Asheville

One day back in August/September, Mark and I were talking about the last time we took a family vacation. The kind where you pack up and leave town for a week or so. It had been awhile. A LONG while. The years of 2007 and 2008 found us packing up one house and moving to a new state, a new house. It was then and there that we decided to plan a get away.



One of the glories of homeschooling is we can take vacations anytime of year. Since we love the fall, hate crowds and are always looking for a bargain, October seemed the perfect time of year! Plus we would rather camp if possible, it's so much more relaxing!



Asheville.



Mark wanted Cades Cove in the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, but it was completely full. We settled on Asheville and a little house there...The Biltmore!

We found a great park run by volunteers of the Forestry Service. These gals and guys stay free and then volunteer 20 hours a week. Great, retired folks who enjoyed watching our comings and goings. When we made the reservations, there were no sites with electric/ water. That is roughing it for me, but we made preparations. To our great surprise, there were a couple of sites with the amenities I enjoy, available the next day! WooHoo! Now we are talking!

Day One- setting up camp with the idea that we would be moving the next day.

Day Two- the big move and a trip into town for fish food. Jonny brought JJ along, but forgot his food. After reassuring him that JJ would make it overnight, we headed up to K-Mart and into downtown Asheville for some excellent pizza that Jacob said was almost as good as NYC!

Day Three- Biltmore House. We toured the grounds, winery (old dairy barns) and first floor of house. Boys loved every minute! Had dinner at one of the restaurants- The Bistro, where the boys tried some new foods, char, and reinventions of old favorites, panchetta(?) mac and cheese.

Day Four- Biltmore House. Audio tours and many questions later, the guys fell in love. They loved all the history of the house. Hearing from the employees and locals who grew up on the property all about life at Biltmore. It rained ALL day, but that didn't stop us! We toured the house, barns, horse stables, petting farm and a blacksmith demonstration.

Day Five- Blue Ridge Parkway. The fall colors were everywhere! Remember the part about preparing for not having electric...I didn't bring the battery charger for the camera, thinking that we wouldn't be able to use it. Silly me!

Day Six- RAIN!!!! Did I mention the rain? Oh yeah, it rained. And rained. And rained. It rained to the point that we went back into town, ate lunch at a local spot and hit the mall. Folks, it rained so much that Mark spent part of his vacation sitting in Barnes and Noble at the local mall. After the employees started giving us "the Look", we packed up and headed home to our camper. Spent the next couple of hours being beaten by Jonny in UNO, watching boys play Monopoly, reading everything I could get my hands on and then giving in and watching the only movie we had with us.

Day Seven- Woke up to more rain. Weatherman said it would be a repeat of day before. That was all we needed to hear. A family meeting was held. A motion was given. A vote was taken. We packed up and headed home! Figured we could watch it rain from the front porch.

All in all, a great trip! Boys loved the Biltmore and want to go back soon. I loved the time away. Mark was glad to be off the road. JJ the fish was glad to be back in house and not the swaying car!