AVR Appraisals, LLC Blog

Whether you’re a visitor or you live in the Asheville area, here’s a suggestion for how to inexpensively spend some time.  I attended a continuing education class for appraising today that was held at the Doubletree Biltmore Hotel.  I was very entertained while strolling through the main floor halls and lobbies at breaks due to the displays.  There were various displays depicting the history of the Biltmore Estate and the Vanderbilt family, as well as items of local historical significance, such as an old Biltmore Dairy delivery truck.  They have a wonderful outdoor courtyard as well.  So if you’re short on cash (and who isn’t these days), but are interested in the Biltmore Estate, go wander the halls and lobbies of the Doubletree Biltmore Hotel for a bit and soak up some local history.  And if you’re hungry afterwards, T. G. I. Friday’s is right next door.

The Grove Park Inn is fun to explore as well.  The fireplace in the lobby is HUGE.  It’s been a few years since I’ve been in the Grove Park Inn, but as I recall they typically have some interesting displays too.  And each winter they have a ginger bread house contest that’s a lot of fun to see. 

So, the next time it’s a rainy afternoon and you’re looking for something to do, go hotel hall and lobby strolling.  It could become a new pastime!

Today my husband, our dog, & I explored the northeastern end of Buncombe County with a ride north on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Craggy Gardens.  From there we set off on foot for a short hike near Snowball Mountain to the high point and then returned to the car. 

Then we drove down Stoney Fork Road to Dillingham Road to Barnardsville/North Fork Road (Rt. 197) to an intersection near Coxcomb Mountain.  A short drive up this road led us to a small fenced area with two grave stones. 

One was merely a lichen-covered rock, whereas the other was an actual headstone for a Confederate soldier. 

Back out to Route 197 we drove into Burnsville hoping to catch a festival that was going on there this weekend, but arriving at about 4:30 pm we were too late.  However, if you are ever in Burnsville during the week, there is a bakery cafe that I’ve eaten at several times now, called Mary Jane’s (open Monday through Saturday, located on 110 East Main Street) that serves wonderful food.  I believe that meals are prepared from organic and local foods.  I’ve had the chicken curry sandwich on home-baked bread both times and it is delicious.  Their cookies are pretty good too. 

We chose this hike for today because of its higher elevation.  With the hot weather we’ve been having, it was the perfect choice for a hike as it was considerably cooler than the “lowlands” of Asheville.  However, I will keep this hike and ride in mind for this autumn when the leaves are changing, as I’m sure it will be a beautifully colorful hike and ride.

My husband is a firefighter and Asheville’s recent tragedy has struck close to home for me.  I didn’t know Captain Jeff Bowen, but I know what about one third of his life was like.  On a typical day at the station he and other firefighters work to keep their fire station clean.  They keep the fire trucks and other equipment clean.  They eat and sleep at the station.  They are first responders to medical emergencies.  They respond to motor vehicle accidents.  They respond to false alarms.  They provide medical and emergency backup for events such as this weekend’s Bele Chere.  They provide community service events for children on what to do in case of a fire.  They are expected to physically train on their own and be physically fit.  They train while at work on how to rescue citizens from wrecked vehicles, from flooding rivers, from burning buildings, from collapsed trenches, from any scenario you can think of, they’ve trained for it.  They might get a visit from family members when their shift falls on a weekend or a holiday.  There are also times when they sit at the station all day with no calls - a good day in my opinion.  In a town the size of Asheville, there aren’t many fire calls.  There are the occasional brush fires, car fires, small cooking fires, or out of control backyard camp fires.  Then there are the structure fires.  They’ve trained for each of these events and most times all goes well.  When I kiss and say goodbye to my husband on his way to work I expect that about 24 hours later he will return home safe and sound after a typical day at work.  On Thursday, July 28, 2011 all did not go well for some firefighters working that day.  It was not a typical day at the fire station.  Captain Jeff Bowen lost his life and other firefighters were injured in their efforts to protect our community.  Although everyone knows the dangers a firefighter can encounter, I expect that the families of each of these firefighters expected their loved ones to return from work safe and unharmed, as always.  Thursday’s fire has been a powerful reminder to me that there’s always that chance that a typical day at the fire station can easily become atypical and dangerous.  I know that when my husband leaves for work this morning, I will take extra time to hold him close and hope for a typical day at the fire station. 

To the family, friends, and colleagues of Captain Jeff Bowen my thoughts and sympathies are with you in your time of grief.  To all firefighters, thank you for your service in the protection of our communities.  Thank you for your sacrifices and may you have a typical day at the fire station.

North Carolina may never be a destination for ice climbing, but if you live in the area, have a flexible schedule, and the weather cooperates, there is ice climbing to be had.  You need kind of a "perfect storm" situation.  This weekend, despite the warmup earlier in the week, there was ice climbing to be found.  On Saturday (1/22), AMI (Appalachian Mountain Institute) held there annual ice climbing demo on Route 215 near the Blue Ridge Parkway.  With top ropes set up and plenty of willing belayers, you could climb all day.

Patrick Weaver, owner of AMI, leading a route to set up a new top rope.

After a warmup on the climbs at 215, my husband and I headed to the back side of Sams Knob in Shining Rock on Sunday for an all day trek/climb.  After a steep hike through the woods you find yourself at the start of the climb, which begins with some low angle trekking in crampons up a frozen creek.  This year there was less ice to be found than last year so I ended up rock-hopping in crampons which is rather tricky at times.  However, you eventually get to steeper terrain for full-on ice climbing.

