Into High Country
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Flat Rock, NC (near Hendersonville)
I hope that old Ben Franklin adage about guests being like fish (you know, "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days") doesn't' apply to Dar and I as we spent a full 11 days with our good friends Tim & Chris near York, SC. We extended a couple days longer than originally planned due to weather. Our thoughts on the matter are "why travel on crummy days when we can just wait for good ones?" So today was the day we start moving again.
We want to extend a huge THANK YOU to Tim & Chris for their hospitality, scrumptious food (Tim's an excellent and passionate chef), good times and interesting conversation, not to mention the use of "the meadow". We'll be back as soon as we can.
I had some concerns about the ability of the bus-house to climb up and out of "the meadow" when the underlying red clay was wet and slick from the previous weeks rains -- especially with the tight 90 degree turn onto their driveway before slipping through the trees and onto the road. But my fears were probably exaggerated and the rain was less than it could have been and we popped out without spinning a wheel or digging large ruts.
With parting sadness, we said our good-byes, hugs all around. With a double blast of the air-horns the wheels were turning before 11am. Our route took us to York on SC-49 and then west on SC-5 to Blacksburg and then across the state line into North Carolina on SC-18 which becomes NC-18 to Shelby, NC. In Shelby we hopped on US-74, a four lane which joins I-26 as we make the northward bend toward Asheville. For most of the day we had that rare and precious thing called a tail-wind to help compensate for the increase in elevation as we get closer to the mountains.
Along the way Dar was calling and checking various campgrounds and RV Parks. We settled on one near Hendersonville where we'd have full hookups for the first time since leaving Florida... where we could catch up on laundry and wait out the predicted rainy cloudy weather for the next few days. When we leave here the plan is to take the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville southwestward to Cherokee, NC. at the entrance to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I really want a good clear day for that drive.
There's lots to do around here. It's an area we've always wanted to spend some time and get to know. So far, people seem very friendly, and the cultural feel is a mix of outdoorsy, artsy, clean, and green. It feels right.
After tonight we can add North Carolina to our list of States we've been to with the bus-house. We have certain requirements that must be met in order for a State to be added to the list, and staying overnight, in the bus-house, is one of the most important. Our map page on the website has a small map near the top that shows the States we've been to. I think our count is now 27.
T
Flat Rock, NC (near Hendersonville)
I hope that old Ben Franklin adage about guests being like fish (you know, "Guests, like fish, begin to smell after three days") doesn't' apply to Dar and I as we spent a full 11 days with our good friends Tim & Chris near York, SC. We extended a couple days longer than originally planned due to weather. Our thoughts on the matter are "why travel on crummy days when we can just wait for good ones?" So today was the day we start moving again.
We want to extend a huge THANK YOU to Tim & Chris for their hospitality, scrumptious food (Tim's an excellent and passionate chef), good times and interesting conversation, not to mention the use of "the meadow". We'll be back as soon as we can.
I had some concerns about the ability of the bus-house to climb up and out of "the meadow" when the underlying red clay was wet and slick from the previous weeks rains -- especially with the tight 90 degree turn onto their driveway before slipping through the trees and onto the road. But my fears were probably exaggerated and the rain was less than it could have been and we popped out without spinning a wheel or digging large ruts.
With parting sadness, we said our good-byes, hugs all around. With a double blast of the air-horns the wheels were turning before 11am. Our route took us to York on SC-49 and then west on SC-5 to Blacksburg and then across the state line into North Carolina on SC-18 which becomes NC-18 to Shelby, NC. In Shelby we hopped on US-74, a four lane which joins I-26 as we make the northward bend toward Asheville. For most of the day we had that rare and precious thing called a tail-wind to help compensate for the increase in elevation as we get closer to the mountains.
 |
| From Move to NC |
Along the way Dar was calling and checking various campgrounds and RV Parks. We settled on one near Hendersonville where we'd have full hookups for the first time since leaving Florida... where we could catch up on laundry and wait out the predicted rainy cloudy weather for the next few days. When we leave here the plan is to take the Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville southwestward to Cherokee, NC. at the entrance to the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. I really want a good clear day for that drive.
 |
| From Move to NC |
There's lots to do around here. It's an area we've always wanted to spend some time and get to know. So far, people seem very friendly, and the cultural feel is a mix of outdoorsy, artsy, clean, and green. It feels right.
After tonight we can add North Carolina to our list of States we've been to with the bus-house. We have certain requirements that must be met in order for a State to be added to the list, and staying overnight, in the bus-house, is one of the most important. Our map page on the website has a small map near the top that shows the States we've been to. I think our count is now 27.
T
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