Oh Sweet Caroline.

We left Fernandina Beach, Florida on Saturday morning knowing that we had just one week to trek up the entire east coast and see as much as we could along the way. With this in mind we haul ass the second we get in the car. Within several hours, we hop-skip through Georgia, dash through South Carolina, and land our feet in Asheville, North Carolina. Granted, the western edge of the state is a bit out of the way considering we are on somewhat of a time crunch, but this is a town that I have always wanted to visit and I’m glad we made the detour.



We approached the quaint mountain town through the foot hills of the Great Smoky Mountains, and we instantly understand why they were named such. A dense hazy fog rests in the valleys between distant peaks, and as the rain drizzled down on the landscape, the gray fog rose from the ground up into the sky like a gloomy, misty, smoke. I haven’t seen a vapor cloud like this since we left San Francisco, and as we ascend and the air grows cooler it reminds me of home. Asheville is one of the most progressively-hippy towns that we have visited on our trip thus far. Downtown is lined with locally owned restaurants, small dive bars with live bluegrass pouring out onto the street, art galleries, and street performers trying to earn a buck. We check out the scene for a bit, but then head to a neighboring town, Black Mountain, so we can get a cheep room for the night. I finally get some real Mexican food and life is good in the hood. In the morning we drive into town for breakfast and eat at the nationally recognized Tupelo Honey Café (I especially want to go because it reminds me of one of my favorite songs by Van Morrison). Dude, the food here is the best we have had in days. The Deep South was great for its messy ribs, greasy appetizers, and all around guilt inducing food, but this place is a little fresh organic heaven, and my body feels revived when I eat it. Not to mention, first stop on the trip so far that has Mate tea and Jarvis and I are in ecstasy for the sweet caffeine. After breakfast we get back in the car and head out on our mid-day scenic drive – The Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Parkway is known as “American’s favorite scenic drive” and being so, we thought it appropriate to make the detour and judge for ourselves. The entire drive is four hundred plus miles, and can take several hours to travel, so we opt to only cruise it for an hour our so. We enter the ridge just outside of Asheville and start our climb up the face of the green, tree covered mountainside. The road winds around the edge of the world and views of the smoky valleys expose themselves below. The climate grows increasing cooler and damper as we enter into the foggy clouds at the peak and then warmer and dryer as we descend into the basins. The drive truly is breathtaking, but I have a feeling that the experience would be much better suited in the fall when the trees are changing to reds and bright yellows. Nevertheless, I’m thankful to be here in the splendor of this state. Jarvis and I are surprised that some of the most attractive landscapes we have seen are North Carolina and Arkansas – who would have thought.