By: MJ + PJ
These are the parting words that our friends and hosts wanted us to quote in our reflection of North Carolina and the Asheville area. The quote is complex: a truthful lie and deterrent sentiment for the sake of stability and preservation.
We had camped a wet night on the edge of a creek tucked in the hills near the TN/NC border. Arriving at about 10:15pm, an hour later than we had told the host we would arrive and moments after he had pulled off his shoes for the night, he advised us to “find a spot and check out in the morning”. He was as cordial and interesting and nice as the review had stated, and would be the sort that you could sit and talk with for a few hours if you didn’t have to be somewhere. Unfortunately we did – a brewery tour at 3:30pm.
But in the interim we had discovered another target. Having driven the winding roads of the Tail of the Dragon and looking for background information we came to realize that the ultimate motorcycle museum was on our way into Asheville. Not being particularly into motorcycles, we know passion and life’s work and community when we see it, and the Wheels Through Time Museum reeked of the three. We were there maybe three hours, and that was being fairly thorough. A biker could pick over the exhibits and all of the accessory items for days. If you are in the area, check it out.
That place we had to be was called the New Belgium Brewery, where we had the tour with some friends booked for 3:30pm. This brewery is the fairly new east coast facility, sister to the original in Fort Collins. We had done the Fort Collins tour with out of town guests about five times in the last few years, because it is true that it is probably the best brewery tour in the country. Our NC friends were delayed, and the weather had caused a vehicle accident on their route, making the rendezvous implausible. But, we would see them later in the evening. On the tour, we met an interesting family who were also on the road for the summer. While the kids made friends and played, we stood and talked about travel and life for some time after the tour was finished.
You may have seen mention of a wagon in our social media posts around the start of August. This belonged to a childhood friend of PJ’s, and it was great to be able to visit her farm property, French Broad Valley Farms. Amongst other work types, they supply eggs to local markets, with eggs being a whole family affair as they each have a hand in the process of getting the eggs prepared to sell. The chickens and ducks shared enough dry space in the nearby sheds to allow us to dry out our soggy tent.
Let us tell you about the wagon! The rain had set in, and so we were bracing for a damp and wet experience in the region. Our friends’ wagon is custom built, as are many wagons in the area. The owners use them to participate in a yearly pilgrimage to spend time together. The wagon is not horse drawn, but vehicle towed being a tradition that was established decades ago. We thought this was super fun so could not pass up an opportunity to do something quite different.
On our second full day in the region, after AJ had helped gather eggs from the farmyard, we headed to Carl Sandberg’s House. 2018 is the 50th anniversary of the house as a National Historic Place, this being celebrated on October 17th. AJ earned another National Park Service badge – another metal one like the Lincoln Birthplace one. Carl Sandburg is most famous for his multiple volume set on Abraham Lincoln. This provided a nice connection for AJ to our tour of Lincoln’s birthplace from a week earlier where he earned his first metal NPS badge.
On our way into Asheville, we noticed a sign that said, Sierra Nevada Brewing Tours which struck us as odd as that’s a West Coast brewery. We decided to followed that sign, which led us to the Sierra Nevada equivalent of what we had seen the previous day. The Pinball Museum would have to wait, but we were running early so took our sweet time. We were unable to do a guided tour, but they have it set up where you can self-tour on the upper hallway where they have quite a collection of brewing history. The brewery is set on a very large lot on a hill near the local airport. Beautiful in its layout and style, and grandiose in its construction, they have created a very inviting space. See the photos for this area in our North Carolina Album.
We made it to the Pinball Museum eventually! After parking and being diverted into a mall across the street for an urgent toilet break we quite abruptly became owners of an Appalachian dulcimer. We wouldn’t be able to play it until we arrived in Australia as it had to be shipped – it was unfeasible to take around the world. After an hour or so pinball gaming, we went to see the Friday afternoon drum circle in downtown Asheville. We caught a bite to eat before heading back towards the wagon for chats and planets gazing into the last minutes of the day. Yes, a whirlwind of a day it had been.
We took our sweet time leaving the area. Since it was the weekend, we had some extra time with our friends and hosts so we visited the fish hatchery in the area of the Cradle of Forestry. Then we were on the road again, driving some of the Blue Ridge Parkway and heading east to an unknown target. Our assessment of North Carolina: It’s a beautiful place… it deserves a visit! Just don’t tell our friends you heard it from us!
