Category: North Carolina

Road Trip in April

Spring is a beautiful time for a road trip. The first leg of a trip with my sister was from Atlanta to the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and lasted 5 days. We stayed with friends for 2 nights, in Air BnB for 2 nights and a hotel for 1 night.

For our road trip, we rented a car that we booked ahead with the Alberta Motor Association (part of CAA). Their prices include up to 2 free additional drivers as a standard option. We picked up the car at the Atlanta Airport.

A non-stop WestJet flight took us from Calgary to Atlanta, Georgia. Check the prices carefully when you book. We discovered that the premiere seats at the front of the plane (WestJet’s equivalent of first class) were actually noticeably cheaper than the economy seats for our flight.

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is a hub for Delta Airlines and is a busy airport. We were surprised to arrive at the luggage carousel and find only 2 other passengers from our flight. They were driving to Chattanooga for a conference so my sister and I were the only people from Calgary who were actually staying in Atlanta and not travelling on to some other destination.

Ponce de Leon

I met a resident of Atlanta during my previous visits to North Carolina. She welcomed us to her home for a couple of nights. Her condo building maintains a small suite on the roof that they can book for guests. The roof had 2 large structures that looked like belfries, without the bells. The suites were under these towers and were surrounded by statues of lions looking out over the city. Constructed in 1913, the building has a lobby with stain glass windows and a beautiful circular staircase.

We were located on Ponce de Leon St. in Midtown, Atlanta. It is a mix of old and new with many historical buildings scattered among new builds. There were trees and wide sidewalks that made this a very walkable area. Much of Atlanta was destroyed by General Sherman during the civil war but is a city of about 450 000 today, although the metropolitan area has over 5 million.

Eateries

Bon Ton

We had a delicious meal at Bon Ton. They describe themselves as Louisiana meets Vietnam. The boiled peanuts were a good starter but the smoked snow crab was exceptional. We had charbroiled oysters then finished with a jicama and papaya salad. What a feast to introduce us to the south!

Poor Calvin’s

Poor Calvin’s was within walking distance of our rooftop suite and recommended by our host. They describe themselves as Asian Fusion with Southern Influences. We sat at the bar, which is a great place to meet people, watch the bartenders entertain and get seated quickly without a reservation.

The cocktail list included charring fresh ginger, cardamom and star anise before shaking with gin, lime juice and culantro (a relative of cilantro). An orange rind run through a flame was used to rim a Manhattan. My Curried Seafood was spectacular and my sister’s duck was gluten free. The garnish was not, however, but the kitchen staff came personally to check her meal and make sure it was corrected.

Bab’s

We met a couple of local women at Bab’s, a nearby breakfast/lunch cafe. I asked them what we should do if we only had one day in Atlanta. I was surprised when they replied that there is not really much to see or do in the city. The zoo was mentioned but that was it. It’s hard for visitors to get excited about getting off the plane in Atlanta, when the locals don’t think very highly of their city. My Moroccan Stew with eggs was worth going to Atlanta for brunch.

Mercedes Benz Stadium

I wanted to tour the Mercedes Benz Stadium. I watched a program on the construction of this building while living in Cambodia last year and was excited to visit it in person. Although we had a car, we chose Uber to take us. A $7 cost was better than worrying about navigating and parking at our destination.

The tour was $26. We had a guide and 2 more who were in training. There were only 6 of us visiting the building. I really enjoyed it. There is lots of information on the Internet about the stadium, but a couple of things stood out for me. The amount of solar energy they produce from the panels on the grounds is impressive. The building employs 1500 staff on non-game days and 5-6000 people on NFL game days. Concession prices are intentionally affordable and the WiFi capability is unbelievable. There is also an abundance of art decorating the building, including a metal Falcon outside where individual feathers can be seen.

Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site

As Canadians, we have been less impacted by the Civil Rights movement of the United States. Most of what I know of this struggle has come from books and movies. This is not to say that there is no racism in Canada, but it has not been as visible or organized as in the USA.

We took another Uber to the Martin Luther King Jr National Historic Site. It was difficult to pin the entrance to the Stadium on the Uber map and the driver had difficulty finding us. The driver was also not sure where to drop us off. Atlanta could improve interest in their city by making obvious tourist locations a priority for Uber drivers.

It was getting late in the afternoon so we only had time to visit the main information building, and not the other sites in the neighborhood. I was so engaged by the displays that I didn’t take many pictures. They included lots of photographs of Martin Luther King and his family as well as video recordings of his speeches. The descriptions and commentary covered his life and the many encounters he had with angry citizens. His visit to India and meetings with Gandhi were the foundation for his non-violent protests.

It is a solemn and thoughtful exhibit telling about Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and accomplishments during an era of massive social change.

There was also an exhibit in the building on the accomplishments of Jimmy Carter. His goals for the people of Georgia and Martin Luther King Jr.’s hopes and dreams have many parallels.

North to the Mountains

Our host in Atlanta gave us a road trip itinerary to get from Atlanta to Brevard, NC. After a delicious southern breakfast at Flying Biscuit Cafe we left the city on I-85. The highway was good and not too busy. The scenery was mostly forest to begin, but soon felt more like the foothills of Alberta.

Table Top State Park

It was about 150 km to the South Carolina Visitor Center. We stopped to pick up a couple of maps and suggestions then carried on another 85 km to Table Top State Park. We travelled on Highway 11, the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Hwy. The road was good but single lane each way. It was secluded and beautiful. We had clear skies and moderate temperatures.

