North Carolina - It's Highs and Lows

Our visit to North Carolina began with a boom! A very loud boom! About 20 miles outside of Greensboro. We had blown a tire - an inside dual rear on the passenger side. We pulled to the side of the road and called our road service. When this truck arrived about 2 hours later, it had turned dark, but the driver had a new tire on board and all the equipment he needed to get us back on the road.
Road service called out the highway patrol to make sure we were safe. We were on the shoulder on a major interstate and the big trucks were whizzng by. The officer had the cutest southern drawl...

Finnegan supervised the entire project. Note I was wearing two layers of clothing and was still cold while our service guy thought he was in Florida in summer...

No wonder the boom was so loud....

O.K. So we made it to Asheville after a couple days in Greensboro where we had the oil changed on our "house," Ed did some research on replacing the parts of the right rear hydraulic leveler that got blown away by the exploding tire, the batteries got some maintainence, and we made a stop at Replacements Unlimited. What a trip that place was. Miracle of miracles - we got out without buying a single thing!!! But it was fun to see that place.

The biggest employer in Asheville is the Biltmore Corp. and the crown jewel of that organization is the Vanderbuilt Mansion. The front door of "Americas largest home" and us proving we were there:

We took the self guided tour ($55/person w/o audio) and thoroughly enjoyed America's homage to excess. Now I ask you: Did three people really need 4 acres of floor space, 250 rooms, 34 bedrooms, 43 bathrooms, and 65 fireplaces on 8000 acres? The official Christmas celebration was beginning in about 2 weeks so there were crews all over the house setting up trees and draping garlands. There was a tree in every room. We couldn't take photos inside, but we could have purchased a book of interior photos for $12.95 or bought the photo they take inside of everyone who tours the house. Don't get me wrong...I think it would have been a hoot to be there when it was up and running as a family house. The basement has a gym, bowling alley, swimming pool, and kitchens that take up room after room after room. Yup - if we lived in Asheville I'd be a guide. I think it would be lots of fun. And the guides are paid employees.

We toured the formal gardens after going through the house. Here's a view of the quarter mile path to the gardens.

A long shot of the front of the house...

...and the side of the house from the path to the gardens.

One side of the walled garden...

And the conservatory at the end of the walled garden. It's huge and displays many catagories of plants and flowers. We loved the orchid room.

Then we went to the Biltmore Winery on the property where we had the opportunity to buy wine and other stuff and learn about other venues designed to part us with our cash. It was a fun day.

We received a call about 2 p.m. on Saturday. It was Ben asking where we were and informing us that he too was in Asheville and that Galactic was playing an outdoor concert in downtown that night. We met for dinner. Here I am with my two favorite men in the entire world:

Ed took tons of photos.

Galactic's guest performer and me outside the tour bus that is home to the guys while they are on the road. This was the last number of the night featuring Stanton on drums. There were about 2000 people there on a very cold night. What a great show they put on!!!

We spent the last day in Asheville taking a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Americas Roadway. The leaves were at the peak and the scenic overlooks breathtaking.

Here's the high point at more than 5000 ft.. No more leaves up here, but the panorama is beautiful.

We stopped at Mount Mitchell State Park and hiked up to the overlook. Wow! Finn seemed most interested in another dog. He's not much for views.

So much beauty.

This viewpoint from Mount Michell looking west needed a name. I named it The Road Home.

There's a resort in Asheville on the National Historic Register. The Grove Park Inn. We stopped by to see it. This building is a private cottage used for dignitaries. It's modeled after Ann Hathaways Cottage.

The main building was covered in scaffolding while they redo the roof. The stone work is beautiful.

It's completely furnished in original Stickley furniture.

There are 2 main fireplaces - one on each side of the lobby. HUGE.

There's an auto museum on the surrounding property...

...a museum and an art gallery. Ed photographed the sculpture garden.

We really enjoyed Asheville. We both understand why people love it. We ate good food, enjoyed the lively downtown, explored the active art scene, Finn fit right in to the dog friendly mood of the the town, and loved the mountain scenery. It's a totally cool place.

We're off to visit Rory and Rick in Columbia, SC.

And Other Sites We Enjoyed in Virginia.

We've seen a lot of historical sites in Virginia and we've enjoyed the landscape of this beautiful state. Eight of our presidents were born in Virginia - more than any other state.


The Civil war ended in Virginia on April 9th, 1865. Our visit to Appomattox Courthouse, now a National Historic Park, has been my favorite Civil War site. This mural in the park museum is as close to the real event as any every painted. Lee on the left is surrendering to Grant on the right. The man with the sword is Robert Todd Lincoln, son of the president.The event took place on this property...

...in this house...

...in this very livingroom.

Grant sat at the little table and Lee sat behind the marble topped table. The terms of the surrender pledged that the combatants would never raise up arms against the United States. Lee was not asked to surrender his sword. The men simply shook hands. The park ranger explained that this was by directive of Abraham Lincoln. The ending of the war took only about three hours and the Union was reunited.

