Life After Gee Gee's: Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is one of my favorite cities that we have visited so far. Our RV park sat right on the banks of the French Broad River. The river was not very wide and very swift. Paddleboarders did not even have to paddle!

The campsite was shady and our neighbors were interesting and friendly. We met our first woman traveling alone. She drove a beautiful motorhome and towed a full-size Jeep Cherokee. Her two dogs were adorable. There was a beautiful walking/biking path that ran through the park and went on for about two miles left and right of the park. I got a new bike while we were there and loved going for a bike ride every day.

Our other neighbor, Peter, lived in the park full-time. He was a nice guy who loved to help people. He came to our rescue when we first pulled in. There were some low hanging branches and he literally jumped the little fence between our lots, got his pole saw and chopped the limbs right off the tree. We saw him several times in the week we were there lending a hand to other campers. Life lesson: Don't judge a book by its cover.

Peter's Place

Asheville is tucked away in the Appalachians just off the Blue Ridge Parkway. You might think it would be an unsophisticated backwater of interest only to outdoorsy types and those who just want to get away from it all. The city manages to combine the homey feel of a small mountain town with a funky artsy vibe you'd expect to find in a much bigger city.

There are working studios tucked into old warehouses and abandoned buildings. Artists are happy to stop and talk with you and show you around. It was so inspiring. We spent the better part of 2 1/2 days touring studios.

Our location was so great that no matter what direction you went there was something wonderful to see or do. We were both antsy to do some hiking, so we headed out the Blue Ridge Parkway to the town of Brevard, Land of Waterfalls. There are over 250 waterfalls and countless streams. It is a "temperate rain forest that supports some of the rarest plant and animal species on the planet." Brevard is also well-known for a pair of white squirrels on the lam from a traveling carnival in the 1950's, started a family that now spans generations. There is even a store called The White Squirrel that sells everything and anything relating to these rare white squirrels.