The “Five Day” Solo Trip Feb-Mar 2022
Asheville, NC
★★★★
I knew that my time in North Carolina was getting shorter and Asheville had been on my list for most of my time there. I had a concert in Asheville lined up and my home base family in Delaware already had a trip planned to Florida for a weekend that butted up near my concert day. We wanted to leave from BWI and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to work in a driving trip since the flights from CLT to MCO were terrible times and I would end up having a connecting flight at BWI anyway had I left from CLT.
So, somehow, I decided that SUV camping was the way to go and my Tahoe “Baymax” was a perfect fit. I absolutely did not care what the season was and Charlotte had a few very warm false spring days that apparently gave me hope.
I decided that I would do a test camp on the way to BWI at Kerr lake recreation area in North Carolina:
If you are interested in how I set up the Tahoe for camping, that post is coming soon.
Kerr lake Recreation Area
Kerr lake was absolutely amazing. My campsite was a 180° view of the lake. The edge of the campsite was a rock wall that slanted down to the lake. My primitive site was 30$ for a single night. I’m not new to SUV camping but this would be the first time in the Tahoe.
Dinner was left over sausage stir fry and I also heated up water for the tea mug the next mornings I abandoned buying wood because I figured it wouldn’t be worth and I knew I would be spending some time re-organizing the Tahoe, so instead I grabbed some left overs from other fire pits and some tinder and brush. This was probably the worse campfire I’ve ever attempted to get going and we will not discuss this again.
Overnight I slept okay-ish, around 3AM I woke up to LOUD SPLASHING and almost shit my pants thinking my site was flooded. I was able to open door to check and eventually fell back asleep.
Morning the environment completely changed! The wind had kicked up and the rain was terrible. I made the mistake of leaving some of the bins just under the Tahoe and left the hammock up so I spent the first 20 mins of being awake running around in the rain. Lesson learned: Check the weather. Thankfully the bathhouse was well heated and a hot shower set me up for a good morning. I ended up not cooking any food for breakfast. I did stop later in the day at a rest stop with good tables and heated up water to make coffee which turned out terrible. Not a good start to the day but I was still pretty happy to be on an adventure.
The “Official First Day: Roanoke”
After an excellent trip to Florida it was time to return to BWI and start my road trip! So exciting. It was so nice out. I decided when I did this trip that I would take Route 81 down through the mountains. I skipped doing skyline drive as my sister really wanted to be part of that trip so that would come later. I made it over to Luray, VA and started making my way south. This trip would also be the first time trying to sleep at a rest stop of sorts instead of camping because of the nature of this portion of the trip – Just Drive. I had a few ideas on my list, A rest stop, Cracker barrel or a truck stop. Around 7pm I started seeking out places to sleep for the night, Virginia rest stops are really just that: A small parking lot and a bathroom and after the second one I stopped at I decided it was time to start looking into the other options. I called the next closest Cracker barrel to see if they would allow me to park and got a yes. It was also at this time that I decided to look up my hike I planned for the next day at the Norfolk Star. Somehow during my search I did not realize that star is illuminated at night and I knew I had to that tonight so I didn’t miss it, Drive up to it was amazing a little bigger at each turn and then as you are heading up the hills you don’t see it again until you are right underneath it!
I stayed as long as I could to soak it all in but it had gotten cold. Being able to see the city like this was so amazing. I moved on to finding a parking spot with a different Cracker barrel than the one I called. This one did not feel safe and they didn’t answer the phone before closing. I moved on to the first truck stop on the list, there was no where to park overnight so I moved on again to a Flying J’s with a Denny’s and this was a good fit. I parked off and away from the entrance and realized the cars on either side of me were doing the same so I felt good enough to stop and set up for sleep and that is exactly what I did.
The First Taste of the Blue Ridge: Technically Day 3
I woke up around 5 am and was too excited to go back to sleep. I snailed back into the driver’s seat, got my shoes back on and went into the flying J’s to pee and maybe grab food. Coffee and a cup of oatmeal to get started, The oatmeal ended up being free, I must have looked rough. Starting this early would be to my advantage because the sun was just coming up.
I finally got rolling after about two wrong turns, I had decided that morning to go to blowing rock as a few people suggested it. It was technically out of the way but I could make it work. The ride was beautiful and felt like home, because I was, Charlotte was only a two hour drive from where I stopped.
Blowing Rock: I do get excited about neat stops like this. For 7$ you got to read about the folklore of “blowing rock” I’ll let you do the research on this one as I felt like it was a tourist trap. I had to look at the map given to me to realize I was standing under the acclaimed rock, A stop to grandfather mountain would have been a better use of time and money.
“The Blowing Rock is an immense cliff 4,000 feet above sea level, overhanging Johns River Gorge 3,000 feet below. The phenomenon is so called because the rocky walls of the gorge form a flume through which the northwest wind sweeps with such force that it returns light objects cast over the void”
This day’s goal was to get into Asheville be 3pm and that was easily achieved. I got there 10 minutes early and was toured around and started to get settled in.
I went ahead and made the walk up to the concert venue right after to make sure I knew what the walk was going to be like and also so I didn’t get lost on the way back in the dark I also grabbed dinner on the way back. Sweet Peas Hostel was excellent I was able to knock out my laundry and get a shower here which was MUCH needed. I made a friend at the hostel that would walk back with me in the dark, just incase.
The Orange Peel : Coheed and Cambria
Literally the best concert I’ve seen with them so far. I was initially worried about going solo but honestly that might be the best way to do it. I didn’t have to worry if the person I brought enjoyed it or if I looked like a crazy person. I’d never see any of these people ever again.
