Home Again

We’re home.  We arrived at about 7:30 after driving all of Michigan in the pouring rain.  When we left Kentucky, it was 70 degrees.  When we arrived home, it was 46.  Welcome to Spring in Michigan. 

We made a couple of stops on the way, at Ikea in Indianapolis to stock up on chocolate bars and at the Cake Bake Shop in Carmel, Indiana for some cake to celebrate Deb’s birthday.  We didn’t have time to stop anywhere else.

Total miles traveled: 2931

Heading Home

This is our last day of work.  Three weeks done, just like that.  When we gathered for devotions yesterday morning, our volunteer coordinator handed each couple a bag of gifts from The Cove: several items from the book store, in appreciation for our volunteer work.  Thank you, BGTC, for the gift!

Deb and Brenda worked doing laundry today, and Bonnie was in the chapel.

We guys started out getting instructions on how to start building a post for the one we ripped out a few days ago.  In the course of the conversation, we got talking with Keith, one of the maintenance guys, about the Cove and Billy Graham and a bunch of other things.  Mike was asking him about the cabins on the property and he was describing what they were like and eventually said, “Well, let’s go up there and we’ll let you have a look at them.”

There are five log cabins on the property, accessible by a road marked “private” with a gate.  This is where the special guests usually stay, any performers, speakers, and so forth.  Neil Anderson was staying in Cabin 2, but the rest were empty so the four of us hopped in two 4-wheel-drive trucks and headed up there.

We stopped at each one and took a look inside while Keith explained about some of the ongoing maintenance projects, such as upgraded kitchen, bathroom, or cleaning the metal roof.

These cabins may look rustic on the outside, but they are anything but rustic on the inside.  Most have two bedrooms and two full baths and are very tastefully decorated and furnished.  I could very easily live in one of these.  They also have air conditioning and high speed Internet access.

Back in the maintenance building, Steve and I spent the remainder of the morning starting on the post.  We planed five two-by-eight boards and then glued and clamped them all together.  Once the glue dries, then they will be shaped and milled to form the proper shape for the chapel.  Since this is our last day, someone else will be doing the remainder of the work.

Running boards through the planer.

The product of a morning's work

In the afternoon we gathered a few more benches from the training center and did some more sanding.  The next group of volunteers will have plenty of furniture work to do.

I had already done most of the departure preparation last night and this morning: dumping the waste tanks, filling the fresh water tank, putting the covers on the bikes and mounting them on the rack, so all we had to do was unplug and go.  So when we knocked off work at 3:30, that’s what we did.  We gathered for a brief time of prayer with the other couples and to say good bye and we were on the road.

Instead of taking the Interstate, we took US-25 north for 40 miles or so until it connected with US-25E, which brought us into Corbin, Kentucky, where we parked for the night at a Cracker Barrel.  The narrow, steep, winding road that was US-25 was a lot more interesting than the Interstate, as it wound through narrow valleys and past small towns and through the Appalachian Mountains.  Some beautiful country out here.

Game Night

The temperature in the dashboard read 32 degrees when I got up this morning at 6am.  Freezing.  There was frost on the grass and on large surfaces outside, and it felt frosty inside also.

The women had another day off today.  When we asked if we could have a day off also, the answer was an emphatic “No”.  There’s always more furniture, always more deck work, and probably a bunch more work waiting in the wings.  So for us it was a full day.

Because it was a cold morning, we worked on furniture and (surprise!) there was another eight chairs and two tables waiting in the maintenance bay.  So guess what we did for the day?

You got it!

Deb went thrift store shopping with the other women and went out for lunch with them. They also stopped by a discount grocery store in Hendersonville and she came back with several bags of groceries that were deals just too good to pass up.

We took a short hike down a two-track road behind the maintenance buildings after work.  This is an area that most people who come here don’t see and there’s probably a bit of history here if someone still remembers or has documented it.

