A fresh start and a beautiful day! Who could ask for anything more? We fill our travel mugs with steaming hot coffee, load the car up and we once again head for the hills. This time it’s the Blue Ridge Parkway, scenic wonderland that promises a winding trail of panoramic vistas, breathtaking overlooks and many opportunities for side trips. I have my Blue Ridge Parkway Guide opened and we decide that since the visitor’s center is located right near our entrance we will stop there to see if they can shed some light on any “must see” places.
We pull up to a nice looking building and enter the spacious exhibit area. We approach the lady at the regional information desk and inform her of our planned route. She pulls out a long sheet of yellow legal paper and with her best “south mouth” she informs us of the fatal flaw in our itinerary, “Aw, Shugar, the parkway is closed.” Excuse me? 4 miles from where we are standing the Blue Ridge Parkway is shut down due to icy, hazardous road conditions. It is closed for large portions of North Carolina, Tennessee & my beloved Virginia.

It doesn’t look so bad from here

Now we have already checked out of our hotel so we are homeless and destinationless. Uberbummer!! I inquire about the Appalachian Folk Art Center, which is 2 miles north and something I was planning to spend some time visiting today. She gives me the affirmative that the Parkway is still open to that point. I decide to drown my sorrows in some mountain crafts and threaten to buy an $800 painted quilt if Don doesn’t come up with a new plan.

The Appalachian Folk Art Center before I discovered the No Photography signs

The Folk Art Center is a combination gallery showcase, permanent exhibit hall & gift shop. It’s a wide open space that is festooned with all things mountain craft. There’s quilts, paintings, pottery, glass work, sculpture, woodworking, furniture, jewelry, textile work, etc. Today when you entered there was a woman operating a full loom and a gentleman making hand crafted brooms.
Don got away cheaply as I only purchased 2 post cards in the Visitor’s Center and nothing in the Folk Art Center. As we returned to the car we had to decide what our next step would be since we obviously could not continue on The Parkway. Don suggests we drive up to Bristol, TN/VA and then hit old route 11 for a scenic alternative to ever-boring 81.

Amazingly beautiful painted quilt

Not having any place else to go, I agree to the plan.
Once we hit Bristol we connect with Rt 11 & begin our trek through the vena cava of Southwestern VA. We decide that the furthest we will probably be able to handle in the car is somewhere between Christiansburg & Roanoke and figure we will look for a hotel room around there. We approach a little known hamlet called, Chilhowie, VA which is the hometown of a friend of mine. Stacy Cornwell has told me on more than one occasion of a local delicacy called, “the dip dog”. To me it sounds like a corn dog, which is something I can honestly say I have never eaten in my entire life. It’s past lunch time and I tell Don about the dip dog and he is ready to track one down.
We amble along the main drag in Chilhowie for a while & I am utilizing my many phone apps to try to locate the home of the dip dog to know avail. Don decides to break the guys code of conduct by pulling into a supermarket parking lot and approaching a nice normal looking woman who just came from the store. He inquires if she has any knowledge of the elusive dip dog.

The lovely Mrs. Johnson – a font of dip dog information

Not only does she give us detailed instructions to The Hi-Way Drive In (home of the dip dog) but she fills us full of local dip dog lore. For instance, they use a specially made frankfurter, a specially made batter & a specially made mustard. She buys them and freezes them. Her father in law (God rest his soul) knew the phone number by heart and would rattle it off from his bedroom whenever there was consideration of someone calling in an order for pick up. At your first visit you are given a souvenir mug & bumper sticker. The bumper sticker is sort of like Flat Stanley. People take them with them on their travels then photograph themselves with the bumper sticker and mail the picture back to The Hi-Way Drive In where they are prominently displayed on the walls. (We saw ones photographed in Havana, Cuba and many other interesting locales) Now we must have a dip dog! We follow her excellent instructions (it is off the beaten path shall we say) and arrive at a fairly crowded parking lot (for the middle of the week day in the middle of nowhere).

