Friday, July 30, 2010

I Know It's a Bit Incongruous...

to have a summer rafting picture on the same page as this winter header, but I figured that if I had limited time, I would be better off sharing about our recent trip to North Carolina than to worry over getting my header up to date. That's my thinking at the moment anyway.


Anyway, that's Hannah and me in the raft, along with our guide, Cotton, who is in the very back, and another guy who just happened to be put in the raft with us. He's the one who is definitely not paddling or attempting to paddle as evidenced by his outstretched arms and hands proudly hoisting his oar high into the air when he was supposed to be paddling forward. (Just between you and me, I think he knew where the photographer was standing).

We were on the French Broad River near Asheville. It's a slower trip than the Ocoee River in Tennessee, with a little less action, but the scenery comes close to that of the Chattooga River area. We also had a chance to jump off a cliff (okay, maybe it wasn't as high as a cliff, but it was at least a rock outcropping pretty high above the river) and picnic on a little island.

Craig, as you can see, decided to try his skills in an inflatable kayak.

Before I go, I'll have to brag on the food we ate while in Asheville. I'm not sure if it's my age, or what, but this is the first trip I've taken that turned out to be such a culinary delight. Our first dinner was at Bistro 1896 (or some number similar to that). The berry dessert there was scrumptious. At Vincenzo's, a cozy little Italian spot, the pasta was both plentiful and savory. During our shopping expedition later in the week, Hannah and I stopped in at Early Girl Eatery for lunch where we feasted on a grilled chicken sandwich. Did I mention that the sandwich had goat cheese on it? In fact, we were so impressed with Early Girl that we brought Craig back the next day for breakfast. Our two other dinner time triumphs were the Tupulo Honey Cafe where I ordered an appetizer of fried green tomatoes on a bed of grits and the Sunset Terrace at The Grove Park Inn. The food, and the view from the terrace, were excellent.

Honestly, I don't think I've ever carried on over food the way I have this week. In fact, I don't think I've been so gastronomically happy in my life!

How about you? Do you have a favorite restaurant that you always look forward to visiting?

6 comments:

McMGrad89 said...

I took pics of all my favorite meals while we were in Norway. I will now go over and do a post just about food just for you.

beth said...

hey stranger.....life is busy during the summer, but i'm still glad to see you showing up a little bit here and there....

and i love food anywhere when i travel....it's just always a bit different then the usual here and i since i don't have to cook it....bonus !

Candace said...

I have always wanted to go white water rafting. I think I'll wait until Laurel is a little older and go with her. Looks like you guys had a blast!

I hope you have a good school year. I'm sorry summer is almost done. Now that I'm not working I kind of ready for summer to be over. It is just so hot and it makes it hard to be outside for long unless you are in the water.

Thank you for the sweet comment on my blog. It made me smile and I will have to go check out that book next time we are at Barnes and Nobles for story time.

Also, thanks for making me hungry at 10pm. Now I have to go get a snack before bed!

Anonymous said...

yes, i have two favourites that i enjoy... one for lazy weekend breakfasts, where i like to sit and watch the boats in the sea while eating; and the other for a nice romantic dinner.

miruspeg said...

I have never been white water rafting been too afraid. Don't mind hanging off high cliffs but white water rafting seems too scary for some reason.
Glad to hear you had a great time in the water and devouring the food.
See you soon.....in real life!
Hugs
Peggy xxxx

Relyn Lawson said...

What wonderful adventures you've been having. Thanks for sharing them with us here. And food... oh, I love good food. Especially the kind someone else cooked.