Day #6
We got up after a terrible night's sleep at the Red Roof Inn in Hendersonville. That air conditioner was very noisy and if you turned it off and opened the window, the road noise and smokers talking outside of your window were intolerable. In addition, the breakfast was non-existent…an Eggo waffle and diluted coffee. Avoid this place!
We went downtown to Main Street to a coffee shop that we visited a couple of years ago. It is called the Black Bear Coffee and there we got a reasonable cup of coffee.
We got up after a terrible night's sleep at the Red Roof Inn in Hendersonville. That air conditioner was very noisy and if you turned it off and opened the window, the road noise and smokers talking outside of your window were intolerable. In addition, the breakfast was non-existent…an Eggo waffle and diluted coffee. Avoid this place!
We went downtown to Main Street to a coffee shop that we visited a couple of years ago. It is called the Black Bear Coffee and there we got a reasonable cup of coffee.
We decided to investigate some of the more interesting housing areas in Henderson and drove to the top of Jump Off Rock to see the houses and the view. I must say, the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains is quite beautiful.
From Hendersonville, we drove North towards Mills River to see what that was like and didn't think it held much hope for us as it was mainly an agricultural area. We then went to Chimney Rock, NC on our way to Bat Cave and Lake Lure. Chimney Rock is a nice little tourist town that reminded me of Saint Peter's Village in Pennsylvania.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peters,_Pennsylvania
We walked along the not-pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and had lunch at an outdoor restaurant beside the flowing stream. You can check out the history of Chimney Rock here: https://www.chimneyrockpark.com and no, we did not hike to the top of the Chimney Rock to plant the flagpole. :)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Peters,_Pennsylvania
We walked along the not-pedestrian-friendly sidewalks and had lunch at an outdoor restaurant beside the flowing stream. You can check out the history of Chimney Rock here: https://www.chimneyrockpark.com and no, we did not hike to the top of the Chimney Rock to plant the flagpole. :)
For this point we decided to drive north to the city of Lenoir and to see a developing area called Coves Mountain River Club.
https://www.thecovesnc.com
We were fortunate to find the project manager who took us on a two hour tour of the various lots that were for sale. You can choose your lot from flat land to view lots and choose the acreage you desire. We saw two lots that interested us. One was 13.6 acres with a great view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and another 5 acre lot of flat land that was very private. Currently, only 100 people live on the 360 acre development and at peak it will have about 600 people living there. There are few restrictions and the people are coming from many states. If we don't find something more interesting near Charlotte or Raleigh, we may consider a land purchase.
We then drove to Hickory, an old furniture manufacturing community to spend the evening. We had dinner and a brew at the Blowing Rock Brewing Company. The beers are good and the food is quite good. We are staying at the La Quinta in Hickory. This is a huge motel (hotel) because of a nearby convention center. They even bring in a chef for morning breakfast to cook individual omelets.
Distance driven about 477 miles. Tomorrow we head towards Charlotte, NC.
From Chimney Rock, we headed to Lake Lure. This is a tourist community that developed from proximity to Lake Lure. It is mostly rental cabins, motels and B&B's for people from Charlotte wishing to escape the summer heat. This was not a place that interested us.
We then traveled to Lenoir, a community near the Coves Mountain River properties. We wanted to visit the Coves as I researched them on the internet and learned there are a variety of properties that you can build on. They can be near the river or they can have flat land for horses, or you can build on the ridge with great views of the mountains. HOA fees are very low and there are currently only about 100 people living there with a max of 600 on 3600 acres.
We met the property manager, Dan Shattuck, and he gave us a 2 hour tour of the various area where land can be purchased. We found two of interest, one on a ridge top of 13.6 acres with great view and another in flat land measuring 5 acres. People are coming from many states to live in this area. You can read about the Coves here if interested. It may be too far from my musical interests to be seriously considered. Also, Earline would not be able to have her dog boarding facility as you are limited to five dogs.
https://www.thecovesnc.com
We then drove to Hickory, an old furniture manufacturing town and checked into a La Quinta Inn for the night. This is one huge and modern motel, probably because there is a convention center nearby. We had dinner and a brew at the Blowing Rock Brewery. The beer was good and the food abundant and tasty. Live music was featured as well.
Travel distance 477 miles. Tomorrow we head to Waxhaw that is located to the southwest of Charlotte.
We then traveled to Lenoir, a community near the Coves Mountain River properties. We wanted to visit the Coves as I researched them on the internet and learned there are a variety of properties that you can build on. They can be near the river or they can have flat land for horses, or you can build on the ridge with great views of the mountains. HOA fees are very low and there are currently only about 100 people living there with a max of 600 on 3600 acres.
We met the property manager, Dan Shattuck, and he gave us a 2 hour tour of the various area where land can be purchased. We found two of interest, one on a ridge top of 13.6 acres with great view and another in flat land measuring 5 acres. People are coming from many states to live in this area. You can read about the Coves here if interested. It may be too far from my musical interests to be seriously considered. Also, Earline would not be able to have her dog boarding facility as you are limited to five dogs.
https://www.thecovesnc.com
We then drove to Hickory, an old furniture manufacturing town and checked into a La Quinta Inn for the night. This is one huge and modern motel, probably because there is a convention center nearby. We had dinner and a brew at the Blowing Rock Brewery. The beer was good and the food abundant and tasty. Live music was featured as well.
Travel distance 477 miles. Tomorrow we head to Waxhaw that is located to the southwest of Charlotte.