Pineola Campground.  Not much adventure to report, unless you consider following a realtor around the area looking at potential summer homes an adventure.  It does take a good deal of effort in many ways.

We have decided to seek a summer location near Newland because it is close to both the church and the YMCA.  Boone had newly built homes that I found very appealing, but that is too long a drive from here, and the traffic is only getting worse.  On Thursday we nevertheless went to Boone to see what they had to offer.

The newly built homes that I liked most in Boone were in a neighborhood of similar designs, small but very well built.  Perfect for a summer home for retirees.  It was a rainy day, so the frontal view of the house below is taken from their brochure.   

Frontal View of Bungalow

Nice Open Living Area with Gas Fireplace

Good Sized Bedroom

Panorama from Back Porch

Panorama Taken from Front Porch

Since this is a development still in process, we could have had the builder take our choices for a garage, etc.  That would be nice, since most newly built homes around here are elaborate and expensive.

Yesterday, Friday, we looked around this area.  First we went to Beech Mountain, an area to the north of Newland but considered nearby.  Biggest problem with this location are the narrow steep winding roads that lead up there.  There was plenty of traffic, and construction continues up there, with large delivery trucks making wide turns on the curves, wandering into the next lane as you approach.  How anyone builds anything up there is a mystery to me.  Maybe they hire a contractor from Switzerland.  All around you are buildings of various kinds, including large hotels, tucked into a nooks and crannies close around other buildings, wedged into clusters of trees of various sizes, some very old.  As we rounded one corner, we looked up and there were buildings tucked into a wall of rock reminiscent of European buildings spotted all along the height of a mountain.  Could be interesting to live there except getting in and out is unnecessarily too time-consuming.

We looked at a condominium located on the ground level of a high-rise accessible by a tower stairway that led down below ground level and extended up several more stories above ground level.  Then they had ramps and stairways that wrap around to the other side from the road.  How you would get bags of groceries around there to your unit is another mystery.

Thankfully, the one we were to visit was on ground floor, meaning that is was on the same level (somewhat) as the road that leads into there.  It did have you walk a small stairway up and then down to the apartment due to accommodating the structure of the stair tower.  They presume that everyone is very fit.  Beech Mountain is very high in elevation.  There was a sign above the entry door to this condo that read: "Above the Clouds" Elevation 5,056 feet.  This is one of the very highest points east of the Mississippi River.  Mount Mitchell is the highest at 6,684 feet.

Once we got into the condo unit, it was very pleasant, modern, and clean.  It was spacious in the open kitchen-living room design, and the master bedroom and closet were very nice and roomy.  Inside (alas) was another stairway leading up to the next floor where the guest bedroom and bath were located.  Things were getting problematic for us.

Notice Stairway on Left of Panorama

Nice Master Bedroom with Quite a View

Master Bedroom Closet

Master Bathroom

Rear Balcony Panorama View

Once Again, Much Farther Down Than This Appears

Don't look down, get dizzy, and fall over the rail.

Upstairs is the guest bedroom, which is unacceptably small.  The large white cabinet on the right is a pull-down murphy bed which takes up all the rest of the space.  If you like heights and do not expect guests, this might be an ideal condo for you.

Next we visited a home "nearby" Newland.  One drives quite a ways to near Morganton (a nice town with much to offer for shopping and entertainment) to get here.  This was much farther from church and the YMCA than we were looking for, but it was worth a look.

Many of the homes for sale around here are very old, 30-50 years old.  Oldy Moldy.  They may look nice in the realtor photos, but visiting them is a dismal experience.  There are exceptions to the rule.  We found a home that was very well kept, with beautiful yard, but was far too much house for us.  And the yard was precipitous in topography.  Just walking around the yard was too much for retirees, which is why the current owners are selling.

Just Getting Up Their Driveway Is Interesting

The driveway winds up to both the upper floor or the lower floor.  Getting out at the top floor one finds a very spacious home with an open design.  Very modern-looking.

Nice Open Living Room and Kitchen Design

Then if one ventures downstairs one finds a whole new set of bedrooms and bathrooms that are as nice as the ones upstairs.  This is very unlike most basement areas.  The door in the upper left below leads to a large parking garage with huge amounts of storage.  Whoever gets this house will have a wonderful home, if they can handle the stairs and precipitous lawn.

Entering the Basement

More Rooms in the Basement

Guest Bedroom in Basement

Looking at houses can be exhausting.  Hard decision-making, and around here the variety can be overwhelming.  We are in no hurry, since we can take another year to look, and prices may come down along with interest rates.  If some market watchers are correct, we could experience another drop like 2008, which would bring down everything.  For now, we shall just look around to see what is out there.  So far it has been an education in the area around here.