Friendly Visit

Some friends from St. Louis came to visit us last week following a conference they attended in Asheville. While it is always a bit of work to get ready for guests, it also motivates us to quit procrastinating and get some jobs done around the house.

National Whitewater Center

It was fun to show them a bit of what we love about living in this area. First and foremost is our house, with the lovely view of Mountain Island Lake. While it was a bit hot, looking out back at the lake is always refreshing. 

We took them to the U.S. National Whitewater Rafting Center, as that is unique to Charlotte and a short drive from our house. The Center is a 1,300-acre outdoor recreational and athletic training facility for whitewater rafting, kayaking, canoeing, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking and ice skating.

There are also numerous trails for hiking in addition to biking, aerial sports including an obstacle course, and multiple zipline options. Newer additions include a dog park and Wildwoods, a play area for children. The Center has a decent cafe, and we had lunch there while watching the activities on the water course and the zipliners flying by above.

The second day we drove up to Grandfather Mountain where it was at least 10 degrees cooler than the Charlotte area. At one point the temperature dropped to 68! Unfortunately it was cloudy, so the view wasn't as stellar as it normally is. It also started to rain, so we got back across the metal bridge in case of lightning. We stopped at a fun restaurant for lunch before driving back to our house.

Grandfather Mountain

On the way back we drove through a couple of cute little mountain towns. Once back on the highway south, we found a produce stand on the side of the road. I was able to pick up a peck of peaches. After our guests left, we made thirteen and a half jars of peach jam. There is a lot of sweetness in our future!

peach jam

Life is a Beech

Grandfather Mountain

Some friends invited us to come and stay at their condo near Beech Mountain, and though it is only a couple of hours away the temperature runs about 20 degrees cooler. In the summer, that change is quite welcome. They are avid pickleball players, so we spent quite a bit of time playing on the courts at Beech Mountain Club Pickleball.

On our way home we stopped at Linville Falls to do some hiking. It was refreshingly uncrowded, unlike the last time we went. That was during the heart of Covid, when everyone was pouring into the parks to escape being stuck at home. It's a nice area with moderately challenging trails. Some of the rhododendrons were still in bloom. We miss seeing them around here, so that was a pleasant surprise for us.

Linville Falls

Now we are back home in the heat and humidity. It's time to plan another escape!