Vacation 2008: Day 2

Long day. We're in Asheville, NC for one night, before heading on down to Franklin via Cherokee and the Great Smokies. The day started late: Sarah slept in, then we stopped at a Kroger's for provisions for a picnic, and by the time we got on the road from Roanoke it was past 11. We'd intended to take back roads and some of the Blue Ridge Parkway leisurely south, but the late start doomed the plan. We picnicked near Hillsville, VA, and though the park had a playground we didn't let Sarah play because we were hoping to reach the North Carolina Museum of Minerals, Sarah being a rockhound. But taking mountain roads slowed us down (I swear, Jefferson, North Carolina is the longest 30 miles I've ever driven), and by the time we got near Boone it was clear we couldn't get there before their five o'clock closing, so we retooled, shot down to I-40, and headed into Asheville to give Sarah some pool time. We had made reservations at the only Asheville Hampton Inn we could find available for an affordable price, though it was half again what we paid last night in Roanoke (being, ahem, the Hampton Inn Asheville Biltmore).. Turns out that not only does it have an indoor pool with whirlpool and sauna, but that the room we complained about being so expensive opens directly onto the pool. Sarah was overjoyed. Tam did much of the driving -- of 240 miles I might have driven 60 or 70, but no more -- because I'm the better map reader and today's route was complicated with lots of back roads. So it was good for her to sit in the whirlpool and Sarah to play in the pool, as they're doing just outside the room door while I blog this. We still have to eat and it's 8 p;m, but it's also Saturday night in Asheville, so that should pose no problems. It's not the sort of small southern town where everything rolls up at 9. My feet are hurting, and I may give them a soak in the whirlpool yet. If anything happens over dinner, I'll write about it later.

Okay, a quick plug for our dinner place: the Apollo Flame Bistro just down the road from our hotel (see earlier link). A classic little Greek/Italian place, where Tam and I ate Greek and Sarah ate spaghetti and meatballs and we all indulged in highly fattening cake for dessert. With far more food than we could eat, beer, and cake all around, the bill was $41 and the food was fantastic. Whoa.

More tomorrow.

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