NEWLAND, NC.  We arrived here July 28th.  One of the prettiest campgrounds we have ever found.  Lush grass everywhere.  Very friendly environment.  The WIFI is excellent sometimes, then a crawl at others.  We have been able to update this blog for several days while here.  

Our Campsite at Buck Hill Campground

The campground owner is a Christian.  He had been away on other projects until last night, when we met him as he set up a huge movie screen to show I Can Only Imagine for everyone interested to see.  I have never seen such a screen; it is inflatable, which is done every night, then taken back down.

The address here is Newland, NC, but that town is a 25-30 minute drive from here.  Much of the time required is due to the winding mountain roads which are slow-going.  

We had supper at the Rohrbaughs Thursday night.  They are good friends from St Augustine who summer up here.  We shall be here until Aug 2nd, after which we leave for home.

BALSAM GROVE, NC.  We arrived here July 24th after driving the motorhome towing a Jeep up many miles of narrow winding hairpin curves with low-hanging tree branches on Rt 215.  An experience to remember.  

Falls Along Rt 215

We are in a Verison dead zone, which are everywhere in this part of North Carolina, but the other carriers are far worse.  Our GPS took us past the park, across a small bridge, up a hill, and up to the park owner's house.  We had to unhitch the Jeep and maneuver it and the motorhome carefully around to go back down the hill and across the bridge to arrive at our site in the campground.  And, as it has for most of this trip, it has rained hard most of the time day and night.

View From Park Entrance

Our Campsite Beside Brook

The park is located on on a small brook, but no WIFI and no connectivity.  We can drive Rt 215 north to Waynesville, or to Rosman and Brevard to the south.  Both of those towns have some connectivity.   

Sunday morning we drove to Waynesville to attend church at the Hazelwood Presbyterian Church (PCA).  An old established church with a new pastor who arrived last April.  He preached a good sermon, but rather academic.  

Inside Hazelwood Presbyterian Church

We also visited Brevard, which has an excellent visitors center.  Waynesville has next to nothing for visitors, yet many Floridians seem to summer there.  In fact, one can see many Florida license tags all over western North Carolina. 

Hibiscus Tree in Downtown Brevard

The weather has been unseasonably rainy, then overly hot and humid when not raining.  Next week is supposed to bring relief from that.

We came here to visit the Blue Ridge Parkway, which we did in between rain storms.

The Blue Ridge

"Smokey" Mountains

Betty says the clouds look like glaciers.

Patch of "Smoke"

Framed "Smoke"

Sun Setting on Blue Ridge

Highest Point on Parkway

View of Rock Quarry from Parkway

Weeping Rocks Along Parkway

Wild Flowers

Betty Shoots Panorama Landscape

FLETCHER, NC.  We are staying at Rutledge Lake Travel Park for a week, 17th - 23rd.  First time we have gotten a weekly rate.  We are here because it is close to Asheville, NC and The Cove, The Billy Graham Training Center.  Everything there is top notch.  Beautiful grounds and architecture. 

 

Oil Portraits of Billy and Ruth Graham in the Lobby of the Cove

Inside the Cove Cafeteria

Steven and Betty Inside the Cafeteria

Grape Vine Cross in Cafeteria

View Behind the Training Center

Cove Visitor Center and Chapel

Inside Chapel (3rd Floor of Visitor Center)

Inside the Prayer Room (4th Floor of Visitor Center)

On Sunday, we attended the Arden Presbyterian Church nearby.  They are celebrating their 75th anniversary.  Like so many PCA churches in the southeast, old beautiful buildings and landscaping that usually denote a liberal denomination are PCA churches.  Very traditional architecture and very cordial members who greet you with broad smiles.  I was beginning to think I was in a Southern Baptist church.  

Before the service, a beautiful organ and piano duet was performed, then once the service began, out came the guitars and snare drums.  The music was mostly straight from the hymnbook, but the tunes and rhythms were modern.  It was a sort of dignified contemporary, but surprising to us.

The sermon was by the state's Minister to the North Carolina State Capitol, Darin Stone.  I have never heard of such a title for a given state.  His sermon was on the Christian's duty to those in authority.  Good sermon on a familiar topic. 

Front of Arden Church

Chancel Area of Church

Sanctuary of Arden Church

Sunday night we had supper and a concert by Michael Card at the Cove.  I was not that familiar with him, but Betty was a devoted fan of longstanding.  After the concert got about halfway through, the music became more to my liking, and the talent and great humility of Michael won me over.

Betty and Michael Card

Monday morning we went to the local Verison to find out what was wrong with our phones that were not working very well.  Turns out the last Verison person to "help" us did nothing to help.  Now the phones work great, but WIFI is really slow at this campground.  Takes a lot of patience to update this blog.

From Monday afternoon through Friday noon we are attending the detail study of the gospels with Michael Card.  I had no idea he was as learned as he is.

We had a multi-talented music leader named Stephanie who came down from Wisconsin for the week.  She wrote songs each day based upon the lesson and performed them on the piano at the end of the day.  She was not merely taking notes on the lessons, she was writing songs.  

Betty and Stephanie

It was impressive just how close the attendees felt by the end of the week.  People of different backgrounds were hugging one another and exchanging phone numbers, etc.  

Michael, Betty, and Steven

Friday afternoon following the end of the course, we drove to the Biltmore Estate, former residence of several descendants of Commodore Vanderbilt.  

It was completed in 1895 for George Vanderbilt with 250 rooms.  It is a look into the Gilded Age, with all its excesses and conspicuous consumption.  The house was wired for electricity from day one.  

We took too many photos, since there are scores of every kind of room and several floors.  A few are included below.

Betty Outside Visitor Center

Courtyard of Mansion

Main Dining Room

Over Dining Room Pipe Organ

Separate Dining Room for Breakfast

Tapestry Gallery of Items Hundreds of Years Old

Receiving Room

Stairway Leading to Next Floor

Outdoor Breezeway

Master Bedroom

Music Room

Library of Thousands of Volumes

Second Floor of Library

George Vanderbilt's Log of Books He Had Read
His Last Entry Was for 3,159

Outside The Many Guest Rooms Was Their Sitting Room

Down in the cavernous basement were many rooms, including a gym, changing room, pool, two-lane bowling alley, the kitchen, pantry, etc.

Basement Hallway

Swimming Pool

Two Lane Bowling Alley

Kitchen

Outside the Mansion are the horse stables, now converted into the Horse Stable Cafe, the gardens, and several greenhouses.   

Horse Stable Cafe

One of the Gardens

Flower Growing Along Garden Wall

Lilies Growing Along Wall

Grape Vines Growing on Trellis Walkway

Orchids Growing in Greenhouse

Scale Model of Mansion in Greenhouse

Large Model Train Traveling Inside Greenhouse

Second Model Train in Same Greenhouse