Category Archives: Travel

Cashiers

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Cashier'sIngles at Cashier’s

Now that I was checked in it was time to think about food. I’d skipped lunch since I wanted to locate the resort. Now it was dinner time and my stomach made it known that it was time to eat. I hadn’t seen any fast food restaurants since Bevard. I had a list of local restaurants that I was given at check in but I was warned that it was hard to get seating. Most were still only open with limited seating due to COVID and getting help was also an issue. So I decided to check out Ingles, the local supermarket. 

That turned out to be a good choice. The local Ingles was better stocked than my Hannaford in Taunton! I ws able to pick up everything I needed for my dinner and breakfast and some snacks and soft drinks. They had a great salad bar that included cheese stuffed meatballs in sauce. 

Cashier's

Cashier'sLand of 100 Waterfalls

I’m in an area known as the land of 100 waterfalls. I knew what I was going to do this vacation. With  my camera batteries  fully charged I headed out to locate some of these waterfalls. Right away I knew I was going to have a problem. My left knee was pretty swollen and I was limping badly. It must have been because of all the walking in the airports yesterday. I made sure I had my trekking poles and decided to give it my best shot. I had a list of falls they gave me at check in. Each of the falls had directions and a description. 

Cashiers Sliding Rock

My first waterfall was Sliding Rock. The notes describe the falls as having swimming holes above and below the falls. Parking is on the gravel shoulder. I hoped to wade into the lower swimming hole and shoot the falls from  the bottom. The whole walk to the falls was only supposed to be 150 yards. 

The trail was clear but it was rough. I had to step over logs and downed branches. When I got to the falls the stairs down were cement blocks but they had been undercut and didn’t look too stable. From the prints it looked like most visitors went down the muddy bank rather than use the stairs. Unfortunately with my knees that didn’t seem like a good idea. I took my shot from the top of the bank. No matter how I tried the foliage blocked most of the falls.

Cashier's

The Sapphire Valley

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Sapphire Valley

I was still climbing when I saw the sign “Entering Sapphire Valley- Registration 3 mile”. Is that my registration? I’m staying at Fairway Forest. Through the trees I began to see the groomed land of golf links. Ah, a lightbulb went off in my head. Fairway Forest- Fairway- golf! Turns out that golf is a big pastime on “The Mountain”. 

It’s customary for the concierge to contact you the week before your trip. They are trying to sign up up for your “Owner Update aka sales pitch” but they also have lots of information to share with you. This time they warned me to download the directions to check in from the website. Now as I weaved around another corner I slipped them out of my trip folder. 

Another twist and turn  and the road opened up and there was a sign for Fairway Forest Resort. It was on the wrong side of the road from my directions and nothing said registration but I made the turn anyway.

 

Fairway Forest Resort

At the top of a narrow road I made a right and looked down a one lane asphalt road. 4 Unit buildings split off to both the right and left giving each building a bit of privacy. I pulled into the first one and parked long enough to read the directions.  Apparently this was not the right place. I returned to the main road and continued toward Cahiers. Fairway Forest and the Sapphire Valley

 

I spotted an Ingles Grocery Store but my instructions were to NOT buy food until I had checked in. When I reached Cashiers I figured I’d gone too far and turned around. I drove the road back and forth between the resort and Cashiers several times without spotting the registration/check in. I had no cell service so I couldn’t call for help.  On about my 3rd pass I decided to stop in at Sapphire Valley Resorts Registration. The lady on the desk laughed and not only gave me directions but walked me to my car so she could point out the plaza where Diamond Resorts had it’s registration building. It was on the opposite side of the road from my directions. Clearly who ever wrote them did not know their left from their right. 

But I’d found it and gotten there in one piece. Registration was fast and easy. I was in Building 1 Unit 1312. I’d accidentally pulled into my building when I first stopped at the resort. They admitted that the directions I had were old and made a note to update the web page.  I headed back to the resort with a map. The amenities, club house, pool etc  was at still another  location but all I wanted to do right then was to get settled and check out my home away from home.  

My Home Away from Home

It looked nice. It looked big. It wasn’t sparkly new. The carpet inside was a bit worn but it was well kept up, clean and huge. Two levels. The master bedroom was on the lower level along with giant soaking tub/jacuzzi. There was a private deck for the master bedroom. 

Fairway Forest and the Sapphire Valley

 

Fairway Forest and the Sapphire Valley

 

On the main level was a bedroom with two twin beds, a full kitchen, combo living room dining room. I even had  a fireplace!  There was another bath off the bedroom And decks off both the living room and dining room. I loved the decks!

 

The washer and dryer was downstairs in the hall next to the master bedroom.

Thanks to my knees I settled into the main level bedroom. I’m used to twin beds .

 

Fairway Forest and the Sapphire Valley

 

Time to go grocery shopping!

The Road to Sapphire

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The Road to SapphireAshville 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. 

