Saturday in North Carolina

This morning I woke up to bird songs and a light mist. The cabin where I am staying is an extremely peaceful place. Roger and Martha took me to Sylva. It is the county seat of Jackson County. The Jackson County Courthouse was constructed in 1914 and is located on a hill at the end of Main Street in downtown Sylva. Since 2011, the Jackson County Courthouse has been the site of the Jackson County Public Library after a new County Justice Center was built in 1994. The Tuckasegee River runs thought the town.

Roger and Martha's daughter and son-in-law came with their two children, Leo, age 3 and Lily, 11 months. It was fun to spend time with the grandchildren while the parents went to a wedding. Roasting marshmallows in the fire pit was a highlight for Leo.

 

Poppy duty for Roger.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leo loved the marshmallows.

The scenic Blue Ridge Parkway

 Tis morning my friend Martha picked me up at the hotel and we headed to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our first stop was at the Pisgah Inn for lunch. We were seated at table by the window that had a wonderful view. 

The fall leaves are just beginning to turn. 

Next stop was a hike to Devil's Courthouse. the hike is described as a short but strenuous trail climbing a half-mile to its peak with wonderful panoramic mountain views. Unfortunately, I left my hike poles in the car. 

 

After enjoying beautiful views Martha and I arrived at their mountain cabin. The cabin had been owned by Roger's father. It has a beautiful location. 

The rocking chairs invite you to sit and enjoy the view. We ate dinner on the deck.

 

Roger and Martha's daughter, son-in-law and their 2 children are coming this weekend so I am staying in a neighbor's cabin. It is so beautiful and peaceful.

The private cabin where I am staying.

The living room. 

My bedroom. 

Final Scheduled Day for Road Scholar Program

This morning we visited the Thomas Wolfe House. Wolfe wrote the epic autobiographical novel,  Look Homeward, Angel. It is a portrayal of his family and his hometown of “Altamont” which is Asheville, North Carolina. It tells about the his life in the boardinghouse that his mother owned and ran. Wolfe died just before his 38th birthday. After visiting the memorial house, seeing a short movie about him. and hearing the local guide talk about his life it seemed to me that Thomas Wolfe is a tragic figure despite his literary success.

We ate lunch on the patio of the historic Grove Park Inn. Opened in 1913, the resort is built from massive native granite stones mined from Sunset Mountain. Designed in the Arts and Crafts style, it features large stone fireplaces, and panoramic views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Over its history, it has hosted ten U.S. presidents and numerous global dignitaries. It reminded me of the famous Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite Valley.

The Grove Park Inn has an antique car museum, lots of crafts shops, sculptures in the gardens, and the world Gingerbread contest. The picture of the the gnomes and crooked houses is the winner in 2025. All of the entry has to be edible. 
 

View from the balcony where we ate.

Some of the many cars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The winning Gingerbread House. 

Our hotel is in the center of town so it has been fun to walk around during breaks in out schedule.This afternoon I walked to the public library and to several bookstores. This sculpture is one of several in the downtown area.

 

Wednesday Program

This morning we learned about the sad history of the Cherokee removal from Western North Carolina. Between 1838-1839 it is estimated that 16,000 Cherokee were removed and 4,000 to 6,000 died on the Trail of Tears. 

After lunch we boarded a bus to go to the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a national park. The entire parkway is 469 miles long. We stopped at a Folk Art Center where beautiful crafts were on display and for sale. We took a short nature walk and learned about medicinal plants. We enjoyed views of the Appalachian Mountains. 

The peak behind me is Mt. Pisgah which is 5,724 ft. It has a large antenea on it.

 

 

The trail is the Mountain-to-Sea which is 1,175 miles from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks, Our guide wondered why anyone would want to hike this trail. 

 

The view of the mountains is expansive but in my opinion not as impressive as west coast mountain views. 

Lee Knight is a prominent folk musician, educator, and musicologist based in Western North Carolina.

Folk Music with Lee Knight.

Dinner with a friend from my year in Italy

I met my friend Martha and her husband, Roger, for dinner. We ate at a rooftop restaurant that had wonderful views of the Appalachian Mountains. Martha and met when we both taught at the American Overseas School of Rome.

Today was a great day for exercise. My pedometer app indicates that I walked 6.8 miles today. I needed that since the there has been plenty of good food on this trip.

Gardens at Biltmore Estates

There were beautiful gardens at Biltmore. The conservatory had beautiful orchids, the Italian Garden had lily pads and Koi fish and the views from the balcony were expansive.

 

 

Day at Biltmore Estates

 

Today was all about Biltmore. The estate is 8000 acres. This includes Biltmore House, Gardens, a winery, Antler Hill Village, lodging, and farm grounds. The main residence is the Biltmore House built for George Washington Vanderbilt II between 1889 and 1895.It is the largest privately owned house in the United States at 178,926 sq ft. of floor space and 135,280 sq ft. of living area. It is still owned by George Vanderbilt's descendants and remains one of the most prominent examples of Gilded Age mansions. Here are some pictures of the interior rooms.