WHEN: October 12-14, 2013
WHERE: Asheville, North Carolina
Need it any other introduction?
This post goes back to October (remember fall?), when Stacie and I took a weekend trip to Asheville, North Carolina. Fall had just begun, we all had the holidays on our minds, and the government (aka-my job) was 2 weeks into its shutdown. That seems like so long ago - longer than 4 months. Maybe because now, as we all eagerly anticipate the commencement of spring, fall seems so foreign and....yuck! :)
Our trip two years earlier took us on an ill-planned rat race along the Blueridge Parkway - still beautiful, but ill-planned. Even still, we were hoping to catch some of the vistas once more but our trip never lent itself to the opportunity.
Thankfully, the drive to and from our cabin (25 miles east of Asheville, through the mountains) did not disappoint.
Our own cabin, on a mountain ridge in Lake Lure, NC...
...the Nuthatch Cabin at The Grafton Lodge & Acorn Cabins - which is owned and operated solely by an older English couple.
The view from our balcony, which stretches halfway around the cabin
The living room
The "giant" 19-inch TV and electric "fireplace" :)
(Amenities may have been slim, but it smelled like a wood cabin, was in a beautiful setting, and we had it all to ourselves. We weren't complaining.)
The kitchenette
Stacie made a huge pot of chili at our house that we took with us. It was a perfect meal both nights, for a cool, fall weekend in a mountain cabin.
One of the two beds in the guest room
Master bedroom
Master bedroom
The cabin was situated along the Broad River (Carolinas), in the small community of Lake Lure, NC.
A peaceful, fall morning on Lake Lure
Lake Lure Inn & Spa, with cloud-covered Chimney Rock in the background
Lake Lure Inn & Spa, with cloud-covered Chimney Rock in the background
Google Streetview of Lake Lure
Chimney Rock (upper left) and Hickory Nut Falls (upper right, behind trees)
Chimney Rock
Making use of my camera's 42x zoom, a necessary tool when photographing mountain landscapes.
A view from on top of Chimney Rock - our cabin at the blue arrow
(Image from steepclimbs.com)
(Image from steepclimbs.com)
Hickory Nut Falls
Just hit repeat, then fall asleep
Each day, between our cabin and Asheville, we crossed the Eastern Continental Divide, marking the divide by which water flows to the Atlantic Ocean (east side) or Gulf of Mexico (west side).
And some video too
We were not able to get to Chimney Rock or Hickory Nut Falls, but I imagine it won't be our last time in Lake Lure.
It was our first to the mountains alone since living out east. We may have to make it a fall tradition now.
It was our first to the mountains alone since living out east. We may have to make it a fall tradition now.
Enjoying a stop at Broad River. Most of our 25-mile drive from Asheville was along a narrow, steep, and winding road that is adjacent to this mountain stream.
Shopping across the street
October, old house, wrap-around porch, mountain village, fall and Christmas decor...sure, I guess we'll stop.
How many Si "scarecrows" did you see last fall? They were everywhere.
Stopping at the Old Cider Mill to pick up some fresh-squeezed apple cider. This county (Henderson) is home to North Carolina's annual apple festival every Labor Day weekend.
Broad River in Chimney Rock
Just hit repeat, then fall asleep
Each day, between our cabin and Asheville, we crossed the Eastern Continental Divide, marking the divide by which water flows to the Atlantic Ocean (east side) or Gulf of Mexico (west side).
Saturday we spent the whole day at the main attraction. Under construction from 1889-1895 (estate history), Biltmore is America's largest privately-owned residence, with 250 rooms and nearly 180,000 square feet.
A great video of Biltmore, as seen from above
A great video of Biltmore, as seen from above
Beauty and her castle
Getting our "tourist" on
Up close and personal with Biltmore
Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside the house (but search YouTube or Google, if you want videos and pictures from the rule breakers. :)
Unfortunately, cameras are not allowed inside the house (but search YouTube or Google, if you want videos and pictures from the rule breakers. :)
The magnificent 4-story front entrance, guarded above by gargoyles
We were granted access
A few views of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the back patio
And some video too
Walking the grounds (estate map), after our house tour.
The grounds were designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York City's Central Park, as well as many other notable parks and communities throughout the US and Canada. "Only" 8,000 acres remain, of the original 125,000 acre estate.
