$10 Hamburgers and The Bullhole

A recent two-hour drive from Cary, N.C., to Salisbury, N.C.'s Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery and Eatery for lunch was well worth it, especially since Wednesday is $10 burger day, the price for a substantial and tasty hamburger and a side of homemade tater tots (with a hint of onion) or the true-to-their-word hand-cut potato wedges, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Appropriately, that was a mouthful!

This excursion was one of our day trips, taking back roads to see country side we've never seen and to visit interesting cross-roads, even if just to wave to no one in particular as we pass through. 

For those not in the know, Salisbury, home of Catawba and Livingstone colleges and Cheerwine, is one of several expanding municipalities along Interestate-85 and about an hour northeast of uptown Charlotte. We decided to take U.S. Highway 64 from Cary, around Pittsboro, through Siler City and Asheboro to I-85 South near Lexington. To beat the lunch crowd, if any, we drove the quickest route, I-85 to Salisbury.

Finding Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery and Eatery for the unknowing, even with Google Maps offering route instructions, is a bit difficult. The entrance is not on the street side of the address. It's on the backside of the building. We arrived about 11:15 that morning, pleasantly surprised at the COVID-19 required table layout and the entire staff wearing face masks. Overall, we give the brewery/eatery a positive grade for following protocol.

Morgan Ridge Railwalk Brewery and Eatery

The beer list included two IPAs: my choice of Hazy IPA, "a Juice Bomb and true Hazy IPA with a substantial, defined citrus finish" and which only comes in a 10-ounce Tulip glass because of its 7% AVB; Nancy's choice of Buffalohead IPA (American Session IPA), a "Medium Body, Citrus IPA with Bold Hop Flavor," just 5.5% ABV which came in a 16-ounce pint glass. We bought a pint glass with the brewery logo to add to our home collection. Both IPAs were very good and recommended for those who follow our lead and go there for lunch, dinner or just a beer.

Lunch had to be hamburgers. Nancy had the Bacon Cheddar Hamburger with lettuce, tomato and caramelized onions (instead of raw onion), cheddar cheese and bacon along with tater tots made from scratch in the kitchen. The onion flavor hint comes from onion salt in the potato mixture. I chose the Caramelized burger with lettuce, tomato, Bleu cheese and caramelized onions and the hand cut potato wedges which were more like french fries but a little meatier. We both requested medium rare burgers, wanting pink runny middles, and the kitchen obliged us for the most part. The edges were a bit over done; the middle was juicy pink. Overall the burgers were tasty-excellent, though could have been cooked a minute or two less.

This day-trip was not planned just for lunch in Salisbury. The main attraction was a visit to the Bullhole at RiverPark at Colleemee Falls on the south side of the South Yadkin River which serves as the border for Davie and Rowan counties. From Salisbury, we drove west on U.S. Highway 70 for a few miles and turned north on N.C. highway 801. We were about to cross the South Yadkin River when we realized we missed the turn to the park. After backtracking about half a mile, we found our way to the park entrance only to be informed by a sign the park is closed. I discovered the Bullhole in an article published recently in Our State magazine which also ran a story about Bullhole in 2010. 

1,000,000 square foot Cooleemee Cotton Mill

As it turns out the park has a Woodleaf, N.C. address but is associated more with Cooleemee, an old textile village that today has a mixture of well-to-do homes and those of poverty appearance. Cooleemee not exactly a major attraction, but it has a proud history. There's a plan to renovate the Cooleemee Cotton Mill on the North Yadkin River.

There was a quicker route home but with time on our hands, we took alternate directions back to Cary. For instance, we drove U.S. Highway 601 from Colleemee to Salisbury, entering the town on West Innes Street, taking us through Catawba College. Several students were checking into dorms. Many of the students, we noticed, were not wearing face masks. 

After weaving through Salisbury, we eventually found Bingle Ferry Road and headed east, crossing and saying goodbye to Interstate-85. We went through Craven, across portions of High Rock Lake which was formed by the damn for the Tuckertown Hydroelectric Power Plant, and into the unincorporated area of High Rock. Later we discovered there are some neat walking trails near the damn. We'll do that next time, if there's a next time.

We drove through Healing Springs and Denton, eventually arriving at familiar N.C. Highway 49, once a major route from Raleigh to Charlotte by way of Asheboro. Prior to turning onto U.S. Highway 64 in Asheboro to return to Cary, we drove into the Tot Hill Farm Golf Club area where there's a spectacular Mike Strantz designed golf course.

We were home by 4:00 p.m. after a 9:00 a.m. start. All in all, it was a good day. $10 hamburgers with lots of trimmings and good sides; driving to places unseen by our eyes; taking time away from the strain and stress of the coronavirus. Best of all, seven hours sitting beside my wife, enjoying the day.