First, it’s the remnants of what appears to be an old pickup truck that has obviously been here a while.  It is barely recognizable with all the underbrush and bamboo trees growing up through it.

Next was a foundation and a fireplace from what probably was a house.  It would be very easy to miss because of all the vegetation growing in and around it.  Makes you wonder who lived here and when and what they did out here.

We gathered with the other couples at 6pm for a game night.  First was some required paperwork that the group leader needed to fill out at the end of the project.  Steve also shared his testimony and how he prays for people and writes their names and a verse on a 3x5 card.  He gave us the cards he wrote for us and for Abigail.  Such a neat idea.

We learned a new game, called Clear the Table or Sweep, played with a few decks of playing cards.  A simple enough game to allow conversation to continue during play.

This is our last night here.  Tomorrow after work is done, we’re hitting the road for a few hours towards home.

Dinner and a Theological Discussion

It got down close to freezing last night. So it was chilly in the RV this morning and our little electric heater struggled to warm it up.  We slept well, though.

Although the sun was shining brightly this morning, it was too cold to paint so we did some more furniture refinishing.  Whenever we finished a few chairs or a table, it would disappear and a few more needing finishing would show up in their place.

By noon, it had warmed up enough to go back to the chapel for some outside work.  First order of business, removing a post that appeared to be rotting all the way through.  This took a bit since it was fairly well secured to the stairway with lots of nails and several lag screws, but eventually it gave way and came out in a couple of pieces.  When it came apart, we discovered a very active nest of carpenter ants, which boiled out of the separated pieces and went skittering away in all directions.  No wonder it was so bad.

We were instructed to secure the remaining railings until a new post could be built, so we used some of the scrap lumber to tie everything together. 

There, I fixed it.  Good as new.

What 'new' should look like

Carpenter Ant damage

We also replaced a couple top pieces of the railings.

The carillon in the chapel keeps us well aware of the passage of time, as it bongs out the Westminster chimes every 15 minutes.  So when it bonged 3:30, we packed up the remainder of the scrap wood in the truck and knocked off for the day.

The women had the day off as they really had nothing for them to do.

Today we got to have dinner in the dining room of the training center, complements of The Cove.  It was a nice buffet-style dinner and one of the very few times in the past three weeks that we have eaten at a table that is more than 18 inches by 24 inches in size.  Our table had a tag on it that said “Campers”, so they had a table reserved just for us.

After dinner we were able to participate in the first session of a three-day training workshop featuring Neil Anderson, an author of many books, a theologian, and a former aerospace engineer.  With those credentials, he’s got to be good, right?

The session started with a few songs led by a talented young couple who played the piano, trumpet, and piccolo.

Neil Anderson’s session was titled Good Prevailing Over Evil. He talked about the natural and spiritual realms and Heaven and Earth and Satan and how we Westerners are more naturalists and other cultures are more spiritists.  I was having difficulty taking notes as he seemed to ramble a bit.

Meanwhile, Deb is madly searching through a book she was just reading and consulting the Bible app on her iPad.  She can detect theological problems as easily as I detect flickering lights.  And her antennae were focused.

As we were walking out, she began to unload what her antennae had picked up.  The power of Satan over the world.  The authority of Jesus over demons versus the authority that we have as Christians over demons.  The culpability of people for their sins.  What ‘deception’ really means.

We talked about it more driving back from the training center.  We had all piled into Mike and Bonnie’s crew-cab pickup, which seats five, so Deb was on my lap in the back seat.  It was a rather lively discussion and as it went on, my legs got quite sore from the cramped position and another person sitting on top of them.  I don’t know that we solved all the theological problems in the pickup, but it was a relief to use my legs when we finally got out.

Turns out she was not the only person who has problems with Neil Anderson.  Some authors that she found in her research afterward stated that, if you are Reformed, you will probably have problems with Neil Anderson.

It was an interesting evening, to say the least.