Me & my dip dog (It’s a good thing Jesus loves me ’cause I’m hating myself) www.dipdogs.com

It is not a fair assessment to call this a corn dog. The batter is thin, light and crunchy & the dog tastes like it was born and raised in NYC. It has a thin covering of a delicious mustard. It is really good (for carnival food). Now fully sated we return to the road and head on to Roanoke.

A few scenic diversions

Don on the rocks

As we approach the greater Roanoke area we decide, “Eh! We’ve come this far already. Let’s just go home.” Darren has arrived home for Spring Break & we are hosting Easter dinner for family and friends. Since we will need to make some preparations, like food shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc. we suck it up and complete the journey home. We are greeted by the 3 Dogs of the Apocalypse in the driveway, Darren in the kitchen and a pile of bills on the table. Happy Trails!

Post script: “It is finished” John 19:30
Good Friday, 2013
May you all have a blessed Easter & rejoice in The Lord.

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Who are these people & what are they doing here at my house?

It seems we actually did save the best for last. A crystal clear blue sky greeted us with full sun streaming in the windows this morning. Finally, no snow squalls or clouds! I was excited to begin our excursion to to The Biltmore. Mr. Russo, not so much. Don is not a fan of ostentation, Lord knows he’s a simple man. We grab some coffee & a quick bite then off we go.

Although it is still cold, the sun makes all the difference. We park the car & decide to forgo the shuttle ride from the parking lot so we head to the house on foot. An old friend, Diane “Bunderwoman” Bundy, instructed me to spend the extra $10 for the audio tour. The audio tour is housed in a cell phone like device that you wear around your neck and hold up to your ear. You punch in the numbers of the rooms that correspond to the paper guide and it gives you a great deal of information, much of it from the mouths of the Vanderbilt descendants. It even has an option to plug in additional numbers for extra stories. Considering their are school groups and private tours and everyday tourists without any  embellishments running around the place with you the audio tour allows you to get in depth information and explore at your own place. Well worth it.

Don on one of the terraces

What can I say about the house? It’s the closest thing we have in this country to a castle. You cannot take any photographs inside the house. It is chock full of amazing stuff. Once you get into the entrance hall, you proceed into the “winter garden” which is actually a huge atrium with a curved glass ceiling and a huge center fountain. Today, it is full of the most gorgeous collection of orchids I’ve ever seen. Orchids are the theme that run throughout the house and it is loaded with them.

You tour 3 levels of the home that includes banquet hall and breakfast room, billiard room, swimming pool, gym, music room, smoking room, tapestry gallery, library, living quarters and bedrooms as well as the servant’s areas like kitchens and laundry which were amazingly equipped with the most modern appliances of the time. It takes a good 2 hours or so to complete the inside tour. Then you are free to wander the rest of the estate.

We are visiting at probably one of the most uninteresting times of the year. There is not a whole lot in bloom on the grounds yet but that doesn’t preclude me from wanting to plod through the Spring Garden, the Azalea Garden, The Boat House, Bass Pond & The Conservatory. We tromp around the grounds for another couple of hours finally winding up inside The Conservatory, which is essentially a very large & fancy greenhouse.

In the Spring Garden

For some reason, Don does not delight in the wonders of the gardens the way I do and when some elderly woman asks him if he knows what kind of flower is in front of them he does his best not to laugh in her face.

Two impressive specimens

At one point in the Conservatory I overhear a couple speaking to each other wishing that they could get a picture together on this bench. I volunteer to help out and ask if they would reciprocate by taking our photo. They oblige and we now have the only picture this trip that proves we were travelling together.

The Conservatory is divided into a “hothouse”, a “cool house”, a potting room, a succulents room and it houses all types of exotic plants & flowers. There is a woman playing a dulcimer inside and there is a big terrace out back. It was actually a lovely day to wander there.

Don tiptoes through the tulips

The Conservatory

“I do this all for you!”

