Anniversary/Birthday Escape to the Mountains (July 22-24)

Do you know what happens when your dog is teething?  He chews anything he can find, including SD cards if they happen to be in reach.  I am sorry to report that our 5 year anniversary weekend get-away photos have been destroyed by the developing teeth of Sir Charles Darwin.  There were a few photos taken with our phones, but they do not highlight the best parts of our trip.  I therefore apologize for the lack of beautiful photos to share.

To celebrate our anniversary and escape the 100 degree temperatures in Raleigh, we spent the weekend in the mountains of North Carolina.  My work travels had taken me to the Pisgah National Forest last year, around the same time of year.  If you read that post, you can see photos of the mountains that were similar to what we experienced on this trip.

Each day started beautifully, with sun and temperatures in the low 70s.  By lunchtime, temperatures in the 80s brought thunderstorms that lasted most of the afternoon.  It was nice to get away from the heat, and we did a lot of hiking. But, the thunderstorms halted our attempts at climbing higher or going further on the trails we explored.

On our way into the Pisgah National Forest, we refueled our bodies at the sustainable restaurant Vidalia. With rain showers already in full effect, we semi-successfully sat outside under the awning with Darwin tucked under our table.  He is still such a shy pup!  It's nice that he sits so quietly under the table when we go out to eat, but he is so scared when anyone tries to pet him.  We definitely need to keep working on that!

Above, Colin's BLT with fried green tomatoes (the day's special)

Below, my local farm burger with fried vidalia onions and swiss cheese

For the record, I haven't had tater tots in ages! They are so good but definitely a once in awhile treat.

I could not pass through Blowing Rock without showing it off to Colin.  It's such a cute town.  Photos of the "downtown area" are available on the blog post of last year's trip.  Any trip through Blowing Rock merits a stop at Kilwin's for ice cream, especially when you can enjoy it in a very secluded seating area behind the ice cream shop.

Indulging in Kilwin's ice cream (Blowing Rock, NC)

Since the rain prevented us from hiking Saturday afternoon, we made our way down the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway to Asheville, NC.  With the rain showers pouring down I would not say it was my "favorite drive" as the Parkway slogan boasts.

Asheville is becoming one of my favorite towns.  They have so many delicious eateries and the culture is so laid-back and relaxed - in a good way!  The last time I was in Asheville for work, my coworker and I really wanted to try the tapas bar Zambra.  I managed to convince Colin we should eat there, which was not the best idea for us.  The small plates were not as filling as we had hoped, especially after a morning of hiking.  Once again, Darwin laid under the table as close to Colin or I as he could.

From Zambra, we made our way through downtown Asheville to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge where I waited in the 20 minute line to get a chocolate truffle torte and a nibby brownie.  The brownie was delicious and I think next time we'll try the quintessential chocolate cake since the torte was not our favorite.  The free chocolate samples and live music in the lounge made for a pleasant waiting experience.

The best part of our trip to Asheville was hanging out in Pack Square Park, meeting the locals and their dogs, and listening to live bluegrass.  We came across two great danes, one of which looks like a huge version of our little Darwin.  The owners of that great dane also had a full grown black lab mix.  I wish we had a better photo of our little 40lb lab making friends with his 70lb and 150lb "twins."  We also quickly became friends with their owners and even had invitations to come to the river to play with them on Sunday!  It's too bad the Asheville culture does not yet exist in Raleigh.

Though not a great photo, you can see how small Darwin looks compared to a 150 pound Great Dane

Since it was going to be rainy much of the weekend, I didn't want to deal with camping. With expensive hotel prices, I instead opted for the vacation rental option and found us a quaint 2 bedroom cabin-like place near Newland, NC - right in the middle of the mountains.  If you are lucky enough to find a last-minute place that is not yet reserved, you can typically get a better deal.  The unit owner knocked $10 off per night, making our "home" much cheaper than any hotel in the area.  Camping would have been the cheapest option, but it is much nicer to have a bedroom, living room, and kitchen.

Speaking of kitchen, each morning we prepared a delicious and healthy vegetable omelet, served with a side of farmer's market fruit.  For our hikes, we packed peanut butter sandwiches, granola bars, and fruit.  One day we even made our own veggie pizza!

I prefer to balance my meals by preparing 2 of the 3 meals of the day.  At home, I know what goes into my food.  The choices I make are to limit salt and fat and add as many vegetables as I can.  While the sustainable restaurants we typically choose use fresh ingredients, restaurants are known to use lots of butter and salt to make their food taste delicious and keep people coming back.  Choosing a sustainable restaurant, or a restaurant that offers sustainable foods is usually more expensive, but I also balance the cost by making meals at my vacation home.

Where do you go to find lodging when preparing to travel?
What choices do you make about where to eat?

Look for my next post about the hiking we did over the weekend!!