Asheville, N.C., and the Biltmore Estate

Asheville, N.C., and the Biltmore Estate need little introduction to many people.

Asheville sits in the mountains of North Carolina off of Interstate 40 and is the home University of North Carolina at Asheville.

Like many cities that serve a college-aged population, there's a variety of interesting art galleries, pubs, shopping and restaurants.

There's also a big tourist attraction to the city because of its numerous recreational opportunities, such as hiking, camping and white water rafting. My sister and I had the pleasure of rafting down the French Broad River a few years ago and really loved it. We stayed at a local hostel and visited the area's state and national parks.

On our way to Gatlinburg, Tenn., earlier this year, Chris and I made a stop over in this busy mountain city and took in the downtown nightlife on a Saturday night. We ate good food and listened to live music at

Jack of the Wood, a downtown pub, and later moved on to The Thirsty Monk.

Another cool place to check out while your downtown is the Double Decker Coffee Company— a coffee shop inside an old, red double decker bus.

On Sunday, we visited the historic Biltmore Estate and the North Carolina Arboretum, which had an exhibit on bonsai.

The Biltmore Estate was built by George Vanderbilt in 1895 and features 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms and 65 fireplaces. The basement houses a swimming pool, bowling alley, gym, kitchens and servants' quarters. It's an amazing sight to see, but you'll need more than a day to explore the house (which takes more than 3 hours to properly view all the rooms), the gardens, the farm and the winery.

There's also a few restaurants (besides the winery) on the property and outdoor activities, such as bike riding and hiking on trails.

The flowers in the gardens were beautiful. I'm just disappointed we couldn't stay longer. I was so tired and couldn't walk anymore.

   

The North Carolina Arboretum features 434 acres of public gardens and is located within the Bent Creek Experimental Forest of the Pisgah National Forest.

The bonsai exhibit featured 100 specimen in a variety of plants. It was very pretty and enjoyable.

I also really liked the quilt display in which a garden plot was planted with different colored flowers in the pattern of a quilt.

                                                                                  

Planning vacation travel

Chris and I, like many Americans, are planning to travel this holiday season to visit family and friends.

I never really experienced this myself since most of my family live in the same city, or at least within a good 2-3 hour driving distance.

But Chris' family lives all over -- from Oregon to New York.

Last year's hotel booking was a nightmare. We arrived at the Motel 6 at 11 p.m. and discovered that our room looked like it had been rented out to a raccoon. Labeled nonsmoking, the room smelled of stale cigarettes; contained only once chair, which looked like it was commonly used as the ashtray; and had dingy white sheets that were stained and had cigarette holes.

When Chris returned from the car with our luggage, he found me frantically flipping through the phonebook for salvation. We found it up the street in a Howard Johnson. Although the hallways reeked of stale grease from the adjoining night club, our room was clean and had a bed that looked safe enough to sit on.

We didn't get a refund from the hour or less we had the Motel 6 room, but we did get a peaceful night's sleep at the HoJo.

We're praying for an easier time this year and have researched reviews before we booked any rooms. I hope those reviews are up-to-date and valid so we can have a comfortable holiday season.

Wishing you a clean hotel and stress-free holiday travel!

Linville Caverns and Mount Mitchell, N.C.

Our trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway toward Gatlinburg, Tenn., led us to Linville Caverns and Mount Mitchell, both off of or near the parkway in western North Carolina.

Linville Caverns isn't state owned, but is still a main tourist destination for the mountains.



Located in Marion, N.C., the business has a gift shop and gives guided tours inside Humpback Mountain. The caves were discovered by a local fisherman over a hundred years ago when he noticed trout swimming in and out of the bottom of the mountain. The stream flowed under the mountain and led to a cave with three levels. On level is completely submerged in water.

Guides share several local legends and tell you about the various rock formations. The cave is a constant 52 degrees, no matter the temperature outside, and water drips from the ceiling of the cave. So wear a jacket!



I've wanted to visit the Linville caverns and was excited for this stop on our trip. And I wasn't disappointed. Although the tour was short (maybe 30 mins.), it was very informative and interesting. The price was reasonable - $12 for two adults. The business' Web site lists $7. I don't know if we got an off season discount or a discount because it was later in the day.