By the time we climb our way back up to the main house I feel like my hips will dislocate. However, that doesn’t stop me from checking out the old stable area which is now a retail shopping area. I still want to head back to Downtown Asheville to visit a chocolate shop that has won world renown for it’s truffles. Don suggests that we have a late lunch at The Laughing Seed, a well known vegetarian restaurant. It is payback for me going to the Little Pigs with him yesterday. Considering, he may never offer to eat in a strict vegetarian restaurant again I decide to take him up on the offer and we hike back to the parking lot. (See a photo of
Don’s delicious vegetarian lunch on our Facebook
page: Carmageddon)

We bid farewell to The Biltmore after deciding that even if we could live this way, we probably wouldn’t.

I spend an obscene amount of money on chocolate and we return to our room totally exhausted. We hit the hot tub and decide that we will leave Asheville a day early since the weather is supposed to continue to be nice and drive back home up the picturesque Blue Ridge Parkway. I am already picking out the places I want to stop along the way. This will be a 2 day trip home.

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Don in front of the Basilica of St. Lawrence

Finally, I look outside the window this morning and the sun is shining! Today’s plan is to set out early and hit the Urban Trail and Walking Tour. This trail is divided into 5 eras identified by symbols carved into pink granite blocks in the sidewalk. It encompasses the historical events, people and architecture of the downtown area represented by 30 individual stations. These are either bronze plaques or pieces of sculpture. We park our car at the Visitor’s Center (free parking) and set off on foot for downtown.

Me in front of The Flat Iron Building standing next to a huge sculpture of a flat iron

Not 15 minutes into this 2 hour odyssey, it starts snowing again. We decide to plod on (well, we really have no other choice because the car is on the other side of town). To warm up and get out of the elements we duck into the Mast General Store which has been in existence since 1883. A few purchases later and sufficiently warmed up we once again hit the trail. It seems that we and the homeless folks are the only ones out and about in downtown this morning.

The S& W Cafeteria Building – my personal favorite

We plod on through a different era and once again, the wind and snow get the best of us and we escape into an antique shop on Lexington Avenue. Once our defrosting has occurred, we again set out to complete our mission. Now, the sun is out again and although it is still windy it is more tolerable. The tour made a lot more sense after our doing the Trolley Tour yesterday and afforded us the opportunity to see things up close.

Angel Looking Homeward (if you don’t get the literary references you really should read more)

Finally, we arrive in Thomas Wolfe’s neighborhood and I can’t resist climbing onto the porch of The Old Kentucky Home, which Wolfe immortalized as “Dixieland” in his novels. Apparently, Asheville was not too appreciative of his hallmark novel & he and his mother were virtually ostracized from the community.

Finally, we complete all 30 stations and decide to trek back to the Visitor’s Center to retrieve the car and grab some lunch. However, I can’t help but having to take a picture of the sign at Pack Square Park.

I find it interesting that the first rule of the park is “No registered sex offenders”. We interpret that to mean that if you are an UN registered sex offender, you are pretty much good to go.
Meanwhile, back at the Visitor’s Center I inquiring about tickets to The Biltmore House and discover that the center offers them MUCH CHEAPER than the purchase price on the Biltmore property. I tell the nice lady that in all my research before coming to Asheville, nothing mentioned this fact. She told me that they are not allowed to advertise this fact. Of course, Don’s geezer hat again works it’s magic and we get a veteran’s discount as well.
Don now has a hankering for some North Carolina style barbecue so we decide to check out Asheville’s oldest & some claim best Bar-B-Q establishment, Little Pigs. Manager Bruce Gordon & counterman, Matt dish up some mighty good eats. I even forgo my vegetarianism and order some ribs, chicken and absolutely the best piece of lemon meringue pie I ever tasted. (See the Carmegeddon Facebook page for pictures of lunch)

Don was happier than a pig in . . . sauce at www.littlepigsbbq.net

It seems our tickets to The Biltmore are good after 4:00 p.m. today so after lunch we decide to hit the hot tub & then set out for the Antler Hill Village & Winery on the grounds of the estate. We take in the exhibit Biltmore Legacy which documents how the Vanderbilt’s did travel & leisure. Needless to say it is not in the style of your Carmageddon host’s travel pursuits. It seems to us that some people have way too much money. The one interesting fact I gleaned was that the original Biltmore Vanderbilt’s were supposed to come home from England on The Titanic but changed their minds at the last minute and took Titanic’s sister ship. One of their staff couldn’t get his cruise changed so he went on the Titanic and died when it sank. We also toured the winery the headed back to our home away from home here at the Brookside.

