29th Anniversary
October 21, 2023
State of North Carolina
City of Asheville
Fleetwood’s Rock-n-Roll Wedding Chapel
Day One
Our celebration began with an overnight set of flights from Seattle through Dallas to Raleigh, NC. After a few delays, we set out driving an Audi Q3S Quattro on our way to Nags Head on the Atlantic coast. As tradition dictates, we began another Agatha Christie, Poirot mystery: Taken at the Flood. The opening quote was quickly identified by Julie as begin from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, spoken by Brutus. Very fun! We arrived at our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, and took a walk along the beach, seeing feisty little sandpipers scurrying along between the waves for their dinner. The water was warm enough for Julie to splash her feet in the shallows and wiggle her toes in the sand. In her great gracefulness, Julie tripped on the sand while running and rolled as smoothly as possible but not without many giggles and a bruise or two. The sunset provided soft color as the water darkened to a deep blue in the faded light. We dined at Mulligan’s Grille enjoying beach views and fresh seafood (the lump crab dip served on a jumbo soft pretzel & sprinkled with old bay was delicious). From the Lost Colony Brewery we enjoyed their Hatteras Irish Red. Good beer with a great backstory. In the 1700’s the “Hatteras Witch” was tied to a tree, destined to be burnt alive. With a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning she disappeared leaving only her name, Cora, scorched into the trunk of that tree. You can still see it today (more on that later). The beer did have a "bewitching hint of ‘roast.’" With the beer we shared a fried seafood platter of lump crab cake, fresh flounder filet & jumbo shrimp served with beach fries, southern slaw & hushpuppies. Waddling back to the hotel after a very long travel day, we slept hearing the ocean waves out our balcony.
Day Two
After a quick hotel breakfast, we headed off to the Wright Brothers National Memorial and were educated in not only the scientific process and trials to make motorized flight a reality but also the personal character, courage, and diligence required to persevere to move an idea into an impactful reality. Another sixth-grade lesson plan is born for Julie whose class is about to study through the inventors: great timing! We saw the hill where the Wright brothers tested their kites and gliders, and we walked the marked field where the first four flights succeeded in 1903: 120 years ago. Because there was a sculpture of that first flight on the scenic loop with [Wilbur] pointing from the ground, Eric did snap a photo with Julie joining the brothers in the excitement of that historic moment. Then we stopped by the Wright Brother's Garage Monument at the location of the garage where the brothers built their first glider; it was in someone’s front yard. However, the brothers did build gliders and took hundreds of test flights in their study leading up to the solo powered flight.
Eric long remembers Brew Thru, the drive-through convenience store from his childhood. While he never went as a kid, his friends all had T-shirts. Now, Eric finally has his long-desired t-shirt (like he needs another t-shirt).
We drove the Outer Banks admiring the ocean and dunes along the way to the Bodie Island Lighthouse. We were struck by the stunning stripes and the beauty of the lighthouse compared to some we have seen. Continuing along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, our next stop was the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (the tallest in the United States) where we really enjoyed the diagonal stripes and the amazing story of how it was moved over 1,000 ft inland to save it from the encroaching ocean. The families of the keepers and assistant keepers of the lighthouse lived on the property, and Julie appreciated the proof of families working together over generations to serve the greater community. There was a list of names engraved in some of the original foundation stones. Her favorite was Pharoah Farrow! There was a poster showing all the shipwrecks along the Outer Banks ("The Graveyard of the Atlantic") and it was surprising to see the hundreds of ships that have fallen prey to the formidable currents, fierce storms, and shifting shoals along this stretch of coast. No wonder lighthouses were so important here!
Close to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was a small British Cemetery; just two graves. The two are British victims of a German U-Boat attack in 1942 and even thought the fenced graveyard is only 6 feet square, it's British territory. Heading into Buxton for lunch, Julie found the Buxton Munch Co. and if you are looking for incredible build-your-own Rockfish tacos, this is the place to go. Wow! So delicious. Then went in search of the Cora Witch Tree (see Day One) but as hard as we looked we didn't see the name in the tree.
Because there is only one way in and one way out along the seashore, we backtracked to visit Fort Raleigh and learn about the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. At the visitor’s center we watched a movie that provided what history we know of the colonists and left us with their unexplained disappearance. The exhibit was small, but some of the protective earthworks were still on the land even as the rest of the settlement was long gone. Interestingly, Roanoke Island was a slave haven during the Civil War as the North captured it early and provided protection and a freeman’s colony to any North Carolina slaves that could make it there. It also became one of the starting points for the Underground Railroad. Eric of course picked up a couple books about the Lost Colony so he could read all about the latest theories.
On the way off Roanoke Island, we snagged a peek, again in someone’s front yard, of the Mother Vine which is purported to be the first, or the oldest, grapevine in the New World. Then Eric, deciding to take the long and scenic route, drove us through farmland to Kinston, NC. The breath-taking sunset gave way to a night-time thunderstorm as we arrived at the colorful and whimsical Mother Earth Motor Lodge which was a throwback to the cross country road trips of the 1960s. We popped out for a quick bite at the Laughing Owl Restaurant (really good Kung Pao chicken) before calling it a day.