A printing press was set up in the town tavern and 30,000 passes or "paroles" were printed in two days allowing the Confederates to return to their homes.

The ending of this bloody and horrible war was humane. A year after the war this little cemetary was established by the women of the community. There are 19 graves, 18 Confederate and 1 Union. Only 7 are identified. There's a touching poignancy to its existance.

There are several interesting sites in Lexington, VA. The campus of Washington and Lee University is beautiful with red brick columned buildings in a hilly setting.

The university is home to Lee Chapel, Lee was president of the university from 1865 until his death in 1870. He started the chapel as a religious meeting place. It was never consecrated as a church. Today it serves as a museum and as the final resting place for Lee and members of his family. His beloved horse, Traveler, is buried outside.

Virginia Military Institute was established in 1839. It has a great military tradition, graduating officers to this day. All the buildings are light grey and imposing. There are cadets all over town. It was cold and raining the day we arrived. It was interesting to see the cadets still in summer whites with short sleeves, and no jackets.

VMI has produced more Medal of Honor recipients than any other military institution. They are on display in the VMI Museum.

This is the only house ever owned by Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson. He purchased it in 1859. It sits in downtown Lexington within walking distance of VMI where Jackson was professor of physics. He was much beloved at VMI where he has been honored with memorials and statues around the campus.

The back of the home boasts a garden. Jackson and his family are interred just a few blocks from the house. Jackson was killed in battle in 1863 before the Battle of Gettysburg.

Our tour of presidential museums continued in Staunton, VA at the Woodrow Wilson birthplace and Museum.

Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the son of a Presbyterian minister. He grew up dyslexic and could not read until he was 11 years old. The family lived in the church manse - a beautiful gracious home where his father could discharge his church duties.

Wilson attended Princeton University, completed law school though he didn't enjoy lawyering, became president of Princeton, governor of New Jersey, president of the United States from 1912-1920, attended the Paris Peace Conference that established the League of Nations, instituted the Federal Reserve, and won a Nobel Peace prize. And we hardly ever think about him...

He bought his Pierce-Arrow limo from the government after he left office

The 14 Points are the basis of The League of Nation.

We continue to run into interesting people! We met Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.

This beautiful farm was designed by Jefferson. His interests ran the gamut from science to art and music. He was a man of letters, a politcal visionary, and a slave holder. He was a man of his time.

The back side of Monticello faces the flower garden. Turn over a nickle and you'll see this view.

This road along the side of the home is known as Mulberry Row. The house is off to the right and the garden off to the left. There would have been a row of buildings lining this pathway where all the weaving, woodworking, metal smithing, coopering, and others crafting was done. Monticello was actually a little village. On the day we visited, the leaves were turning, the pumpkins were in the garden. It was idylic. It sits on the top of a little mountain.

We could not photograph inside the home, as is the case in most of the historic properties, but it is filled with personal possessions and furnished as it was when Jefferson lived there.

The guides discussed the slave issues, mostly Sally Hemmings and her children. There is DNA evidence Jefferson fathered her children, but it is never stated definitively.

Lower down on the property is the Jefferson family cemetary, still active today. The obelisk marker was selected by Jefferson for his grave.We took a drive to Newport News where we took a hike that all 3 of us enjoyed. It was a sunny day and Finn had a great time meeting all the other dogs on the trail.Newport News is a major shipbuilding center and naval base. This is the aircraft carrier, George Bush. It's so big its a city on the water. It was in for repairs giving us the opportunity to see it.

We drove into Richmond for a day. There was so much to see. Our internet research told us not to miss the Hollywood Cemetary. This is an old cemetary dating back to 1680. It's full of ornate monuments and is the final resting place of three presidents - John Tyler, James Monroe, and Jefferson Davis.

This stone monument was built to honor the Confederate soldiers buried in this area.

We were given a map and told to follow the blue line on the road. The result was a tour of southern history.

The tomb of Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy. Remember, down here the Civil War is known as the War of Northern Aggression.

Richmond being the capitol of Virginia, has a lovely capitol building in a parklike setting in the center of town.

Washington was born in Virginia. This statue stands on the capitol grounds.

The Museum of the Confederacy in downtown Richmond is nestled beside a hospital. We were told to park in the hospital garage, exit the front door of the hospital and make a sharp left to the museum. Ed loved this museum and described it as outstanding.

Right next door and included in the museum entry is the White House of the Confederacy. We were given a guided tour of this building. It has been restored to the way it was when Jefferson Davis and his family resided there. I enjoyed this part of the tour.

We've enjoyed this part of the country and learned a lot visiting it. Sometimes the Revolutionary and Civil Wars get confused in my head, but I certainly know a lot more than I did before our travels.

We're moving on to the Carolinas...