A late dinner was in order so we headed back downtown for some tapas at Zambra.

Don is not a tapas kind of guy. He considers anything that is shared between 2 or more people a snack and not a meal. Zambra is billed as “the most romantic restaurant in Asheville” consequently, it has a very dark ambiance the evokes Moorish Spain. Don was complaining that it was so dark he couldn’t read the menu. The couple sitting immediately next to us were taking advantage of the romantic atmosphere by attempting to copulate. Then they were out of mussels. Definitely 3 strikes in Don’s restaurant review. He did admit the food was good and the presentation perfect but he was less than enthused by it all.

Awaiting the Sultan’s arrival

What’s wrong, Othello?

A brisk walk back to the parking lot felt good. All in all we logged a lot of miles today. Tomorrow – The Biltmore.

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A Street Car Named, “Why Is It So Freaking Cold?”

Unfurling from the sweet cocoon of sleep, I arise to see snow swirling yet again in Asheville. Don had already arisen since the drink he invented last night at Tressa’s Blues & Jazz Club had returned for an encore performance. (He was drinking shots of locally distilled moonshine with a Guinness chaser, which he gleefully named, “When Irish Eyes Are Shining” ) We need a break in the weather to be able to pursue my list of outdoor activities! It seems it will not be today.

Snow capped Blue Ridge Mountains – view from the Visitor’s Center

We decide to skip breakfast so instead I make some Starbuck’s in the room then we head off to the pool. We swim some laps since the pool is empty and then hit the hot tub. Now we are kicking around the plans for the day. Don is getting cranky over the weather (and probably the thought of me dragging him to the art museum which seems to be the indoor destination for the day). As we drive to downtown the snow squalls stop & the sun peeps through. At the art museum door Don makes an executive decision and suggests we go on over to the Visitor’s Center to attempt the Trolley Tour. He argues that at the moment, the weather is acceptable enough to enjoy the tour. (We have come to say that in Asheville, if you don’t like the street or the weather just wait a minute because it will change. The streets change names every 1000 ft or so – very confusing & the weather goes from sun to squall within seconds)
Yesterday, while in Desert Moon Designs we were given the tip to take the red trolley tour instead of the white trolleys. Don is sporting his usual geezer attire which garnishes us a veteran’s discount on the tickets.

Don’s Geezer Hat

There was about 30 minutes before the tour departed so I decided to pop back over to the Grove Arcade. Yesterday, I was in a shop that sold locally crafted woolen goods & today I decided I needed a hat.

Inside the Grove Arcade

My new chapeau – Don asks, “Why is mine a geezer hat & yours a chapeau?” It just is.

Our tour guide is an Asheville native who used to be a radio announcer. He was both entertaining & informative. The tour covered the historic areas and buildings while our guide filled in all the details. For instance, Asheville was founded as a healing center with the first tuberculosis sanatorium in the nation being established there. It was on the forefront for the treatment of physical and mental maladies. Zelda Fitzgerald died in a fire in an Asheville mental hospital while F. Scott was philandering in The Grove Park Inn. Treatments for malaria and typhoid fever were developed here. The first female medical doctor in the U. S. started her education here. The Memphis Belle airplane flew sideways through 2 buildings here for a war bond fundraiser. If you were rich and had a medical problem you came to Asheville. Also, what’s now the River Arts District was a busy industrial area that was decimated from a flood that had the river rise 15 ft from it’s banks in 1 hour after 2 days of torrential rains. We saw the really nice houses (not the ‘shacks’ I was photographing on the first day), as well as some gorgeous downtown art deco buildings & the absolutely fabulous Grove Park Inn. Where presidents, prime ministers & celebrities stay while in Asheville. (No, we are not staying there . . .yet)

