This adventure is actually going to encompass two days worth of adventures on the road.
The first adventure, to follow my timeline chronologically, was yesterday…the apple orchard.
I have to say that I might have been a little overly excited about going to an apple orchard but this is how you can tell that I am a true blue blooded, born and raised Alaskan. I was so excited because it was going to be my first time ever visiting an apple orchard.
The county of Hendersonville provides 80% of the apples grown in North Carolina and provides 20% of the apples sold in America! So I was in prime location to go apple picking, only sad thing is I came about 3 weeks too late. Most of the orchards were closed but I was still in luck! There was a shop that was open that had “pick your own apples” near the front of the shop, inside of the shop was anything and everything you could think of that an apple can produce. Jam, tarts, honey, cider and of course bushels of apples for sale. 
I have been to many farmer’s markets in my time and I enjoy going to markets around different areas of the country and even in different countries if I stumble across a local market I usually stop and check out the local product. But this was an entirely new experience for me, I could actually pick the apple right from the tree! Then I got to see the process local farmers use to process the different sizes of apples after they are cleaned. Did you know that every different size of apple serves a purpose in the apple industry? I didn’t, but I suppose that is why they say you learn something new everyday.
On to the next adventure! Today I was able to take a trip exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina side). The continuing trend of winding roads never seems to get old…unless you are stuck going up hill behind a large and heavily weighted truck then you can’t seem to find a way to get around him fast enough.
There was a particular part of the road that reminded me of a fond memory traveling in Australia. My mom was driving back to the resort from a village we went to check out that was hidden in the mountains above Cains Australia. And I just remember my mom taking all of the banks and curves with speed and joy, this road reminded me of that same road. Some curves you want to take more caution with but others I let out a few yips of glee as I took my car around corners a wee bit faster then I probably should have and I felt my stomach drop to my bum with the mixture of declined elevation and speed.
But when I got to the overlook the view was almost second to none that I have seen in my entire life. How the mountain ranges just kept rolling one after the other, it was truly a moment to remember, a moment that life is all about, a moment that reminded me that life is not about the number of breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away.
Traveling Photographer Out!
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