My husband at the top of the first long steep section of ice.

Beautiful Scenery

The final steep section of the climb.

If you like adventure, but need a guide, there are plenty of guide services in the area.  My favorite is AMI.  Check out their website.

Last year and this year have been exceptional winters in Asheville due to the increase in wintry-like weather.  In year's past I can recall climbing at Rumbling Bald in January in a T-shirt and shorts!  So far this January I've been out cross-country skiing on the Blue Ridge Parkway and had quite a few hikes on snow-covered trails.  With the help of a 4-wheel drive vehicle I hiked on the Pilot Cove/Slate Rock Trail in Mills River (Henderson County) this past weekend.

Yellow Gap Road

The trail head to Pilot Cove / Slate Rock Trail

With so many things to do in the area, there's no reason to get cabin fever!  After a day in the cold, you can warm up at a new restaurant that serves Indian food:  Cinnamon Kitchen.  My husband and I tried it on a whim one evening in December.  We don't know a lot about Indian cuisine, but we both enjoyed the dishes we selected and we definitely plan to return for another meal.  The service was great and there was plenty of food.  I brought home enough for another two meals.

My blog is about all the fun things to do in the Asheville area of North Carolina.  Apparently others think the state of NC is a great place to be as well based on a recent article I read in the Triangle Business Journal about the number of people moving to North Carolina.

Earlier this month I and some friends checked out a "new to us" downtown Asheville restaurant - The LAB (short for Lexington Avenue Brewery).  Check out their cool website, which has their menu and a calendar of events.

The latest fun thing to do in the area is play in the snow that arrived over the Christmas holiday. 

The Mountains to the Sea Trail is an easily accessible trail in the Asheville area.  It can be accessed from the Blue Ridge Parkway or if you're lucky enough to live near it, from many secondary streets and back yards near the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

The area has a lot to offer.  You can do an urban hike in Downtown Asheville, take a ride along the Blue Ridge Parkway, or hit the scenic trails for a walk in the woods.

Didn't do much but work, cook, & visit with family this last week due to Thanksgiving.  However, the week before included a night ride and climbing.  My friend & I have been having difficulty getting our schedules together for riding.  So we finally found a time to ride on Friday evening at 5:15 pm.  Well, guess what?  That only leaves a bit of daylight left for riding.  So equipped with head lamps and bike lights we headed out.  What a great ride!  Riding on well-known trails at Bent Creek is like another world entirely in the dark.  Most of the trails seemed longer and the whoop-de-do humps were difficult to see beyond when riding downhill as they cast a shadow on the trail.  We'll definitely being doing that again.  Very exhilerating!  Sorry no photos of the night ride.

The next day on Saturday, my husband, my dog, & I headed to Cedar Rock in Pisgah Forest for some rock climbing.  Initially we didn't think we'd get to climb at all due to the rock still being wet from the rain earlier in the week.  There were some nice little water falls coming off the rock.  So, we bush-whacked around through the woods for awhile waiting on the rock to dry.  Here are some photos!

There are lots of opportunities for climbing in the area.  In addition to Cedar Rock, there's the very popular and well-known Looking Glass Rock, and less-known John Rock.  Each of these are located near Brevard, NC. 

The first weekend in November I and my husband went ziplining at Navitat in Barnardsville.  It was great fun!

The weather was chilly, but the skies were bright blue and we could see snow on the mountains near Craggy.  I believe Navitat will be closing for the season at the end of November, but until then they are discounting prices.  I'm tempted to go again!

Looking for a place to go for breakfast?  We've been to a couple of good places lately:  Rise 'n' Shine Cafe and Palmyra, a newly opened restaurant at Skyland Crest. 

Good fun & good eating in and around Asheville!

This week I only made one trip to Bent Creek due to our rainy and stormy weather.  Even then I still got rained on.  My shoes were filled with so much water that I could feel it sloshing back and forth across the tops of my toes with each pedal stroke.  Since the trails were so wet and muddy I stuck to the fire roads on my bike ride.  Not exciting riding, but better for the trails.  I did Rice Pinnacle to Ledford Branch to the Sidehill that's no longer a trail, but a fire road.  In 2000 prior to it becoming a road, I did a face plant going down hill one day.  I now refer to that section of Sidehill as "Broken Tooth."  The picture is taken on Rice Pinnacle before it started really pouring. 

I went to Black Forest Restaurant for the first time this week.  It's been around for a long while, but I've just never gone.  We had a local NCPAC meeting there this week.  I had what the menu claims is a customer favorite:  the Reuben.  It was good.  I'd like to go back for dessert and try the Black Forest Cake! 

Enjoyed more of the Autumn colors again this week on a couple of bike rides out in Bent Creek.  Bent Creek is a local (as well as a destination spot for out-of-towners) favorite for mountain bike riding.  This week I rode through the NC Arboretum on one ride.  On another day I took one of my favorite trails, the lower end of the Explorer Loop Trail.  The photo below is the "rhodo tunnel" section of the trail.  Both trails are fairly easy and not very technical, making them great for beginners or like me, someone trying to get back into biking after too long of a break.

If you're more into browsing than bike riding, check out the Antique Tobacco Barn where there's lots of square footage for walking around and searching for that perfect piece of furniture or decorator item for your yard or home.   My husband and I are on a search for the perfect bistro table and chairs for our deck.  Its the wrong time of year for outdoor furniture so our search has not been successful as yet.  However, we've been having a good time browsing in and around the Asheville area.