Nothing much remains of the main street in Chimney Rock, North Carolina. Workers continue to move earth and replace utilities scoured away by Hurricane Helene nearly one year earlier. Demolition of damaged buildings continue. Access remains limited.
For decades, this scenic section of the Hickory Nut Gorge attracted riders to the twisting roads through the Hickory Nut Gorge and the quaint shops and eateries. Motorcycles would rumble down the narrow two-lane street, often stopping for a beer or refreshments at their favorite watering holes.
Eagle-eyed viewers of the first images coming out of the gorge following Helene last year were shocked at the devastation. On the site of the popular Chimney Rock Brewing Company, nothing but bare, boulder-strewn ground remained.
“I think 14 businesses got wiped out. It doesn’t feel like there was even 14 business there,” said Rick Spruill, owner of Chimney Rock Brewing. “Every business on the right leading up to Chimney Rock State Park is just gone. There’s not even a telephone pole. The road was gone. The river moved itself and they actually moved it back to closer to where it was.”
Very few businesses have reopened. A new sewer system went live in July, so progress continues. Spruill doesn’t plan to rebuild the brewery, a popular gathering spot where his 2017 black Harley-Davidson Street Glide frequently sat parked out front. He hopes the state and FEMA will compensate him for the value of the building, but hasn’t received an offer yet.
“Once the state buys it, it becomes greenspace forever. That could work. The state park is right there. They could build a beautiful walkway, picnic area down there along the river. There are some artist renditions of what the future could look like, but it’s multiple years away.”
While Chimney Rock State Park is open for reservation holders, the village itself remains in recovery mode. Things at nearby Lake Lure are faring much better for motorcycle travelers.
“All the restaurants are open. A lot of live music,” Spruill said about Lake Lure’s businesses. “There’s still a ton (of motorcycle riders) I see on the weekends. They all come down. Everyone appreciates them coming down and having a meal or a couple of beers somewhere. The restaurants are doing good on the weekends. I think most of them just want to come down to see what it looks like.”
This summer, officials lowered the water level to remove silt and debris.
“They found an old Model T down there. They found a boat from the 1950s. They’re taking 300 trucks a day. They work from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day taking the silt and other junk out of there,” Spruill said.
The scars from Helene won’t vanish quickly, but many hold out hope for a brighter future for Chimney Rock and Lake Lure.
“I’m an optimist. Nothing is going to happen all at once. They’ve talked about investors coming in, building a bunch of shops and renting them out. It’s going to be many years before it becomes anything like it remotely used to be. In 10 years, it might be way better. It’s just getting from here to there.,” Spruill said. “It’s all still in the planning stages, in the dreaming stages. What can we do to make this a bigger, better place? It’s never going to be Gatlinburg, there’s not enough room to even think about becoming Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg. We didn’t have enough room to park before.”
Lured Market & Grill at 2655 Memorial Highway in Lake Lure plans an anniversary gathering on Sept. 27, the date when Helene struck the region. Not quite a celebration, not a memorial service, just people recognizing the challenges they’ve endured this year.
“(Lured Market) has been the hub for everybody in Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. That’s been every party, every special event. They fed everybody the first two-three months. They had internet, they had showers set up there,” Spruill said.
Despite the disaster, motorcyclists still hold special affection and cherished memories of Chimney Rock and the surrounding region.
“I moved here from New York back in 2007 because of the riding roads in Western North Carolina. I settled just outside of Bat Cave,” said Tom Plackis, a retired New York City firefighter and avid vintage Harley-Davidson aficionado. “I rode every road from (U.S.) 64 to Gerton Highway to No. 9 all the way from South Carolina up through Bat Cave. We always like the brewery, Chimney Rock Brewery. Burntshirt if we wanted something a little more upscale. Lake Lure Inn is still one of the best brunches on a Sunday.”
Plackis has fond memories of riding his Harley Knuckleheads with friends through the Hickory Nut Gorge and said he hopes a sense of normalcy returns to the area soon.
“The gorge was always a really nice ride through Chimney Rock. You’d see the shops, the hustle-and-bustle. I hate to say it, but it’s not there anymore. I don’t think it’s going to come back, not the way we remember it,” he said. “There used to be lots of bikers. The Tiki Bar and the other one (Riverside Event Center) I used to love. We would walk through the back yard along the river. Tiki was another great one after the run with the vintage bikes. People would be in the river. It was just very low-key, really nice. Not overloaded with crowds.”
The approaching autumn leaf season promises the same great views to motorcyclists. There remains an abundance of twisty roads awaiting visitors. For those who frequently visited this small town nestled in a deep mountain gorge, the ache of loss and nostalgia is unavoidable.
“That place was so unique,” Spruill said of his brewery that literally vanished overnight. “It was so organic from the previous owners starting it and us buying it. You couldn’t recreate that. You can have another place with a cool view, but to have a rand walk out onto that river and sit on a rock. Kids playing in the water. Music playing. It was a place and time. It’s sad, very sad.”
