Comfort Inn River Ridge Asheville

Get your fire blankets out things are getting Smoky! We headed for the hills and wound up in the mountains, the Smoky Mountains. A short-ish drive, only 2 1/2 hours from Chattanooga we arrived in the beautiful Smokys on an afternoon of perfect weather.<br><br>As with most National Parks there are plenty of driving and hiking trails, but only one can be the most visited National Park in the country &#8211; this one! We drove the Cades Cove loop, stopping to explore numerous ...

... riding. <br><br>While Dave golfed, I intended to study for a class I'm taking. Instead, I read and walked Misty. Misty had a blast. I couldn't steer her to the stream. She concentrated on building bases and down spouts (at home, the chipmunks hide in the downspouts when Misty is out). She was most intrigued with a storage shed sitting on top of concrete blocks. My guess is that mice might have made a home under the shed. <br><br>One note ...

... home steak and seafood grille with paneled walls and plastic tablecloths where the scallops and trout were exceptional. <br><br>Shopping: The downtown area has mostly touristy boutiques and restaurants. Most shopping is in the malls, which will be different for me &#8211; a lifetime downtown shopper. The major grocery chain, Ingles, is impressive &#8211; clean and a huge selection.<br><br>Note on house hunting. Technology has vastly ...

... bubble machine at the end of the evening.<br><br>Tips of the day: <br>-Get a bubble machine if you want to attact small kids.<br><br>-The campsite made a giant spider out of black trash bags. The body was one filled trash bag. The legs were a string of trash bags still folded hung over the rafters in the recreation hall.<br><br>Humor of the day: No jokes &#8211; just keep having that childhood sense of wonder and joy.<br><br>Cheers, Sue and Dave

... 280 and 276 was as colorful as the parkway, proving that what at first looks bad can possibly be better. Not only was the scenery on the detour a great fall show, we also saw several waterfalls we wouldn&#8217;t have seen on the original route. The Looking Glass Waterfall, pictured, was fairly large. The spray misted us as we neared, and at the base wisps off the fall looked like clouds. I ...

... that he gave (didn't quite follow). But he was an artist and we talked art (as best I could) and encouraged him to actively pursue him art career (and I think he took it to heart. He gave me his website that he claims he would put some of his art on. This way, I can gauge the effectiveness of my motivational speech.) Then back to the hostel, a few words with the hippies, and off to bed. Camping in the smokies tomarrow.<br>

We spent 3 days in the Mountains near Asheville, N.C. The R.V. resort was a small one, about 25 sites but situated high in the mountains with a great view. <br>A visit to the Biltmore Estate and Chimney Rock is a must when in this area. The Blue Ridge Parkway is also nearby.

... debaucherous residents take little notice. It's residents: Havely (my Couchsurf host), a tall skinny banjo-playing physicist gal, a dancer turned stripper, a dred-locked gal who had been going to Rainbow Gatherings since age 3, a stripper pole, and the girl from the dive bar. Total random coincidence. You've got to love small towns.<br> I stayed there for a few days hitting up farmers' markets, live music shows, chatting with an old black man from South Carolina ...

... rode around on trails and some of them were very difficult to navigate as the trail was made up of loose larger stone and was down hill... WOW was that tricky or what. All in all it was a very good time. We are getting ready to head back into Asheville and hook up with Janna and Steve for a bicycle ride along the river. Of course there will be more pictures to add to the blog. Hope you are having a wonderful day......

... it was really good. Really expensive, but really good. Today at work we were set up next to an FLW tour and met the couple working it and the couple they were training. It was such a blessing being able to visit with them. They are so kind and are good Christian people, which is always nice. We will actually be at the same store as them again tomorrow in Johnson City, TN, so we are looking forward to seeing them again.