Front entrance of The Grove Park Inn

It’s a 2 1/2 hr tour with your ticket being good for 2 days so we may return tomorrow to take advantage of the hop on and off aspect. There is no free parking downtown so if the weather permits we may do the urban walking tour tomorrow jumping off the trolley at one of the stops.
Since we had no breakfast, we are now ready for some lunch. We had spotted a Cuban restaurant yesterday and with a ringing endorsement from our tour guide we headed to Havana Comida Latina.
(Check our Facebook page: Carmageddon for a photo of lunch) The folks who Don recognized as grandparents were from Cuba. Consequently, Don has a deep love for Cuban food, which I acquired through my longstanding relationship with him and his family. We were not disappointed. In fact, I will go so far as to say the tweaks the chef incorporated into his food were amazing. There was a hint of cinnamon on the plantains, the fried yucca was CRAZY good & the Cuban coffee was like jet fuel. All good! We came back to the hotel to relax for a while to prepare for this evening’s session at  5 Walnut Street.

The John Henry’s playing at 5 Walnut

We were given a tip by our new friend, Eileen Black, to go check out a place called 5 Walnut on Tuesday night. After our experience Monday night at Tressa’s, we figured it was OK to arrive late, since the musicians did not start on time and the club was relatively empty. WRONG. 5 Walnut was maxed out when we arrived at 7:50 p.m. for an 8:00 p.m. set by the John Henry’s. Luckily, I found a seat on the bar & my gallant husband stood by me. He was the D.D. tonight and since it was a wine bar, I was in my element.
Don’t misunderstand me, I love my artsy, hipster folks however I do have a tolerance level that reaches a saturation point. I thought I was there tonight while I was intermingling with my hippies and hipsters. There is just so many funky hats, eye patches, long hair & sunglasses at night indoors that I can take before the drama overcomes me. But, sometimes the performance art will transport me and take me above the fray so I can continue to be a part of the scene without wanting to kill someone. That happened tonight. I asked our bartender why it was so crowded on a Tuesday night. (after all, SOMEONE has to work in this town) She told me that The  John Henry’s were their most popular act. They were a group of young musicians who played a type of jazz that incorporated some swing and gypsy elements. While they were playing, all of a sudden a guy who I saw enter after we arrived started singing with them. He was awesome and we realized he was familiar to us. This was the guy we saw last night at Tressa’s Blues  Jazz club. He was kind of free-styling with The John Henry’s but it was amazing! The crowd was an eclectic mix of older and younger interspersed with many artsy folks. We were all swaying to the sound. Finally, into the second set our parking was running out (Asheville is not a parking friendly town) so we settled our tab and headed out.

Moon over Asheville tonight with snow flurries. (Goddammit, when will it stop!)

Hopefully, tomorrow’s weather will present some outdoor options for us.

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Someone’s Merry Easter Montage in Asheville It’s freezing!

The rain stopped but now it was snow flurries, blustery wind & cold. ( I know I will not get any sympathy from the home town crowd, as they were in the throws of a Spring snow storm.) So while activities that relied on primarily outdoors venues would not be pleasant we were left with the decision to go to the Art Museum or The River Arts District. We decided to save the museum in case we had another total washout day of rain. After bundling up, we headed out to explore the artsy scene.

Mural on the wall at The Cotton Mill Studios

The River Arts District is a conglomeration of galleries, studios, businesses & performing arts venues housed in old industrial buildings along the French Broad River. All mediums are represented including clay, glass, textile, metal, wood, painting, sculpture and photography. It’s kind of spread out & in better weather would be totally walkable. There are numerous top-notch eating and drinking establishments to sustain you through your gallery hopping. You have to give it to the artists. In many decaying urban areas they are the only ones willing to renovate and move into these spaces, thus revitalizing these places. I’ve seen it in Williamsburg in Brooklyn & Bethlehem, PA & I love when people turn it around like that.

