Nov 26

Made it it Asheville NC yesterday about 6pm. Found an RV park and was informed that the temp might drop below freezing so not to leave the water hooked to the RV. Umm... I did want to wash dishes but will leave to wait until morning.
Leftovers from Thanksgiving for dinner and the boys to bed after watching Americas favorite Home Videos.
Got up early and grabbed coffee before heading to Biltmore Estates. Biltmore is the largest home (castle) in the United States. Built in 1895 it was full of innovation and ahead of it's time. The Vanderbilt family owned most of America and thus bought 8,000 acres of property and built this gorgeous (massive) home and gardens. Our entry time was 8:45am and though we don't like doing things early there definitely was less crowd at that time.
Took about 2 hours to go through the elaborately decorated rooms all decked for Christmas. Room after room after room... an indoor pool in the basement with lighting underneath (in a time when electricity was scarce). A bowling ally in the basement, a dinning room that can seat at least 38 at one table.... it went on and on. The house is not lived in anymore but is shown to the public. It is still owned by heirs of the Vanderbilt family.
Morning tea was saved on the grassy area outside the main doors and then we strolled through the gardens. Not so lush since it is November. A surprisingly nice temperature though... 62oF.
We had lunch in the Stable cafe. It use to be the actual stables where the horses were kept and they still have the stalls with tables inside. To show the grandeur, the walls of the stable are lined with subway tiles an expensive item in those days. It's a huge stable. Delicious food and we are ready for the afternoon adventure.
Santa was in town. Wanted to get the boys picture. Cooper kept saying, He's not real so why should I ask him for something. Then he panicked because he couldn't think of what to ask for. But then he's not real. He was so torn. Ended up asking for toy cars and planes and Tucker repeated the same thing. Think presents will be easy this year!
2pm we went on a Land Rover driving ride-along. Learnt more about how to use our Land Rover and got into some pretty cool tight turns and steep hills. Was fun but a bit short.
3pm Rob had a Clay Pigeon Shooting lesson. Found out at the last minute the boys and I could go along and watch. Fun to drive over more of the property that most don't usually get to see. Saw a large deer and according to our guides it was a big one. They got pretty excited.
Out on the range Rob got the full run down on shooting etc (not his first time with a gun but not much more than that). The first clay shot off he hit it and the next and the next. Apparently, he's a natural with a gun. I fear he's going to take up a new hobby. He really was pretty good and had a good time. Boys amused themselves well.
Back at the estate we looked in some shops (magnet $3) and around the winery, fulfilled the promise to Cooper of Chocolate ice-cream and headed back to the RV.
A delightful day...
Boys in bed and time to turn in ourselves.