East-West North Carolina, November 2023, Part 11

 From Lake Norman we drove down to Fletcher, NC; and up to the mountaintop home of my cousin Gary. And do I mean up! There are some steep roads on that climb up!

It was also our chance to meet his partner Kathy. She and I had been friends on Facebook for several years, so we weren't entirely strangers. It was like being with someone you have known forever, a very comfortable relationship.

Here's the cast of characters, starting with Kathy and me:

Gary and Norbert:

Gary and me (and yes, there is strong resemblance between him and my brother Bill):

The view from the house are not bad at all, and almost make up for the terrifying drive up to it. 

Wait, there's another member of the family! Meet Oreo!

We visited the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, which was sadly destroyed by the hurricane in September 2024. 

And of course took several long drives through the beautiful mountains! 

East-West North Carolina, November 2023, Part 10

 After leaving the state park, we drove west and south to our rental for the night. it was in this room above the garage.

It was basically just one large room and bathroom, but nice and large with a sofa, a table to eat it, tv, and even an electric fire. We felt very comfortable, and I would find it fine for a few nights.

This was the kitchen area -- Fridge, microwave, dishes, etc.

The hostess was very friendly and we enjoyed chatting with her -- turns out she was born in Germany! They also had two large, enthusiastic, and friendly golden retrievers.

But what makes this place really special is the location, literally lake front. The views! The sunrise! The water! The waterbirds! Everything we love!

There is also a wonderful covered dock area, with seating, wifi, electricity, lovely breezes, and again, that view! 

It was a lovely time, if somewhat short, but gave us a chance to relax and soak up the eauties of nature. 

East-West North Carolina, November 2023, Part 9

Our destination today was only 1.5 hours away, so we had a lot of time to fill.

We had been surprised at the cotton fields we saw in eastern North Carolina -- surely they should have been harvested by now? But we were even more surprised to see them again here near Charlotte. 

The interstate takes you right next to the Charlotte Speedway, home of Nascar. (Not my photo).

The Interestate literally has the Speedway on one side, the massive parking lots on the other. 

Quite an impressive view!

Fortunately also in the area, and more to our taste, was an Outlet Mall. A nice big one, always a good way to kill an hour or two. We walked all over, looked at everything, and I think I bought a book or two. 

And I posed for some photos. 

We took advantage of the food court for lunch. The servings were so big, we took the leftovers with us for dinner. 

We then drove north around Lake Norman, not that you can get anywhere near the lake itself. until we got to Lake Norman State Park. We love state parks!

Lake Norman is the largest lake in the state, and was created from 1959 to 1964 by a dam on the Catawba River. 

It was lovely to walk along the lake and enjoy the peace and quiet. We also saw 3 or 4 deer on our way in and out.

East-West North Carolina, November 2023, Part 8

 We left "Little Washington" and headed west. Our destination for the day was Seagrove, the pottery capital of North Carolina. The pottery tradition started here even before the Revolutionary War, due to the perfect clay soil. There are now over 100 active potteries in the area.

We went directly to the North Carolina Pottery Center, which is half museum and half shop. Lots of beautiful handmade pieces ranging from 200 or more years old to very recently.

From the antique traditional pieces made for use rather than decoration, to this....

I quite liked this one with the turtle. 

I like this one, too.

Warning!

There being no hotels (and barely any place to eat) in Seagrove, we drove about 20 miles north to Asheboro. We stayed at a Fairfield Inn by Marriott, one of our favorites.

We decided on Chili's for dinner, as we have often eaten well there. Not this time! I don't remember what Norbert had, but he said it was adequate, nothing more. I ordered, what else, chili. THEY WERE OUT OF CHILI AT CHILI'S! Which of course I only found out after having placed my order. But they were making a new batch, be ready soon! 

Their definition of "soon" was not the same as mine, and when it finally arrived, it was cold! A fresh batch? Fresh out of the freezer most likely. Sent it back and I assume they microwaved it into submission. 

At any rate, we have now decided to cross Chili's off our restaurant list.