WEEK SEVEN--There is a little town about 25 miles from Asheville named Waynesville so given that Jim grew up in Waynesville, Ohio we decide to visit this little town in North Carolina. The story is the same...close to Asheville, quaint downtown, shops, restaurants and local art. We have lunch, go to the Mast General Store where Jim buys a souvenir Waynesville, NC teeshirt and then head back to Asheville.
We have time for one more hike—Mount Mitchell. At 6600+ feet, this is the highest point east of the Mississippi. We get an early start and it's a beautiful drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway; however, it's quite foggy so the distant vistas aren't there. The Romantic Asheville website, our go to site for information about trails, indicates that this is a moderately difficult hike, but it is the most strenuous one yet for us. It's beautiful but we weren't rewarded with a stunning waterfall this time and the view from the top was very hazy.
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| Zoey has become an incredibly hardy hiker—she loves it! |
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| This is the result of acid rain. |
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| View from the top of Mt. Mitchell. |
Wild rhododendrons are prolific in the forests of WNC but they don't bloom until early June. It will be a dazzling display—sorry to miss it.
Tuesday, we began the day with breakfast at Five Points, a diner-kind of place in our neighborhood. Turns out the best breakfast in Asheville was only a short walk from our house.
(Judging by the weight I've gained, it's a good thing we didn't discover this place sooner...)
For dinner we went to the Red Stag Restaurant in the Grand Bohemian Hotel in Biltmore Village. The hotel is a Tudor-inspired boutique hotel themed as a hunting lodge. The food was exceptionally good.
(I had the elk. The waiter told us "our elk is from New Zealand so it doesn't taste gamey like American elk." Well la di da. But he was right. It was very, very good. Better than beef and no game taste at all. Mmmm, so glad I quit being a vegetarian.) After dinner, we went back to the Omni Grove Park Inn for a drink on their terrace to enjoy the beautiful view.
(Martini, $3. Jack on the Rocks, $3. View $26. It was worth it...)
Wednesday is our last day in Asheville and we spend it packing up both cars and cleaning our house. I have yet to see the full Chihuly installation at Biltmore Gardens so I went to the gardens in the late afternoon—the exhibition is stunning. What a treat to see this beautiful art in a beautiful garden.
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| Front of the Biltmore. |
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| This was my favorite. |
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| The roses were in full bloom. |
Dinner at the Farmburger—and Goodbye, Asheville!
We have time for one more hike—Mount Mitchell. At 6600+ feet, this is the highest point east of the Mississippi. We get an early start and it's a beautiful drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway; however, it's quite foggy so the distant vistas aren't there. The Romantic Asheville website, our go to site for information about trails, indicates that this is a moderately difficult hike, but it is the most strenuous one yet for us. It's beautiful but we weren't rewarded with a stunning waterfall this time and the view from the top was very hazy.
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