Repurposed industrial elements as architectural art

The most gracious, Eileen Black www.pottersmark.com

The line outside of 12 Bones

Random ceramic teapot adorning a corner in The River Arts District

The most awesome, Julie Spalla www.desertmoondesigns-studios.com

The beautiful Grove Arcade

The club resides in a 100 yr old building

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(One of many lovely homes near The Biltmore Estate)

At what point do you cross the fine line between “sightseeing” & “stalking”? If you ask my husband it was today while I was running up to people’s lawns to photograph their homes after I did a drive-by or two (OK, sometimes it was 3).

We awoke to a cold, constant downpour this morning so any outdoor activites would have to be called due to weather. It being a Sunday (Palm Sunday at that and yes, Asheville does have several Catholic Churches) many things are closed or open later in the day. We ambled down to breakfast then watched some of the Sunday pundits on T.V. before deciding to head down to the hot tub. Obviously, today was a big check out day and the hallways and lobby were bustling with activity. After simmering in the hot tub for a while we returned to our room to prepare for the day.

We decided to hit the Antique Tobacco Barn. It was located on our side of town & frankly, I am a sucker for junk tonnage. Since it did not open until 1:00 p.m. we decided to pursue another of my favorite activites which is checking out the local real estate. When I was a young kid, my Aunt Nancy would load me into her car and we would take off to Westchester County at night during Christmastime. We would troll the upper crust neighborhoods & peer into the windows of people’s homes to check out their Christmas decorations and home furnishings. I don’t think the term “stalker” was in use then.

Don was attempting to navigate the unfamiliar streets while I was pointing out which houses I liked insisting he check them out. After almost hitting an elderly couple walking their Lhasa Apso, Don told me he would stick to driving instead of sightseeing.

Sweet pink B&B

Gorgeous cottage

This one had an Asian motif

To the right is an old trolley car now repurposed gazebo

Funky trees from blue wine bottles

More wine bottles lining walkway

this is a light lavender color

Well, it’s not really a barn. It’s actually an enormous old tobacco warehouse. It’s one of those long, metal buildings you see in industrial areas but it is chock full of stuff! I made a few purchases including a birthday present for my sister. Sorry Dawn, it may be a little late if I can’t find a local post office.
As we were wandering the aisles, Don stops and picks up an item to show me.

This is the EXACT SAME baseball glove that Don has & has used for the past 38 years. I bought it for him while we were dating and it is still going strong. In fact, it is in much better shape than this one which had a $22 price tag on it. So now I am hysterical laughing because Don’s glove is considered an antique. He is not appreciating me because I am telling him not to stand too still because they will put a price tag on him, too.

It turns out that this movie is a hybrid from the Die Hard genre and Independence Day, except the aliens are from Korea. Preposterous (I hope) but thoroughly entertaining, if your idea of a good time is lots of bullets & explosions. (Remember, I have 4 sons) At the conclusion of this film, Don decides he is in the mood for Japanese food (coincidence? I think not) so we seek out the local hibachi steak house. No exciting eats there, if you’ve been to one you’ve been to them all. Then, it’s back to the hotel for another round in the hot tub.

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It was a slow start. First baseball, then dropping Damian off in Luray to spend Spring Break with his Mom, then down to Fishersville to deliver Darren’s newly repaired eyeglasses. Finally, at 4:00 p.m. we were headed for Asheville.
Since March Madness has already seen the elimination of my alma mater, Georgetown & my number 2 pick, VCU I needed to revert to some other form of entertainment to amuse me on the long trip. Our 2013 Ford Focus rental car was not only fuel efficient, but sweet. Leather interior, 4 doors enough bells & whistles to confuse us and Sirius Satellite Radio. Don found an old timey country station, Willie’s Roadhouse, that played the real shit-kicking country music. (I haven’t seen anyone so happy since his Mom got to meet Little Jimmy Dickens backstage at the Grand Ole Opry – and, yes, we are from the Bronx. Go figure.)

