North Carolina: Asheville, Pisgah National Forest, Brevard
Wednesday October 25th
After leaving Eggleston Springs in Virginia we headed towards Bakersville, NC where my bro's roommate at Alfred College, Heron, and his girlfriend Cammie live. I drove and was really excited to finally be leaving Virigina where we had been for the entire duration of the van trip so far. We went along some highway that took us into Tennessee briefly, through some tiny towns, and over some mountains until we went up a mountain and crossed into North Carolina at the peak - a very cool introduction.
We swung by the house and met H&C's awesome cat, Jupiter, and watched him scale some pretty tall trees in their yard. We were in the mood for cats after spending so long with Jinx and Icki, so Jupiter was a nice transition.
Jupiter's super smooth exit.
A better view of the cuteness.
From there we took the van into Spruce Pine for a birthday party and taco night with a group of their Penland friends. The owner set me up with a delicious smoky red wine. A very cool spot in a seemingly remote area.
Back at the house Heron built a fire in their woodstove and we enjoyed the cozy atmosphere, and FaceTimed with Kristey P because we all miss her, and schemed for Halloween.
Thursday October 26th
We woke up at 7 to be able to go into Penland when they were going into work. They treated us to the breakfast buffet and we met a couple super nice Penland artists in residence, and Cammie showed us through the galleries she coordinates there. A very cool, unique experience for us. Thanks Heron and Cammie for having us!!
Erik being good at documenting things even when I'm too embarrassed to take photos. This one was pretty stealthy.
We arrived in Asheville around 10:30am. We parked and found a funky community garden, a little craft fair, used book store, and the historic Arcade building with shops, offices, and (I would imagine very upscale) apartments. Picked up some raspberries from a farmers market style shop in the Arcade building.
We found free parking in a more remote area and grabbed our bikes to continue on exploring. We both agreed that the industrial areas of Asheville were just as attractive as the downtown area - with lots of freshly painted signs and colorful warehouse buildings.
We biked through the town and stumbled upon the super funky "Double D's" classic red double decker bus converted into a coffee shop with booth seating on the second floor. It was decked out for Halloween and..sadly.. we did not actually buy any coffee as our needs revolved around numerous outlets, wifi, and space where we could stay a while. We found all of those things and a delicious sammie and avocado toast at the City Bakery where we caught up on the blog, got in touch with family, and found our campsite for that night.
Checked out the River Arts District..it was rad. Lots of inspiring, wacky art. Then decided to make one more stop at Hearn's Cycling, a bike shop that sells used bikes and parts GALORE. They were extremely well organized and we picked up a used part that we needed for a great price.
Confession: Several people had recommended the Biltmore in Asheville and on our way South out of town later that day we realized WE FORGOT THE BILTMORE. Darn it! Due to what we found next we agreed that we will be back in that area some day to visit the Biltmore, and Asheville a bit more.
We found a FREE camping spot at Pisgah National Forest just south of Asheville and got there at dusk, sautéed some onions and made falafel and brown rice and mixed it all together! Delish. The camping spot was very well marked and there were some info sheets on the trees that welcomed us and reminded us about bears. Very informative and friendly for a free camping experience!!
Friday October 27th
We took our time in the morning, made the usual oatmeal with cranberries, walnuts, and honey, and organized ourselves for a day of adventure at Pisgah National Forest! The ranger station and welcome center was just down the road so we swung by for the restrooms, water refill, and info about the numerous mountain biking and hiking trails...and bumper stickers (of course).
Decided to hike the Looking Glass Falls peak, a moderate few-hour trail with lots of switchbacks, some waterfalls, and a great rock face view. The ranger warned us that it was a crowded trail but we decided to take it anyways. The trail winded up the mountain and was not nearly as crowded as some trails we've been on in the Adirondacks, we figured we lucked out! The weather was perfect and we got awesome views of blue skies through red-leafed trees, and looked out on the Appalachians and the Blue Ridge Parkway in the distance. We enjoyed leftovers from dinner and other snacks.
Erik found a heli-pad.
We enjoyed our beer at a picnic table outside of a very cool mountain bike shop bar combo called The Hub. You could shop and drink at the same time. We successfully got out of there without making any purchases, and made our way to South Carolina!
