Last Five Days of Mountain Trip

 "The traveler sees what he sees; the tourist sees what he has come to see." -- Gilbert K. Chesterton

I never think of myself as a tourist, but as a traveler. The quote above suits me just fine. As wonderful as my first five days in the mountains were, the next five were just as awesome. This picture of the porch on my home-away-from-home epitomizes the trip for me. It was a time of peace and relaxation. Yes, I struggled up and down some steep mountains for the sake of a view or a spectacular waterfall; I manipulated my car around hairpin mountain curves in order to visit new towns or just for the thrill of it; I unexpectedly had to purchase four new tires, but still, peace and relaxation ruled the day.

In my online search for interesting things to do in Hendersonville, Bullington Gardens popped up. Anyone who knows me knows that I do NOT have a green thumb at all. I do however love to admire the work of those who have been gifted with thumbs of a verdant shade. In my visit to Bullington Gardens I was not disappointed. The gardens are cared for by volunteers and supported by donations. There were many types of flowers (I am not knowledgeable to explain them except to say they were all lovely) displayed in a variety of settings, including garden walks, a nature trail, and a fairy garden. I enjoyed the visit so much that I returned accompanied by my friend Mittie who came to my mountain retreat to share a few days with me. Both visits were enjoying and inspiring. We are now contemplating the possibilities of incorporating the fairy garden idea into some kind of literature garden. (You're right, that sounds more like me!)

Aren't these pictures amazing? Just imagine if you were really there! I've linked the gardens at the bottom of the page so that you can visit the next time you're in the area. They really are a must-see!

Mittie and I also spent a day on and near the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is a road with such majestic views. I apologized to her because I HAD to keep stopping at each overlook. I was afraid that I would miss a once-in-a-lifetime view. It was like I was continually drawing in my breath at the beauty of God's creation. We even had a discussion about the emptiness and lack of understanding that those who do not believe in the ONE TRUE GOD must feel when they view these vistas of wonder. I was struck time and again with the awesomeness of God's creativity, imagination, sense of humor, and majesty. 

As mentioned in my previous post, I loved my visit to Jump Off Rock. It sits on the side of the mountain in a residential area. I couldn't wait to share the view with Mittie, and it was one of the first places we went after she arrived. I loved curving up and around the mountain as she held on to what she called the "Jesus handle" above her head. The sight was again worth the drive, and this time we even got to see a wedding in progress. I also showed Mittie the bed and breakfast I'd discovered. We quickly agreed it would be the perfect spot for our Sunday brunch. We made reservations (though not required except for supper) and planned our attire. Sunday morning found us climbing the mountain again, this time anticipating sustenance for our physical bodies and not just for our love of creation. We gave the entire experience two (x2) thumbs up! The food was delicious, the service excellent, the view lovely. We're already talking about how we can actually go and stay there!

Since we're on the subject of food (see Echo Monte Cristo above) let's look at some of the other tantalizing meals Mittie and I enjoyed, shall we? We visited a German restaurant nestled in between Flat Rock and Hendersonville. It was raining and dreary outside when we went, but inside was full-on Germany! There were monitors showing German castles, countryside, and celebrations; postcards from there covered the walls; souvenirs and memorabilia sat on windowsills, countertops, and tables; it was total emersion. And the food...plentiful and yummy! 

The other places we (or I) ate were less of an "experience" but palate-pleasing nonetheless.

A meal from Tupelo Honey on the outskirts of Asheville.

A sandwich from the Garden Cafe near Rutherfordton.

Bar-b-q, cornbread, fries, and delectable shrimp and bacon grits from Flat Rock Wood Room.

Mittie and I wound up our visit with games and time on the porch due to some mountain rain that came through. The rain did nothing to dampen our time together or our enjoyment of our surroundings. After she left, it continued to rain so I finished my fourth puzzle, completed an afaghan, worked on my re-read of Bitter Blood, and watched Hallmark Movies & Mysteries; all of which I enjoyed thoroughly. My trip home was uneventful. I, as usual, drove mostly on non-interstate roads and highways. I leave you with pictures of two things you don't get to see from an interstate, along with my count of how many Bojangles I passed -- 7! What is it with Bojangles and Biscuitville anyway??????

I have included links below to some of the restaurants, Echo Mountain Inn, and Bullington Gardens.

Bullington Gardens

Echo Mountain Inn

Haus Heidelberg Restaurant

Flat Rock Wood Room

Tupelo Honey Cafe   (This is a chain, and there's one in Raleigh.)

Peaceful Weekend In Western North Carolina

“Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of the water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time.” -- John Lubbock

I recently took Kathryn and Saber on a much-needed, much-deserved long weekend away -- away from sewing masks until the middle of the night, away from standing on tired feet for hours on end helping customers and then cutting out masks, away from hours and hours of hard work and an unending attempt to power through this difficult financial time that our whole world is locked in. I chose as our destination the mountains, rivers and lakes of western North Carolina. We stayed in Flat Rock but visited Saluda and Hendersonville during our sojourn there.

