With the kids spring break looming we decided Asheville would be a great spot to visit. The flight to North Carolina (KAVL) from Orlando Apopka (X04) took us through a front with an accompanying line of weather. Luckily no Cheerios bounced off the ceiling as the turbulence was rather benign. We did log about an hour and a half of IMC out of the 2 hours and 9 minutes of flight time though.
Shortly after landing our Honda Civic we got through Turo drove through the gate and up to the baggage door on 7ZK. After pushing the plane into the hangar myself at Signature, we rolled out of the facility in the Civic. On our way out we saw a ground hog perched atop a hill just outside the airport fence. It scuttled around for a few seconds before it saw us and ran for cover in its burrow. I snapped a picture of its head as it wearily watched us from the safety of its hole.
A short 15 minute ride and we arrived at the Airbnb where our friends from Orlando had just arrived in their car. A nice movie night next to the gas fireplace and the kids got to bed late.
7AM came quick and the girls awoke to a light misting of snow on the ground. Having NEVER seen snow before they were excited to run outside and check it out. A round of hot cocoa later and they were off the the walkout basement/ground floor of the house to play more games. Not long into the morning we drove into downtown Hendersonville. A typical downtown for a small city with a Main Street. We made our way to the Mast General Store. Rather typical to what you would expect for a modern day “general store”. Lots of trinkets although they did carry some clothes and limited camping gear as well as a few thousand square feet of their floor space filled with candy. The kids liked that. We took a stroll down N Main Street with stops at the McFarlan Bake shop and Sherman’s Sports where I picked up a Tillys LTM6 Airflo hat. Hopefully this is the hat to end all hats. After lunch at Moe’s Original BBQ we went to the Tempo Music Center where the kids got a spontaneous drum class from a guy who made some type of chair drums. He was super awesome and patient with the kids as he showed them how to operate the drums he builds. After that we went to the Mineral & Lapidary Museum where the kids got a guided tour from one of the volunteers (entry is free by the way). We paid $15 for a geode the kids picked out that the staff used a massive pipe cutter to break in half. What an excellent experience. The culture of Hendersonville is really great. Very kind, respectful people. The driving style of the locals here is a far cry from the normal conditions I am accustomed to in Orlando. A breath of fresh air in a literal and a humanistic way. After the museum we stopped by Dish Girl where they sell Fiesta Ware. As the only plates we know of made in the USA this is the stuff we use although we have never been in a store that is devoted to it.
After waking up to see our ice experiment frozen on the back porch we got ready to go to Chimney Rock State Park. The power was out at the park so the elevator to take you from the visitor center to the top was not operating. We would have opted for the 500 stairs anyway but on this day didn’t have to make the choice. The kids enjoyed the visit and associated views of the valley below but preferred playing on the rocks and in the cold river water that was found at the base of the mountain. After eating a quick lunch at the River house (borderline passable but would not eat here again) we played in the river for an hour or so before heading back to the house. Unfortunately Karrie was unable to make the park visit as she had a paper due along with a few quizzes. Thanks Karrie for grinding away!
Having never been to the Biltmore our trip itinerary included a stop here. The house had an audio tour included with the rather pricey admission. The kids had their own version of the audio tour that differed from the adult version. I was fascinated to find out that the house was finished in 1895 and by 1930 it turned into a tourist attraction.
Navigation the front from X04 to Ashville KAVL.
Saw these sitting at the terminal on Asheville on our way to Signature.
After the line guys in Chattanooga scratched the nose wheel pant no one “gets” to move the plane.
First ever ground hog anyone in our family has seen. He lives just outside the gate at Signature.
Mast General Store.
Ed is a super patient guy with great energy (teaching the kids to play his drums). tribalscapesmusic.com
Another patient volunteer who is sharing her passion with the kids about geology.
Kids watching the volunteers split their geode.
Violet never misses a chance to make use of the wind.
Chimney Rock.
River below the Chimney Rock where the kids had lots of fun.
Overnight ice experiment that was frozen in bowls. First time the kids got to do something like this.
X04- KAVL
2.6 hours with the engine running,
29.7 gallons of Avgas burned,
1.5 hours of IMC,
484 miles flown.
