Asheville, NC

Last Thursday, June 12, my husband and I headed out for four days in Asheville, NC.

This was our birthday present, a short trip to see something we had never seen.

Thanks to Blogger's new "scheduling" feature, you never missed me, did you? I wrote those book reviews weeks ago!

Anyway, we left around 10 a.m., since hubby had worked the previous day at the fire station. We zipped down Interstate 81 and when the time came to exit to Interstate 77, hubby decided to take I-81 to I-26 in Johnson, TN, instead.

We climbed up, up into the mountains.



I worried mostly about my ear, which regular readers will recall troubles me on occasion. This was the first time I'd been on a mountain elevation in nearly two years because in the past it has caused pain and nausea.

Thankfully, aside from feeling very full for a few hours, my ear passed this test. Whew.

We stopped at this rest center in North Carolina. It was on a very high mountain on I-26:



The rest areas and Welcome Centers in adjoining states make Virginia's efforts at the same look terrible. Probably because they are.

Finally we ventured down into Asheville.

This city is ringed by interstates and bypasses. I suppose you would never have to go into the city proper if you didn't want to.

We stayed at a Fairfield Inn off Exit 33, wherever that is.

This is the room:



We arrived around 3 p.m. Then, despite having been in the car for hours, we drove around to orient ourselves to the area.

We ate at Harbor Inn. There is a similiar restuarant in Roanoke and it has much better food. My whiting was so dry I had to send it back as it was inedible. They made it good with shrimp, so that was okay.

We had an early night.

Next up: Biltmore Estate