Asheville Day 3: Pisgah National Forest

Before I forget, an administrative note. Right now, some readers get an e-mail when a new post is published. However, that service is no longer being offered by blogger. So, if you currently get an e-mail notification (or would like to) when a new post is published, please e-mail me at klh1977@yahoo.com and I will let you know each time I write a new blog. 

Day 3 was a trip to the Pisgah National Forest. I read that Sliding Rock is a must when you are in the Asheville area and made the mistake of mentioning it to Luke. It became the thing he most wanted to do on this trip. As I read more, I learned that it has become incredibly popular and very crowded, so you have to get there early. We got there around 10:15 and there was already a substantial line. Thomas couldn't do the slide because of his toe and Trevor didn't want to, so Kayce and I got in line with the interested kids (Jack and Anna thought the water was way too cold).

Based on his sad limp, I think it feels about as good as it looks.

The line took about 20 minutes for the first go around and it was fun. I am happy to say I did it. It is just what it sounds like, you slide down a large, 18 foot rock into a "pool" at the end. It is spring fed and maintains a cool temperature of around 55 degrees. Luke loved it and immediately got in line again, as did the other kids, including Anna. The line was already growing and we timed their wait at 25 minutes. After the second slide, the line was even longer and no one was interested in waiting. The boys, including Jack, played around in the creek for a few minutes and then everyone got changed. 

Waiting patiently

We did videos, so excuse the lousy screen grabs below. I tried a couple of different apps to get pictures from videos, but nothing is working this morning and people are starting to wake up, so I need to get these pictures added. 

Jack and Kolten picked up right where they left off. Good buddies.

Our next destination was the nature center. On the way, we stopped at Looking Glass Falls, which was beautiful.

We got to the Center for Wildlife Education around 1130 and had our picnic lunch before going inside. There was a visitor's center with small exhibits and animals (snakes, spiders, etc) and a nature trail with signs talking about the area. It was a short walk that ended with the fish hatchery. The hatchery was really cool. They grow 600,000 trout/year and distribute them to 85 different area streams. The purpose is two fold, first to aid in the balance of the ecosystem as fishing has become much more popular and second, to keep fisherman happy and coming back (I assume to aid in maintaining their reputation as a tourist destination for good fishing). The fish are unable to breed, as they don't want them to interfere with the natural trout. And, according to one volunteer, they are stupid and easily caught for about 2 weeks. After that, they become smarter and are trickier to catch, like the native trout. They had fish food and we had fun watching them scramble for pellets. It was a really cool stop.

After that, we went to the Ranger Station and Souvenir shop. There were lots of great maps and I grabbed a few to plan a trip back. I would love to go explore more, particularly if we could manage in the off-season. Our final stop was an ice cream place just outside the forest entrance. It was delicious.

Then, it was back to the rental house. The girls decided to have a girls night out. We were looking for a good restaurant and I messaged my friend Kaitlin, who had just visited Asheville. Right after I hit send, Kayce found Tupelo Honey's, as she was saying the name, Kaitlin responded and suggested Tupelo Honey. We took it as a sign and made it our destination. We made a reservation for 6 and left the house around 4:30, with the idea that we would walk around before dinner. There was a cool old Woolworth's (they kept a soda fountain) that was turned into an Art Gallery and Craft Emporium. We had fun walking around and looking at the stuff for sale. Kara found a book she really wanted called the Art of Abandonment. It was a really cool book with pictures of abandoned places. It was $60 and she didn't want to "waste" her money, but would like a copy for Christmas. 

After that, we had a delicious southern meal at Tupelo Honey and then checked out a couple more places. One cool store was Ten Thousand Villages. It is a nonprofit store with a goal to end global hunger. They sell fair trade items made by artisans. There were some really cool items, including jewelry made from bomb casings from Cambodia. Kara collects string dolls and bought an RBG (she has a newfound interest in the Supreme Court) and a Hamilton. She also bought a lucky three legged pig, made from clay from Chile, for her friend Sophia. Anna was the one who discovered the three-legged pig and bought one as well, because it spoke to her.

Pretty girls. Kayce showed Anna how to use a hot brush before we went out. Fancy!

I've missed my friend!