I don't think I'd want to visit the caverns in the summer, however, because our guide said up to 9 tour groups may be touring at the same time. With just 5 groups walking through at the same time that day, we had to wait a few times for other groups to finish and move on or walk by us so we could continue the tour.

Next stop was Mount Mitchell, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi River at 6,578 feet. The park is 1,946 acres and boasts fantastic views.



Chris and I saw some nice views, but the observation deck was closed for renovations. So I don't think we got to experience the whole affect.



Looking in one direction we could see the valley below. Turning to the other direction, we couldn't see the valley due to smog. I wonder if the observation deck would have made any difference.

After snapping a few pictures and strolling around the small museum, we decided we had seen enough and climbed back into our car for the final leg to Asheville, N.C., where we would stay for the night.



But, the parkway was closed between the park and Asheville, so we had to turn around and drive 11 miles north to take a detour to Asheville. That added an extra half hour onto our trip, but at least I can now say I've been to the highest point in the eastern part of our country.

Some Southwest Virginia day trips

I've been M.I.A. for a few weeks in the blogosphere. I'm sorry! But I promise to attempt to post more frequently. I need to work out a schedule so I can manage my time better. I'm one who works better with routine and a schedule.

Until I begin posting about the remainder of our Tennessee trip, here is a recent post by Chris on his Blue Ridge Guide Dog blog. It's about various day trips one could take in Southwest Virginia.

Moses H. Cone and Julian Price Memorial Parks

Chris and I recently spent a few days in Gatlinburg, Tenn. A few Saturdays ago, we headed out down the Blue Ridge Parkway, a 469 driving trail that winds through the mountains and valleys of the North Carolina and Virginia mountains.

The sun shone brightly for our leisure trip down the parkway and autumn leaf colors were just beginning to show among the light and dark green foliage.

We like to drive down the parkway, which has posted speed limits of 45 mph, and stop at various locations along the way.

The first two stops we made were at Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and Julian Price Memorial Park. Both are located adjacent to each aother near Blowing Rock, N.C.

The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park is 3,500 acres featuring 25 miles of trails and Flat Top Manor, a 20-room, 13,000 square foot mansion built in 1901 by Moses Cone. Moses Cone was a textile entrepreneur, conservationist and philanthropist.

The home now houses the Parkway Craft Center, which sells handmade crafts by regional artists. Visitors can walk, bike or ride horses on eight different trails around the estate.

We didn't have time to walk around the trails, but from the porch of the home, you could a small lake with and a trail that loops around it. The view was gorgeous with the sunlight sparkling on a small lake. Some visitors did take advantage fo the trails, including one small group that brought their horses for a stroll.

Many people had stopped at the home to look at the various crafts, which ranged from jewelry to fabric dolls. My favorite was the computer elves -- female creatures made of fabric with wildly colored hair and clothing that will sit on top of your computer monitor and help you with all your computer falfunctions.

Visitors are limited to the front of the home and to the first floor. I would have loved to seen what the rest of the house looked like, but it's not open to the public.

From the estate, we traveled a few miles to a picnic area at the Julian Price Memorial Park. We ate sandwich and chips we had packed from home beside a small stream. Many people were enjoying picnics too and many families played frisbee or ball with children and dogs.

The Julian Price Memorial Park is adjacent to the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park and features 4,300 acres and a small lake.

Recreational activities include hiking, fishing, canoeing, camping and guided walks and evening campfire programs.

We didn't get to enough any of the recreational activities at either site, but we'd love to. These are one of the many places we decided we want to go back and visit.

Next stops were Mount Mitchell and Linville Caverns. I'll write about those in a future post!

More info on Beaver Dam Trail

A friend wrote and asked for more details about the Beaver Dam Trail, Hillsville, Va. This is the trail that Chris, Sidney and I frequent the most as it is in the middle of town.

The trail is about 2 miles long and runs from Beaver Dam Road to behind the Carroll County Governmental Complex on Pine Street. You can also continue your walk across Pine Street to stroll along Main Street and visit the downtown merchants.
Beginning at the Beaver Dam Road end of the trail, there is ample parking across the road from the trail head. The trail is mulch, so not that great for wheeled transportation such as bikes and wheelchairs.

