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.
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.
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