Day 4 - Asheville - Durham, NC

We skipped the hotel breakfast this morning, opting instead for some coffee and doughnuts at Dunkin' Donuts.  Not the healthiest way to get going, but hey, we're on vacation.  Our first stop was a little over an hour from Asheville up in the mountains:  Linville Falls.  When we arrived, the temperature was about 65 with sunny skies as we walked into the visitors center.  Due to our limited time, we decided on two shorter hikes:  one to Dugger's Creek and the other to the Upper Falls.  Dugger's Creek is this single stream of water falling deep in a ravine down to a creek.  The rock striations, light green moss, and enclosed area made this feel very much like something out of a Disney theme park, or a place where Indiana Jones could appear at a moment's notice.  The trail to the Upper Falls was more well-trodden and being put to good use today.  At the end of the hike, we were able to walk on a rock face with protective railings to watch the water move downstream over three different falls areas.  A very worthwhile stop indeed!

To Boone we headed where we were looking forward to re-creating a memory from Caroline's youth.  Her family was vacationing one summer on Grandfather Mountain and they ate at the Dan'l Boone Inn, an old style restaurant that serves comfort food in a family-style manner.  Back in the day, the family liked it so much they visited more than once on the trip.  When we were planning our itinerary, Caroline's mom suggested we return to see if it was still as good.  I'm happy to report that the Dan'l Boone Inn IS still amazing.  Wow!  A great meal and a great price in an amazing setting.  It was a lot of fun.

Mystery Hill was our first stop after lunch, and again, this was a suggestion from Caroline's mom.  The hillside has been attracting visitors since the 1940s when the owner figured he would open up a house that highlighted the strange gravitational anomalies that people have recorded feeling since the American Revolution.  One room of the attraction takes advantage of the weird gravity effects and can really make you unbalanced if you let it.  Water can flow uphill, balls curve back to you when thrown out at an angle, and you can really feel a force pulling you in a direction it normally wouldn't.  Of course, the kids had a blast, but the adults had to admit that it was fun too.

We needed to make Durham by dinnertime, so we hopped onto the Blue Ridge Parkway for the final time and eventually made our way back to Interstate 40.  After checking in, we found a local seafood restaurant, Squid's, and after having a great dinner, drove into downtown Durham.  We toured around and saw the American Tobacco Campus (Durham's downtown entertainment district that sits inside an old converted tobacco factory), the Durham Bulls stadium (yep...Bull Durham), and a quick look at Duke University.  A dip in the pool and hot tub tonight, and we're ready for tomorrow's adventure!  Outer Banks, here we come!

Day 3 - Asheville, NC

A bit of a respite today as we spent all day hanging around Asheville.  I was first introduced to this city in 2003 during our Smoky Mountain camping trip and have loved it ever since.  After breakfast at the hotel, we drove out to the northeast side of town to the Folk Art Center located on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This is a very dangerous store for all of us as they have amazing art for sale:  photos, pottery, textiles, etchings, drawings, glass and more.  You owe it to yourself to stop here anytime you're in the area.  I had a framed piece of art in my hands, but I put it back on the wall before I got to check out.  I walked away empty-handed today, but only because I know I'll find equally cool souvenirs later in our trip.  Franklin picked up his first harmonica and has been serenading us ever since; he's actually getting better!

Our next stop was south of Asheville near Hendersonville.  It was time to go mining at the Elijah Mountain Gem Mine.  This family-run establishment might sound touristy (it is), but it is guaranteed fun, especially if you have kiddos.  We got a bucket full of sand with hidden treasures inside which we scooped into sifters.  A dip in the flowing water, some good old shaking, and gems began to appear.  Garnets, rubies, sapphires, quartz crystals, amethysts, emerald, geodoes, and more were found, resulting in big laughs from us all and wonderful smiles on the kids' faces.  The shop even cracked open Lena's geode for her.  I'm sensing a rock tumbler may be in their future.