The trail, unlike the other end of the trail which I'll discuss next, is level and makes for a nice stroll along side the Beam Dam Creek, horse pastures and wooded lots.

If you are a nature lover, there are plenty of opportunities to see wildlife and plants. As mentioned in a previous post, Chris and I have spotted several type

s of birds, butterflies and plants. There have also been many sightings of deer, turkey and groundhogs. One Carroll County resident has also claimed he spotted a black bear a couple of years ago.

Among Chris and my favorite bird sights are king fishers, cedar waxwings, scarlet tanagers and blue herons.
There is an a

bundance of fritillary butterflies along the trail as well as whites and blues. Last summer was a wonderful year for yellow Eastern swallowtail. Once crossing one of the several red metal bridges that hang over the creek, we were surprised to see a knot of these yellow and black winged insects mudding, or soaking up nutrients, from the creek bank. You should have seen the butterflies fluttering around and crawling over each other. It was just beautiful!

Here is a picture of these butterflies mudding at a different location in the area earlier this year:

Plants include may apples, cardinal flowers, flame azaleas with gorgeous or

ange blooms, joe pye weed, rhododendron, sassafras trees (Chris' favorite), ever

greens, cucumber trees and jewel weed.

Here is a picture of a flame azalea taken  earlier this year: 

After about a mile, the trail traverses the Hillsville Police Department and Carroll County Sheriff's Department's shooting range and former Hillsville Sewer Plant property. The old holding tanks for sewage are still standing and now serve as staging grounds for straw used by the town.

Curving around this open area, the trail then becomes gravel and steep. It curves up and around Magnolia, a manufacturing facility. The trail is closed off from the plant and a horse pasture with chain link fences.

Not much wildlife save for the horses, birds and pine trees in this area. But there is a bench at the top of the first hill to rest and catch your breath before climbing the next hill.

The next stop and over the second hill, you'll find yourself behind the Carroll County Wellness Center, the town's local gym. The trail winds around the edge of the parking lot and once again becomes paved. It headsup a grassy hill overlooking the wellness center and heads toward what's known as the Carter Pines, a stand of trees that was planted in the 1930s, and the Carter Pines Community Park, which is basically a picnic shelter and a granite Community Honor Wall.

Cutting through the stand of white pines, walkers can see a 1924 hydraulic water ram system (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) and undergrowth that provides perfect shelter for birds. Alongside the water ram is a newly constructed deck for bird watchers to catch a glimpse of various winged creatures.

The trail begins a steep climb after leaving the Carter Pines. There's a wet land area on the left and many blackberries and devil's walk stick plants along the path. The trail comes to the back parking lot of the county governmental center and circles around to the left of the building and ends on the other side of Pine Street.

Doggie related events in N.C.

My friend, Chelsey, just commented about an upcoming doggie event this weekend in the Triad region of North Carolina, so I wanted to share the info with you. In addition to that, I am also aware of another doggie event happening in the next few weeks.

The Amaizing Pet Adventure and Paws Adopt-A-Thon is 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 27 at Kersey Valley Maize Adventure, 1615 Kersey Valley Road, High Point, N.C. Kersey Valley Maize Adventure is home to the area's corn maze.

Events include a Frisbee Demo, dog show, obedience demonstration, Red Cross First Aid demonstrations for pets and people and a blessing of the animals. Vendors will also be available.

The Web site lists the following schedule:
10 a.m. Fly Ball Demo
10:30 a.m. Frisbee Demo
11 a.m. United Animal Coalition Dog show (registration begins at 10 a.m.)
12:30 p.m. Obedience 101 Demo and Ask a Trainer
1 p.m. Mitzi and Ember fire dog demo
1:30 p.m. Southern Trails Canines and Co. "The Legend of Black Bark"
2:30 p.m. Red Cross First Aid and CPR for Pets and People
3 p.m. Police K9 Demo
3:30 p.m. Blessing of the Animals

If you've never been to a blessing of the animals, you don't want to miss this one. I attended a couple at Church of the Good Shepherd, 9441 Grayson Parkway, Galax, Va. The church serves an Episcopal-Lutheran congregration and on any given Sunday services are conducted in either Episcopal or Lutheran tradition.

