Asheville to the Smoky Mountains

Asheville is a charming mountain town that reminds me of my home in Ashland. In the foothills of the Appalachian mountains (also called the Blue Ridge Mountains) the Cherokee were the first settlers until some adventurers from the Morristown settlement wandered over in about 1797. This was largely tobacco growing country until George Vanderbuilt decided to build a home on 8000 acres of his property in 1889. After the Biltmore became a destination for the rich and famous with its 250 rooms, the Grove Inn was built. Since Obama was vacationing there while we were in the Comfort Inn, I'd say that the Grove still has its appeal.

After we arrived in town, we parked the car and took a walk past the 1930's art decco city hall, the theatre where Charlton Heston directed a play as a young man, the boarding house of Thomas Wolfe's mom where Wolfe spent his youth. I decided to put one of his novels on my reading list because it had been years since I had read You Can't Go Home Again. (He did write about Asheville, and the fact he tried to disguise the name in his unflattering accounts has not kept Asheville from memorializing him.

After Asheville, we traveled toward the Smokies. We kept thinking that we would outrun the resorts and hotels, but since Asheville and the Smokies are so beautiful, the whole area has been commercialized. We stopped in Cherokee, a small community that houses a museum of that Indian nation, and enjoyed the exhibits. Then we stopped at the native craft store across the street. There were beautiful displays of artists and their work as well as valuable baskets and ware for sale. We moved on and drove as far into the Smokies as it deemed prudent considering the time we needed to drive back to Atlanta. It was a rainy day, and much of the mountain range was in fog. So we headed “home.”

This trip has been an interesting window into the Southeast. Despite the fact I was sick with allergies most of the time, I really enjoyed talking to the southerners and studying their history. If we ever get a chance to go back, I definitely want to spend more time in west North Carolina. It is a gorgeous place.

We are home now after driving 3600 miles. We had some beautiful moments with great new and old friends. We were greated by chilling weather and snow on the mountain.