Day 37
Before, leaving today we made sure to have the most important meal of the day. Breakfast. It’s never good to do anything on an empty stomach.
We had been on the road for a bit. We decided to stop a the famous Bucees in Sevierville, TN. We were inside for just a bit using the bathroom and grabbing something for lunch.
Once back at the camper, I heard a lady talking to Jacob. He was like “Oh yeah! Wow! Yeah, we’ll wait!” I came back around the camper. Jacob said ‘the guy with the pictures. You know the guy with the camera is here. The guy at the camp with the blue truck”. I was quickly racking my brain of who he was talking about.
Then, it dawned on me. Sylvain Laforge! We had met him on our trip to the Big Bend last year in Texas. He takes amazingly beautiful and breathtaking pictures of wild life, nature and other interesting things. He had told his wife while we were in Bucees, “ Hey, I know them (as he had recognized our camper). If they come out of the store stop them. They are my friends!” We parted ways after a brief but nice visit.
With our Bucees patch in hand, it was time to continue to our next stop. The Bilmore!!! We still had a little over an hour to drive to Asheville.
Upon arrival, we were informed the house tour was closed for the day. But, we could still explore the grounds, the garden and still get close to the house. So, we opted to do that. Especially, since the weather was beautiful.
The Biltmore welcomes more than 1 million guest yearly. It is one of the most popular historical sites in the country. Once a privately owned home with 250 rooms it is a huge attraction in America largest homes. The Biltmore construction was completed in 1895.
George Washington Vanderbilt was the owner of The Biltmore. He visited Asheville. When he fell in love with its atmosphere and nature. So he purchased 125,000 acres for his estate. George hired Richard Hunt to be the mastermind of designing the home. While, Frederick Olmsted made a museum of the gardens and estates grounds.
I loved how these Japanese Wisteria were wrapped around the pillars. It’s as if the vines were wrapping the cold concrete in a crazy hug. They both gave each other a sense of support.
The video does not show all the beauty of the Biltmore grounds. It was definitely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
Unfortunately, we could not camp on the Biltmore grounds. Jacob had already looked on IOverlander for a place to stay. There was a Folk Art Museum parking lot that allowed overnight free camping. So, that was home for the night.
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