"My Appalachia Travelogue"

"Biscuits and gravy. Mmm, mmm."

After a hearty breakfast at Nanny & Papa's Bed and Breakfast, I decided to make the most of my weekend in the mountains and I set about packing in as much sightseeing, hiking, and outdoor activities as possible.













"Hey, don't forget the bait!"

First, I hitched up the bass boat and hauled it down to Lake James for some fishing. I typically only fish for bass in the fall and spring when the lake is quiet and the waves aren't stirring up the shoreline, but during the summer I find fish around the docks and holding off shore in 15' to 30' of water. I think that drop-shotting, jigging and finesse-fishing work best during the summer months.













"Just need to do just a bit of client work..."

After fishing (caught two seven-pounders, by the way), I popped back into the B&B to check my email and do a little work for my biggest client, Acme Apiaries.

You know how it goes, had to put out some fires back at the office, yada, yada, yada.














"Good thing I brought my beekeeper's suit and gloves."

Turns out that the client needed me to pay a visit to their Asheville-area apiary. Technically, I'm on vacation but--well, you know how that goes.

The client required quality assurance testing and reporting. Well, since I'm not one year old yet, I couldn't personally taste the honey. (Infants who swallow botulinum spores--which can be found in honey--are susceptible to the spores germinating in their immature gastrointestinal tracts and producing botulinum toxin. Yeah, that'll ruin your vacation!)











"Double Americano with a shot of vanilla and room for cream, please."

I started the second and final day of my weekend by picking up my usual brew at a great little coffeeshop I discovered here called The Dripolator.

















"Pass the GORP, please."

I decided to take the scenic route out of town, and made my way to the Blue Ridge Parkway. I stopped a couple of times to hike along some of the more popular trails. The Devil’s Courthouse trail was awesome, ending at a large bare rock mountain overlook. Grave Yard Fields had a beautiful waterfall view. I didn't have time to hike Mount Pisgah, but I plan to work that into my next trip to Western North Carolina.

Signing off on my Appalachia travelogue. Hope you've enjoyed it. Stay tuned for future travelogue editions.

Signing off,
Oliver William