Monthly Archives: October 2013

The temperatures dropped today and they are predicting frost for the area tonight.  We were looking for something warm to do, so we decided to ride on the Blue Ridge Highway and take some pictures of the trees.  Nothing like a warm truck with the heater running full blast to take the chill out of the air.  From what I understand, there has not been a frost yet this year and the leaves are turning slower because of it.  In fact, in the higher elevations, many trees are already bear.  Jim managed to find some really pretty trees and get some good pictures, while I kept the warm truck safe.  Check out his gallery of pictures.  It includes pictures from Lake Junaluska, and Cataloochee Ranch, as well as our trip on the parkway today.  Up at the highest elevation (6049 ft) the temperature was only 38 degrees at noon.

We stopped in Brevard to find a place to eat lunch.  We usually try to find the historic downtown area because that’s where we find local restaurants with good food and Brevard was no different.  The one unusual thing we found was Brevard is the home of the white squirrel.

It seems they came from an island off Hawaii in 1949 as a gift to a resident from her uncle.  They were kept caged until 1951 when one accidentally got out so the owner decided to release the other.  It seems they do not multiply in captivity, but once let loose there was no stopping them.  Now they are the claim to fame of Brevard, North Carolina.

I realize I haven’t been as diligent writing the blog as when we were on other trips, but I want to be sure not to bore our audience with less than interesting stories of our adventures and pictures.

Today’s blog is more of a conglomeration of stories than just what we did yesterday.  Although yesterday was a really good day.  (for me anyway.)  We played golf on the local course that has holes that go straight up and straight down.  On the holes that go straight up the best you can hope for is getting your ball to the top of the hill.  On the holes that go straight down, the sky’s the limit and yesterday I hit it!  It was the 15th hole that was so far down hill Jim had to stand on the crest to see where the ball went.

The green is straight down the middle of the picture

I don’t know if its the humidity, altitude, hard ground or a combination of them all, but my ball soared down the hill and landed next to the green on a par 4 hole.  After my usual shaky two putts, I was in for a BIRDIE!  Now that is a good round of golf.  We won’t discuss any of those uphill holes or any of the par 5 holes where I shot a 10 either.

On Saturday we ventured into Maggie Valley to try out a restaurant we had been told about called Joey’s that only serves breakfast.  Joey’s has been around since 1966 and enjoys a crowd that is guaranteed 40 minute wait minimum on the weekend.  You could tell they had been doing this a long time.  They had enough staff and hostesses to make you feel that you were welcomed and they were doing their best to get everyone served.  Out front there was the final outcome of a pumpkin carving contest and we took pictures so you could see the imagination of the Maggie Valley crowd.

Today we went up to Cataloochee Ranch in Maggie Valley.  That was our destination on our honeymoon and 23 years ago we were staying there on this day.  They serve meals to the general public and we stayed for lunch and a walk around the grounds reliving that time so long ago.  The temperature was at least 12 degrees cooler than down the mountain so we didn’t stay too long, but it continues to be a beautiful place.

Stream we saw on the drive back down the mountain

After that, we went to downtown Waynesville and walked around the shops.  We found a Christmas shop and got some really unique things to bring back with us and then on to Mast General Store.  This is a real replica of what a general store was like 100 years ago, complete with creaking board floors!  Everything you could imagine including clothes, shoes, hiking gear, kitchen supplies, gifts and the best supply of candy in the area.  If they don’t have, nobody makes it.

Before heading home we stopped at Barber’s for our turnover, donut, muffin supply for the next few days.  Of course, there we ran into some Ocala friends visiting in the area as well.  This really is a small world.

Twenty-three years ago today Jim and I were married (and they said it wouldn’t last, ha!) so we celebrated last night with a spectacular dinner at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville.  It’s a very old hotel (resort complex really) built into the side of the mountain and we had reservations at the Sunset Terrace which is open and faces the sun as it sets behind the mountains in the distances.  A cold front has moved into this area, so we were dressed warmly with lots of layers, never giving a thought to the fact this is not the hotel’s first rodeo and they have been serving dinner on this terrace for many years.

