Strolling & Shopping

Asheville, NC

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Each morning, as the frost still lies on the fence posts, I have seen a family of Giant Pileated Woodpeckers begin their day. These are large birds, and they glide effortlessly among the branches, greeting the day with a low, throaty call.

The dog & I took a stroll through the woods following an old logging road. The slope was so gentle that I didn’t realize that we were heading downhill until we reached the paved road at the foot of our mountain. It’s a long climb back up the gravel road to the campground, and the owners have thoughtfully provided a series of encouraging signs.

 

 

 

We spent the day in downtown Asheville, poking about the shops and enjoying the surprisingly hip atmosphere. A splendid blend of eclectic architecture, galleries and boutiques, street musicians, and superb restaurants. Someone said Asheville is “the new Austin, only with a better view.”

 

 

Tim found a guitar-like instrument called a Woodrow, a cross between a banjo and a dulcimer. He entertained us later in the coach as we said our goodbyes.

 

 

 

Recreation of the Mind

Asheville, NC

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A clear and cold morning broke today – 22 degrees on the top of the mountain where we are parked. This is pushing the camping season a bit early, but we stayed warm and toasty inside with the furnace running.

We returned to the Biltmore Estate, this time for an outside tour of the grounds. Originally the property was 185,000 acres, but during the Depression the Vanderbilts sold the facing mountains to the US Government, under the stipulation the property would remain undeveloped. That land became the first National Forest east of the Mississippi.

 

The Legacy of the Land bus tour was about two hours, and fascinating all the way. Our guide focused on Frederick Olmstead’s vision for the property which, 100 years later, is just now coming to fruition as the trees and landscape have finally matured.

In the late 1800's, when Vanderbilt purchased the land, it had been stripped bare for farming. Olmstead was contracted to develop the property, and he envisioned a bucolic setting with a variety of trees and shrubs, babbling brooks and ponds. He collected specimens from all over the world and workers replanted most of the 8000 acres we see on the estate today.

Olmstead designed parks all over the US, including Central Park in New York and Louisville’s series of urban parks. He considered himself a naturalist, and believed in the “unconscious recreation of the mind,” meaning that humans need to encounter nature to release the stress of working in an industrial world, else we are in peril of becoming beasts. And if we examine the ghettos and slums of our own day, we can see Olmstead was indeed right.

So the three mile entrance to the Biltmore was designed to immerse you in a natural setting, especially when traveled by horse and carriage which took about an hour. Then, around a tight corner, the estate home is revealed, with its expansive groomed grounds, fountains, and flower beds. Wow!

 

We lunched at the Biltmore Winery, shopped around a bit, and returned to the campground to enjoy the warm afternoon with tea and homemade chocolates complements of my Dad.

 

Business & Pleasure

Asheville, NC

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Today was a work day for me. I set up our display booth this morning and worked the Carolina Trade Show from 10 to 2:30. Tim helped with the set-up, and brought over lunch from the coach. It has been a real treat to travel in the motorhome instead of hauling luggage around an airport, and I’ll have to plan this type of biz trip more often!

At the trade shows we always encounter a couple of kooks who want to yak your ear off. Today's featured player was Buddy the Barking Bigot - a crusty old Tar Heel with a very strange speech tic. He would talk normally at first, then would issue a couple of alarming barks and FINISH THE SENTENCE SHOUTING.

Cornering me, Buddy launched into a series of off-color stories, for which I had no appreciation. He held up one of our novelty products and said to me, "You should take a bunch of these watermelons and...bark bark...SEND 'EM TO THE WHITE HOUSE!"

 

Right. Move along now, sir.

 

We left the Charlotte area late afternoon, traveling under sunny skies back toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. The ever changeable weather turned cold again, sprinkled with light flurries.

We are camped high up on a mountain at Campfire Lodgings resort. The view is spectacular from our site, perched right on the edge of the mountainside. This campground offers rental cabins and yurts, and has a ring of trails I hope to explore later.

 

Up & Down

Concord, NC

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Up – At the crack of daybreak to check the weather, and sure enough it was snowing pretty hard. Big fat, wet flakes that were piling up fast. Nearby Gatlinburg was scheduled to receive a heaping 8 inches of snow today, so we made a fast departure to the south.

Down – The mountain we fled hoping today wouldn’t be hours of blizzard driving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up – The highway, just 20 miles away, the roads improved. To our great relief it seems the snow was localized to the immediate area.

 

 

 

 

 

Up & Down – The mountains we went, and as we crossed into North Carolina a splendid blue sky appeared. Apropos, that was also the name of the sweet little diner where we stopped for lunch.

 

Down – In Hendersonville there is another Camping World. These RV stores have 20 or so service bays, with qualified mechanics at the ready. If you’re on the road and in need of repair, this is the place to go. Since we were so early in our escape from the Smoky Mountains, we stopped in for a “simple” repair, and I’ll take full responsibility here for this decision.

Up - At home, when the coach was in the driveway, the handle to our freshwater tank valve snapped off in my hand. It broke at the stem, and the valve started dripping water out onto the pavement. Since we had plenty of time today, I thought Camping World could replace the handle.

Stay Down – Hours and hours went by. We looked at everything in the store, talked to the salesmen about RVs, paced back and forth in front of the service counter, and eventually took a nap in the lobby on pair of recliners for sale.

I snuck into the service bay- No Customers Allowed!- to check on the poor parakeet. A long black hose was strung through the inside of the coach, and little dude mechanic was underneath the chassis swearing at a stripped screw. Long story short, they ended up replacing not just the broken handle but the whole valve assembly and interior water lines. I’m going to say it needed repairing, and then we won’t ever speak of this again.

Up – And out we finally went at 4:30, having shot the whole day at the service bay. Now we’re racing to get to our destination before dark, two and a half hours away.

Down – About  dusk we were within half a block of the campground and couldn’t find the blessed place. Using all electronic devices at once, the GPS, two smartphones, and an iPad, we finally pieced together all the maps and found Apollo RV Park hidden down a side road.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up – A short hill, we are within eyesight of the Charlotte Motor Speedway (now called the Lowes Something-or-other Speedway) which is a giant NASCAR racing complex. This area is an odd conclave of serial RV parks and double-wide homes set in residential streets.

Out – Of here tomorrow we will be!