The Road to Sapphire

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! 

The Road to Sapphire

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. 

The Road to Sapphire

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. 

The Arrival – Ashville North Carolina

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Ashville Regional AirportThe Arrival - Ashville North Carolina

Our plane made a smooth landing at Ashville Regional Airport right on time but no Jet Way for Ashville. Nope, we left the plane down a combination of ramp and stairs then walked across the tarmac. Once in the terminal it was a short walk to baggage claim. My knee had locked up during the flight so I was the gimpy” old lady in everyone’s way. But I soldiered on.  The Budget Car Rental Counter was right next to the baggage carousel so I could watch for my luggage while I arranged my rental car. 

The Arrival - Ashville North CarolinaBudget Car Rental

I’d heard quite a lot about the rental car shortage so I reserved my car rental when I booked my trip. To be sure they didn’t give my car away I even paid for it in advance and did most of my check in online. The price was outrageous. I’ve rented SUV’s on Maui for less than $700 for a week and thought that was expensive but with the car  shortage it appears that rental car companies are taking full advantage. My Toyota Rav4 was $1300 for the week. By paying for it at time of booking I had it all paid off  of by the time of my vacation. No big bill waiting for me when I got home. 

I was glad I did it that way when 3 other people were turned away while I waited. The reason, no cars, sold out. 

I passed on the GPS add on. No service in the mountains so why pay for something that doesn’t work. I picked up a map instead. About that time my bag came tumbling off the airplane so I grabbed my keys and bag and headed into the rental car parking garage.  They were right. My car was easy to find because there weren’t very many there.

The Road to Sapphire

As I left the parking garage I followed the signs to RT 280. What I didn’t know was which direction I needed and the signs weren’t much help. They just said  “to 280”. Of course I went the wrong way. Now that wouldn’t be so bad. I drive in Boston. I’ve driven in Honolulu. If I can survive those traffic disasters I should be fine in rural North Carolina. Right? Nope, wrong! Maybe I’ve gotten rusty with the lighter traffic from COVID or maybe I’ve just gotten old but it was a hair raising start to the drive. 

There was construction on 280 so there were barrels everywhere. As I tried to get my bearings there was no slowing down. Cars came flying from all directions. It was like being dropped in the middle of a NASCAR race. Ahead of me I could see a strip of fast food places so I began to work my way across several lanes of traffic so I could pull off into one of them and study my map. At that point I saw a U-turn and a sign that said Sapphire. I pulled the U-turn and floored it. Breathing a sigh of relief I settled in for the rest of the drive. Or so I thought. Little did I know what was still ahead.

Are the Friendly Skies still Friendly?

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Fly the Friendly Skies

Remember United’s slogan to Fly the Friendly Skies? Well what about now? Did COVID make any difference at 30K ft.? I always approach my travel with an open and adventurous mind. I expect things to go wrong. That way I don’t get frustrated when they do and can celebrate when they don’t.  

This trip I needed to get to Ashville Regional Airport. I started my search for an airline on KAYAK.com. I wasn’t sure what airlines might fly into Ashville. Allegiant Air popped up with a non stop flight for $99.00. Nothing else came close to that price and the non stop was very attractive. Now you need to understand that I do not like no frills airlines like Spirit Air and refuse to use them. I think they are just nickel and diming the flying public. But I was caught flat footed on this one. I didn’t know anything about Allegiant so in my blissful ignorance I started the booking process. By the time I was through paying for all the “extras” I was accustomed to my round trip ticket was $300+. Just like on any full service airline- but at least it was non stop.

Getting to the Airport

Now that I had my ticket I needed to tackle the logistics of getting from my home in Taunton to the airport. The easiest way is to rent a cab or Uber but that gets very expensive. My 2nd choice is to drive to Logan and either park at the airport or at a nearby Park ‘n Fly. I have used that option in the past but this time I decided on the Logan Express Bus. I drove my car to Braintree and then took the bus to the airport from there. A nice new perk is that you can now buy your tickets online before you leave home. It saves you $2 too. 
Time to mask up. It’s required on the bus. 

Logan Airport

Logan Airport is an International Airport and has the size to go with it. In spite of my knee problems I did not request any assistance this trip. That may have been a mistake on my part. Anyway I located Allegiant Air with no problem. The folks on the check in desk were friendly and pleasant. They thanked me for getting vaccinated when I handed over my passport and vaccination card. I checked my bag and took off for the security check in. As expected I lit up the Xray machine with my artificial hip and had to go through the pat down. Finally I was released and sent on my way. 
As I neared the gate only one restaurant was open so I stopped to enjoy a $15.00 bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. 

The plane wasn’t the tiny commuter plane I expected. It was a full sized baby with overhead bins and it was nowhere near a full flight. Once airborne we were allowed to change seats if we wanted to. I haven’t seen that in awhile. 

We made the flight from Logan to Ashville in about 2 hours.