An Evening at The Cove

It rained on and off for most of last night and for a good part of this morning.  It also turned colder, only reaching the mid 50’s this afternoon.  Because of the rain, we were back in side, sanding and refinishing patio furniture.  I would include a picture, but it would be the same picture from similar days last week.  So that was our day.

When we gathered for devotions this morning, the volunteer coordinator asked for one volunteer from the women to greet in the chapel.  There was crickets for a bit, then Deb said, “I’ll go.”  That took some fortitude on her part as the last time she was in the chapel there was very little to do.  She walked up the hill in the rain after changing into chapel-approved clothing and was told she wasn’t needed.  So she walked back down to the administration building and helped roll silverware.  Even that job was a bit make-work as they ran out of tubs to put it all in.

Things are a little slow here in some areas as The Cove was shut down for the entire weekend and people just didn’t come out on a gloomy day to visit.  So any work connected with the hospitality just doesn’t exist right now.

For the guys, it’s different.  This furniture-refinishing project has been going on since early fall and there are numerous maintenance projects going on that keep everyone busy.

After dinner, the three couples of the SOWERs piled into Mike’s pickup and headed to the training center.  Colton Dixon was there in concert and we were invited to attend.  It was just him on a keyboard and he did a wonderful job.  I appreciated the songs he sang which were God-honoring and his testimony did just what he said his desire was: it pointed to Jesus.

The auditorium seats about 440 people and there were just a few open seats.  It was a small enough venue that from the back row where we were seated, we were only about 10 rows from the stage.  The sound was an appropriate level, not too loud, which made for a very enjoyable evening.

 

Easter Sunday

And all throughout eternity
Our song will be the same
Hallelujah, Christ is risen from the grave
(From Christ is Risen by Phil Wickham)

This was one of the songs we sang in the Easter Service at New Life Community Church this morning.  It was a wonderful service, full of praise and celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.  Pastor Chris highlighted a phrase from Luke 24: Why do you seek the living among the dead?  Jesus is alive, with overwhelming evidence from Christian and non-Christian sources alike.  With Jesus alive, what will our response be?  The greatest tragedy would be to miss the call of Easter.

After church we drove east on I-40 to Catawba Falls, located near Old Fort.  Driving in, we could see this was a popular place with the large parking lot nearly full.  Apparently this is known not just by the locals--I counted about a dozen states when looking at the license plates on the cars parked here.

This trail is about 1.5 miles one way, a fairly easy hike, and on a warm day it was a pleasant walk.  It passes the remnants of a 1920’s hydroelectric dam that provided power for the town of Old Fort.  Part of the dam and a few walls of a couple buildings are still there.

Catawba Falls cascades about 100 feet over large rocks and its popularity could be seen by the throngs of people there.  Nearly every flat surface was occupied by someone enjoying the day.  Along one side there was a way to scramble up to the top of the falls.  Still more people enjoying the falls from the top.  It was rather difficult to get a picture without someone in it.

After the falls, we drove over a twisty-turny road towards Chimney Rock State Park.  Another busy place, but with some cool views.    We hiked the trail to Hickory Nut Falls, which was featured in the movie The Last of the Mohicans.  Lots of great views, well worth the drive and the entry fee.

When we arrived at the top parking lot, we saw a small stage with a cross on it.  Apparently there was an Easter sunrise service here.  What a cool place to have an Easter service, especially as this faces east, towards the sunrise.

This State Park closes at 7pm.  We left at 7pm, probably one of the last to leave.  We got back to the Cove just as it was getting dark and starting to rain.  We do manage to pack it in.

Chill Day

One of the things about being away from home is all those home projects stay at home.  We got up a little later this morning and there was no yard work to do, nothing to fix, no lawns to mow.  Our 100 square feet of space doesn’t need a whole lot of maintenance right now.  So we had a Saturday with literally nothing to do.

