Beefcake was stressed.
He has a busy job (and we are so very grateful for it!)
but it was time for him to get away from it all.
but it was time for him to get away from it all.
He gave me a budget and the date
and I picked the locale
and he wanted to be surprised.
and I picked the locale
and he wanted to be surprised.
So, this past Friday morning, he drove 92 miles of highway,
going NE, without knowing where we were headed.
We landed in Bryson City, NC,
It would have been nice to know that it was also Biker Weekend.
I love bikers and bikes- I had a motorcycle in college,
but they are awfully loud when one is trying to relax.
We were far enough away, though, from the center of town,
that we didn't hear any mufflers.
You get to come on our excursion with us!
Here we go!
We checked in, were told all the ins and outs of our stay in the home,
and set our luggage in the room,
the Falls and Creeks room.
No TV, no phone.
The bathroom vanity was stunning.
This home was built in the early 1900s and the setting was simply breathtaking!
We headed for the nearest hammock.
Hello, relaxation!
(Pardon my pasty, white legs, they've been indoors all winter!)
We relaxed awhile, and then we both decided
to get out of the hammock
at the same time
and on the same side.
Any guesses as to what happened?
We both landed flat on our fannies!
We had a great laugh, which is what we both seriously needed!
We then went to dinner where the Inn owners were going
and it was a fancy place, called Fryemont Inn
and I was too embarrassed
to take pictures of my BLT soup,
pecan-crusted trout
and blackberry cobbler.
The next morning, we went to the dining room.
And were served this and this.
We packed our things and said goodbye to the very friendly houseguests and staff.
Then, we took a train.
53 miles, 2 tunnels and 25 bridges
across fertile valleys,
through river gorges
in a spectacular region near The Great Smoky Mountains.
I thought it would be relaxing for Mark
--all sightseeing, no driving
for 4 1/2 hours.
And it was.
We sat in the open cars the first half of our trip.
These are floating Nantahala River houses that are lived in as vacation rentals!
I was fascinated by them!
We saw a lot of this:
And this:
I did a lot of this:
(and if we met in real life,
I wouldn't look like this because I don't have any makeup on in this picture,
but I'd spare you the shock and wear some).
Halfway through the ride, we stopped at the
Natahala Outdoor Center and ate lunch at
We had a Big Fat Greek Pizza, that honestly,
was one of the best pizzas we have ever had.
Who knew?
It started raining,
and we had to run back to the train when its whistle blew 5 times~
I felt almost like Cinderella running from the ball,
and if the 5th whistle blew and I wasn't on the train,
my footmen turned back into mice.
If you weren't back on the train, you got left there, 2 1/2 hours from Bryson City.
After we got back on the train, I had to go powder my nose in here.
Now we sat inside.
And a took a few pictures.
Goodbye, train.
And then a last drive through Bryson City.
One last question from one of our biker brothers:
Awwwww, Leslie. Great vacation you took us on! Loved it. So glad you and your beefcake got away. Everything looked great! Thanks so much for sharing your special getaway. Sincerely, Susan
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun! I'm sure you guys had a great time. The b&b looked beautiful. My best friend in college was from Bryson City. I love The Great Smoky Mountains. So pretty!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful location. I love the idea of a train ride, how relaxing. Hopefully your husband feels refreshed.
ReplyDeleteTraci
Looks like you had an amazing time! I really do like TN... even though she treated me pretty rotten this last time-- I'm thinkin' after seeing this I am gonna have to forgive her ;)
ReplyDeleteSounds like you had a wonderful, relaxing weekend! This is just what my husband and I need! Thanks for visiting my blog and encouraging me about my table!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun trip! It's so nice to get away from it all with your sweetie sometimes, isn't it? And a place with no TV?! You absolutely can't beat that!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place you stayed in. It was absolutly charming! Thank you so much for the wonderful comment. You made me smile. Many blessings to you.
ReplyDeleteoh my, that place is gorgeous. the grounds are stunning....I loved the pictures of the two of you...and so what, no makeup. we're all friends/sisters here anyway, right?
ReplyDeletewhat a grand thing to be able to do with your husband! thanks for sharing your trip with us...hope there was plenty of relaxation and rejuvenation for you and your beefcake (I love that you call him that! ;O)
What a wonderful, rellaxing trip! Blackberry cobbler, mmmmm. One of my favorite desserts! The hydrangeas are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteOne time my hubby and I went to a B&B that didn't have a TV and my husband went out in the evening and sat in the car so he could listen to the basketball game on the radio. So romantic! lol. It was o.k. I was able to read in peace.
Oh Leslie, I am so impressed! I actually felt like I went there! I love Bryson City and all the little towns around there. Thank you for sharing your mini-vacation with us!
ReplyDeletewhat a fun weekend! that is my favorite part of the country, and i miss it with all my heart. thanks for sharing all the great pics. there is a great place called pizza on the river on the nantahala that i love, down in the gorge. so fun!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a wonderful getaway with your hubby! And exactly the kind of thing Rob and I love to do....sans the bikers! LOL. Thanks for sharing, Leslie. Love your blog.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun getaway! Great pictures you took - thanks for sharing! ~Marcy
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you found time to get away from the rush and stresses of each and every day. The photos were great and I even recognized the people. :-) Love you
ReplyDeleteWhat a charming bed and breakfast. I love to ride a train, and I'm thinking it might be fun to rent one of those houses on the water. Great photos and great touir. Glad you had fun. laurie
ReplyDeletewow, for someone who only started blogging 2 months ago, you are doing really well! :)
ReplyDeleteYour trip looks awesome and the photos are great! :)
Sound like such a fun weekend!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind comments on today's blog post!
Blessings and love!
Elizabeth
I just love this post! This sounds exactly like the kind of getaway that we would love, right down to the train ride. I would definitely pick the place where you stayed too. It is so much my cup of tea!
ReplyDeleteYou commented on my blog that we were very much alike. Obviously so! I think it means that we both must have very good taste. grin.
What a lovely getaway! The place looks stunning. What a gorgeous house!
ReplyDeleteYou and your hubbie are so cute looking together!
You asked about redwork patterns. I probably would make my own, if I had the time...but I did a wee search and thought these free patterns were nice. You could always remove the lettering and just use the flowers.
http://www.patternbee.com/FREEQB697.html
Have a great day! God bless you and your lovely family.
I've so wanted to do this same trip...Thanks for posting all the information...
ReplyDeleteon my list...HONEY DO...list!
Blessings..
Hope
Hi! We have a place near Bryson City. We rent it when we're not using it. It has 2br/2ba. You can see it on my blog Smoky Mountain Cabbage. Check it out!
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Rita