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| The front of the cabin. |
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| The HUGE front door—amazing, carved and painted piece of wood. |
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| My only complaint about the house would be all the immediate overgrowth and scraggly trees that blocked our view from the back deck. But there was this one, narrow break that allowed for at least a peek of the rolling, green hills. |
The trip started Friday, with Kate driving down from her home in Lansing to pick me up here in Greensboro (she also dropped her boys off at her parents' house, so that was the added bonus of coming down my way). We did the grocery shopping for the trip, and then hit the highway. With adding in a stop for dinner in Asheville (an Indian restaurant that somewhat surprised us with its deliciousness factor), we did not get to the cabin until very late. But, as has become the case since becoming a mother, even the car ride sans children was so nice—especially since I was able to spend it chatting with my longtime friend.
Friday night through Sunday morning was pretty much spent just around the cabin. It was so nice to relax and catch up with all the girls, who included Kate and myself, and then Shelly, Alison, Natali, Adria, Helen, Charlotte, and Beri, all from the Atlanta area. Alison and I woke up first every morning, I believe, and even though I could not sleep in very late at all (7:30 a.m.!), the quiet of each morning was so delicious, I could hardly stand it. What? I don't have to immediately start feeding and dressing children? I don't hear any whining? Excuse me? You mean I get to sit on the deck and enjoy a cup of coffee while I leisurely read magazines and books and chat with my friends? Wow. It really was so, incredibly nice.
Sadly, Charlotte had to leave us the day after we arrived because her husband's grandfather passed away. We were so bummed that she had to leaves us so early on in the trip, but these are things we cannot control in life, unfortunately. This was an expected passing, but still very sad for their family. My thoughts and prayers have been with them.
On Sunday, we made the trip into Hot Springs, where we took advantage of the Hot Springs Resort and Spa. A tavern was established on the property in 1788, when the 200 acres of land were deeded to a group of white mountaineer settlers. Artifacts have been found in the area that support the fact that the Cherokee Indians used these springs long before these guys discovered them for themselves. Needless to say, this resort has been around awhile. I arrived with no expectations, which was probably beneficial, as this is not your fancy-schmancy resort, where you might envision yourself walking around in a white, puffy robe, with a glass of champagne in hand. This place is quite rustic. And I quite appreciated it. I lean more on the rustic side of life as it is, when I have a choice, so sometimes when I find myself in fancy situations, I am not so sure what to do with myself. Here, it did not matter. Those of us girls who were signed up to enjoy the hot springs changed into our bathing suits in a bare-bones bath house, out behind the main building. We were then escorted to our tub, which was behind a numbered, wooden, simple shelter/stall-type construction. The tub itself was just like your typical hot tub with jets, and then they had pipes piping in the natural hot springs water. As we soaked in the tub, a misting of cool water fell from above. It was lovely. When our time was up, they drained all the water out of the tub. All of us had scheduled massages, so it was back to the main building for those. The massage rooms were equivalent to what you would find in a massage therapist's office—simple and sufficient. And I have to tell you, this was one of the best massages I have ever received. And I have seen some pretty darn good massage therapists over the years. It was awesome, and so relaxing. After everyone was finished with their massages, we regrouped and headed to a local restaurant (according to my massage therapist, the restaurant Hot Springs is most known for), Iron Horse Station. Their sweet potato fries were delicious. After lunch, we strolled around town for a bit, visiting a few of the shops, which included a brief hike on the Appalachian Trail, as it runs right down the sidewalk, directly through the middle of Hot Springs (with Hot Springs being the only Appalachian Trail town in North Carolina).
After the trip to town, it was back to the cabin—at least for the remaining six of us. Helen and Beri headed back to Atlanta from Hot Springs to fulfill family commitments. The last night away was really nice. We just kept it simple and ate leftover taco stuff from our previous dinner, and then sat around and chatted. And a few of us roasted marshmallows and made s'mores on the fire I built in the fire pit outside. Yum.
We had such a wonderful time, that Kate and I were busy scheming our next getaway on the drive home. I cannot wait to do it again, girls!
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