Asheville & Mountain Hiking

We changed our planned route a bit so we could visit Asheville, North Carolina. Our friend Sue and her family live there and even though Sue had already been kind enough to drive  4-1/2 hours to Charleston, South Carolina (and back!) to visit us, she generously offered to host us in this very cool city.
The drive in was nothing short of breathtaking , beginning with the lush, green foothills of the Appalachians, then through dramatic rock faces with massive treed peaks and valleys.

We may have found our new place to live as Asheville and the surrounding area have everything you could want! It's surrounded by mountains and filled with organic cafes, restaurants, artsy shops music venues and a very eclectic mix of people.  Hippies are alive and well! We checked out an outdoor concert and street festival the first night - great people watching - then explored some of the cobblestone downtown streets, ending up at a huge drum circle! Can you imagine how upset Jim was when he realized he'd left his drums and percussion instruments back at the house????? It was great entertainment nonetheless and Jim managed to tap out a beat on a bench...

Sue and hubby Jeff got into the spirit of things too!

We were really excited about hiking in this area, but Jim was a little worried about meeting the boys from "Deliverance". Lucky for us, Sue's son Chase and his girlfriend Kiesha (both experienced hikers) offered to chaperone us through a spectacular 3-waterfall hike, along with their guard puppy, Boo.

Getting to the waterfalls was a challenge in itself and we agreed we have officially driven on the curviest road we've ever seen.  It was one switchback after another and the Chevy Chase Vacation Van got quite a workout!

 Waterfall #1 above and below.

 Waterfall #2 - gorgeous and 3 separate falls...

 As you can see, Jims' fears were completely unfounded. The only people we ran into were families like this!

 This was the final waterfall and the most dramatic, as it was very high.  The picture doesn't do it justice, but just listening to it thundering down was fantastic.

 We finished the hike feeling completely rejuvenated from the glorious surroundings.  Even the drive back to Sue & Jeff's house was amazing...

Can you imagine living in that house in the middle of the mountain??  Click to enlarge the pic.

One of the highlights for Jim was finding out that this is the area of Mayberry,North Carolina where the Andy Griffith Show was filmed back in the early 60's.  While we didn't see Gomer Pyle, we did hear his accent many times... But really, the highlight was being treated to the amazing southern hospitality of our friends!