unplanned adventures ...

 Saturdays should be flexible.  They can often lead to unexpected adventures and amazing days.

 Earlier in the week Nancy and I had tossed around the idea of going to a small bakery, in a small town, in the next state.  But the weather looked like it would be cold and gray and so we decided not to go.

 Until the day turned warmer and sunny .... we loaded up Charlie, and another friend, Deborah, and hit the road.

The James Monroe
Image: Sugar Mountain Bakery

 Sugar Mountain Bakery in Rich Creek, VA [<link to click] is well worth the hour-ish drive through beautiful farm country in [link to click>] Monroe County, WV, and on part of their barn quilt trail.  We enjoyed delicious panini sandwiches made on freshly baked donut bread for lunch (Nancy and I had the James Monroe ~ slow-roasted chicken breast with pesto, cream cheese, provolone, and bacon.  Deborah had their Hokie with pepper turkey, pepper jack cheese, their own sweet pepper jelly, bacon, and banana peppers.) followed by AMAAAAZZZZZING

Image: Sugar Mountain Bakery

 donuts for dessert.  

 I'm just gonna say that their maple bacon donut is melt-in-your-mouth incredible.  Nancy had the Nutter-Butter (cookie), and Deborah's was an apple-filled one.  We also shared some pecan bites that Nancy bought.  Sort of like a bite of pecan pie that was drool-worthy.  Just sayin'. (okay, maybe I was the only one of us who was drooling, other than Charlie who did not get to enjoy any).  Charlie did get a bite of my sandwich, and his own doggy treats, tho, so he wasn't completely un-spoiled.

 On the drive home, we stopped to look at beautiful stone buildings in the [link to click>] Salt Sulphur Springs Historic District near Union, WV.

There were also some beautiful homes nearby that were probably built around the same time. 

I love the upstairs front porch!

 After that, we stopped to see the Indian Creek Covered Bridge [<link to click] that we had passed on the drive down. Charlie was pretty happy to explore that!