So we made breakfast.  Instead of just a bowl of cereal or a dollop of yogurt, we made Kodiak flapjacks with raspberries mixed in and drizzled them with real maple syrup.  We also fried up some bacon.  It was a leisurely breakfast that tasted so good.

It rained for part of the night and into the morning, but by the time breakfast was done, the rain had stopped so we strapped the bikes to the RV and drove into Asheville.  The French Broad River has a greenway running along it for some distance, and we picked up the greenway at one end, at Hominy Creek River Park.  A kayak outfitter is located right next to the park and this was their second day of the season, so the tiny parking lot was rather busy at times.  But we found a space to park the RV and took the bikes down the trail.  

The trail was rather busy, with a lot of people riding or jogging or walking their dogs.  We rode for perhaps three miles until the trail was blocked by construction, then turned around and rode back to the RV.   After all, it was getting time for lunch, and grilled cheese and some leftover chili was calling our names.

During lunch we figured out that a parallel trail ran along the other side of the river and into the River Arts District.  We took off again, crossed the bridge, and found a dedicated bike lane that ran for several miles which made it easier to ride since we weren’t always dodging walkers.  We rode until the bike lane ended (they seem to end suddenly here), turned around, and rode back into the River Arts District.  We had walked down here several days ago, now we were seeing it from a bicycle.

We stopped in a couple stores, one which looked interesting from the name but turned out to be a store dedicated to yoga and Buddhist paraphernalia.  We didn’t stay long.

The River Arts District contains a lot of artsy places: pottery studios, glass blowing, and the like, but we also noticed more than a few abandoned buildings that had been decorated.  In my town, we would probably call this graffiti, but this appears to be part of the art in the District.

There was a bike lane along one of the roads leading into the downtown shopping district so we took this into town.  Once we left the river, the roads assumed their normal steepness, and we were having fun climbing those hills with our electric bikes.

Deb wanted to see the French Broad Food Co-op and one of the bike lanes passed quite close to that store.  We browsed for a bit, a lot of organic stuff and vegan stuff and a bulk food section with every imaginable ingredient.  Where would I ever use walnut shell powder?

On the way back to the RV, we spent some time riding through the neighborhoods along the river.  One side of the river had a high bluff on which was perched a row of homes that literally hung over the bluff.  Quite a view from their back decks.  We expended quite a bit of battery power riding up and down these steep streets and finally returned to the RV. The prospect of steep hills and dead batteries just didn’t sound like fun.

Linda, our volunteer coordinator here at the Cove, recommended the Apollo Flame Bistro, which happened to be right on our way back to the Cove.  The best restaurant recommendations always come from the locals, so we stopped there and had dinner.  This restaurant did not disappoint.  Their lamb gyro platter and chicken gyro platter were delicious.  The portions were generous and the price was reasonable.  And the service was very fast.  We were eating about five minutes after our orders were taken. 

We got back to the Cove just before sunset.  To top off a delightfully leisurely day, we will probably lay on the bed and watch a movie.  

The Big Climb

 A couple things about today...  It’s Good Friday, the day we celebrate Jesus death on the cross and taking our sins with him, and it’s a day off for us.  It’s a day off for everyone here at the Cove also.  Parking lots are empty, there wasn’t the usual activity around the maintenance building starting at 6am.  The only activity here is at the Chapel, where Will Graham gave his Good Friday message.

It was a beautiful clear day, a bit chilly starting out, but it made for some great hiking.  And hike we did.  Since this was the best looking day of the weekend, weather-wise, we started out early for a hike to the lookout.  This is the highest point on the property and a 4-mile hike from where we are camped.  We packed lunches and snacks and took the eBikes up the road to the Training Center, which eliminated the first mile.  It also eliminated 350 feet in elevation gain.

The next three miles took two hours to hike.  It was super steep most of the way so we plodded slowly.  We had dressed in layers because of the chill and most of those layers were soon tied around our waists.

