Thanksgiving WNC Style

This year we spent Thanksgiving week in a cabin in the woods near Brevard, NC.  The goals for the week were to explore the area, hike, drink beer & eat good food. There were wild fires in the area so we were concerned about smoke in the area.  For most of the week the air was good but there were a couple of days that were pretty smokey.

Saturday Morning 

Tuesday afternoon after the smoke rolled in

We arrived on Friday just before sunset.  Good thing too since this cabin was a bit off the beaten track.  We booked Serenade Cove via VBRO.  Overall, the cabin was great.  It was about 15 minutes to Brevard or Hendersonville and 40 minutes to Asheville. Transylvania county is known for the waterfalls. We wanted to explore Pisgah National Forest & Dupont State Forest and we did.

Saturday was Steve's run day & was supposed to be my last long run before the Gobbler half. I was still recovering from a cold so I decided to walk with Sammie while Steve got his run in.  We started on the Brevard Greenway & ran/walked into Pisgah.  Oh, how I wish we lived in a town where trails were virtually at your door step.  So.Many.Options.to.#OptOutside.

After our run we headed to Dixie Diner in Hendersonville for a late breakfast.  They had a breakfast buffet but you could also order off the menu.  Steve did the buffet & I had the pumpkin pancakes special. Good place for breakfast.  After brekkie we headed back to the cabin to wait for Mom to show up.  After she arrived we headed to downtown Brevard to check out Brevard Brewing & have some dinner.  Steve had the American Red Ale & Mom & I tried the Munich Dunkel.  Both were good beers.  Nice location right on Main Street too.

After beers we headed to The Square Root for dinner. We got there around 6PM & was seated without a reservation.  If we showed up later we would have been turned away. That is one thing I am not used to anymore, making reservations.  The food was fantastic. Glad we were able to get a table.

Sunday Steve & I headed to Dupont State Forest to check out some waterfalls.  The county is known for their waterfalls but considering the drought we weren't sure how many would be flowing.  Turns out they all were.  I can only imagine how beautiful they would look after a good rain.  We hiked about 7 miles of the roughly 90 miles of trails. The trails were easy & mostly well marked.

Hooker Falls

Lake Dense

Sunday night we headed to Marco Trattoria in Brevard for dinner.  I can't remember what we ordered but I do remember it was a cool place and another fantastic meal.  Gobble.Gobble.'till.You.Waddle.

Monday I did my last longish run.  I was supposed to do 8 miles for my last long run but decided to only do 5 since we did such a long hike the day before.  We went back to Brevard Greenway.  I ran the Greenway & Steve walked Sammie into Pisgah.

After our run & showers we headed to Asheville.  On our way we stopped for lunch and a flight at Sierra Nevada.  If you want to do a tour make sure to book in advance.  This place is amazing!

Sierra Nevada Flight

After lunch we stopped in at REI and then went to check out New Belgium Brewery.  Their flights are twice the amount as Sierra Nevada.  So we had a lot of beer to drink.  In the past, I have loved New Belgium beer but compared to the other breweries in town this was my least favorite.  Kind of a let down actually.

New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing

New Belgium Brewing

Tuesday was another hike in Pisgah.  This time we did a 4 mile loop that included part of Black Mountain trail which is very popular with the MTB folks.  Steve was all about getting a mountain bike to check out the trails but I was Debbie Downer.  I wasn't interested in mountain biking this trip at all.

After getting cleaned up we went back into Brevard while it was still daylight to see if we could locate any white squirrels.  No such luck.  We also wanted to walk through Main Street in the daylight to check out what it had to offer.  Really cute strip with some nice stores, a couple of breweries & some nice dining options.  We stopped into Eucusta Brewing to check out their beers.  Steve got the IPA, I got the porter & Mom had the coffee brown ale.  All were really tasty.

Eucusta Brewing Downtown

On the bartender's suggestion we had dinner at Magpie Meat & Three.  It did not disappoint. We ate really well this trip.  I am going to be waddling through this half marathon.

Wednesday we hiked another trail in Pisgah.  This time the Cat Gap trail loop.  About 4.5 miles & some decent climbing.  Our legs were pretty tired by this point.

Cat Gap Trail - Pisgah

Wednesday night we went back into Asheville to see the Winter Lights display at the North Carolina Arboretum.  It was a perfect temperature to walk through the gardens to see the display.  Very tastefully done.

Winter Lights

Winter Lights

Winter Lights - The only way to get a picture with Mom.

Thursday after watching some of the Macy's parade we drove to Hendersonville to check out the Oklawaha Greenway and to kick off the 2016 Runner's World holiday run streak.  It is a decent trail that connects several parks in town.

Day 1 of the 2016 #RWRunStreak

After our run we drove through downtown Hendersonville.  Nice main street with lots of shops & restaurants.  Since it was Thanksgiving everything was closed.  We spent the rest of the day at the cabin & eventually made our very non-traditional Thanksgiving dinner of ravioli, salad & garlic bread along with a bottle of red wine.

As always, it is sad when vacation comes to an end.  We head home Friday in time for my first half marathon in 5+ years.

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!!