We tried to visit the REI store in Knoxville on Friday, but the distance from our hotel and the down pouring rain caused us to delay until today.  Before shopping, we grabbed some North Carolina Bar-B-Que at Luella's.  Between the sweet potato chips, chopped brisket, ribs, andouille sausage, and homemade banana pudding, we all walked away with full bellies.  Lena snagged a new school backpack at REI and we found a perfect sticker for our "stowaway" bin on the back of the car.  

Downtown Asheville is home to many wonderful cafes, restaurants, street musicians, architecture, and more, but we spent some of our afternoon hours at the Asheville Pinball Museum.  For a flat per person rate, you get unlimited plays on old and new pinball machines, plus arcade favorites from when we were kids:  Miss Pac Man, Tron, Dig Dug, Galaga, Burger Time, Donkey Kong, and more.  Who knew frittering away 2 hours could be so much fun?  I did notice that I no longer have to get on my tip toes to see the arcade screens as I've grown a bit since the mid-1980s.

After a quick late afternoon coffee and some decadent chocolate confections we walked around the downtown area a bit and then drove through the River Arts District.  This "new" district is located near the Front Broad River and is in the old industrial area of the city.  Several studios have renovated warehouse spaces and open their doors to visitors.  Because it was late on a Sunday, all were closed, but we decided this would be an excellent way to spend a day with other adults on a future trip.  Back to the hotel early tonight and prepping to head out toward the center of North Carolina tomorrow.  The weather has continued to be completely amazing; it feels very much like fall in the mountains!

Day 2 - Knoxville to Asheville, NC

We slept in a bit this morning as the time change (we are in Eastern time now) and the long day in the car Friday zapped us.  The breakfast in the hotel was pretty good, all things considered, and we soon hit the road south towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  We decided to take the more scenic route into the park which meant that once we hit Pigeon Forge, we turned west for a bit.  This was a good move as we soon came across the Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster.  We HAD to stop and give it a try.  You get seat belted into this sled-like coaster that ascends the nearby mountain via a few different climbs.  Once you reach the summit, you push down on the coasters handles, and off you go as you slide/glide down the hill on steel tracks through corkscrews, bumpy straight sections, and banking turns in a woodland setting.  Franklin rode with me and was a little scared at first, but halfway down he was yelling, "THIS IS AWESOME, we have to do it again!"

Back on the road, we turned toward the Smokies and were soon at an area called "The Sinks" where folks come to swim and jump into the Little River's natural pools caused by the river making an S-turn.  The weather today was outstanding as the sun was out, but temperatures were amazingly pleasant.  This great late July day clearly brought a lot of people into the park.

Our next stop was the Newfound Gap which is about halfway through the park is at nearly 1 mile above sea level.  The temperature really started to cool off here--it was about 68 degrees at 1:00 pm.  The Appalachian Trail crosses the Gap as does the Tennessee/North Caroline state line.

Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the park (6,643 ft), the tallest mountain in Tennessee (yes, it's barely back across the state line), and is the third highest peak east of the Mississippi.  As we parked, clouds started to envelope us.  Not fog, but rolling clouds that curled and curved with the wind.  The temperature had dropped to about 64 and everyone except me donned long-sleeved t-shirts or a pullover.  A tower sits at the summit and is a half mile walk (uphill the whole way) and, during clear weather, offers sweeping views of the park.  Today was NOT a "clear weather" day.

As we left the park, we stopped to have our picture made with the southern entrance sign and then we hopped onto the Blue Ridge Parkway and then Highway 19 en route to Asheville, our final destination for today.  I was first introduced to Asheville by Caroline in 2003 when she, Jason, and I camped in nearby Maggie Valley.  The town is quite an eclectic mix of things to do, restaurants, and people.  The downtown area is a little like the French Quarter in New Orleans except locals, tourists, street musicians, college kids, and retirees all come here to enjoy what the city has to offer.  We found an excellent taproom and pizzeria for dinner and then spent some time just walking around.  We're staying put in Asheville tomorrow, which will be very nice.  Looking ahead, there has been a power outage on the Outer Banks that has caused the evacuation of two of the islands.  Fortunately, where we will be staying in a few days hasn't been affected.