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First stop was actually High Point, North Carolina, to shop for furniture
for our new house. You might think this is where they make so much furniture,
you'd be able to get simple furniture at a reasonable price. As far
as we could tell, you'd be wrong. This chest of drawers was a bad omen.
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Then we drove to Boone. Or, more precisely, we drove into a detour, not
realizing they were actually 2 overlapping detours, got lost, found
a little town called Todd, and then drove to Boone.
We had a hard time finding a room, because the
little town had been invaded for the weekend by men in kilts. Quality Inn
wanted $180/night! I simply do not pay that much for a place where I'm going
to spend most of my time unconscious.
First stop on Sunday morning was Blowing Rock. There might have been a
spectacular view there, but we'll never know, because of fog. We decided
we'd be as well off underground.
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Linville Caverns is a bit small, but is relatively unspoiled and has some
interesting formations. Surprisingly enjoyable. And the shop cat is very
friendly.
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Then we took the hike to Linn Falls. The fog had lifted, and it was very
scenic.
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On Monday we drove North on the Blue Ridge Parkway (very beautiful,
probably much more so in the fall) and stopped at the Ashe County Cheese
Factory (LuAnn is from Minnesota). She picked up some cheese curds.
I got a t-shirt.
Further up the road, we took a hike around one of the many hiking trails.
Finally we stopped for the night in Roanoke, Virginia.
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On Tuesday morning we spelunked again. Dixie Caverns.
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Then we made several failed attempts to find the little zoo in Roanoke.
They sure made it hard to find! We gave up, took a nap, and then went
to a minor league baseball game.
On Wednesday morning, we finally found the zoo. You
wouldn't have figured it out by looking at the maps. I didn't bring my camera.
Then we made our way back south. We toured a winery, Chateau
Morrissette, and tasted 12 of their wines. (I've been right all along, I like
Pinot Noir the best.)
We stopped along the way and took another hike. We finally settled down for the
night in Blowing Rock again. On Thursday morning, we left and headed south
again toward Asheville.
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Thursday morning. We climbed 2 miles from a station on Mt. Mitchell the rest
of the way to the top.
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Mt. Mitchell is the highest mountain east of the Mississippi. That's not saying
much (no snow caps), but it is a pretty nice view.
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We reached Asheville on Thursday night, just as an arts and crafts festival
was coming to town. At that point, we'd rather avoid the crowds, but it
sure made hotel rooms hard to find again.
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Friday morning: first stop: Jiffy Lube, because my car was acting funny.
My car is 10 years old, and doesn't have much time left.
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Then we walked around downtown Asheville. We got the impression that it's a
town full of hippies. And very hot, too. We weren't in the mood to shop, so
there really wasn't much else to do there.
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On Saturday, we hiked to the top of Mt. Pisgah, just south of Asheville. It
was only 1.5 miles, but more strenuous than the climb up Mt. Mitchell.
But it was foggy again, so there was not much of a view. Here's the radio
tower at the top.
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On Sunday we drove home.
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