March 2023 (and earlier trips in 2000 and maybe 2003 or so)
North Carolina is generally a pleasant place, bucolic largely. People are friendly, the scenery is nice, the weather is decent (well, maybe not in the middle of summer), lots of trees and singing birds, and you have mountains and beaches though unlike California, they are far apart. On the downside, they have black bears and Copperhead snakes. I first came here in 2000 where I learned on my Sunday flight home (also my birthday – a horrible way to spend it) that almost everyone in my practice group, those who had joined from another firm shortly after I was hired by what was then Crosby Heafey Roach & May, were leaving that day to join the now defunct Brobeck. Learning this by email on my phone was devastating and highlighted how I had never been folded into the tightly knit group of men and the one lone woman who were leaving. At this point I was not quite six months into my law career. Again, a lousy birthday. Anyway, I digress. I returned a second time to North Carolina 10 years later and explored the middle of the state and the beaches. I returned on this venture to see more of the mountains. Probably would be a lot nicer when there are leaves on the trees but still pretty in its own way, and they no longer have toxic rain warnings where kids had to try to shield themselves in the rain with all the pollutants raining down (learned this from a local in Asheville who grew up here). Apparently you can still see some of the damaged trees that survived. What is still alive are the giant bumble bees – seriously, they are huge.
WILMINGTON. Cute beach town. You can rent kayaks and check out the marshes. Lots of restaurants and bars. I was here over twenty years ago to visit my friend Doug so not sure what it looks like now.
OUTER BANKS. Was not overly impressed on my trip here in the distant past. Beaches, beach houses and some restaurants. Folks were nice but was a bit boring for me. Though maybe if I owned a beach house I would feel differently. Presently I am reading a David Sedaris book I bought in Florida and much of it is about events at the North Carolina coast with his family so almost tempted to try again.
BLOWING ROCK. This place was wonderful many years ago when I first visited – a small mountain town with a few restaurants and inns, no crowds and really friendly people. It is now a much more well known tourist destination and not the vibe I was looking for though the drive there on the Blue Ridge Parkway is still very pretty. At least I got to see it before it grew.
ASHEVILLE. I wanted to visit here ever since my first trip to North Carolina twenty something years ago when I chose instead to go to the outer banks. I finally made it. I enjoyed my time here, partially because of the wonderful couple I stayed with my third and fourth nights (AirBnB with Anne and Nate – listed as Cozy and Quiet on Hemphill) though I did not fall in love with Asheville like I expected. One thing I did not realize is they have black bears and I of course arrived as they were coming out of hibernation. There are some great hikes around here, but I had to balance my fear of bears with my desire to climb a mountain, so found a balance on a trail that parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway which was not overly trafficked on Friday (more so on Saturday when I went for a bike ride then gave up after a while as the cars saw no reason to move over as they passed at high speed). I also was here before the trees were in bloom so no lovely colors. I found my favorite area to be the Arts District. Lots and lots of galleries and artist studios and also a few cool cafes (Ultra coffee was good) and places to eat like White Duck Taco Shop on the river where they sell endless types of tacos and you can sit outside along the river. I was not a big fan of downtown though Rosetta’s Kitchen was really good (Buddha bowl) and they have a kombucha flight with some really tasty rotating flavors on tap. I also wanted to visit French Broad chocolates which really does have some of the best truffles known to man. I (and one of my former law partners Sharon) used to buy them for clients at holiday time and we were customers years before they grew into a tourist destinations with factory tours and long lines at their downtown store and cafe.
SMOKEY MOUNTAINS AND PISGAH FOREST. I can see why the name for the Smokeys – very hazy to look at. I only hiked minimally here and skipped the camping due to my fear of bears. They say you just need to make yourself tall, act calmly, walk away slowly, either make noise or speak calmly depending on what you read, and they will leave you alone. Yea, but there was a recent attack at a campground I was considering in the past two weeks so I am not so sure. The NC side of the smokeys is relatively flat so if you want the elevation and are not afraid of bears, the Tennessee side is the way to go. For Pisgah, I was a bit early as the campgrounds were closed and the people scarce – and the of course there are the bears.
LINVILLE FALLS. I was on my way to Hanging Rock State Park or Stone Mountain (the latter Nate told me was really cool) but then I saw the gorge sign. I love gorges and I was time crunched to make it to the other parks so turned into Linville Falls. It is a pretty area with some nice short hikes to the waterfall and the gorge. I was here off season before things were open and it was still a bit crowded. Worth a stop if passing by on the Blue Ridge Parkway though probably not on a weekend if other than the winter months.
CHAPEL HILL. I headed here next to visit with some former Pleasanton folks, Karen and Jim, who used to live next door to my sister. They live in a golf community which is quite large and lovely with homes that in the Bay Area would be unaffordable for almost anyone, but in North Carolina they are a fraction of the price. The area has rolling hills, lots of trees, and something I did not know existed, pine pollen. I arrived just past the peak. Who knew pines had pollen. Downtown Chapel Hill is quite nice as is the college. Saturni is hidden in a courtyard off the street and has good coffee and a nice courtyard where you can listen to the birds chirp. A golf community is a good way to go for transplants as you can instantly plug into events where you meet your neighbors. One thing I was not used to is that everyone in the neighborhood waves to you while you are driving so you have to look right and left to be sure to wave back. I missed a few early on not yet knowing the protocol. On my way out I stopped for a coffee in Pittsboro (Karen introduced me to the town on our drive the day before) which is a cute town with a surprising number of solid coffee choices. Was hard to choose just one but settled on Davenport Carpe Diem.
HANGING ROCK STATE PARK / DABURY. I wanted to get in one more hike in North Carolina and check out camping options so made my way to the Sauratown Mountains. I ended up at Hanging Rock as it was not too far out of the way on my way to another longer hike, McKafee Knob in Virginia. It was a gray day though not too cold and the ranger recommended the Moore’s Knob loop which is a 4.5 mile loop with just short of 1,000 feet in elevation gain. I learned that these mountains have lots of black bears and bobcats though the ranger assured me that they stay clear of humans. Being by myself and with very few others around (only a few parked cars as it was a drizzly Tuesday) I made some incredible time getting up to the top. I considered turning back around several times but did meet one other solo hiker who was local which helped calm me a bit – then remembered she had a large dog with her. Anyway, the view at the top was worth it and I almost forgot my bear fears as I gazed out from the tower while swatting at the mosquitos buzzing in my face. On my way down I was able to catch up to a nice couple from Kentucky, recent transplants from Alabama, so no longer had to worry about bears. I finished off at the small storefront in Danbury I saw driving in that had a homemade ice cream sign, Front Porch Creamery. Had peach ice cream on a freshly made chocolate waffle cone – it was amazing and I briefly considered going back to spend the night at the near empty campground, overcoming my fear of bears and being nearly alone in the woods, just to have another flavor in the morning.
That was it for my North Carolina ventures. I headed off to Virginia.