Asheville, NC was one of the few places on my original Bucket List. I’ve always heard that it’s interesting & beautiful. It’s definitely a beautiful area, with a lot of interesting people & things to do. Sadly, that wasn’t my experience, but I’m hoping to try it again some day! 🥴
I was grateful to find a place to stay, after most of the campsites in the area had canceled their tent & pop-up trailer reservations due to a large bear 🐻 population becoming more active. It didn’t take long for me to find out why this campground had openings.
Luckily, Maddie & I are pretty sound sleepers because the arrow is pointing at the highway above the campground. Our campsite was less than 50 yards away. It’s a VERY BUSY stretch of highway & it was VERY LOUD 24/7. 🤕 It wasn’t exactly the peace & quiet generally associated with camping. To make it worse, there didn’t appear to be anyone available to answer questions. I checked in by text message, but there was no way to leave a message. The restrooms weren’t cleaned for the first 3 days we were there & they really needed some attention. 🙄 There was no TP, soap or paper towels. The trash was overflowing for 3 days. Unfortunately, I had no place to go, so we stayed. 🤷♀️This is the French Broad River. We were camping about 10 feet from the water. According to geologists, the French Broad River is the third oldest river in the world, older than the mountains it passes through. It’s extremely popular with kayakers & paddleboarders, so we had a continuous parade floating by us. It’s also home to venomous copperheads & timber rattlesnakes. 🐍😳🐍Despite being a lab mix with webbed feet, Maddie hates getting her feet wet. 🤷♀️ Our campsite was very damp & soggy for our entire visit, so she came up with a creative solution for herself! At 13.5, she had no problem hopping up onto our picnic table! Normally, I wouldn’t allow it, but I thought we might get the management’s attention. Nope. Maddie ate all of her meals on the table. 😁 It also kept her out of the grass & away from any unwelcome visitors…🐍AboutMallory: https://www.chestnutasheville.com/humans-of-chestnut-pastry-chef-mallory-foster
KEY LIME TART: Sesame Crust, Black Lime Whipped Cream, Macerated Strawberries, Honey Sesame Crumble CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER POT DE CREME Milk Chocolate Pudding, Peanut Butter Creamux, Whipped Mascarpone, Peanut Brittle and Chocolate Crunch
Mallory was my saving grace for Asheville! She’s a former student of my sister’s & is now a very talented Executive Pastry Chef for 2 restaurants in Asheville. I was able to connect with her at Corner Kitchen, 1 of the 2 restaurants & we enjoyed an AMAZING lunch together! Asheville is an extremely pet friendly community, so Maddie sat beside me in the patio dining area.❣We started off with my new favorite gazpacho & I loved my first taste of fried green tomatoes in a BLT sandwich. Yummy!Mallory chose 2 of her signature desserts (see above) for us to share. Wow!!! 💗
Mallory is following my blog, so I want to THANK YOU again for salvaging our trip to Asheville!I wish you continued success! 💝
After lunch, Maddie & I walked around the River Arts District. A thunderstorm cut our walk short, but I’d love to return someday. I’d truly like to give Asheville a second chance!
On May 2, 2021, I departed from Massachusetts in my 2017 Ford Edge (Breezy Blue) with my 13.5 year young pup, Maddie, to fulfill a lifelong dream of a road trip across America. Our departure was delayed by a month, but we're making up for lost time now! My goal is to be out and about for a year.
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Where's Wendy? Livin' in the Edge! 