Day Three
Waking to a beautiful, sunny day and a quick breakfast at the motel, we swung by a reconstruction of a huge confederate ironclad that was sitting in a park. Hard to miss. The first official stop was where the Air Force accidentally dropped two nuclear bombs on North Carolina when a B-52 bomber crashed. Miraculously, neither one detonated. Nuclear mishap indeed. The landscape would have looked very different had they exploded. Then, off to Asheville many miles west as we enjoyed more of our Poirot mystery and much great laughter and conversation. Getting close to Asheville, the landscape changed to rolling mountains with fall color.
We stopped for pizza and salad before the wedding appointment to fuel up for the big event. Fleetwood’s Rock-n-roll Wedding Chapel (Shop-Drink-Get Married) was the location for our nuptials this year. We tried on some crazy outfits (it's a vintage clothing shop), had a beverage to calm the nerves (oh yeah, it's a bar too) and readied ourselves to tighten the knot. Julie walked down the ‘aisle’ to Queen’s Wedding March (from the 1980 Flash Gordon movie), and we renewed our vows – after needing to correct our names with the officiant. We danced as newlyweds to a Wilson Pickett song after the short ceremony. The folks were friendly and a little wowed by our 29 years of marriage.
We then drove to the Biltmore Estate where we checked into The Inn, an elegant hotel that placed chilled champagne in our room as a celebration for our anniversary. The grounds and main house were built and owned by the Vanderbilts who were known for their opulence. We walked the patios of the Inn gazing at the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains before changing for dinner. We enjoyed a brief pre-dinner cocktail on the extended balcony again overlooking the mountains on a clear, beautiful evening (with another amazing sunset). At The Dining Room we enjoyed a long, slow dinner of crabcakes, salad, venison tenderloin medallions, and veal osso bucco. Another full day ending with full stomachs.
Day Four
Another stunningly sunny morning took us to the Biltmore Main House built by George Vanderbilt in 1895 for himself and his future family. We enjoyed a private Morning Tour before the regular tours opened for the day. It was incredible to see it without crowds and be able learn about much of the history of the house and its workings. It was quite state-of-the-art for 1895 with electricity, elevators, an indoor pool and so much more. While the house and gardens (designed by Frederick Law Olmsted) were impressive, it was sad to note that the family was not close-knit and that George never worked. He simply spent his inheritance building the house. After the tour it was time to drive back to Raleigh to catch the flight home. We thoroughly enjoyed one another and our time in the beautiful state of North Carolina!
October 21, 2023
State of North Carolina
City of Asheville
Fleetwood’s Rock-n-Roll Wedding Chapel
Day One
Our celebration began with an overnight set of flights from Seattle through Dallas to Raleigh, NC. After a few delays, we set out driving an Audi Q3S Quattro on our way to Nags Head on the Atlantic coast. As tradition dictates, we began another Agatha Christie, Poirot mystery: Taken at the Flood. The opening quote was quickly identified by Julie as begin from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, spoken by Brutus. Very fun! We arrived at our hotel, the Holiday Inn Express, and took a walk along the beach, seeing feisty little sandpipers scurrying along between the waves for their dinner. The water was warm enough for Julie to splash her feet in the shallows and wiggle her toes in the sand. In her great gracefulness, Julie tripped on the sand while running and rolled as smoothly as possible but not without many giggles and a bruise or two. The sunset provided soft color as the water darkened to a deep blue in the faded light. We dined at Mulligan’s Grille enjoying beach views and fresh seafood (the lump crab dip served on a jumbo soft pretzel & sprinkled with old bay was delicious). From the Lost Colony Brewery we enjoyed their Hatteras Irish Red. Good beer with a great backstory. In the 1700’s the “Hatteras Witch” was tied to a tree, destined to be burnt alive. With a clap of thunder and a flash of lightning she disappeared leaving only her name, Cora, scorched into the trunk of that tree. You can still see it today (more on that later). The beer did have a "bewitching hint of ‘roast.’" With the beer we shared a fried seafood platter of lump crab cake, fresh flounder filet & jumbo shrimp served with beach fries, southern slaw & hushpuppies. Waddling back to the hotel after a very long travel day, we slept hearing the ocean waves out our balcony.
Day Two
After a quick hotel breakfast, we headed off to the Wright Brothers National Memorial and were educated in not only the scientific process and trials to make motorized flight a reality but also the personal character, courage, and diligence required to persevere to move an idea into an impactful reality. Another sixth-grade lesson plan is born for Julie whose class is about to study through the inventors: great timing! We saw the hill where the Wright brothers tested their kites and gliders, and we walked the marked field where the first four flights succeeded in 1903: 120 years ago. Because there was a sculpture of that first flight on the scenic loop with [Wilbur] pointing from the ground, Eric did snap a photo with Julie joining the brothers in the excitement of that historic moment. Then we stopped by the Wright Brother's Garage Monument at the location of the garage where the brothers built their first glider; it was in someone’s front yard. However, the brothers did build gliders and took hundreds of test flights in their study leading up to the solo powered flight.
