Pats Posts

Yesterday we arrived in Asheville, North Carolina after losing an hour to the Eastern Time Zone, 309 miles from Nashville, TN, our previous stop and a 5 hour+50 minute drive with an hour+10 minutes of stops along the route.   If this is not the most beautiful place in the country it is certainly one of the top; we have autumn colors at home but nothing  like these Great Smoky Mountains which go on forever.  A photo absolutely does not do justice; this  beauty resembles walking into a magnificent painting.  I have only ever said that before about Yosemite.  There is nowhere to look which does not envelop eyes in color. 

Another disappointment is this TAPS RV park, which I checked on Good Sam and online. The website shows a better spot than the actuality.  These spaces are tight, the park is old and it is really a test to maneuver on the  access paths; we do have full hook ups for  2 nights then we have to move to a 30 amp sight  into which I hope Jerry will be able to back  because reportedly there is a reservation for the 50 amp site.  Now I know why my friend Loren recommended RV resorts when they were full timing.  Driving a 40 ft. diesel pusher with tow vehicle is not like driving a smaller pickup truck with trailer or 5th wheel.  So many of these places are set up for camping; I wish they would use that description and we would know to avoid them.  Just because they have hook ups and poured cement pad does not make them a suitable  RV spot for coaches like ours, more driving room is needed.  Well fortunately Jerry did it and here we are.  Thankfully we arrived in the daytime, this would be an insurmountable challenge at night.  http://www.ashevilletapsrvpark.com/index.html    I will be leaving a comment on the RV.com site for others to avoid if they are in a big rig.

This morning was a trip to the doc in the box, Asheville Urgent Care where a doctor saw Jerry and prescribed antibiotics for his sore throat, by tomorrow he should fell better and in two days be at 90% the doctor said.  This meant another day where I left him in the coach and went off on my own along  part of the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopping at the Folk Art Guild.  What a venue of quilts, weaving, wood craft, glass, pottery, jewelry, etc on display.  They absolutely forbid photos and enforced the no photos by the many staff on patrol through out the two floors.  Well I had forgotten my camera anyway so then I did not feel so bad; I did have my cell phone but did not risk sneaking a photo and being banned, arrested, or who knows what. 
http://www.exploreasheville.com/index.aspx  I cannot say enough about Asheville, so I post this link which says and shows the gamut. 

I talked to many locals today on my ventures who all said they could not imagine living anyplace else in the country.  Tomorrow is the Biltmore mansion visit which I am  anxious to see and determine how it compares to Hearst Castle in CA.  I suspect there will be no comparison, different.