This area is heavily wooded but the trees are just starting to leaf out, so we could see for a fair distance on either side of the trail.  We saw two black bears as we were hiking.  The bears probably heard us long before we saw them so by the time we saw them, they were running away from us and soon disappeared into the trees.  I didn’t have time to get the camera out so I don’t have any pictures.  I don’t think those bears wanted their picture taken.

We also saw several deer bounding across the path.  Other than that, it was very quiet.  We were the only ones on the trail.

I recorded the elevation where we left our bikes and again when we reached the top.  Over the 3 miles of hiking, we gained about 1400 feet in elevation.  The health app on my iPhone says I climbed the equivalent of 157 floors of stairs.  However you record it, I can feel it.

We were rewarded with a commanding view of the entire Cove area along with Greater Asheville and the mountains beyond.  So cool. God has certainly revealed Himself through the creation He has made.

The Cove area.  Can you find the steeple of the Chapel?

The Training Center and Shepherd's Inn, far below

We didn’t see any bears on the way down.  We sat down on one of the few benches along the trail and had our sandwiches for lunch and to give our legs a rest.

Also on the way down we listened to the livestream of Will Graham’s Good Friday message.  Very good message focusing on one particular statement that Pontius Pilate said during the trial of Jesus: What is Truth?   What indeed. People say that your truth and my truth may be two different things.  If I say that this is my truth, I’m also saying that I’m the source of truth.  But there’s only one source of truth.  Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life.  Truth is a person, not an emotion or an idea that someone may have.  And that Person died for us on Good Friday to set us free from the bondage of sin.

We arrived back at the RV around 2pm and it was still a beautiful day, so we decided to do some non-hiking activity.  We drove for 25 miles or so on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This is a two-lane road with a 45 mph speed limit that wanders along the ridges of the Appalachian highlands.  The brochure from the National Park Service lists this as America’s Favorite Drive and I can see why.  The Parkway is 469 miles long, perhaps someday we’ll drive all of it, but for now, 25 miles was pretty spectacular.  Lots of overlooks and amazing views from the road.  Also quite steep and some very technical driving, especially in a large vehicle.

We ended up taking a side trip up to Mount Mitchell State Park, which is listed as the highest point east of the Mississippi River, at 6684 feet.  There is an overlook at the top which offers a 360 degree view of the entire area.  The nice thing about this overlook was that we could drive there.  Probably put a lot of wear and tear on the RV transmission and brakes, but saved additional wear and tear on our legs.

One of the advantages of taking the RV all the way up here was that dinner came along with us.  We made dinner in the parking lot and then headed back the way we came.  We would have had to drive another 40 miles to connect with a way back to the interstate.  I probably didn’t have the daylight or the fuel to do this.

Tomorrow it is supposed to rain.  So we’re glad we did this all today.

Potluck Evening

The staff chaplain here at BGEA spoke on Mark 14:50 this morning.  Specifically on the phrase ...and they all left him and fled.

Certainly a dark time in the events leading up to the cross, but one that God knew about beforehand.  He knew that his closest friends would desert Jesus at the time of his greatest need, but Jesus went to the cross anyway.  While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.  God knew in advance what we would (and would not) do, and he still sent Christ do die anyway.  

When you really think about it, you have to admit: it really is Amazing Grace.

After prayer time, our volunteer coordinator said that Colton Dixon would be in concert here at the Cove on Monday evening.  Would we be interested?

Sure, sign us up!

So next week is filling fast.  Monday we will be seeing Colton Dixon, Tuesday we’re scheduled to hear Neal Anderson speak along with having dinner provided by the Cove, Wednesday we will have a SOWERs game night, and Thursday we will be starting to head for home.  I’m sure it will go quickly.

Today for me it was back at the chapel to replace more railing boards.  When we arrived at the Chapel, it was a beehive of activity, with the tiny circle drive packed with trucks and trailers, and a dozen or more people moving equipment and stringing cables.  Will Graham will be giving a Good Friday address from the chapel with Brandon Heath as a special guest, and today they were setting up for the event.  They were there when we got there, they were still working on it when we left at 3pm.  I found it amazing just how much was needed to support an event like this and it was interesting watching everything happen as we worked on the deck.

