Travel by the Book ~ Cold Mountain/Asheville

Welcome to Travel by the Book. I mentioned on a Bought, Borrowed, & Bagged post one time that many, many of my vacations with Hubs have been inspired by a book. Hubs is kind enough to indulge me and take me to said places. So I got the idea to share those books and vacations with y'all. This will be a monthly feature and I hope y'all enjoy it!

***The Book***

Cold Mountain is another book I read while in the moms group book club. If you enjoy historical fiction, and the Civil War era in particular, I highly recommend it. The movie is also good. ;) I have no idea what originally drew me to Cold Mountain but it's a beautifully rendered and haunting novel of a woman trying to survive on her own in the South during the Civil War, and a man fighting his way back to her. I felt Frazier did an incredible job of conveying the struggles that Southern families faced while their sons were off fighting, what war as a Southern soldier was like, and how demoralized soldiers and their families ended up feeling about the war itself.

***The Travel***

As we drove into the Blue Ridge Mountains, I had this overwhelming feeling of peace. To this day, I can't explain what it was about this area of North Carolina but when we entered it, I felt at home. It sounds silly but I actually teared up. I honestly don't know if the Cold Mountain we saw was the Cold Mountain described in the book, but even if it wasn't, the trip was well worth it. I really enjoyed the music, the people, the atmosphere, and the hiking of Asheville. One of the reasons I wanted to travel there after reading the book was the beauty of the location. But I also liked the feeling of community that seems so prevalent in the South. (I felt that growing up in Texas as well) I did feel as though the people in Asheville are tight-knit. The music was amazing and I was able to watch as this group of people shared their love of the music and dancing. And I loved the scenery so much, I lobbied to move there. I got my mountain home in the Rocky Mountains instead. :)

We had a fantastic BBQ dinner at the Fiddlin' Pig! Not only was the food great, but we were entertained by a local bluegrass band. And there was even square dancing! How many of you had to learn square dancing in elementary school? Is that a southern thing? 

While in the area, we drove the Blue Ridge Highway, stopped in at the visitor center, and we did some hiking. FYI, the weather tends to be stormy in July/August in North Carolina. :)

Here we are atop Mount Pisgah. This is the mountain we had to climb in order to see Cold Mountain, which is behind us. Yep, we couldn't actually get to Cold Mountain without backpacking to it. But we knew that going in. The hiking was through a gorgeous forest.

This is Cold Mountain. Obviously, it was a stormy afternoon. Those are clouds making it so foggy-looking.

My hubs made me include this picture. On our way down from Mount Pisgah, the heavens opened. We were so soaked I had to wring my bra out! I was hoping it would drip dry. Luckily I'd brought multiple bras because it was so humid, it wasn't drying any time soon. :)

I believe I've mentioned that my hubs is always happy to take me where I want to go...particularly if there is hiking and beer involved. Well, hiking was covered. And here we are at Asheville Brewing Company. I had to get a shot of the wall painted with Where the Wild Things Are. And just so you know, he's really not a two-fisted drinker...he's holding my beer while I take the picture. :)


Have any of you been to Asheville? Or read Cold Mountain? I recommend both the travel and the book! ;)