I Climbed A Mountain Today.

Yeah. Read that title one more time. I climbed a mountain today.

As I type this article, my body is weary and tired. I'm going to keep this brief. Crystal and I traveled to Hanging Rock State Park today in beautiful Stokes County, North Carolina. After hiking a long and rather strenuous uphill climb, 1.3 miles in length and 780 ft. of elevation gain, we arrived at the top to see some absolutely magnificent views. I'll let the photos do all the talking. Was I exhausted after climbing all that way? You bet I was. The path was S-T-E-E-P. The Hanging Rock trail path is gravel for most of the way up, but towards the end we encountered jagged rock steps. Oh man... I did some climbing.

If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend you visit Hanging Rock and check it out for yourself. Photos can't do it justice.

Leaving Asheville.

The third and final day of my short excursion to the city of Asheville had finally come. On the itinerary today: visit the North Carolina Arboretum and attend the Asheville Orchid Festival. Woo-hoo!

The grounds of the North Carolina Arboretum are well maintained and groomed. Sadly, I was surprised at the lack of overall diversity in the plants residing on the property. It seemed smaller than I expected, but beautiful nevertheless. They had a large bonsai tree area, but nearly all of the pot-bound plants were still in storage due to the outside temperature not quite being warm enough yet.

Of note, there were two fantastic exhibits in their main building, featuring presentations on the Peregrine Falcon and wild predators of the United States.

Within the education building was the Asheville Orchid Festival. Though, the word 'festival' might be overselling it a bit. I'd say it was more of a 'meeting'. There were a large number of orchids, but not nearly enough to justify the festival designation. The orchid displays filled two rooms, of which half were growers selling their plants at OUTRAGEOUS prices. Over $100 for a plant? No thanks. I must say -- the flowers were very magnificent in both color and scope, much to my delight.

With the city of Asheville squarely in my rear-view mirror, it was time to come home. I have mixed feelings about Asheville. Do I think the city is way over-hyped? Positively so. Yet, there's also a genuine side to the city that was really appealing to me. If not for the Blue Ridge Parkway and Pisgah National Forest being so close by, I'd probably feel unsatisfied with the trip. And yet, the natural wonders and great local food (without hippies) saved it for me. Final verdict? Go to Asheville for the gorgeous environment and great local food, but avoid downtown and the other tourist traps.

Blaaaah. Hippies.

Check out the rest of my trip here: Day 1, Day 2.

Hiking To Waterfalls On The Blue Ridge Parkway.

Wow... what a difference a day makes. My second day in Asheville was much better than the first, largely to spending time driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway and hiking in the Pisgah National Forest to the southwest of the city. But first, breakfast!

We enjoyed a meal at the Hungry Bear Cafe. This is obviously a local establishment, not visited by the hippies I encountered yesterday in downtown Asheville. The cafe was quaint, but cozy and inviting. As to the food, it was what you'd expect from a local diner -- tasty, filling and just what I needed to get the day started. Upon downing a few eggs, hash browns and sausage patties, we promptly made our way towards the Blue Ridge Parkway.

I really love the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'm so thankful there's a motorway that traces the top of the Appalachian Mountains. This stretch of road is one of America's greatest gems. If you've not experienced the Blue Ridge Parkway, then you should as soon as you can.

Our plan for hiking involved visiting four different waterfalls. The first stop was Skinny Dip Falls. After a moderate hike into the forest, we arrived to find an absolutely wonderful scene.

Crystal assessing her surroundings.

 Skinny Dip Falls -- there's a large wading pool below that many people hop into during warmer months. Clothing is optional.

The water from Skinny Dip Falls flowing down the mountain.

Up next was the Graveyard Fields. On this stretch of land are two different waterfalls, but we came to see the unique landscape and gorgeous river full of trout flowing through. Along the way, we wormed our way through a field of old-growth, wild Rhododendrons.

A forest of Rhododendrons. Cool!

 
The second waterfall on our itinerary was Sliding Rock. More so a rushing stream than a waterfall, it was still very awesome to see in person. During the late Spring and Summer months, the recreation area is open to swimmers. They can climb to the top of Sliding Rock, then coast down in the gushing water to the pool below. Crystal wanted to jump in the freezing water, but I convinced her thankfully not to do so, as to avoid catching hypothermia.

 Even though the water was cold, we did stick our feet in. IT WAS FRIGID!

On our way out of Sliding Rock, we happened upon a group of migrating Monarch Butterflies huddled together. Very rare to see in person!

Our third waterfall was Moore Cove. Though this waterfall wasn't the biggest, it was the only one that allowed for walking behind it. It was refreshing to touch the water splashing from above. The hike to get there was highly challenging, but well worth it. Such an amazing sight to behold!

The fourth and final waterfall was Looking Glass Falls. Mighty in size and sound, this was the largest of the falls we had seen. Such a tranquil location, but also very popular with visitors.

