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.

Set Sail For Adventure!

As I prepare to turn in early to bed this evening, I just wanted to give my readers a heads up. I'll be taking a small vacation in Asheville, North Carolina until Friday. While I'm there, I'll partake in the plethora of downtown breweries, check out the various art galleries, museums, natural waterfalls and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I'll be sure to share some photos and travel info while away from home. I've only driven through Asheville before, so I'm curious to see what I can discover.

And no, I'm not going to the Biltmore. Their admission prices are ridiculously expensive. I'm too cheap to spend that much money on a tour of a house. ;-)

Keep your eyes peeled on my Facebook feed for the coming photos.

Ahoy!

Using Breasts To Sell On eBay.

If you're an online retailer like myself whom happens to sell items on eBay, then you know all about the stiff competition that's out there. If you don't price your products competitively and offer comprehensive descriptions of your items, then you're probably not going to make a sale. Then again, competition keeps sellers honest and the best retailers eventually rise to the top.

And then you've got total assholes that pull stunts like this...

(Click to enlarge)

This seller is one of many that are participating in a new trend on eBay. A trend that relies upon the lowest common denominator to attract male buyers with titillation. There's nothing special about the products these sellers are trying to make a buck on; they're just like the items being sold by any other seller. Nope... all these knuckleheads are doing is using a cheap method of catching a potential buyer's attention. It's absolutely pathetic.

They're using breasts to sell video games, comic books and other geeky collectibles to sex-starved nerds.

What I can't decide upon is who is more pathetic: the sellers using boobs to sell products, or the buyers purchasing the items because they saw a few inches of cleavage rubbing against their future prized possession. Honestly, what exactly do breasts have to do with Pokémon cards and video games? Absolutely nothing, that's what. These sellers are simply being sly in how they draw in customers.

Durhhhh.... boobies on a Double Dragon cartridge. I'll buy it! Duuuurrrrrhhhhh!

Even worse, I don't understand the mindset of the women whom allow their natural assets to be used in such a depraved manner. I'm no prude, but this is demeaning to every woman that's fought to be treated as an equal. Such a practice reduces women to nothing more than being objectified and/or fetishized, with one sole purpose... SELL SELL SELL!

Over the past few years, I've seen this trend gain steam. Some of the items I've seen displayed with a set of breasts include Super Mario Bros. video games, X-Men action figures and GI Joe toys. Unfortunately, I don't think there's any end in sight.

Draw Something: Moray Eel

Eels are such mysterious and wonderful creatures. Swimming gracefully through the ocean with their long, cylindrical bodies, they are both captivating and fearsome at the same time. Often misunderstood, the Moray Eel is not aggressive. Instead, they're shy and choose to remain hidden from view if at all possible. To honor the Moray Eel, I decided to feature it in this week's Draw Something article.

01010000 01101111 01100101 01101101 00101110

Electric circuits glowing with passion
Pushing harder, farther, faster
A swarm of numbers flooding the horizon
Spilling over a jagged cliff of VGA monitors
Into a crypt of dial-up modems and Zip drives
The old replaced with the new
Layer upon layer of humanity's latest and greatest
Here today, gone tomorrow
Never a dull moment
In the tomb of zeroes and ones
Necessity is the key to survival
Every cassette tape and 5 1/4 floppy disk
From dot matrix to coding BASIC
Nothing is sacred in the land that time.gov forgot
And yet, a peak behind the wizard's curtain reveals the formula
If everything is obsolete
Then nothing is

The Heavenly Hydrox Cookie.

In 1908, a wonderful sandwich cookie debuted to great fan-fare.  This cookie featured a layer of sweet creme placed between two crispy chocolate sides.

Nope, we're not talking about the Oreo.

Hydrox was America's first creme-filled chocolate sandwich cookie. Created by the Sunshine Company, they were sold all across this nation a full four years before the introduction of the Oreo. Obviously, Oreo cookies are heavily inspired by the Hydrox. If you're not paying careful attention, it's easy to mistake one for the other. And yet, the flavor of the Hydrox is where you can tell the difference. Hydrox cookies feature a tangier creme center. Their outer cookies use a dark chocolate mixture, so they're not as sweet as an Oreo. A Hydrox is also crispier, with less of a spongy feel. That way, they last longer when dunked in a glass of milk. By and large, the Hydrox cookie is a fantastic bit of American pop culture that's largely become forgotten.

A 1923 Hydrox ad from Sunshine.

As the decades wore on, the Oreo became a massive success with its keen marketing slogans and heavy commercialization. Hydrox drifted further behind in sales, only to be considered a knock-off of the Oreo. Ironically, few realized that the Oreo was in fact the knock-off! By 1996, Sunshine was purchased by Keebler, whom promptly had their elves close up shop on the Hydrox within a few years time.

Thankfully, all was not lost. In the time period following Keebler's decision to end production of the Hydrox, they were absorbed by the Kellogg's Company. In 2008, Kellogg's released limited quantities of the Hydrox to celebrate its 100th anniversary. They abandoned the Hydrox trademark after that, leaving many to wonder if the cookies would ever be made again.

A Hydrox ad from 1956 featured in Family Circle Magazine.

In 2014, Leaf Brands acquired the trademark to Hydrox. They made their intentions well known -- the Hydrox would be produced once again. In September of 2015, the first batches of the Hydrox cookie were made available. Much the David to Oreo's Goliath, the Hydrox stood ready to do battle. Though not nearly as wide-spread in availability, they can be found through many specialty confectionery retailers, as well as be purchased directly on the Amazon Marketplace. You can find them here. And the best part? Unlike the Mexico-made Oreo, the Hydrox is baked right here in the USA!

Newly produced Hydrox cookies by Leaf.

I can recall eating Hydrox cookies with my grandparents when I was little. If memory serves me correct, I remember enjoying them. Perhaps it's time I ordered a package and brought back some memories. Do yourself a favor and try a Hydrox cookie, too. You'll be glad you did!