Eric long remembers Brew Thru, the drive-through convenience store from his childhood. While he never went as a kid, his friends all had T-shirts. Now, Eric finally has his long-desired t-shirt (like he needs another t-shirt).
We drove the Outer Banks admiring the ocean and dunes along the way to the Bodie Island Lighthouse. We were struck by the stunning stripes and the beauty of the lighthouse compared to some we have seen. Continuing along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, our next stop was the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse (the tallest in the United States) where we really enjoyed the diagonal stripes and the amazing story of how it was moved over 1,000 ft inland to save it from the encroaching ocean. The families of the keepers and assistant keepers of the lighthouse lived on the property, and Julie appreciated the proof of families working together over generations to serve the greater community. There was a list of names engraved in some of the original foundation stones. Her favorite was Pharoah Farrow! There was a poster showing all the shipwrecks along the Outer Banks ("The Graveyard of the Atlantic") and it was surprising to see the hundreds of ships that have fallen prey to the formidable currents, fierce storms, and shifting shoals along this stretch of coast. No wonder lighthouses were so important here!
Close to the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse was a small British Cemetery; just two graves. The two are British victims of a German U-Boat attack in 1942 and even thought the fenced graveyard is only 6 feet square, it's British territory. Heading into Buxton for lunch, Julie found the Buxton Munch Co. and if you are looking for incredible build-your-own Rockfish tacos, this is the place to go. Wow! So delicious. Then went in search of the Cora Witch Tree (see Day One) but as hard as we looked we didn't see the name in the tree.
Because there is only one way in and one way out along the seashore, we backtracked to visit Fort Raleigh and learn about the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. At the visitor’s center we watched a movie that provided what history we know of the colonists and left us with their unexplained disappearance. The exhibit was small, but some of the protective earthworks were still on the land even as the rest of the settlement was long gone. Interestingly, Roanoke Island was a slave haven during the Civil War as the North captured it early and provided protection and a freeman’s colony to any North Carolina slaves that could make it there. It also became one of the starting points for the Underground Railroad. Eric of course picked up a couple books about the Lost Colony so he could read all about the latest theories.
On the way off Roanoke Island, we snagged a peek, again in someone’s front yard, of the Mother Vine which is purported to be the first, or the oldest, grapevine in the New World. Then Eric, deciding to take the long and scenic route, drove us through farmland to Kinston, NC. The breath-taking sunset gave way to a night-time thunderstorm as we arrived at the colorful and whimsical Mother Earth Motor Lodge which was a throwback to the cross country road trips of the 1960s. We popped out for a quick bite at the Laughing Owl Restaurant (really good Kung Pao chicken) before calling it a day.
Day Three
Waking to a beautiful, sunny day and a quick breakfast at the motel, we swung by a reconstruction of a huge confederate ironclad that was sitting in a park. Hard to miss. The first official stop was where the Air Force accidentally dropped two nuclear bombs on North Carolina when a B-52 bomber crashed. Miraculously, neither one detonated. Nuclear mishap indeed. The landscape would have looked very different had they exploded. Then, off to Asheville many miles west as we enjoyed more of our Poirot mystery and much great laughter and conversation. Getting close to Asheville, the landscape changed to rolling mountains with fall color.
We stopped for pizza and salad before the wedding appointment to fuel up for the big event. Fleetwood’s Rock-n-roll Wedding Chapel (Shop-Drink-Get Married) was the location for our nuptials this year. We tried on some crazy outfits (it's a vintage clothing shop), had a beverage to calm the nerves (oh yeah, it's a bar too) and readied ourselves to tighten the knot. Julie walked down the ‘aisle’ to Queen’s Wedding March (from the 1980 Flash Gordon movie), and we renewed our vows – after needing to correct our names with the officiant. We danced as newlyweds to a Wilson Pickett song after the short ceremony. The folks were friendly and a little wowed by our 29 years of marriage.
We then drove to the Biltmore Estate where we checked into The Inn, an elegant hotel that placed chilled champagne in our room as a celebration for our anniversary. The grounds and main house were built and owned by the Vanderbilts who were known for their opulence. We walked the patios of the Inn gazing at the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains before changing for dinner. We enjoyed a brief pre-dinner cocktail on the extended balcony again overlooking the mountains on a clear, beautiful evening (with another amazing sunset). At The Dining Room we enjoyed a long, slow dinner of crabcakes, salad, venison tenderloin medallions, and veal osso bucco. Another full day ending with full stomachs.
Day Four
Another stunningly sunny morning took us to the Biltmore Main House built by George Vanderbilt in 1895 for himself and his future family. We enjoyed a private Morning Tour before the regular tours opened for the day. It was incredible to see it without crowds and be able learn about much of the history of the house and its workings. It was quite state-of-the-art for 1895 with electricity, elevators, an indoor pool and so much more. While the house and gardens (designed by Frederick Law Olmsted) were impressive, it was sad to note that the family was not close-knit and that George never worked. He simply spent his inheritance building the house. After the tour it was time to drive back to Raleigh to catch the flight home. We thoroughly enjoyed one another and our time in the beautiful state of North Carolina!