The day began with a crisp walk in the cold dawn. The reds, yellows and oranges from the maple and sweet gum trees lined my route up the hill. Quiet roads glistening with a full moon and the sun's new rays made a welcoming path.
After breakfast Anne and I made for the Visitor's Center and signed up for a trolley tour. We took in the sites through the town's rolling hills. In downtown Asheville we hit a book store, art galleries, and a natural foods restaurant for a light lunch. We visited a funky general store and then headed for Biltmore Village. Wrong area -full of chain stores when all we wanted were interesting folk art. The trolley pickup was an hour away so we decided to hoof it to the next trolley stop, see the historic home and get ahead of the game. WRONG! Over the bridge, along the railroad tracks, up the hill, through the community college campus, up the hill, and finally found the McDowell-Smith House - about 10 minutes after the trolley left. We spent an hour covering about 3 miles and saved ourselves no time. However, we did wear off all of our lunch and had a fine sheen of salty sweat on our makeup.
The McDowell House was interesting with several periods of furnishings presented although the tour guide was a bit boring. The trolley finally arrived and we were thrilled to just sit down and head back to the Visitor's Center. From there we drove to the Thomas Wolfe house. They have a nice video on his life and the writing of Look Homeward Angel. We then had a nice tour with the state parks guide - a knowledgeable English-major/graduate from Georgia.
Finally back to the hotel and a simple supper from the cooler. Tomorrow - off to the Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky.
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