So we rolled along soaking up the bucolic scenery until we reached the greater Chilhowie area. (shout out to a certain Charge Nurse aka Little Kim)
Hoyt Axton’s timeless classic, “Bony Fingers” was playing on the Roadhouse Radio station. I’d had my fill of classic country by this point & threatened to shove my own bony finger into Mr. Russo’s eye socket unless he changed the channel. After deciding he did not want to spend his vacation in an eye patch, some classic rock was located on Sirius.

After traversing the state of Virginia, we arrive in Eastern Tennessee. Before I insult any of my Tennessee friends I would like to say that the following is merely an observation & not a criticism. It seems to me that in Eastern Tennessee they will make a church out of anything. Every 15′ there is a church of some sort. One looked like it was an abandoned Jack-In-The-Box Restaurant. They made a Jesus out of the clown by the drive through squawk box. Another looked exactly like the exterior of every  Bass Pro Shops you pass. Instead of the big fish on the sign, there was St. Peter with a fishing pole. What gives, Tennessee??

At about 9:00 p.m. we reached our destination in Asheville, The Brookstone Lodge. So far it seems totally adequate and the desk staff was pleasant and helpful when we asked where we could get some eats. We opted for some Papa John’s & the NCAA Wrestling Finals on cable. (well, since it’s been eliminated from the Olympics this may be our final chance to see U. S. A.’s finest college athletes) Tomorrow we will see what the weather is like before deciding on how we will spend our day.

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As we are about to embark on Carmageddon 3: Headed For The Hills I have been asked to present a preview of our preparations. Some ‘travel tips’, if you will.

*     We always try to book a hotel with a pool & hot tub (reason being: we are old and walk a lot. This is a great way to loosen the joints & muscles and provide some non-weight bearing aerobic exercise. The swimming pool scene from “Cocoon” comes to mind). As well as a room with a microwave, fridge & coffee maker. (we can do an amazing amount of simple prep with just these things. I also always bring a 1 cup pyrex pourable measuring cup, a refillable water bottle, 2 insulated reusable coffee size thermos cups & a small cooler or cooler bag.) Must bring food items for me are:  Starbucks Via instant coffee, Mini Moos (shelf-stable little 1/2 & 1/2s), Justin’s All Natural Almond Butter packets. We always ask if they offer a military or AARP discount. (If you are an AAA member or a government employee or teacher there are discounts available too.) I always Kayak the hotel I am considering before calling to book & then ask them if they can beat the best rate on Kayak. They often will. Don also gets some rewards through Expedia which we will use when available.

*     When we rent a car like we are doing for this trip, we always rent from a location close to an airport. ( we have 2 SUV type gas guzzlers & after doing the math what we will pay for the rental we will break even in gas + save the wear and tear on our vehicles, which are older) Picking up from an airport location as opposed to our local rent a car office saves a bundle of cash. I guess rates are lower due to their airport volume.

*    We pack pretty light. If I am flying I always carry on my luggage. We invested in some great hard-sided carry on size suitcases with 360″ swivel wheels. I bought them on sale, on line through Kohl’s also using my 30% Kohl’s reward and Kohl’s Cash. They retailed originally for like $250 each & I spent like $50 each with free shipping. For shorter trips I use my huge Land’s End Canvas zipper top tote. I always bring a small, flat backpack & $1 WalMart rain ponchos.

*    We always pack a multi-port USB & standard outlet surge protector in a foldable travel size. Some hotels don’t have enough outlets for us to charge our phones, camera, laptop (Don’s) & Kindle Fire (mine). I bought each of my kids one of these as a Christmas present this year. They LOVED them.

*    I always check out deals on Restaurant.com for the city I am planning to visit. For Asheville, I found a $25 gift certificate for a top rated tapas restaurant I was interested in for $10 (with no alcohol restrictions!)

*     2 Apps I like when travelling that I have on my phone are: Field Trip & Triposo. Both are free, informative & fun! I also usually download a field guide or travel book for my destination on my Kindle.I use Evernote to store photos & notes for the blog. We also have a ‘white noise’ app that I use to help us sleep.

So, here we are ready to roll tomorrow.

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