Carolina Vacation

I finally did it!  I took a whole week off from work!  I haven't been away from the job for nine straight days since 2001.  Well, maybe I managed a Christmas week here and there.  Ruthie made the arrangements months ago, and informed me of the dates I would need to reserve.  She rented a cabin for three nights in the mountains of Maggie Valley, North Carolina.

We began our drive on Wednesday, dogs included, at 5:00 AM, following the Garmin trail through Birmingham, Chattanooga and a scenic route through Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The drive took a bit over ten hours, and after arriving in Maggie Valley, the climb up 4000 feet of a sometimes narrow, one-lane, gravel, steep, winding road to our cabin really got my attention.  "We're not leaving this cabin 'til Saturday!" was the first thing I said as we came to a stop.  I recovered my driving courage the next day, and we eventually made several trips up and down the mountain to the town below, and to Asheville and Waynesville for shopping excursions.

This was the view from the upper of two decks of the cabin.  The leaves were just reaching peak colors, the weather was great, and the cabin was comfortable and interesting.

Thursday night, we visited Scott and Shelda and ate at a nice restaurant in Waynesville.  Scott is an old best friend and former brother-in-law who moved to NC twenty something years ago.  He is a house and cabin builder, and his wife Shelda sells and manages rental properties.  Here's a link to her website: http://maggievacation.com/

We were particularly pleased that we were able to take our dogs, Rabbit and Sheba on the trip. They seemed to enjoy the adventure, and behaved well while we left them alone in the cabin.