Year 5 - Day 13

27Jun15

We all woke up sore from our fun time yesterday, and it was raining on and off, so we spent the day lazing around the campground.  After dinner, we went on a Ghost Hunter's Tour of downtown Asheville.

Downtown is filled with older buildings that the city does not allow to be demolished or significantly altered, so it was interesting to see it vibrant and full of life! This place is hopping!

The ghost tour was a lot of fun, and Sam really liked using the dowsing rods and EMF meter. When the tour was over at 10:30, he didn't want it to end.  The dowsing rods were really active when he held them, and the tour guide said she could feel the energy when he was holding them.

We had to stop at Applebee's on the way home for another Triple Chocolate Meltdown dessert - addicting!

Year 5 - Day 12

26Jun15

We went to the Fun Depot in Asheville today. They had go karts, bumper cars, mini golf, a climbing wall, mini bowling, laser tag, an arcade, and a couple of cool games called Atomic Rush and a laser evasion game. Needless to say, it was fun!

My favorite was the mini bowling, and I think Sam's favorite was Atomic Rush. It was display boards with colored tiles and you had to race around and press your color before the time runs out.

Six hours later, we were worn out and hungry so we stopped at an Applebee's for dinner on the way home.

Year 5 - Day 11

Sam and James went to Appalachian Caves today for some spelunking!  They came home and said they got wet, muddy, and dirty, and they were tired, so......success! :)

When I found this online, I showed it to Sam and asked him if he was interested. He said, "YES! YES! YES!"

Year 5 - Day 10

Hiked today at Gorges State Park. This is in Transylvania County, NC which is known for all of its waterfalls. We took a two mile hike to Rainbow Falls, a 150 foot waterfall, where folks were swimming down below it. Just up the path from it was Turtleback Falls, with a sliding rock where folks would slide down the falls into the water below. Although the hike wasn’t very long, it was all uphill or downhill, so it was a workout. Sam and James enjoyed the swimming, and I was beginning to think we were going to spend the night!

 

 

 

Buster came along for the hike as well, but he was not too thrilled when we got hit by a thunderstorm on the hike back. I don’t think he minded the rain too much, as it was nice and cool, but he HATES thunder! He kept stopping and looking at me with his pitiful face. LOL

 

We could tell we had a great time because we were all sore and stiff when we got back to the RV, including Buster.

On the way to the park, we passed through a town called Brevard. Their claim to fame is the white squirrels that live in town. It seems a carnival that passed through in the 1950's had some white squirrels that escaped, and through the years they have multiplied. The town is so proud of these unique creatures that they have a yearly festival, and even made them a protected species in the 1980's!

 

Year 5 - Day 9

Whitewater rafting today! Woo hoo! We took the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad from Bryson City to a stop where we departed and joined up with a group to go whitewater rafting along the Nantahala River. The train ride was relaxing and awesome, as we rode in an open air gondola car along the way.

 

The rafting trip was a lot of fun, and, of course, I got splashed the most! J Although, James got the wettest because he jumped into the river for a dip once along the way. The water was pretty cold, only about 48 degrees, so it took his breath away!

Our guide liked to do “rock spins” where she would have the raft hit a big rock in the river and then she would spin us off of it. She said she had never had anyone fall in from this, then two seconds later the man behind me was thrown off! That was my side of the raft, and it went down into the water but I grabbed James’ arm and stayed in the raft. (he says he has bruises to prove it J) I am sure the other raft guides on our tour will never let our guide live that one down!

Sam was right up front smiling the whole time! He loved it!

Year 5 - Day 8

Checked out the Biltmore Estate today, which is about 20 miles from the campground. Wow – what a place! The ticket counters were lined up, and this place was packed! No photographs are allowed inside the home, so we got the guide book to reflect upon later.

 

Sam and James wanted to roll down the long hill in front of the estate, but only made it about 100 feet before they got dizzy - LOL!

This place was immense, and the grand scale was almost unfathomable. To imagine living is such a place, it is like living in a grand hotel. The staff required to maintain it is massive. We walked around the gardens, and that was about a three mile hike! After tiring ourselves out walking around the gardens outside, we drove by the farm and winery on the way out, but we were too tired to stop and go in. J

It is definitely worth the trip to see it all – stunning!

 

 

 

Year 5 - Day 7

Driving day – we are heading north to Asheville, NC. We hope the temps will be a little cooler, and the humidity lower, in the mountains. Our refrigerator is dying, and we hope it will make it until we get to Concord so James can repair it with new parts on order.

Staying at the West Asheville KOA, and it is very nice! They have a trail through the woods all around the park, with a pond full of bull frogs, much to Sam’s enjoyment! :)