October makes for great Fall adventures. We needed a little family time. On HWY 105 in North Carolina, we did a bit of hiking, picture taking, and exploring. The leaves were beautiful. Check out the video! For our family and as a couple, Overlanding is more than just finding the dirt. It is exploring, being self-reliant, and seeking new experiences. When you have a fully capable vehicle that can handle just about anything, your access is nearly unlimited!
RIP “Bork” 08/25/2020
I received a very disturbing call from my husband that started with “I am OK.” The 4runner was totaled. In the end, we absorbed most of the monetary loss because the driver was not insured. My husband spent two months recovering from the impact and head trauma. At the time of writing this, we still have not received any notice of the truck’s driver’s impending court date – leaving the scene of an accident is against the law.
Traversing South Carolina
Visit the site, grab the download, use the Google Map … Let’s go! SCARS – South Carolina Adventure Route
Traversing Georgia
We saw a few posts from well-known Youtube-rs. The subject matter was this “thing” referred to as the Georgia Traverse. It looked very interesting. I got out my Google Maps, tablet, and printer, and I began to plan the trip. I planned, but what should have taken us a day or maybe two to complete never happened. We spent three days wandering around the most beautiful national forest, the Chattahoochee. We met great people, saw beautiful views, and found some of the best places to camp. Part One It all started with the map of the Georgia Traverse … We will be back to complete the traverse and revisit our favorite trails!
Bryson City & NNF with a touch of the Smokies
Trip Map We stayed at the Folkstone Inn. It was a great choice. The owners, Scott and Toni, were kind, attentive, and fabulous. Scott was a chef for many years, and our breakfast was an example. The first morning we had lemon souffle pancakes with blueberry compote, sausage, fresh fruit with local honey and yogurt. Our second morning breakfast had scrambled eggs, with a delicious topping of peppers, onions, and tomatoes, and bacon on top of an arepa. The inn was kept incredibly clean, and the outdoor atmosphere was welcoming. I have no issue recommending that you make this a stop if you find yourself close to Bryson City, North Carolina. Our most frequented place for dinner was the Nantahala Brewing Company. You can find it on our trip page too. Here is a hint of what you have waiting for you … On our second day, we left the Great Smokey Mountain Railroad station in the late morning. We selected a moonshine experience through the Nantahala National Forest. Head over to https://www.gsmr.com/ to check out all of the train experiences. Our group was the best. We had a very enjoyable time laughing and drinking samples of Carolina moonshines. I think my favorite flavors were the peach and apple pie. The moonshine cocktails were twists of the favorites, like the Moonshine Sunrise and the Moonshine Mimosa. Later that afternoon, we decided it was time to work off some calories. We headed towards the Deep Creek area of the Smokey Mountains to do a little waterfall hunting and hiking. I will say this – I want to tube down the Deep Creek next visit. That looked like a ton of fun! On our last day, we headed towards the Nantahala National Forest. We found the Beachertown-Wesser trail and a wonderful scenic drive. Happy Birthday Jesse!
Kayaks and the 4Runner
Kayak mounts? Check. Roof rack? Check. Kayaks? Check. This is our first trip out with the Bork loaded up to go to Badin Lake. It was a great day. Plan complete … or so we thought. That little bit of lift on the rig made it really difficult to load and to unload the Kayaks. The J’s got to work and created an attachment for the trailer. This is much better!
Posing at Uwharrie National Forest
Went out with a friend to let the “Borkinator” pose and have some fun. You have to love the 4Runner. To this day, we do not regret trading the speed for the strength. Jesse and I spent many, many months picking this girl out, and she has lived up and exceeded our expectations.
The Biltmore & Chimney Rock
Our first anniversary took us to the Biltmore Estate , https://www.biltmore.com/ , Chimney Rock, and Hendersonville areas. Our trip began with our first day in Hendersonville, NC. We visited a local brewery, purchased teas and spices, and walked through the gemstone and mineral museum. I browsed shops – of course – and took a few fun photos. Hendersonville is full of bears. No, I am not kidding. There are bears along the streets much like the one below. They are so much fun to look for and find. I selected the Broad River Inn for our trip. The rooms were very clean, but the inn is showing a little age. I valued the coffee shop that was located downstairs. I had a very yummy mocha latte a time or two – and maybe three or four. I enjoyed sitting on our private balcony and listening to the river. One of the most appreciated things was the location. We were a stones throw from the Biltmore and Chimney Rock State Park. When you walked out the front entrance of the inn, you were immediately on the main strip. There were several places to eat, grab a beer, and shop. On our second day, we arrived at the Biltmore Estate during the Chihully Glass exhibit, https://www.chihuly.com/ . I have added a few int he gallery below. This was a big hit during my visit. Jesse and I marveled at the colors, curves, and creativity of the glass exhibits. I enjoyed them immensely. The Biltmore Estate was impressive. The acres of land had me drooling. I took so many photographs! I selected a few for you below. The house was huge – the large kitchens, pool and exercise equipment, and even a bowling alley. We selected the audio tour when purchasing our tickets that day. I am so glad that we did. We walked around with handheld speakers that told stories and explained the uses of the rooms that we visited. The tour told the story of the basement. I will not retell it. That is for your visit, but there is a reason for the paintings on the basement wall.
2018 Pride Parade
Enjoy the rainbow! I am a firm believer that everyone is unique. We celebrate this through a variety of experiences, and the Charlotte, NC Pride Parade is one of them. 2018 Looking back at 2017 …
We adopted a 4Runner!
We adopted our 2007 Toyota Sport Edition 4Runner with a V8 on July 10, 2018. We are very proud parents. We affectionately named her “the Bork”. So, with paper tags and stock build, we took our girl to Uwharrie to play with the big kids. Here she is with some of her new friends!