The church celebrates St. Francis of Assisi Day, which is Oct. 4 St. Francis is the patron saint of animals and ecology. He founded the Francisan Order and legend has it he could talk with animals. So, in celebration of St. Francis, churches bless pets and other animals.

On Oct. 12, the Canine Corps will host a DogFest from 1-4:30 p.m. at the Level Cross Community Center, 112 Branson Mill Road, Randleman, N.C.

Festivities will center around education and games. Funds raised will be used to help local animal groups. A selection of vendors will include vet care, dog portraits and dog attire.

Beaver Dam Trail and New River Trail at Pulaski

Hubby Chris, pup Sidney and I usually take our daily walk along the Beaver Dam Trail off of Beaver Dam Road, Hillsville, Va. A joint project of the town and Carroll County, the trail is a little over 2 miles long.

The town's portion runs from Beaver Dam Road along the banks of the Beaver Dam Creek, woods and a couple of horse pastures. We frequently see wildlife, such as turkey, deer, groundhog, butterflies and birds. Among our favorite birds that visit the trail are king fishers, blue heron and cedar waxwings. Here is a swallowtail we saw today:

There's also an abundant of flowers to enjoy, such as this cardinal flower I took earlier today:

You can also find lamb's ear, may apples, jewel weed, joe pye weed and flame azalea among the many flora in the area.

But sometimes we all need a change of scenery, so we've been exploring areas we haven't been to before or haven't visited in awhile.

Among those have been the Pulaski end of the New River Trail State Park in Pulaski, Va., and Historic Bethabara Park in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The New River Trail is 39 miles and runs from Fries, Va., to Pulaski. There's also a trail extension that runs to Galax, Va. visitors can bike, hike or ride horses on this trail that runs along the New River. It's built on a former railroad track bed.

Historic Bethabara Park is a National Historic Landmark and is the 1753 site of Moravians, a German-speaking, Protestant settlement. The park offers 183-acres of wildlife preserve with 26 species of birds. Besides the 20 miles of trails, museum, reconstructed village, archaelogical ruins visitors can explore, the park offers a varieties of activities like yesterday's Apple Festival.

Fall Festivals!

I know it's still summer, but there's nothing more exciting than autumn and the festivals that come with it.

I was reminded that this special time of the year is quickly approaching when I received a flyer at work from Covenant Church United Methodist, 1526 Skeet Club Road, High Point, N.C. The church will host a fall festival Oct. 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring barbecue, music and games.

When I worked as a reporter in Grayson County, Va., I got my fill of festivals. It seemed like I was going to a festival every weekend to snap pictures of pumpkin paintings, lawn and tractor races and music jams.

Some festival in that area include the Grayson Highlands State Park Fall Festival, Mouth of Wilson, Va., Sept. 27-28; the Mountain Foliage Festival, Independence, Va., Oct. 10-11; and the Whitetop Mountain Sorghum Molasses Festival, Whitetop, Va., Oct. 12.

The festivals at the state park and in Whiteop feature yummy molasses and apple cider made in traditional ways. Spectators can watch as the molasses is stirred in a huge vat over a fire and visit a site, not too far from the park, where maple trees are tapped. In Whitetop, the apples are squeezed using an old apple press and you can get fresh apple cider by the bottle for usually a $1.

The festival in Independence is something not to miss either. One of the biggest attractions is the annual privy race. For those who don't know, privy is another word for outhouse. Old outhouses or replicas are attached to wheels and a team races down Main Street with a person sitting, er, uh, on the throne. It's a hoot.

But the potty race isn't the only thing the festival has to offer. There's also the annual Potty Princess Beauty Pageant, where the men pull on wigs and skirts to compete for the crown; a pumpkin pie cook off, vendors and music.

In my hometown of Asheboro, N.C., there's the Fall Festival on Oct. 4-5. This features music and vendors and usually draws quite a crowd. I have very many fond memories of this festival. Many of the natives claim it's not fall without first visiting the festival.

If you enjoy fall and its plethora of festivals as much as I do, I encourage you to check some of these out this year. If I stumble across anymore, I'll let you know!

Also, feel free to post your own recommendations.