Although as I write, we again find ourselves immersed in a 72+ hour tropical depression, it is hard to complain considering our surroundings for the week.
We got all set up in Asheville, North Carolina at the Powhatan Lake campground enjoying some down time and Fall colors after a month or so of time visiting with family and friends. We had a blast catching up with friends and relatives in Virginia and North Carolina and we enjoyed our urban exploration in the city of Charlotte, but now we are quite happy to be back in the woods and in the mountains.
Asheville was a new city for both of us and to be honest the main reason we are here is that the last time we were in North Carolina, everyone we know told us we should have gone to Asheville. Well, the town is not such a secret these days and although the vibe of the town, the breweries and restaurants are exactly our style the overall crowds have been a little bit of a surprise and our weather was also pretty lousy. We made a single trip into town over the weekend but after searching for 30 minutes for a parking spot for our big truck and then another 45 minute wait just to get a seat at one of the packed brunch spots we decided we better wait until the week to venture back out.
The weather was great over the weekend and the Fall colors were close to peak. We decided to spend our time away from the crowds in the non-hookup portion of the campground where we hiked, sat by the camp fire and snapped pictures. We are getting the hang of our new battery system and inverter that in conjunction with an hour or so of running our generator allows us to stay powered and able to work and live fairly normally. At least as normally as a person can live without a clear line to point your DirecTV antenna. We stayed about a week or until our fresh water tank was empty. Then it was time to move on.
Despite the crowds, the town did not disappoint and we did fit right in amongst the bearded, vegetarian beer swillers and flannel clad hipsters that make up a good portion of the touristy population of this place on a peak Fall leaf watching week. We visited some local small breweries and even the impressive Sierra Nevada complex.
Overall, we very much enjoyed our time in Asheville, North Carolina and would visit again.