Black Mountain/Montreat, North Carolina

Stateside Again

So this year's trip was a little different than last year's Italian one (and thankfully much cheaper!) With finishing up my graduate program at Wright State by taking summer classes the week after finishing up at the STEM School, then going back to school the week after those classes are over, there was less time and money this year to go overseas. In what has become a fairly predictable pattern, we decided to remain stateside and travel to a state which neither of us had been before: North Carolina. And, of course, we stayed with friends. We are lucky to have some really good ones.

The trip down together was a lot of fun and full of beautiful scenery, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that we stopped in Rocky Top Tennessee and had some great ribs at Coal Creek Smokehouse for dinner. The ribs and pulled pork were almost as good as the company.

An odd angle of Amanda driving down.

One-stop shopping for all your pork and tattoo needs.

In truth, all you really need are the ribs. The other stuff was great too, though, and they have a nice local beer selection and front-porch dining.

 

The Cabin in Montreat

This time one of my friends and colleagues from the STEM School had a cabin in her family called "Kirkhaven," and it was amazing. Or, to steal her words, it is a "magical place." The cabin is in the "town" of Montreat, which is really an overgrown retreat for Presbyterians in the mountains above the town of Black Mountain. Reading, playing chess or the newly purchased mandolin I bought down in Black Mountain, or just sitting around chatting with friends while on this porch are some of the best memories I brought back. With the water chasing after itself in the nearby stream as it trickles into nearby Lake Susan, it always sounds like it's raining. The temperature, too, is always near-perfect. When we got tired of entertaining each other, the perfectly-timed release of Orange is the New Black did the trick.

Having fun learning to play the mandolin I bought from Acoustic Corner in Black Mountain. Very friendly shop with excellent service and beautiful instruments.

While there I decided to try and emulate some of the Irish/Scottish/English breakfasts I've had in the past. I made this breakfast twice on our trip and neither time did I burn the eggs. Like I said, it's a magical place!

Orange is the New Black could not be missed. Even in the mountains. On vacation. Sorry, Jenny.

Rock sitting was a group favorite. Amanda and some of the folks even waded down the creek to the nearby Montreat Conference Center. I was not as adventurous. I was there to relax...

...except when Kevin and I were trying to grill meat that one night. In the end we didn't do too bad, but our charcoal-grilling skills were at odds with our pyro inclinations. In the end everyone said that dinner was good. Strangely, they didn't ask us to cook again...

Ultimately, dinner was served and Jordan even got an early birthday cupcake. Happy early 30th my friend! For reference, this picture was taken in a nearby picnic area, which you have to reserve, but is only about 30 yards from the cabin.

 

Black Mountain

But enough about the cabin and friends. There was a lot to do outside as well. We'll start with my personal favorite: golfing. My friend Kevin and I chose to head over to the city's course, Black Mountain Golf Course. Designed by Donald Ross in 1929, this course seems to channel some of his original Scotch heritage, which fits well with the Scotch-Irish/Presbyterian-rich area, although the course layout can be frustrating at times. While not actually a links course, it had the feel of one (an assessment which I base on my extensive, one-time experience of golfing in Scotland). At least twice I found myself yelling "FORE!" as my ball sailed towards a group teeing off on the next hole. Still, if you want to know how a person who is thrilled if they shoot under 100 performed (AKA me), you can check out my scorecard (courtesy of my favorite golfing app: FunGolf). Limiting myself to two triple bogeys was a personal victory, and if you look closely you'll even find a par on hole 17, which is an unheard of par 6! You'll likely need 6 strokes for this 747-yard monster.

Kevin teeing off on the Par 6 hole #17

Venturing into town to check out the shops and such is also a must. My friend and host, Emerie, describes the town of Black Mountain as "like a mountain version of Yellow Springs. . . only bigger and with more Presbyterian people." I found this description to be largely accurate. The shops were a lot of fun, although after a while you can only take so many pottery shops filled with kitschy signs. I took refuge by getting ice cream at Kilwin's.

On the subject of food and drink, there were so many great places to choose from that I was only able to hit a few. If you're into local breweries, Pigsah Brewing Company is actually located in Black Mountain. Unfortunately I didn't make it over, but it didn't matter too much. Nearly everyone serves Pisgah. The first place we visited upon arrival was Trailhead, where we were late for music but just in time for some drinks with those who arrived earlier in the day. Another nice stop (excluding the flaky server) was the Black Mountain Ale House, which had great beers and tasty mixed drinks. Don't miss one of my new favorite coffee shops, the Dripolator, or Louise's Kitchen, which has some great food. I wish I had made it over to Louise's for breakfast, and if lunch is any indicator of the quality then I'm sure I missed out.

Photo taken by Emerie at Black Mountain Ale House

I like my coffee shops to impart a bit of wisdom with my morning cup of coffee. I finished a short compilation of Steve Biko's writings and started a Kurt Vonnegut book of short stories and essays on war and peace while I was on the trip, so this seemed very apropos. 

 

Things Nearby

The nearby city of Asheville was another attraction. I only headed over for Indian food our last night there (at Mela, which was amazing), but Amanda and others went to visit the Craggy Gardens Pinnacle Trail along the Blue Ridge Parkway (I think that's right), which also looked beautiful and, I'm told, had some fun trails to hike. I'm sure it was almost as amazing as the views from the golf course, which is where I was at the time (see above).

This picture from Emerie made me kind of sad I missed it.

The view from the top. Beautiful picture. The mountains in the background are nice too.

Another fun thing we did was take a short trip over to nearby Lake Lure, about 45 minutes away, where you can go canoeing and kayaking. Our friends Jenny, Kevin, and Brittnee let us tag along as they went out on the water for about two hours (with an hour in between for lunch and drinks at a small little tiki bar attached to The Geneva motel, just past the Flowering Bridge and only a little ways up Broad River). They brought their own kayaks and canoes, but you can rent them for $15 an hour (or $60 per day) there in town.

The view from Jenny's canoe. Her pictures are much prettier than the ones I take. 

So much more...

There were so many things we would have liked to do, but this was a great trip nonetheless. I've heard that the Seven Sisters Art Gallery in Black Mountain is spectacular, and I would have loved to have stayed in Asheville for a whole day at least. The nearby Biltmore Hotel is another stop Amanda wanted to visit, but we simply ran out of time. Plus at $60 to visit, it's a bit pricey.

If you're wanting to stay at this magical place, it runs for $125 per night or $1,000 for the week. At one point we had twelve people (including a number of couples) there and it still felt spacious, so if you have a group that wants to have a great experience together, email Lisa Allen at lallen4@comcast.net. There's plenty of front porch seating, a fire pit, and two stories, so it's definitely worth the money, particularly with a larger group of people. Special thanks to the Allens for their warm hospitality.

Happy Travels!