Day 26

For dinner on our last night in the Asheville area we went to the Sierra Nevada brewery, which is their only brewery east of the Mississippi.  Our expectations weren't high, we figured it would be just bar food, but it was pretty close to our campground.  Boy were we surprised.  The facility was gorgeous, the beer was very good, but the food was even better.  We started off with a big pretzel with a mustard/cheese sauce.  Then we both had salads:  a brie and ham for me and for Joni greens, peas, almonds, strawberries and ricotta cheese  Sorry I only took pictures of dessert. 

 

A bittersweet almond chocolate cake with a raspberry gelee, estate honey and almond brittle, marscapone cream and almond soil.  Yummy!

On Wednesday we were on the road early after our breakfast at the North Mills River campground of OJ, cereal, & coffee.  No pictures necessary, you can use your imagination.  

One of the many farms along the North Mills River.  Apparently these will be for tomatoes. 

Our first destination for Wednesday was the small town of Black Mountain, which is 15 miles southwest of Asheville.  This village was gorgeous, completely nestled on all sides by mountains, beautiful and well restored old buildings, plenty of funky shops and very friendly shop owners.  

If you look closely at this photo you can see the shops from across the street in the reflection on the glass.

Clearly this town encourages the arts!

Leaving Black Mountain we returned to our favorite restaurant in Asheville, the Sunny Pointe Cafe. Joni had been dreaming about their mimosas, fried chicken and waffles, and she her dreams came true  I had shrimp and grits that were equally tasty.

No longer hungry, we started our journey north following the Blue Ridge Parkway as much as possible.  Construction of the Parkway started in 1935 during the Depression as one of many WPA projects. Linking the Shenandoah National Park and the Smoky Mountains National Park, the Parkway stretches 460 miles along the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Unlike any other road in our country; the speed limit is a constant 45 mph, no commercial vehicles are allowed, and it seems like most of the parkway is at an elevation of 3000 ft. or higher, providing incredible views at every turn.  During our two days on the Parkway we encountered no traffic, and were only passed once. 

Our original destination for this day was Mount Mitchell.

Our campground reservation at the state park was for a tent site on Mount Mitchell, but once we discovered that sleeping in cars or vans was not allowed, we decided to continue along the Parkway, confident that we could find a vacancy at another campground.  

The foliage color almost looks like fall.

Surprisingly many of the campgrounds right along the Parkway are still closed, but we eventually found an open one operated by the National Park Service at  Linville Falls, NC.  So we set up our gear and dined on bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches on a brioche!  Yes, those are Gary Gardner specials.

Campsite #42