I love just sitting and passing the time watching people as they walk by. Like the time we sat for a bit at the Farmers Market in Asheville. First there was the cute little girl walking by with ice cream running down her face and shirt. There wasn’t enough napkins in her mother’s purse to help that mess. The little old lady and her husband buying fresh tomatoes and practically shucking every ear of corn to find that perfect cob while the vender stood close by with arms crossed and frowning. Clearly not happy about the events in front of him. And then there were the crocs. A fashion faux pas if I’ve ever seen one. Florescent orange. Sky blue. Bright red. There was even a teenage boy wearing cammie crocs. Now that’s where I would draw the line! The joke around our house is that I’ll be buried in a pair if I‘m not a good girl. Shylers, I thought you loved me more than that.

And we did our fair share of stimulating Asheville’s economy at the Farmers Market. Tomatoes, green beans, egg plant, potatoes. All locally grown, all fresh and just for the two of us. You’d think I was buying for an army. Yes sir, an army of two. The tomatoes were great on our hamburgers. The green beans were stringy, even though the vendor told me exactly how to cook them before warning me they tended to be tough and stringy. I should have listened and chosen the “greasy green bean“ variety, whatever that is.

We had a great time in Asheville and to tell you the truth, if we didn’t love Brandon so much and the lure of little Drake grandbabies, we’d end our trip right now and right here in Asheville. We’ve always loved North Carolina and it will be hard to leave the state when the time comes.

We pulled into Wilson’s RV Camp just off the 240 Interstate. I suppose saying “off“ the 240 is putting it mildly. It‘s more like right next to the 240. In fact, you‘d think you had pitched your tent on the shoulder of the 240. The only good thing about Wilson’s RV Camp is it’s located on the French Broad river so you have spectacular views of the river. Don’t turn around though because there’s that 240 again. We paid for the next 4 nights and was told by the gentleman behind the counter to “go pick any spot.” So we did. We found a lovely spot next to the river. In fact, it was the only remaining spot next to the river so we considered ourselves lucky. We crawled out of the truck and set up camp. Leveled the trailer the best we could. I still think those bubbles are off! Brian unhooked the truck from the trailer, pulled out the awning and set out the lawn chairs. I was just getting ready to start dinner when Brian came in, “We have to move.” “What? What do you mean we have to move? We just got here.” John, a 76 year old retired salesman, who used to make $200,000 a year but now lives on $1000 a month Social Security, living out of his boat because somebody screwed him out of $800 and a trailer and blah, blah, blah (my mind drifted after that) had apparently paid for that spot and wanted it back. And he was starting to get nasty about it. Brian had me call the manager, whom we just left at the front office. Since I couldn’t understand a word he was saying, I handed the phone to Brian. Not that he wasn’t speaking English, he sported a heavy southern accent and talked something like Boomhauer from King of the Hill. I couldn’t understand a word that came out of that man’s mouth! We were both shocked when “Boomhauer” told Brian, “You tell him to go find another spot.” We could see where that argument was heading. “911. What’s your emergency?” “ We’ve got a mad man fighting us for our camp spot. Send somebody fast! We’re right off the 240, uhhhh, more like, on the 240.” Being the understanding individuals we are, we packed it up and moved. We spent the next 4 sleepless nights listening to semi’s exiting the 240 right behind our trailer. And what is it with those Jake Brakes anyway? I swear those truck drivers do that on purpose!

The Grand Staircase

Our first day was spent at the Biltmore Estates. Someone told us they’d heard tickets to the Biltmore are $60 a person. Wow! They weren’t that much the last time I visited but that was a long time ago. In fact, almost 10 years ago. A little internet investigation and sure enough, $60 a pop. A little more research and we were fortunate enough to find a location where we could purchase tickets for $50 a person. Honestly, I would have rather done something else as I didn’t think the entry prices were worth it but Brian had never been to the Biltmore. Even though the entry fees were steep, I’m glad we went. The grounds are absolutely breath taking and the house itself… well, one can only dream.

George Washington Vanderbilt completed the 250 room mansion in 1895 (including 43 bathrooms) when he was still a bachelor. He was an avid reader, owning over 23,000 books. He kept a log of the books he read and from the time he started keeping track to the time he passed away, he had read 3,045 books. He was once dubbed ,“The best read man in America.” The house is absolutely gorgeous and George Vanderbilt thought of everything. He included a secret door and passageway on the second floor behind the library’s chimney, which Vanderbilt designed for use by his guest. This allowed his guests to slip downstairs, perhaps in their night clothes, and select a bedtime book to read without having to descend the grand spiral staircase in the center of the home. Along with the massive library, his guests would find an indoor heated swimming pool, complete with an underwater lighting system that is still operational today. And if his guests weren’t up for a swim, they had the option of either working out in the state of the art weight room or they could bowl at the indoor bowling alley.

Biltmore Conservatory

And the grounds of the Biltmore are absolutely beautiful. Plants that where not purchased were prorogated in the various greenhouses and displayed around the original 125,000 acres in formal gardens or in the Conservatory. If you ever get the chance, we highly recommend a visit to the Biltmore Estates. We would definitely recommend shelling out the extra $10 for the audio tour as it gives a better insight into the Vanderbilt family and how they lived on the estate.

Our next journey will be to the top of Chimney Rock. See you there!