Asheville, NC – 09.30.14

 

Asheville kept us entertained the whole way through. Our campground was an adventure in itself. When we pulled in, we immediately smiled. Three of the sites were occupied by Airstreams, and another six or so hosted crazy unique rigs. From the ambulance turned art mobile, to the 1950’s polished Spartan, we felt right at home. As soon as we unhitched we grabbed Willow and walked the campground admiring the campers that were now our neighbors. We were greeted by Critter, who made it clear that he was the one in charge around here, but in the sweetest way possible. We shared a little about ourselves, shook hands, and were assured that he would help us if we ever needed anything. Critter’s idea of camping involved renovating his truck and camper into the Army fort of his dreams. He painted everything matte green, stenciled in some black stars, and stuck a photo of a vintage pin up gal on the back of his truck. His two Pitbulls tied everything together nicely. There may or may not have been some sketchy behavior going on at his campsite, but we didn’t judge. We liked him.

The campground was conveniently placed in the middle of a bike path, helping us put our new rides to use. We rode from one end to the other multiple times a day. We had been attaching Willow’s leash to the bottom of Dan’s bike seat, but after realizing that were just getting lucky with the lack of accidents, we snagged a small bike trailer at a local second hand outdoor shop. It allowed her to be lazy, cruising on the back of Dan’s bike, and riding to the dog park every morning became our routine. She was exhausted by noon.

When you research North Carolina, the first thing that pops up is the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lucky for us, it was just fifteen minutes from Asheville. We drove North and South on the Parkway two days in a row. Blasting Petty, snapping photos like crazy, and hiking waterfall trails. The beautiful landscape and unique drive were definitely worth the scare of basically rolling up to the gas station on empty after hours of cruising. We loved it so much that we went back at 3AM to play with our cameras. We’d been itching to get some fresh air in our lungs and see something that felt a little like home. Seeing the foliage warmed our hearts. This place hit the spot.

Downtown Asheville was just up the road. We sipped on chai lattes, popped our heads into the small boutiques, snacked on vegan banana ice cream, admired art and music at the Pride Festival, and fell in love with sweet potato pecan pancakes. Downtown was quiet, artistic, and cozy. Our style. Our nights typically ended with a movie from Orbit, the DVD rental spot nearby in West Asheville. Can’t remember the last time we saw one of those… it reminded us of our childhood pre-Netflix.

We didn’t know much about Asheville prior to this trip. A couple friends told us there was good music and good food, but we were more than surprised by the charm of this little North Carolina town. We love it.
South we go!
-D&T