and jellies from Debbie.
Debbie explained the background of Perry’s Berry farm, from the land purchase in 2008, to the
planting of 2,200 blueberry and 500 raspberry bushes, and to its opening to the public in 2013.
Debbie and Terry are both nurses, both retired from Broughton Hospital. Their whole family is
involved in the project, with each of the four berry patches named after one of the grandchildren.
Four donkeys, two goats, and 20 chickens are part of the spread. Then Debbie served us delicious
blueberry muffins she’d made the night before. We felt cosseted and pampered.
When the berry pickers came back with a full two gallons of berries, we thanked Debbie profusely,
settled our bills, piled into our vehicles and took off for our next destination. Again, guesses
abounded as Joe drove us along the byways of the Lake James area.
If he wanted to confuse us, he succeeded.
It was only when we were almost at our destination that Billie Crump shouted out, “I know. It’s Silver
Fork Winery.” (In the convertible, it was Ruth Austin who nailed it, once she was sure we weren’t
headed to Mud Flats.)
Indeed, it was the Silver Fork Winery. And talk about ridgelines and mountain views — the winery has
it all. We sat on the porch and patio, tasting wine and later enjoying our lunch, all the while gazing
across the row-on-row grapevines toward the distant sprawling South Mountains.
The violin music provided by Molly Barrett was the perfect accompaniment to the event. The winery
proprietor and her staff made us feel welcome at every turn. In return, we toughened them up for the
onslaught of numerous senior citizens, for there were few among us who didn’t plan to come back
again and bring our friends.
By this time, our friend, Joe Johnson, and the No. 1780 Ridgeline Trolley had left us.
We made do with the two Grace Ridge vans for our return trip.
As we suspected, the return trip was much more expeditious. We recognized our locations and we
didn’t have to guess where we were going.
We tumbled out, tired but happy at Grace Ridge by 4 p.m.
I suspect most of us were thinking as I was, “More, more, more, but only after I’ve had a nap.”
As Jane Neal said once we’d gotten our breath, “It was — just wonderful.” Acknowledgements and
thanks are in order to Beaver and her staff, our Grace Ridge miracle workers. But they are already
busy, pulling strings, plotting, making plans, arranging more adventures for us.
Byrd Cornwell is a resident of Grace Ridge Retirement Community in Morganton.