After a very long day of hiking, we finished the evening off with a special treat. Our dinner was at Rocky's Hot Chicken Shack. Another obvious local dive full of normal Asheville folk, this place was FANTASTIC! The chicken they serve can come in a number of different levels of spiciness. And let me tell you, they were HOT! I enjoyed my meal and even took some back to my hotel to eat tomorrow. If you like chicken or spicy food, then you need to come here for a meal. It won't disappoint.

That sign is hilarious.

 

Day two of visiting Asheville ended on a high note. It's become blatantly clear that the best way to experience Asheville is to avoid pretty much everything downtown. Enjoy the local spots on the western side of the city instead. Travel through the natural wonders to the south. All in all, just steer clear of the mecca of hippy-dom that possesses the eastern and downtown side. What will day three in Asheville hold for me? I guess we'll find out tomorrow!

Check out the rest of my trip here: Day 1, Day 3.

My First Impression Of Asheville, NC.

This is a strange, strange place.

I've never been to Asheville, North Carolina before. A city I've only ever read about or seen on television. Often described as one of the most 'liberal' places in America, Asheville is known for its extremely progressive slant on modern living. It's also a well-regarded art community.

Boy, were they not kidding. Let me set the tone of this article. Asheville is absolutely filled to the brim with hippies and hipsters.

I went downtown first, experiencing the Grove Arcade. No, this was not a place for Space Invaders and Pac-Man. The Grove Arcade is an old shopping center established in 1929, now converted to house boutique shoppes and office space. A quick spin through the building soon revealed the fancy and rather overpriced nature of the wares being sold. Though, I must commend the building for being intricate and well designed. It was a total throwback to the 1920's and '30s.

Making my way down city blocks, past what must have been hundreds of coffee shops, graffiti tags and ethnic cafes, I took note of the countless people pushing down the sidewalks. Some I could tell were homeless bums. And yet, people I assumed must have been citizens of better means seemed to look exactly the same. Dirty clothes, ill-kept hair, nasty dreadlocks, strange beards, peculiar fashion... I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the bums and the ordinary folk. There were people singing, dancing and playing music on the street, begging for a nickel. There were guys with funny beards smoking vaporizers. Folks in fur coats and fishnets. I saw a man curled up with a dog, asleep against a building. Was he homeless, or just a lazy guy whom wanted to take a nap? I'll never know. There were people shouting and walking in outlandish manners. I'm also pretty sure I saw at least two different people getting high.

My next stop was the Colburn Earth Science Museum, which is filled with various gemstones, minerals, geodes and rocks. Soon to become the Asheville Museum of Science, it will be relocating to a new location. It's a good thing, considering the museum was quite small and in dilapidated condition. Visitors had obviously not been kind to the exhibits over the years. Thankfully, the rocks that were there were quite nice to see.

 

Our next visit was with Double D's Coffee and Desserts. This is a neat little coffee shop inside an authentic English double-decker bus. The setup was unique and the interior was quite cramped, but it was kitschy. I can certainly understand the appeal. I ordered an iced chai tea, which was quite spicy and flavorful.

After roaming the downtown area for a few hours, I quickly came to realize that Asheville is nothing more than a tourist trap run by hippies. There's an endless stream of various shops populated with overpriced stuff. Fair Trade. Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Vegan. It seemed like everything had a label, with the sole purpose to sell you something. I left feeling a bit disappointed. Did these hippies not realize they were really capitalists? Or, the more likely scenario... were these capitalists masked as hippies to sell the bohemian mystique? I left the downtown shopping district having purchased nothing.

A quick pit stop at the UNC-Asheville Botanical Garden was pleasant, but still filled with strange people doing weird dances, picnics in the water and general tomfoolery. The stream rolling through the edge of the garden was plenty beautiful, though.


Left with little else to do for the evening, Crystal and I stopped by a local miniature golf course. We were surprised to learn that admission was eight dollars per person for one round of putt-putt. Really? This was simply more proof that the city was largely a tourist trap. We moved on to our hotel and eventually dinner at the local Cracker Barrel.

Afterwards, we stopped at a fantastic ice cream shoppe called Frostbite. It was a simple establishment, purely a throwback to the dives of the '50s and '60s. The ice cream was AMAZING -- sweet, buttery, genuine. I can't recommend them enough to you. There was something interesting waiting for us outside as we arrived, much to my surprise. A bowling alley sat behind the ice cream shoppe. Along the side of the alley was this gorgeous mural, obviously devoted to 'The Dude' of The Big Lebowski fame. Rad.

So... my first day in Asheville was... interesting. I get the feeling that Asheville is a city with two sides. There's the hippie-filled tourist side, drawing in fools with loose wallets. And then, just perhaps, there's the side filled with normal, everyday folk that just want to live their life in normalcy. I believe I saw a peek of the latter at the ice cream shoppe, but I'm not sure. As I venture into Asheville once again tomorrow, I'll report back with more news of the area surrounding me.

That is, if I don't get attacked by a guy in dreadlocks and moccasins first.

Check out the rest of my trip here: Day 2, Day 3.