After a rollercoaster of twists and turns, the road flattensout to reveal small towns like Damascus and Galax, the latter home to a weekly bluegrass night.
In places, even its primeval marrow juts out: where the river flattens we slide evenly past eerie, vertical folds of Vishnu schist, which our guides tell us whistle when the wind blows through its billion-year-old fins.