Settling In!

WEEK ONE:  So we spend the first few days just getting to know our way around Asheville--researching golf courses, locating dog parks, groceries, breweries, restaurants and generally figuring out what we want to do while we are here. At the top of my list is hiking and the choice of trails, if not endless, is inexhaustible.  There are 3,000+ miles of free, public hiking trails near Asheville, including 1600 miles in the Pisgah and Nantahala National Forests, 850 miles in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park and more along the Blue Ridge Parkway with many of them including waterfall destinations. Our first hike was in the DuPont State Forest where we saw High Falls, Triple Falls, and Hooker Falls--all stunningly beautiful. (Whatever do you mean Hooker Falls???? Has nothing to do with the girl in the photo....)

                                                                       HIGH FALLS

                                                                     TRIPLE FALLS

                                                                 HOOKER FALLS

Next stop was Looking Glass Falls followed by Sliding Rock Falls. Sliding Rock is actually Mother Nature's version of Zoombezi Bay. In season, there is a fee associated with sliding down this falls and it is manned by life guards with food concessions and the whole nine yards. Today, it isn't officially open but one lone young woman braved the cold and slid down the rapids a couple of times. Looks like fun with the potential for some body bruising!  

                                                           LOOKING GLASS FALLS

                                                           SLIDING ROCK FALLS

Midday, we were both getting hungry so we decided to drive into Brevard for lunch. This little college town is about 45 minutes from Asheville. It has a bustling little downtown with lots of small town charm. We had a great lunch at Square Root. As is typical in this area, food is a valued commodity--the emphasis is on healthful, locally produced when possible, and always deliciously prepared meals. The wait staff was super friendly and lunch was a very enjoyable way to end our morning of hiking.

(When we came up with this cockamamie idea to sell our house and become nomads--I've lived in Fort Myers longer than any place besides Waynesville and Baltimore--lots of people told me we were nuts--I'm talking about you, Ken Jones--so I've spent some time thinking about it. I love Fort Myers, I love warm and hot weather, I loved being outside all year round. But...there's a book by Harry Crews,Celebration, that takes place in a Florida trailer park where people retire, but mostly are there waiting to die. I had kind of gotten to that point in Florida--and I'm telling you folks, I ain't ready to die, not by a long shot. Going on a new and long adventure seems like a way to not feel like I was just sitting around waiting, not being in control of my future. And this is pretty exciting--new places, new people, new restaurants, new beers, new golf courses. Being in northern spring for the first time in 9 years is refreshing--the colors, the smells, the feeling, even the surprise snow. That, you'all, is as philosophical as I plan on getting in this blog. From now on, it's just wise ass comments inserted in Deborah's great blog. I do like that she does this--it will be something to read when I do finally get old. Jim)