June 12-13 2012 Asheville, mm 388 Blue Ridge Parkway. North Carolina

We left the park and went to Asheville, North Carolina.  A smallish (83,000 population)  town in the mountains. John likes it because it has 10 breweries.

The bus at Hominy RV park, near the town of Hominy, right outside Asheville. I did laundry and it rained while it was out on the line, so I brought it inside. I could have put it in the dryer, but we were going out and I like to take it out of the dryer when it stops or it gets too wrinkled.

The Grove Park Inn. Built in 1903. The stone was carried by stagecoach from a local quarry. The view over Asheville to the Smokies. Looks like it is still cloudy and rainy there.

John inside the huge fireplace. It is big enough to burn 12 foot logs.  They have big trees here. One of the stones on the fireplace said” this old world we’re living in is mighty hard to beat. We get a thorn with every rose, but ain’t the roses sweet.

Downtown Asheville. The Civic center is the octagonal building in the back, over a fountain. Kids playing in another fountain in front of the Civic Center.

The Dr Humor Building. This face was at the top of the column of the plaque, maybe that is him?? A hoola hoop event in Pack Park downtown.

Sue riding the pig in downtown Asheville. John and Dennis at the Wedge. We met Dennis at the Asheville Brewing company. John told him he loved small craft breweries and Dennis took us to the Wedge, the best one in town. It is kind of around and down by the railroad tracks. You duck under yellow crime tape and inside are picnic tables and plastic chairs.  And this little funky place with lots of cool metal art and great beer. There are at least 10 breweries in Asheville.  Over our week there John got to try 6 of them.

The Biltmore estate. George Vanderbilt crated Biltmore as an escape from everyday life for family and friends. It is an 8,000 acre estate.  It includes the mansion, many gardens, a farm and now many dining rooms,a winery, horse back riding, fly fishing, , shopping, carriage rides,  sporting clay shooting, river float trips   and a hotel. They don’t allow you take photos inside, so I only have a few from the outside. We toured among other things the indoor winter garden in the solarium, banquet hall, billiards room, salon, music room, tapestry gallery, library, family bedrooms, guest rooms, smoking room, gun room, and bachelors’ wing. . In the basement there is a bowling alley, pool,gym, pantries, walk in refrigerators,  servants bedrooms, pastry kitchen, rotisserie kitchen, main kitchen, laundries. It has 43 bathrooms and an elevator.  All decorated with no expense spared and filled with art from all over the world. Pretty impressive place.  It has been restored historically correct. Including having silk velvet wallpaper woven in France to  match the exact wall paper that was originally in the mansion. It has remained in the Vanderbilt family. In 1930 they began showing it to the public to pay the expenses of upkeep  and restoration. This is one of the Vanderbilt's homes and they did a lot of entertaining here.  Suep with the Diana statue.

Sue and John in front of the Biltmore. We saw this license plate in the parking lot.

John on one of the terraces with a view of Mt Pisgah. The italian garden for quiet and reflection. It had three pools.

part of the walled garden with included a rose garden. The conservatory.

The waterfall on the bass pond. Some of the flowers on the estate. I smelled one of the roses and a bug dropped out, I was surprised to see it was a beetle, not a bee and when I looked in the rose I saw these beetles in the upper right had corner.

John has decided we need to start hanging out with these ultra rich circles. Here is the car in front of the esplande and fountain in front of the mansion.  We hiked a few miles in the gardens, then indulged in the wine tasting.  Wine tasting is kind of a waste on us. John can tell minute differences  and quality in beer, and it all kind of tastes the same to me- I am such a cheap drunk. but it was fun.  This was an all day excursion.  I liked the Lab- it is the Lexington Ave Brewery, but just says Lab on the sign outside. Next door was  another brewery whose specialty is oyster stout. A little strange tasting.