A Day Of Falls (Day 4)
I woke up at the Hostel Cold. They only want you to use your their blankets and it just really wasn’t enough. I gave up around 6:30 and decided get up and seek out the coffee maker. Quiet time is until 7am and it looked like the hostel staff and moved the coffee maker so I stuck with hot tea in the Yeti and started to pack up. Staying at a hostel is a lot like being at camp. If you are the first one up, you get to enjoy the quiet and hear everyone wake up one by one, but that day I wanted to avoid morning chit-chat, so I got changed and headed out. After stopping down at the café I drove to the top of the parking garage for an excellent view and ate breakfast. Today’s location was to get over to Dupont State Forest and see some waterfalls about and hour and 45 mins away. The planned hike was 5 miles and the best part was I was going to meet one of my co-workers in person. This is the first person from my remote job I’ve gotten to meet in person. These would be the biggest falls I’ve witnessed in person to date and they did not disappoint.
We got a nice dinner in the closest town and went to a very out of place seafood restaurant. The food was good, It was just oddly placed in a mountain town. I decided to be strategic and got a seafood boil, Ate the shrimp and corn on the cobb and saved the rest for breakfast. I flipp/flopped all day on if I wanted to camp again for another night. I had gotten almost everything done on the list without having to back track. I called/emailed texted my anticipated camp spot to see if they would still let me in since I would be getting in so late (it was 6pm). They finally got back to me just as I was making the turn to head back to charlotte so I headed over, a short 10 minute drive. The campsite was actually a farm that has boarding for horses, I was the only one using campsite, one person was staying in the cabin. After tossing up my screen room, making some hot water for tea it was time for an excellent hot shower and then back into the Tahoe for bed. With zero service, I watched an episode of the Mandalorian I had downloaded just incase this happened and fell asleep mid episode.
The Day of Stairs (Day 5)
I only woke up a few times, the land owner would be by around 8:30 to pick up the fee. From my dinner the night before, I had sausage and potatoes and melted cheese sticks I had on hand and finally got the coffee to taste good. There is something so amazing about camp breakfast.
When making the plans for this trip I had originally planned to start from Charlotte and planned to make a nice big loop. On that loop, I was going to start at Chimney Rock but because I had come from the north I decided the morning at the farm that chimney rock would be next on the list.
The ride to chimney rock was SO cloudy, I was super pooped from the walk before and I just wasn’t feeling it. Motivation was hard this day. Thankfully, Chimney rock has a lift so I could skip the first set of stairs it has a super cool story https://www.chimneyrockpark.com/things-to-do/elevator/
In 1946, plans were drawn up for an Otis elevator to be installed to transport guests from the parking lot to the Sky Lounge, a gift shop situated near the Chimney. Carved out of the solid rock, a 198-foot tunnel led into the mountain to a 258-foot elevator shaft. This massive construction project took eight tons of dynamite and 18 months to complete. The elevator was officially opened to the public in May 1949.
I made my way up the stairs and could literally feel every step throughout my body. The walk from the day really kicked my ass. I wish pictures did a better job of helping you feel how this looks.
This specific park costs 17$ to visit so going up on chimney rock and then leaving really wasn’t an option so on to the walking trails we go.
Behind chimney rock is where the staircase begins to get up and across to the stop of the the nearby falls. the features to get up the side of the mountain seemed certainly interesting.
The idea for chimney rock was very much to be a tourist attraction and this is a very good view as to why
Each landing of stairs gave an amazing perspective of the area
Finally, I got to the top most stair well and was able to see so far out. Like a reward, all the clouds and mist started to clear up. My legs at this point, which I had no clue was even a possibility, started to just shake any time I stood still. I could tell they were just spent. Once getting to the top most portion of the side of the mountain there was a large bald faced rock that gave a really good view of the other portion of the mountain
I started to head up the trail towards the falls and realized that the trail just kept continuing up the mountain it was at this point I decided to throw in the towel as I still needed to be able to go down all the stairs and that’s exactly what I did. Personally, I do think my body hates going down rather then up, I finally made it to the bottom and made the decision to get lunch at the gift store and pick out my souvenirs. This was when I made a very sad discovery. I went to pick out my pin I realized that one of them was a replica of a geodetic marker, which I love to “Collect”, meaning I would need to go back up on chimney rock to get the picture. I would need a break and some lunch. After hot chocolate and a peanut butter cup I decided it was time to head back up. This would end up being worth it. I got to teach a family about the markers, got some more beautiful pictures now that it cleared up and the family shared some information on hiking groups.
For whatever reason I decided that this still wasn’t enough walking for the day, there was a park ranger at the bottom of the stairs and I asked if the hike to the falls was relatively flat and he agreed (which was not 100% truth) and trekked on a little longer. Getting to this waterfall was worth it in the end. I was still sore and grumpy but looking back today, I am glad I made the walk
Getting back to the car felt like forever, but was well welcomed. I had a moment of panic because I couldn’t find my car keys, After about five minutes of searching I remembered they were clipped inside my new camera bag. Yikes.
After double checking there was literally nothing else on my list on the way back I made the decision to head home. But not before I super cool random stop on the home, Bridges Barbecue! The original location was built in 1946 and the history and pictures can be seen here https://bridgesbbq.com/history-of-bridges-bbq/
After a nice full spread of food, (to literally try all I could and make sure I had leftovers) I headed back to Charlotte for a nice long shower, and to go back to work life. Everything else on the list would just have to be done another day.