After leaving Eggleston Springs in Virginia we headed towards Bakersville, NC where my bro's roommate at Alfred College, Heron, and his girlfriend Cammie live. I drove and was really excited to finally be leaving Virigina where we had been for the entire duration of the van trip so far. We went along some highway that took us into Tennessee briefly, through some tiny towns, and over some mountains until we went up a mountain and crossed into North Carolina at the peak - a very cool introduction.
We swung by the house and met H&C's awesome cat, Jupiter, and watched him scale some pretty tall trees in their yard. We were in the mood for cats after spending so long with Jinx and Icki, so Jupiter was a nice transition.
From there we took the van into Spruce Pine for a birthday party and taco night with a group of their Penland friends. The owner set me up with a delicious smoky red wine. A very cool spot in a seemingly remote area.
Back at the house Heron built a fire in their woodstove and we enjoyed the cozy atmosphere, and FaceTimed with Kristey P because we all miss her, and schemed for Halloween.
Thursday October 26th
We woke up at 7 to be able to go into Penland when they were going into work. They treated us to the breakfast buffet and we met a couple super nice Penland artists in residence, and Cammie showed us through the galleries she coordinates there. A very cool, unique experience for us. Thanks Heron and Cammie for having us!!
We arrived in Asheville around 10:30am. We parked and found a funky community garden, a little craft fair, used book store, and the historic Arcade building with shops, offices, and (I would imagine very upscale) apartments. Picked up some raspberries from a farmers market style shop in the Arcade building.
We found free parking in a more remote area and grabbed our bikes to continue on exploring. We both agreed that the industrial areas of Asheville were just as attractive as the downtown area - with lots of freshly painted signs and colorful warehouse buildings.
We biked through the town and stumbled upon the super funky "Double D's" classic red double decker bus converted into a coffee shop with booth seating on the second floor. It was decked out for Halloween and..sadly.. we did not actually buy any coffee as our needs revolved around numerous outlets, wifi, and space where we could stay a while. We found all of those things and a delicious sammie and avocado toast at the City Bakery where we caught up on the blog, got in touch with family, and found our campsite for that night.
Checked out the River Arts District..it was rad. Lots of inspiring, wacky art. Then decided to make one more stop at Hearn's Cycling, a bike shop that sells used bikes and parts GALORE. They were extremely well organized and we picked up a used part that we needed for a great price.
Cool gate in the RAD district.
Appreciating funky houses nearby RAD.
Some street art Erik liked.
Erik's Mecca. We actually only spent 20 minutes here - a record for sure.
Confession: Several people had recommended the Biltmore in Asheville and on our way South out of town later that day we realized WE FORGOT THE BILTMORE. Darn it! Due to what we found next we agreed that we will be back in that area some day to visit the Biltmore, and Asheville a bit more.
We found a FREE camping spot at Pisgah National Forest just south of Asheville and got there at dusk, sautéed some onions and made falafel and brown rice and mixed it all together! Delish. The camping spot was very well marked and there were some info sheets on the trees that welcomed us and reminded us about bears. Very informative and friendly for a free camping experience!!
Friday October 27th
We took our time in the morning, made the usual oatmeal with cranberries, walnuts, and honey, and organized ourselves for a day of adventure at Pisgah National Forest! The ranger station and welcome center was just down the road so we swung by for the restrooms, water refill, and info about the numerous mountain biking and hiking trails...and bumper stickers (of course).
Decided to hike the Looking Glass Falls peak, a moderate few-hour trail with lots of switchbacks, some waterfalls, and a great rock face view. The ranger warned us that it was a crowded trail but we decided to take it anyways. The trail winded up the mountain and was not nearly as crowded as some trails we've been on in the Adirondacks, we figured we lucked out! The weather was perfect and we got awesome views of blue skies through red-leafed trees, and looked out on the Appalachians and the Blue Ridge Parkway in the distance. We enjoyed leftovers from dinner and other snacks.
Our peak pics.
The hike took around four hours. When we got to the car we decided that we had earned ourselves a beer. We went into the nearby town called Brevard which a sign at the ranger station had claimed to be one of the coolest small towns in America. It was a very cute town that was proud for having a presence of white squirrels.. so white squirrels were represented all over the place. They think the first white squirrels came to town on a carnival truck. Sadly, we did not get the honor of meeting any white squirrels first hand.
