Day 5 - Hickory, NC to Asheville, NC

We started the day with the free Fairfield Inn breakfast before heading west on I-40.  We had originally planned to head back up to Boone, NC and see Blowing Rock, but realized it was going to add at least 3 hours to the day and we already had a full schedule.

Instead, we entered the parkway at Little Switzerland, NC.  Up first was our mining tour.

Mining artifacts.

Some old mining equipment and the waterfall.

Erin surfing in the mine.

Erin posing with the two-seater "potty" car.  (I didn't tell her what it was.)

About to enter the mine.

Minerals under ultraviolet light turns neon green.

Creepy miner's daughter doll.

People below are mining for gems in the stream.

After viewing the mine, the company store, the museum, and many other mining related areas, we went to lunch.

View from the restaurant rocking chairs.

Erin in her rocking chair with the Swiss chalet behind.

The view from our table.

The live music and views were nice.  The food and service were atrocious.  I guess when you can get people into the restaurant based on the location, you don't need to worry about anything else.  The food was overpriced and had misleading descriptions.  That's nothing new for tourists.

What was new was how the service was so bad it was comical.  We've all had forgetful or disinterested servers before, but our waiter brought a whole new style to service.  Fear.  He appeared to be terrified of us.  The most awkward introduction ever was followed by never bringing our drinks.  We ordered two waters.  Then he appeared to have no knowledge of the menu because he appeared baffled when both of us ordered dishes straight from the menu.  He then disappeared for 30 minutes while we wondered where he went.  When the food finally came, neither dish was correct.  Of course, he immediately ran away before we could tell him.  Erin finally chased him down even though he tried to escape once he saw her.  Totally bizarre.  Then she explained the problem and he offered no solution.  10 minutes later he mentioned he had corrected the order, but still messed up the side when the food eventually came.  The entire time we were there, he appeared wide-eyed, terrified, and lost.  I assume drugs were involved, but we really don't know.  This was a very memorable meal, but for all the wrong reasons.  The rest of the staff wasn't very helpful either.

After that disaster, we headed to something that was memorable for the right reasons.

The picture speaks for itself.

Ignore the fact that Erin's face is missing.

Even though the sign looks impressive, the car did most of the work.  Unsatisfied, we decided to have a real hike to a neighboring peak.

The Lion Queen?

Maybe not.

On the way.

Erin didn't appreciate walking on steep rocks, but we made it after some forceful convincing on my part.

The summit.

On top of the world.  (Well, top of the Eastern US.)

One negative is that Mounts Craig and Mitchell have millions of weevils.

Erin does not like weevils.

I had to pick 20+ weevils out of Erin's hair and clothing when we got back to the car.  I didn't have any.  I guess she smells better than me?

Then we headed to Asheville.  It wasn't what we expected.

Older buildings than expected.

Art Deco?!  Feels like home.

Even more.

Look familiar?  The Flatiron Building.

Murals.

A literal catwalk.

More 1920's construction.

Very nice cathedral.

Where Thomas Wolfe grew up.

County courthouse with a bit more modern design, but still historical.

Not sure about this, but it looks fun.

We walked a roughly 2 mile loop in downtown Asheville and realized the city is much older than I expected.  The core actually had numerous street performers, art galleries, gastropubs, and other niceties I don't normally associate with mountainous North Carolina.  Here's a video to illustrate.

Quite a lot of fun to be had downtown it appears.

Tonight we stay at the Red Roof Inn.  I haven't stayed at one in over a decade, but supposedly the brand has improved.  Our room seems nice enough, but it's a clear step down from the Marriott and doesn't have the friendliness of the local inns we stayed in.  Erin says it feels like she's in the ghetto, so I guess I'll let you know how this works out tomorrow.