Our hotel was Mill House Lodge in Flat Rock. (link below) The lodge was a collection of older buildings nestled around a lovely lawn and shimmering lake. The buildings, though older, were picturesque and well-maintained. Our room was on the second floor and had a balcony which faced the lake. We had a small suite with a sofa bed for me and a separate bedroom for them. We also had a fully-equipped kitchen and a table that was great for holding the puzzle we worked on over the weekend. Beside the lake sat some picnic tables, Adirondack chairs, a deck area, and canoes and pedal boats free for all to use. The lodge also had a pool with a cabana-type area and adequate seating around the pool. The whole place was the epitome of "peace" to me. I would go out on the balcony early each morning and just soak in the quiet and the essence of mountain air.  It rained a good deal while we were there, but even the rain could not detract from the utter peacefulness of this place.

We planned only a couple of excursions since the point of the trip was for the two hard workers to get some relaxation. Our first planned adventure was to go tubing on the Green River. I set it up with Living Waters Tubing. (link below) There are several tubing companies on the river, all in close proximity to each other. After reading the reviews, I chose Living Waters because they were highly recommended due to their kindness and customer interaction. We found those recommendations to be accurate. We did a 2 hour trip and loved all 120 minutes of it. Saber is not a swimmer, and Living Waters provided him with a life jacket. The Green River is not a lazy river and has several class 1 and 2 rapids along the way. I was a little worried about how Saber would handle it (as was his mother far away in Afghanistan) and insisted he wear the life-saving device. He handled the rapids and the river remarkably well and was ecstatic about the entire ride. He exclaimed that it was one of the best days he's had since he's been in the United States! I personally enjoyed the mindless floating parts better than the rock-riddled rapids, but those areas weren't too scary or anything. 

Our other excursion was not quite as exciting and was actually a little of a let-down to me. We went "gem mining" at Elijah Mountain Gem Mines. I realize were weren't actually gem mining and have participated in other rock-sifting situations before. I knew what to expect as far as that went. Elijah Mountain Gem Mining itself was a little disappointing. The build-up online was a little inflated. It was just a place on the side of the road near other buildings and houses. They had goats, a small store, and a little trail down to a brook out back. That was it. We did "find" some pretty rocks and plan to do some polishing up soon. What I found to be more fun was the Rudnick Nature Trail we found not too far from our gem mining location. This trail is maintained my UNC Asheville and meandered through trees, meadows, and near a creek. We walked about a mile in and then had to turn around when I kind of tore my finger open on a thorn. (It wasn't too bad, but those of you who know me know about my issue with blood. I had to get back to the car! No jeering from the sidelines; the fear of blood is real and scary!!!)

One of Kathryn's favorite parts of the trip was visiting several little shops. The two best were less than 1/2 a mile from our lodge. Her favorite of those two (and her favorite of the whole trip) was Dogwood. It was small but held the work of several artists, some fair trade merchandise, and many interesting items. Nearby was also The Wrinkled Egg. It was larger and a little more touristy. I got a couple of journals on sale there. We also visited some shops in Hendersonville. The problem there was that because of COVID, most of the downtown shops and restaurants are keeping shorter hours. We got there around 5 and barely had time to visit the stores. We went to Mast General Store and a couple other little places before everything shut down for the night. In Saluda we visited Thompson's Store which I found to be delightful. It was one of those old places where you can purchase your nails by the pound, your vegetables from a neighbor's garden, and grab some ice-cream on the way out. We also did a quick tour of the Saluda Train Museum. Saluda is famous for having the steepest gauge railroad line in US history.

We also did some eating on this trip. The Flat Rock Village Bakery was a short walk away, and I took full advantage of that place. It was awesome. Make sure you get there early because they sell out fast. We also ate at the Campfire Grill in Flat Rock, as well as the Flat Rock Wood Room where I ate on my last trip. In Hendersonville we ate at Mezzaluna because it was about the only thing open. My favorite meal was in Saluda. We ate at The Purple Onion, and it was delicious. Eating in their outdoor area made it even more enjoyable. The meal was made even better by the lovely surroundings.

The 3 above are from Campfire Grill.

These two are from The Purple Onion. The first was scrumptious crab dip. We dug in immediately as we were starving after tubing. It looked as good as it tasted, take my word for it.

One example of a pastry from the bakery. This was a almond fig pinwheel. It was good, but the chocolate bearclaw (not pictured because of speedy consumption while walking) was amazing!

Overall, this was a wonderful trip. Saber and I even got to see a quirky weird truck on the drive back. (Kathryn was, of course, asleep.) We had fun. We relaxed. We took a boat ride and laid by the pool. We watched mindless television. We shared enjoyable times that will now become enjoyable memories that we can look back on together. We rested but were not idle. I highly recommend it!

A look at the strange truck on the interstate coming home. The top of the cab and hood were covered with small plastic toys!

Links:
Mill House Lodge, Flat Rock

Living Waters Tubing, Saluda

Dogwood, Flat Rock

The Wrinkled Egg, Flat Rock

Village Bakery, Flat Rock

Purple Onion, Saluda