Ashville

Lake Powhatan (Bottom picture is pano of bridge and creek)

We stayed at Lake Powhatan just 12 miles outside of Ashville.   What a beautiful scenic area with lots of trails for running, biking, and hiking.  The trails were busy with people.   Our favorite was the 6.25 mile hike to NC Arboretum.   It's like the Norfolk Botanical Gardens for mountain enthusiasts.   Azaleas are blooming now and they are slightly different from the ones we are used to in Virginia Beach.  These azaleas are taller and thinner....more like small trees.  The fragrances were wonderful and filled the air along with several different butterfly species.  I could get used to mountain living!

NC Arboretum (it was a beautiful day 😊)

We met Dave and Jenn DesRoches along with their son Michael and girlfriend, Kirsten, for a few beers and dinner.   Timing was perfect as they were celebrating Michael's graduation from FSU.  Ashville is loaded with breweries and eclectic restaurants.  Wicked Weed was one of the breweries on Biltmore Avenue we hit.  Funny story, Kami and I had been to Ashville about 10 years ago tent camping in the Western Carolina area (my how we have evolved to a travel trailer).   Breweries were becoming popular and we decided to try Wicked Weed and asked the server if he had a beer comparable to Bud Light.  He told us there was a Buffalo Wild Wing down the street and suggested we go there.   Needless to say, we walked out that day but the morale of the story is we have grown to like different beer selections and enjoyed a flight this time around with our friends.  😂

Who's that dude with the Nirvana shirt? 

There are a couple of national brewers, Sierra Nevada and New Belgium (Fat Tire), that reside in the area.   Kami and I visited them on our last day in Ashville.  Sierra Nevada is a huge 160 acre compound close to the Regional Airport with full restaurant, outdoor seating, amphitheater at the bottom, and tours of the brewery.  I suggest if your ever in the area to go there.  New Belgium is close to the Art District and has outdoor seating and close to French Broad River.   

Lastly, we stopped by Grove Park Inn, a beautiful hotel overlooking the mountains with long history dating back to 1913.   One group that visited every year starting in 1918 was Henry Ford, Harvey Firestone, Thomas Edison, and writer John Burroughs.   This group called themselves "The Vagabonds" and went out every summer to explore the country with each having their responsibilities for the trip based on there backgrounds.  Another historical note, in 1942 the military took over the hotel to house Nazi and Italian officers captured during WWll.   These guys were living the good life.

Grove Park Inn Front

Grove Park Inn Back

Grove Park Inn View from back 

Next we are going to two wineries, part of Harvest Host, for overnight stays on our way to Nashville to meet Teresa and Tony.   Life is Good!