We replaced a few more railing boards and did a lot of painting.  I managed to cut a 12 foot two-by-six incorrectly (measure once, cut twice), and correcting it would have made it too short.  We had pre-painted one side of the board as one side can’t be painted once mounted and the pre-painted side was on the wrong side.  So I had Mike paint the other side and I re-did a bevel cut and ended up with a quarter inch of material left over once the board fit.

I had to do a second board just like the first and I made exactly the same mistake again.  Sometimes I amaze myself.

Yours truly, filling nail holes

Once again, since the maintenance crew knocked off at 2:30 today, we did, too.

Deb and Bonnie rolled some more silverware today and put together some programs in the Administration Building. 

This evening was a potluck for the SOWERs and it was really nice to have the break room in the maintenance building available for our use.  We set up on the long table in the middle of the room and had a wonderful meal together.  Deb made a broccoli-chicken-rice dish in the Instant Pot.  We don’t have an oven in the RV so the Instant Pot has been in use for a few meals. Mike and Bonnie brought a whole ham (on sale at Aldi in Asheville), so we had a nice ham dinner a couple days early for Easter. 

After dinner we played games for a while and then had dessert.  We had a nice time of conversation with these new friends.  Steve and Brenda, our group leaders, treated us to a gift of chocolates and Easter goodies.

Both of the other couples are full-timers, with Mike and Bonnie having done at least 55 projects so far, so they have a lot of collective wisdom.  They consider the time here at the Cove as somewhat of a respite, as this is more of a “high-end” project, with the schedules more relaxed, good availability of supplies, tools, and equipment, a prime location, and even very good WiFi.  Other projects may not have supplies immediately available, you may have to bring your own tools, and they may not have a half hour of wonderful devotions every morning. 

Here, not only is every imaginable tool available, we are even assigned our own runabout to drive.  It may not be the nice diesel Kubota that the maintenance guys drive, but it gets us to the chapel and back.

The standard maintenance vehicle

Our ride.

Back on Deck

For devotions today we saw the last of a seven-part video series Prepare to Stand by Andrew Brunson, a pastor who was imprisoned in Turkey for two years on sketchy espionage charges.  His final release only happened after sanctions were imposed by the Trump Administration and pressure from the European Parliament.  His imprisonment and persecution for his faith had some unexpected blessings, as he outlined today:

• Persecution can draw us closer to Jesus
• Persecution can bring about deeper intimacy with God
• Persecution brings one closer to the heart of Jesus, allowing one to bear more of His nature.
• Persecution makes one more sensitive to sin
• Persecution develops perseverance.
• Persecution puts us on display for other believers
• Persecution also puts us on display for unbelievers
• Those who are persecuted will be greatly rewarded for eternity.

Prior parts have outlined danger areas for Christians in terms of persecution.  It’s too bad I missed these.  I’m sure they were very good.

Today’s work was back at the chapel.  Things were starting to dry out after yesterday’s rain, so replacing and painting deck railings could continue.  Not quite as many flights of stairs as Monday, but I still carried lots of tools up lots of stairs.

Deb rolled silverware.  The staff here obtained enough supplies to keep them busy all morning.

After work, Deb and I took the bikes up the hill to the training center.  Everything is steep here and the roads are no exception.  Electric bikes helped a lot, but pedaling was still quite necessary to prevent coming to a full stop.  When one of our fellow SOWERs arrived last week, he drove up this road with his fifth-wheel trailer and came to a complete stop on one section.  His Ford V10 pickup just could not pull it up the hill.  One of the maintenance guys came out with a tractor and a chain and helped him up the hill

Biking down the hill was a completely different experience.  No assistance necessary.  Just very good brakes.

