Easter in Asheville

After leaving Hilton Head I drove to Asheville to visit my best friend Pat for a week. The weather was perfect Spring with a side of April showers. Pat has a huge yard and is very serious about gardening, so we (or, rather, she) spent much of the week planting, preparing to plant, protecting plants, watering plants and cleaning up from planting. It being mid-April, all the Spring flowers were in full riot in Asheville. Most of these pictures are from Pat, she's an artist with her camera - capturing both the beauty and the story. I, on the other hand, settle for documenting that I was there, and something happened - although you may not know that from looking at any of my pictures.

To recover from the gardening week in Asheville I packed Pat and her wonder dog Flynn into Rosievan and we all went to Hot Springs, NC for a couple of days. Hot Springs is little town on the NC/TN border, just north of the Great Smokey National Park and well known for its medicinal spring water. We spent time soaking in the springs, photographing the flower riot and fighting the little gnats that feast on your face while sapping your will to live. Even Flynn was fed upon by the damn gnats. Camping with two other beings in Rosievan's 60 square feet was quite an entertaining ballet dance. Luckily, we're all good friends and everyone survived.

The final night in Hot Springs, Pat found the perfect place for us to boon-dock (wild camp) down by the French Broad River where the breeze and campfire provided some much-needed gnat-relief. Plus, we were far away from other cars, other campers, children, rule-enforcing security guards and street-lights. It was peaceful and restorative. Hot dogs and s'mores were roasted in celebration.

Once back in Asheville, I repacked and restocked the RV while Pat made her world-famous rib roast for dinner. All three of us ended Easter Day in a proper beef-induced coma. The only noises in the house were snoring and sleepy itching of gnat bites. What a great visit for Spring in Asheville.

Monday morning, I headed into Tennessee to South Cumberland and the renowned Fiery Gizzard.