We invited our friends Faye and Lanny to share the evening with us since they were integral to the event all those years ago and we also enjoy their company.

Our table was a high top close to the wall of the building allowing us to see the splendor of the mountain view over the heads of the people between us and the edge.  (That is always important to me!)

Over head was a long row of huge heaters putting out massive amounts of heat making the temperature perfect for dinner.  At one point we all started shedding our jackets we were so warm.

The food was just as wonderful as we anticipated but as usual, more than we normally eat.  Jim and I shared a wedge blue cheese salad so instead of half a head of lettuce it was only a quarter.  The blue cheese dressing was the best we have ever had.  Even Faye who doesn’t care for blue cheese thought it was good.  The bacon had a sweet taste to it and we finally agreed it was probably cooked in brown sugar or maple syrup.

We each ordered something different for the entre and no one was disappointed.  Jim had trout with fingerling potatoes, I had scallops with asparagus and carrots, Faye had grilled salmon, and Lanny had a double port chop that he described as the best he has ever had.  None of us could face dessert but we did finish the meal with coffee savoring the final few minutes of our special dinner.

In the lobby of the hotel there are two huge fireplaces at each end (tall enough for me to stand in) with a semi-circle of rockers in front so guest can enjoy the crackling fires.

It was these fireplaces that hit a memory cord for me and reminded me when we were in this area all those years ago on our honeymoon, we came to the hotel and actually had lunch here.  There have been many improvements to the hotel since then and now that I think about it, we have had as much growth in our marriage as well.  Both stand today as magnificent!

Exploring new things is always fun, but there is something comforting about doing familiar things.  Yesterday and today we had the pleasure of doing familiar things with our long time friends, Faye and Lanny, who introduced us to this wonderful part of the country so many years ago.

We started the day yesterday with a trip to Asheville to visit the Farmers Market for some fresh vegetables and the hardware store next to it.  This store had a video tape of a bird feeder that was supposed to be squirrel proof.  When a squirrel lands on the feeder, it spins and propels the squirrel in the air.  When we saw this two years ago, we all laughed until it hurt.  Actually, it looked like something out of Americas Funniest Videos.  Naturally, we had to go back to see if they had any new innovations for us to enjoy.

Then on to the gift shop at the Biltmore Estate and lunch at our BBQ place, The Three Little Pigs.  Two years ago, we found an REI store in what looked like the beginnings of a new outdoor shopping area.  This trip it was more completed with lots of stores and restaurants to explore.  One of the new stores is an oil and vinegar specialty shop with lots of samples and tasting stations.  Of course, we each left with a little bag of goodies.

Today we ventured to Knoxville to visit our friends Bill and Carol Evans.  At one point Bill was Faye and my boss, but he has always been both of our friends.  Bill and Carol have just moved into a new home which they designed and had built (I believe this is number 10).  I guess when you are that good at something, you should keep doing it as long as possible.  We had a delightful afternoon visiting and catching up on each others family news.

Tonight WE MADE FIRE!  We got home in time to heat up some leftovers while Jim made a fire in our new portable fire pit.  Dessert, of course, was toasted marshmallows.

We left Monday morning to spend a little under three weeks in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  Actually, we are staying in the same campground we stayed in last year across the street from Lake Junaluska.

  In fact, we are even in the same spot we were in last year.  It’s officially called Waynesville and its close to several things we love to visit including our friends Faye and Lanny.

We took two days to drive up and actually arrived on Tuesday afternoon.  One of our first errands was to get some firewood for the portable fire pit Jim got for his birthday.  Jim also took a picture of one of the trees around the campground and every few days he will up date the picture so you can see the progress of the tree turning.

Its raining today, so I think we are going to Asheville and visit our Barbeque place we like there and the gift shop at the Biltmore.