Goal: dog -friendly (food, water, fireplace, hiking? (Pickle is a dog so hiking to her means walking in the woods) AND becky-friendly (beer, walkable, fireplace, hiking) and within a days driving distance.
Solution? Asheville. Actually, bark wells, just south of Ashland.
I rented a car, cancelled my week (thanks Amy/Andy and Margaret/Sabrina for bring understanding) and headed south.
What a god damn beautiful place.
This group of cabins, sort of in the country, sort of in the sticks is fenced in. Like, pickle proof. If there's one thing I've learned about pickle is she really likes to sniff.
Girlfriend sniffed her way through barkwells. And I sat and stared at te fireplace (gas! So freaking easy) and watched movies (twin towers).
My pal tim hooked me up with a to-do list that included a bluegrass jam in a town with a population of 850, that's barely on the map.
Hiked through the nc arboretum, DuPont forest, drove through tiny mountain hovels (as i like to call them "hollers"), drank a ton of coffee, frequented a delish taco place called white duck ), felt hipper then I am when i purchased my first beer growler at wedge brewery), and sneezed my way through the mountain spring (or pollen time as my nose calls it).
Man, I totally didn't write that one morning when I said I was going to, and I also slept in a ton and stayed up late watching tv and also was overly concerned with what Facebook traffic I was getting w pickle posts.
Just when I got bored, an old college buddy and her partner came up and brought their dog and we hit the town.
My favorite thing was when she said "and what is your blog supposed to be about?" I told her I don't edit it, and it's mostly feelings and thoughts. She is a funny girl.
Tonight, I'm heading to one more brewery that is walkable and dog friendly and has a bluegrass band cd release party.
Tmw drive back north to emails, to-do lists and such.
And to look for a place like this within. 2 hours of Chicago.
Where is it dear friends?
