Hendersonville, North Carolina

July 13, 2010

Too much time has passed since last posting! It shows just how lazy I have been. We have been soaking up the atmosphere of western North Carolina and seeing friends.

We took a Fourth of July drive to Jump Off Rock in Laurel Park, another very interesting town just west of Hendersonville. You can see South Carolina and Georgia from this end-of-the-road peak. We took a short walk down the mountain side, cut short by worry about getting back up! The Jaymar park had a nice hot dog picnic in the evening. The people here are very friendly and we really enjoyed the company, in addition to the food and entertainment, a trio of young sisters who can really fiddle and sing!

We met up with the Morrison's, friends from Plano who currently live in nearby Charlotte. The 4 of us drove to Brevard to see the white squirrels! Brevard College has a famous music program in addition to unique squirrels. We also enjoyed the town and a delicious lunch. It was nice to see folks from home and tour more of the area.

Friends Rick and Pat arrived last Thursday. We really enjoyed catching up with them and showing them the sights. Pat and I went to Carl Sandburg's Connemara. It is a beautiful property in the nearby town of Flat Rock, yet another beautiful town, this one to the south. We spent Sunday driving to Bryson City to catch the Great Smoky Mountain Railway for a 50mile round trip along several different rivers, including the Nantahala. This is a very popular place to kayak; the junior Olympic team was training here. It was a beautiful day with wonderful scenery. Russell and Rick enjoyed getting to be passengers and really soaked up the views, and the ZZ's! We all took naps on the way back, relaxed by the rocking train and rhythmic music of tracks.

Back in the car, we took a different route back home to escape the freeway. Our attempt to see the back country was highly successful! It started with the town of Waynesville, then meandered through farm land that climbs foothills, picturesque! And then there was the sign: "9% Grades Ahead." Yes, there were! We climbed Cold Mountain, winding, switch-backing, diving, climbing again! It felt that Russell was at Indy, "Going 90" but he was really going a very tame 30mph, at best. We made an unscheduled stop to admire the peaks and calm stomachs before heading down the mountain and a return trip to Brevard. Hawg Wild BBQ gave us the energy to complete the trip home.

I would have to call the trip to Hendersonville a complete success, a place we hope to enjoy again.