Asheville on my mind

Here in Boston, as we wind up a short but soul-nourishing occupation of the home of our college friends Gretchen and Brian, it seems like North Carolina was far away and a long time ago. That's one of the beautiful aspects of Road Trip--time can seem to hold so much more life when you are on the move. 

Of course, time also has a way of flying when one ought to be blogging!

So, on our way up out of Atlanta, we snuck in a lunch date with Uncle Roger and Aunt Ruth, up in the Blue Mountains. It was good to see them again and update them about Florida and what all we did in Atlanta. Roger even took us to a candy store stocked with old school stuff like Moon Pies and Goo Goo Clusters. The boys are still chipping away at their supply of wax lips and jawbreakers.

North Carolina welcomed us in many ways. Great food and beer, nice people, and trees trees trees. In general it reminded us of Oregon--a lot. Maybe more than any place we have been.

West Asheville was our first stop, in large part so we could take our tent trailer in to the factory (its birthplace!) for some fine-tuning. Believe it or not, I am not the most handy of handymen. (I know, I know. "What about that excellent doorknob repair back in '07?" you ask.) Well, the trailer needed a hydraulic part replaced, and for that it helps to have muscles like the fella below.

The guy in the green shirt _also_ has big muscles

The folks at www.sylvansport.com were so helpful and generous. They got us back in "like-new" shape. It was fun to see how the Go is assembled and check out some accessories.

Another fun thing about our 2 days in Asheville was the house we rented. Built right into the forest, it had a tree growing up through the deck. AND OUR OWN PRIVATE ZIPLINE.

Thanks to a recommendation by our Shanghai pal Erika, who had recently been here, we hit the Wicked Weed for dinner. Beers were all great, as was the food. The patio on a warm night was THE place to be. 

And to hug.

The sampler comes in a little stockade. Free the libations!

That's right, a mid-bite bi-fie with Brussels sprouts. #TotalHipsterMove

In 48 hours, we cooked zero times. Too many great places to eat, including Jack of the Wood (thanks Trista!) and Sunny Point Cafe (insanely good breakfast). Also, Moe's BBQ, which had a free arcade game with tons of different 80s games! These days, it is so important that kids these days get educated about Centipede and Dig Dug. (more on that soon, when we hit FUNSPOT in New Hampshire!!!!!).

#RealLifeLearning #history #oldskool

Moe's tap handle and license plate collection (note Oregon, 4th from left)

The beer list from Jack of the Wood. Asheville is serious about beer

It would be hard to thump this place up any higher

Note the maroon signs on the wall

#OneStopShopping

Time to pack up, so I must away. If, after reading this, it seems to you like all we did in Asheville was eat and drink and zipline, then Right On. Thanks for reading!