Ashville to Sapphire

Once I got headed in the right direction I left the road construction by the airport behind. RT 280 was a wide , well maintained highway. There was plenty of room for the crazy local drivers to pass. I could take my time and get acclimated to the drive. I felt pretty protected along this stretch because there was a church every mile or so.  Baptist, Methodist, 7 day Adventist, they were all there but not so many Catholic. All of the churches were large and well cared for. I knew I was in the “Bible Belt” but I had to wonder how a rural area like this could support so many churches so well. I guess the business of religion is very successful here. 

The Halfway Point- Brevard

My map said it was 45 miles from Ashville Airport to Sapphire but I felt like I had been driving a long time before I got to Brevard. Brevard was when the drive began to change to what I came to think of  as the half way point. Brevard is a little college town. It’s pretty and it’s loaded with fast food restaurants. There’s Wendy’s, Micky D’s, Bojangles and even a drive through BBQ place. Brevard is where I picked up RT 64. Rt 64 was to become my most traveled route while I was in North Carolina. It would take me to the waterfalls and the Blue Ridge parkway. It would also scare the pants off me until I got used to it. 

Rt 64 to Sapphire

I was relieved to see signs for Sapphire Valley as I was leaving Brevard. At least I was on the right track. I made a mental note to make a return trip to Brevard before my trip was over. I wanted to see a White Squirrel.

As I left Brevard, RT  64 began to narrow from a multi lane road to two lanes, no shoulders. That was ok but then I got to the mountain. I have no idea what the name of the mountain is but the locals just refer to “The Mountain”. They tell you that you’ll go down the mountain, around the mountain, over the mountain but they never name the mountain. 

Brevard to Sapphire Valley

The drive up the mountain to Sapphire Valley took about 45 minutes to an hour. Much of the road was made up of hairpin turns and switchbacks. The signs showed twisty turns with 15- 25 mile speed limits. There was no cutting corners either because there was always a car coming the other way. I began to wish I had a passenger who could take a video or at the least pictures. There was no place to pull over so I couldn’t do it. I had both hands glued to the wheel! 

This kind of driving is an adrenaline rush. It’s fun but I enjoy it only when I’m not being tailgated and that was going to be the bane of my trip. The locals, who are the nicest people face to face, are demanding, crazy drivers. They know the road and it’s twists and turns and they don’t pay any attention to the speed limit. I became quite adept at locating the narrowest of pull offs so they could go around me. When I’d get out of the way I’d get a friendly toot and a wave as they blew my doors off going by. 

This was almost as challenging as driving in the mountains of South Dakota! I was very happy to see signs saying “entering Sapphire Valley”. Now I just had to find the resort and check in.