Posting from Black Mountain

We have made an annual trip to Western NC for the last few autumns because it's just such a beautiful time to be in the mountains. Mike's parents are -- as always -- generous and wonderful hosts! (Mom and Clyde's Bed and Breakfast, we always say.)

We drove up this morning and plan to stay through Tuesday morning. We'll leave early Tuesday and drive back via U.S. 64 so we can spend the better part of the day at the North Carolina Zoological Park in Asheboro, NC. (Stay tuned for pictures!)

The drive up was awesome. We decided to take some back roads. It added time to our trip (seven hours instead of the usual four) but made us appreciate all the small towns, farms, and woods that make up this great state!

This afternoon, after we got here and hung out with the family for a little while, we got back in the car (crazy, I know). We just couldn't wait to go see some of our favorite spots in Black Mountain. We made the typical loop: Montreat, Blue Ridge Assembly, Lake Tomahawk. Here are some pictures I took along the way.