Freebourne's Eatery and Lodge
 Laurel Springs, North Carolina         Date of Visit: 05/24/10            No Known Website

On a recent bike trip (my first serious distance trip by-the-by) we invested most of our chewing time in familiar and safe places. Having recently had food poisoning that included bazooka-barfing and other less than seemly syptomology, I suppose 1700 miles on a motorcycle would be less than pleasant chumming for land sharks every inch of the way, let alone everything else that comes with it.

There's Your God's Country
 

Sorry, this is supposed to be about food. Still trust me, if you ride, find this part of the world where nothing is straight and enjoy a curve at "50 mph" while you peripheral vision is screaming in your noggin that you are looking down thousands of feet over the edge.

B-E-A-Utiful!

Real Dead Bear...Shot by Owner's Wife in Alaska
 

We did manage to find our way off the beaten path in Laurel Springs North Carolina. Just off the Parkway there is a little place where only bikes are welcome, you can back your ride right up to your hotel room. There is a little bar attached to the kitchen at Freebourne’s where we found a rangy menu offerning things you wouldn’t expect at a biker bar. When I say biker rider bar, I mean biker rider bar. There is a mounted bear that was shot in Alaska not by the owner but by his wife and an arm-wrestling table. The signs over the bar are these “My Indian name is Runs with Beer” and “Wish you were here…with the here crossed out and replaced with beer.” Although the menu contained everything from seafood to pasta dishes we thought we ought stay relatively safe and ordered wings, soup and salad, and a burger. The wings were mustard based and had a restrained but forward kick that was really nice. The salad was bright green and appeared crisp. The vegetable soup was described to me as such…”You really gotta push to get the spoon to the bottom”…it was so loaded with veggies and beef. The burger was moist and caramelized with well done sides that actually made me think I should have tried the fish or something more adventurous.

Great Morning Start
 

The next morning we sat down to breakfast before finishing the stretch on the Parkway and again found the coffee and the Freebourne sampler a great way to start the day before strapping in for another day of awesome.

If you have a chance to ride this majestic stretch of history, stop for the night at Freebourne’s and trust the kitchen, in my experience, it’s unique, more delicious than you would expect, and a memorable adventure.

Okay...I know, I know, It's supposed to be only about food. But here are a few more pix to encourage a trip to this particular part of the world.