At the training center, there were rows of chairs on the decks just like the ones we were refinishing.  They looked good out there, especially with us in them.

We browsed the bookstore for a while and bought a couple items with the gift cards we received for being volunteers.

After dinner we drove to Black Mountain for a short hike around a lake.  Back to our campsite to catch up on emails and journal entries.

It's Tuesday, but Friday's Coming

S. M. Lockridge, an African American pastor, preached a well-known sermon with the title It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming

It’s Friday
Jesus is praying
Peter’s a sleeping
Judas is betraying
But Sunday’s comin’

It’s Friday
Pilate’s struggling
The council is conspiring
The crowd is vilifying
They don’t even know
That Sunday’s comin’...

And many more descriptions of Good Friday.  For our devotions this morning, Bill Musick, the VP of Human Resources at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, gave an adaptation of this that he called It’s Tuesday, but Friday’s Coming.   In it, he outlined a bunch of events leading up to the crucifixion, including the triumphal entry, the clearing of the temple, Judas’ plotting to betray Jesus.  Also, we all like sheep have gone astray, and we were not able to know God personally.  This was on Tuesday, but Friday was coming, a day that changed everything.

He summed everything up with four words:  Christ died for me.  A great reminder in this Easter week.

It rained on an off throughout the night and I woke up a couple times to the rain drumming on the roof of the RV.  So when we gathered in the maintenance building break room we were told that we would be refinishing furniture.  So I managed to sand down two small tables and a chair, and wondered just how many hours would be spent doing the same thing to hundreds of these pieces.  It’s a lot of work.  Up to this point, they have redone the furniture by pressure-washing it and then applying a coat of teak oil, however, this time, their condition warranted sanding down to fresh wood and applying two coats of teak oil.

In a higher-end maintenance group such as this one, which has every tool imaginable available to them, it’s good to see that duct tape is still an essential tool in their toolbox.

Deb and Bonnie went up to Shepherd’s Inn to help out with laundry, however the staff there said that they really didn’t have enough to do, even for their paid staff, so they came back down to the Administration building and rolled silverware.  They eventually ran out of napkins so they were done at 11:00am.  Not sure what she will be doing tomorrow since the chapel will be closed for bathroom renovation.

Since this is Easter week, all the maintenance guys get off at 2:30pm instead of 5:00pm every day this week.  That means we knock off about that time also.  Since we had some time available and it was still raining, we drove to Hendersonville, about a half-hour’s drive.  Deb wanted to check out a couple thrift stores, which turned out to be secondhand items at almost retail prices.  We found a parking lot right near downtown that would fit the RV and had chili for dinner, then walked downtown to the Appalachian Pinball Museum.

This is a place run by a couple brothers-in-law who were collectors and eventually decided to open their collection to the public. They have several dozen pinball machines and a few arcade-style video games all set to free play.  For twelve bucks a head, you can play as long as you like.  So we paid the ante and played pinball for a couple hours.

They have popular titles such as Twilight Zone, Addams Family, and two versions of Star Wars, with games dating from the 1970’s until the present.

The place was not busy at all, so we had our pick of machines and played just about all of them.

We talked to one of the owners.  He and his brother in law started collecting decades ago, buying and fixing machines and selling a few, and eventually had the idea of opening up to the public.  They opened a place in downtown Asheville and it turned out to be quite a hit, so they opened another place here in Hendersonville.  He said two was about all they could manage.  His brother-in-law is the one who fixes all the machines and it is a constant battle to keep them all running.  They close the Asheville location on Tuesdays for fixing and the Hendersonville location on Wednesdays.  

Asheville is the busier location, so we were glad we came here. We may end up at the Asheville location at some point, or maybe not.  I’ve been to similar pinball museums in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Seattle, Washington, among others, so I may have to go just to say I’ve been there.

On the way home we stopped at one of the few Culver’s in North Carolina for ice cream.

Pinball Wizard, Deb, killing it at Star Wars