The grounds were designed by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed New York City's Central Park, as well as many other notable parks and communities throughout the US and Canada. "Only" 8,000 acres remain, of the original 125,000 acre estate.
South Terrace
House as seen from the end of the South Terrace
So much detail, everywhere you looked
My wife, looking at a map...this geographer/photographer had to capture the candid moment
I have seen these gardens several times online (I've featured them on my Seasons page for 3 years), but as expected, it is no comparison to the effect in person.
The gardens change throughout the year, with flower species often complimenting the season.
As happy as Stacie was, I think I was more so.
Flowers are one of my favorite things to photograph. Easy. Beautiful. It takes little effort to capture spectacular shots...the flowers do most of the work. I don't know names without looking them up, but they're fun to shoot nonetheless.
A mountain garden
George Vanderbilt designed his estate as a French Renaissance chateau. The gardens noticeably display this effect, where it was easy to forget you were in America.
The always photogenic daisy
A busy flower
The most stunning flower in the garden
This was one of two flower species there (Hybrid Tea Rose, Francis Mielland 2012) that were probably the most pleasantly fragrant flowers I have ever smelled (I think Stacie agreed). You wanted to eat them. Make them into a candle. Wash your clothes with them. Really, I just wanted to dig them up and take them home.
And this was the other (Golden Celebration Leander Rose, David Austin 1992)
This flower was simply labeled "Isadora"
Not especially fragrant, but unique. May be one of favorite flower pictures I have taken.
Not especially fragrant, but unique. May be one of favorite flower pictures I have taken.
Even without color
I was taking a macro (close-up) of this flower without noticing the katydid on top of it. Did you notice it at first?
My camera lens was about one inch from its face in this shot. Bold, Mr. Katydid. Bold.
Moving on to the greenhouse (conservatory)
Almost any plant genre you can think of was house inside the multi-room conservatory
There was an entire greenhouse room just for irises.
At this point, Stacie was growing bored and impatient with my flower and plant obsession. I stepped outside to snap this picture of her, waiting for her husband to turn his camera off and move on to the next part of the estate.
(Men, don't you just hate it when your wives don't let you spend more time in the garden??)
#natureboy #lifeofaphotographer
(Men, don't you just hate it when your wives don't let you spend more time in the garden??)
#natureboy #lifeofaphotographer
I was able to get her back inside to have a stranger take this "akward" picture of us. She had had it at this point I think. :)
We took a brief stroll a little further out on the grounds to some of the trails
I like to take pictures of her :)
We saw only a small fraction of the grounds and I could have spent all day out there. Really, one day is just not enough to fully take in all that Biltmore has to offer.
Snapping a picture of the gardens from a nearby trail
The esplanade and front hill overlooking the house
The house, as seen from above the esplanade
The house, as seen from above the esplanade
She always makes pictures (and vacations) better
On a very impromptu whim, we took a considerable detour on the way home and stopped at IKEA in Charlotte. We were tired, we're both opinionated (including decorating), and both indecisive. It's not a good combo for an unplanned, end-of-vacation trip experience. We debated (intense marital fellowship) for way longer than we should have and came very close to leaving Charlotte with nothing. In the end, we left with 5 large picture frames for our stairway (none of which have been hung, nor have pictures been picked out for). That's one of our goals this weekend.
Perhaps one of my favorite "insignificant" parts of the trip?
After all our arguing and general fatigue, heading to the register with our spoils, watching Stacie pushing our multi-directional cart sideways down the aisle. This is something I would do in a heartbeat and she would most likely roll her eyes at me for. But with our compounding fatigue and waning interest in anything vacation/shopping/IKEA, it led her to act more like her childlike husband, and me to enjoy the seemingly unnoticeable act more than I should.
Ohh, the ups and downs of vacations...and marriage. :)
There's no one else I'd rather do life with than her.
After all our arguing and general fatigue, heading to the register with our spoils, watching Stacie pushing our multi-directional cart sideways down the aisle. This is something I would do in a heartbeat and she would most likely roll her eyes at me for. But with our compounding fatigue and waning interest in anything vacation/shopping/IKEA, it led her to act more like her childlike husband, and me to enjoy the seemingly unnoticeable act more than I should.
Ohh, the ups and downs of vacations...and marriage. :)
There's no one else I'd rather do life with than her.
See you again, Biltmore. We will be back.
