Goodbye Asheville

 Asheville is a remarkable city. Great food, insanely beautiful nature, earth-conscious, great ciders and beers - the list goes on and on. 

Early Girl Eatery, French Broad Chocolate, and Chai Pani all worth a visit. Since Weaverville is really close, I went back to Blue Mountain Pizza and Well-Bred, the first for the excellent pizza, beer, and cider, the second for the eclairs. 

This cake from French Broad Chocolate was absolute heaven. And FYI, it's named after the French Broad River. 

I spent most of my time on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It was like medicine for me, I never got tired of that drive. Sometimes I'd head south, sometimes north, sometimes with a destination in mind but more often not. Heading south, I went through a lot of tunnels, some long enough for me to feel the the press and weight of the dark. I stopped to hike a lot, not always reaching the end of the trails but just enjoying the cave of trees around me, the feel of my feet on the soft dirt. The smells are indescribable. 

Today was the North Carolina Arboretum, lots of great trails. I especially liked the Bonsai collection - living works of art. Afterwards, I headed back up to Blue Ridge Parkway to Craggy Gardens, a favorite stop. A little goodbye until next time, hopefully in autumn, I'd love to see the leaves change. 

Yesterday I walked around Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary and Beaver Lake. Loved seeing the flowers. 

It's hard for me to leave this place, my heart feels a little heavy. It seems whenever I stay at a place I love it feels like leaving home all over again. I think ultimately this is a good sign, a sign that maybe many places can be home.

This is the link to the amazing Airbnb in Woodfin:

https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/50277547?guests=1&adults=1&s=67&unique_share_id=23cbe5c4-03e4-4279-89a3-3f0062fcc0e9