Black Mountain in the Raw

 

I woke two or three times after 5am but wasn’t up for good until 7am or so. I wisely had my running clothes laid out from the night before so all I had to do was grab them and head to the bathroom without disturbing Mindy or the kids. A few minutes later I headed to the lobby where they serve a free breakfast. There I enjoyed coffee and the newspaper before heading out for a run. Must’ve been near 730am when I headed out the door, first for a stretch of the hammies against the stone pillars, then about a 30 minute run.

It was cool, humid and cloudy, but happily not raining as I headed off still unsure which direction or where my run might take me. Anyone who’s been to Ashville knows that the terrain is extremely hilly, and our hotel was no exception. It was situated on fairly steep hill. I opted to run uphill first, thinking it better to get it out of the way - a test of sorts.  In addition, running uphill took me away from busy traffic and into a remote older residential area that I was certain would offer little if any car traffic to contend with. But I was wrong.  Car after car blew past me even when I turned on to an even more remote residential street further up in the hills.

About two miles into the run (best guess) it started to rain again. It came down at a good clip, too. I toughed it out. and actually it cooled me off. Back to the hotel lobby near 8am, I poured two cups of coffee, one for me and one for Mindy, then headed back to our room. Much to my surprise, Mindy was already up and out of the shower. After another half hour or so she and I headed down to the lobby for breakfast. The kids wanted to sleep in.

Breakfast was good, scrambled eggs, sausage, bagels, fruits, juice, etc. There until 9am or so. Raining fairly hard and non-stop. Very gloomy! Back in the room I did a little reading and then watched some TV for a couple hours – the NatGeo Channel, I think.

With the forecast calling for steady rain and highs only in the low 60s we figured our best touristy option was Black Mountain. Tubing and hiking were definitely out! Thinking we left for Black Mountain near noon. Despite the rain the drive east into the mountains (about 15 miles) was lovely. Like many folks shared, Black Mountain is similar to our Yellow Springs. Parking was again a bit of a challenge but we eventually found a spot. In shorts and a t-shirt, I wasn’t dressed for the conditions. At the time it was 61 degrees with light rain. Ugh! We made our way to the Black Mountain Ale house which is located down a long flight of stairs.

We were originally seated near a rear door which was opened to the chilly wet air. Nice view but I was too cold. We ended up moving to a table more centrally located and more importantly away from the chilly breeze. They had a decent beer selection but they’re not a brewpub. I ordered a local IPA. Can’t recall from what brewery. It was just OK. We ordered lunch there too, and just like the night before I went with wings. Can’t recall what Mindy and the kids ordered. The wings were good enough that we ordered a second batch. And I am pretty sure I went with a 2nd beer. We were there for about an hour. Lots of cool art work on the walls. I took a few pics and sent them to my peeps.

Despite the gloomy wet weather, we left Black Mountain Ale House heading out to the streets to take in several of the shops and galleries. Lots of cool shops to peruse. After stopping in 3 or 4 shops I suggested a stop in the ice cream parlor and fudgery. All agreed, but Bella also insisted on stopping in the cupcake shop. I ordered a butter pecan in a waffle cone right there on prem. It was to-die-for delicious. Meanwhile, Bella became enamored with the fudge making process asking the candy man all sorts of questions. By the time we walked out I’ll be we spent $50.

All totaled, we probably spent 2-3 hours in Black Mountain. Before heading back to our hotel we stopped a couple miles down the mountain at Pisgah brewing company. Not a pretty venue but one well-suited for live entertainment. The have an in-house stage for local acts and then a large outdoor venue, which the Turtles were set to play later that evening. The kids weren’t too pleased with the additional stop but it’s not like we hadn’t planned it. It was in the cards the entire trip.

Mindy and I enjoyed one beer each, she a porter and me their IPA. Neither made much of an impact on our taste buds. We sought out Stephanie, a bartender that Bob & MaryAnn befriended their last stop in. She smiled big when we mentioned their names. I snapped a picture then texted it off to Bob and M.A.

I noticed some large hops growing just outside the overhead doors. Again, a cool, roomy venue but not too pleasing to the eye. We headed back to our hotel arriving near 6pm. And yes, still raining. I toyed with getting in the covered hot tub but never did. Instead, we holed up in our room watching TV, Mindy and I the main bedroom and the kids in the front bedroom.

We watched episode after episode of Deadliest Catch and then a couple episodes about drug wars. My belly was still full from lunch but the kids were already asking about dinner. I elected to stick back in the room while Mindy ran out with the kids. Around 7 or 8pm I cracked open a White Rajah and then another. She and the kids were gone for no more than 45 minutes. She got Jacob tacos from a food truck at the gas station. Bella, however, wanted no part of that and instead got Subway.

I read from my Kindle until 10pm or until I could no longer keep my eyes opened. We’d be leaving for Lake Wateree come morning – about 170 mile drive. I wanted to wake rested.