We checked in at the visitors center and studied the maps of the area. This park was built by the Conservation Corps in the 1930’s and several cabins used by the Corps still exist here. It is popular for hikes to the top of Table Top Mountain. It also has several campgrounds and lakes.

We took a short walk to one of the waterfalls. It was so green and quiet as we were the only ones there for most of our visit.

Bald Rock Heritage Preserve

We turned left off the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Hwy on Geer Highway, also called Highway 276. Bald Rock Heritage Preserve was an easy pull off. We walked out onto a big slab of granite. It was covered in prohibited graffiti that included invitations to prom and declarations of love. The view was a 180 degree vista over the foothills, complete with blue skies and a few clouds. How impressive!

Caesars Head State Park

Geer Highway 276 led us up higher into the foothills below the Blue Ridge Mountains. Just before the pass was Caesar Head State Park. This escarpment viewpoint had massive vistas. Wow!

At the end of the parking lot is Devil’s Kitchen where a set of stairs are built down a narrow crack in the rock to a trail below the cliff. The views from here are also impressive. You can see all the way down to Table Top Rock.

Drive into North Carolina

The road trip continued with many switchbacks through the trees until we started down into North Carolina. We arrived in Brevard, NC which is at about 2400 ft. After a quick stop at a grocery store for a supper salad, we checked into our AirBnb. Jennifer was a fantastic host and treated us like family. We spent the evening watching the mountains from the front porch and were offered lots of suggestions of how to spend our next couple of days in the area.

A land of waterfalls

Dupont State Park

We checked out the local farmer’s market in Brevard and wandered down main street where there was a Porsche Show and Shine. The sky was clear and blue at a perfect 20 degrees.

It was a short drive on Cascade Lake Road to Dupont State Park. We found parking at High Falls Access and hiked for about 5 km along smooth trails with some ups and downs. For a Saturday, the trails weren’t too busy. There were many families and lots of dogs. The waterfalls were large and well worth the walk.

The host at our AirBnB made the kitchen and grill available to guests so we picked up a steak, potatoes for baking, mushrooms and some wine. Our dinner was perfect and another night on the front porch ended a wonderful day.

Pisgah Forest

We left the AirBnB after breakfast and travelled into the Pisgah Forest with our first stop at the Visitor’s Center. Although it was Sunday, the park didn’t seem as busy as I expected. The Visitor’s Center had just opened for the season but the staff were very helpful. We collected maps to see several more waterfalls. Some, like Looking Glass Falls, were just off the road, and others required a bit of a hike in and out.

The trail to Moose Cove Falls was about 1 km each way on a well managed trail. There were boardwalks and a stream controlled by rocks directing it across the path without causing unnecessary erosion. A few families and couples were also in the area admiring the wildflowers and the 50 ft falls.

Sliding Rock

It was a warm day for April at 19 degrees C but the river water was only 13 degrees C. The idea of sliding along the granite slabs and landing in 2 1/2 m of water was not that appealing. There were some hardy souls who tried it but we were happy enough to just sit with our feet in the water and watch.

I imagine that in the heat of the summer, this place must be very popular. A life guard was working weekends and life jackets could be rented from a booth in the parking lot. Our rivers are either gravel or limestone which would not be suitable at all for sliding so this opportunity for a natural water slide was appealing. The cost to enter was $3/person.

Cradle of Forestry

Our last visit in the Pisgah National Forest was to the Cradle of Forestry. We watched a movie and toured the museum displays inside. This is where the first school of foresty in the United States began. Sustainable forests were a new idea in the early 1900’s and foresters came here to learn how to manage forests that had previously been seen as a never ending resource during the industrial revolution.

There was a very interesting display where you had a view of a forest fire from inside a simulated helicopter. There was also a movie related to the building of the Vanderbilt home in Asheville and the landscaper who designed the grounds.

Blueridge Parkway

Pisgah Inn

The road from the Cradle of Forestry meets the Blue Ridge Parkway so we headed north through arches of trees and switchbacks to the peak of the parkway. We had booked a night at the Pisgah Inn which sits at about 5000 feet of elevation.

All the rooms, including the restaurant, face the view of the mountains and foothills. You can drive to viewpoints to see sunset, but the balcony of each room is a perfect place to see the sunrise.

I got up early and took several photos of sunrise sneaking over the peaks of the hills. It was pretty chilly so I crawled back into bed to warm up. A couple of hours later I awoke and opened the curtains to check out the views. There were none! We were in the clouds and there was zero visibility. I was so glad that I got up to catch the early views. Although the roads were clear a couple of km on either side of the Inn, the sky didn’t clear until nearly 11.

Asheville or Oriental

We considered visiting Asheville and the Biltmore House before heading east to a Girl’s Retreat. The entrance fee was $65 US, which was almost $100 Canadian. We decided that was more than we wanted to spend so got on the interstate, turned on a road trip audio book and drove to Oriental, North Carolina.

This part of our trip was easy and quiet in April. It would be spectacular in October when the leaves turn red and orange. I understand it would be considerably busier on the roads and at all the viewpoints.

Stay tuned for the next installment of the road trip from Oriental to Savannah, Georgia. It was less about nature and more about history, although equally enjoyable.