Mountain Biking Weekend

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We had booked months in advance through REI a mountain biking expedition which would involve seeing waterfalls and a lot of beautiful scenery. It was a two wheeled waterfall tour that was 10-12 miles. Going into it, Chloe and I weren't sure what to expect. We did a Zoom call to learn more about mountain biking and things to know when going out on the trail. We practiced a little bit on gravel and some hills by us in Durham. We wouldn't know what to expect until we got there.

We left on a Saturday and had very nice weather out to the mountains. We stopped for Starbucks and then a 2nd time for gas. We headed to Asheville for lunch. It was approximately 25-30 minutes from Flat Rock, where we stayed for the weekend. We went to the Cantina at Historic Biltmore for lunch. It had great reviews for lunch. It was open seating outside and you had to go to the bar to place your order. Then you had to get your own water and utensils and was given a number so the food would be brought to us. It wasn't the best of service outside. I ordered Chilaquiles for brunch. It was tasty, but lukewarm. Chloe ordered a Chile Relleno and it was cold. You couldn't find anyone to ask about the food and the bar was packed with other people trying to order. It was a bit chaotic and not a great experience. We stopped afterwards at The Well Bred Bakery. Chloe had gone there previously and brought home this amazing peanut butter pie that was delicious. She also had cold noodle salad and chicken salad sandwich that was delicious. On this trip, Chloe got a soy latte that was ok and I got a coffee that was decent along with the peanut butter pie. We had the pie the last night and it was very good.

There was some traffic and construction on the way to the hotel. On the other side, there was a huge backup of traffic due to the construction. Many people were driving aggressively. The hotel was called The Lodge at Flatrock. It was busy with people staying mostly for a wedding. The people at the front desk were very courteous. We got to the room and relaxed. Chloe found a hair in the bathtub which meant the tub wasn't as thoroughly cleaned. We had an issue with getting the shower on and needed the maintenance to come upstairs. We went to dinner at Campfire Grille. We got there very early before the reservation and it was busy. We walked around a little bit and then the hostess was able to get us in. We sat outside and the service was excellent. We split the beer cheese fries. It was delicious and we would recommend it. We split a salad with salmon and the pasta with shrimp/sausage. The salad was ok and the salmon was so so. The pasta dish was very tasty. We went back to the hotel and went to bed to rest up for the bike ride the next morning.

We woke up and went to the hotel breakfast downstairs. It was not very good. The sausage and eggs was wrapped in plastic wrap. The yogurt was very sweet and the cereal selection wasn't good. The coffee was bitter and disgusting. We drove to the bike ride and met up with the REI group. There were 6 people on the ride with 3 expert riders from REI. We went into DuPont State Forest. The guides gave us a good lesson on using the bike. They had huge tires on them and handled the gravel well. It wasn't bad from the beginning going downward mostly and seeing beautiful falls. As we continued along the ride there was a lot of steep climb on the bike. We saw a beautiful waterfall at the halfway point and then going back was brutal. It was a lot of steep hill climbs and both of us got off our bikes at one point and walked it up certain parts. We did finish it and the distance was 10 miles. It was listed as a moderate ride, but no way was it moderate. We were exhausted and almost passed out at the end. It was in the sun a lot and the temperature felt a lot hotter than the mid 70's being out in the heat. The guides were fantastic especially the one gentleman who hung in the back to make sure we were ok. We got advice from one of the guides to head to Brevard and to try the most amazing ice cream so we left for lunch and ice cream.

We went to Brevard and ate at Rocky's Grill and bar. It looked like an old ice cream parlor joint. I had good pimento cheese and not spicy grilled cheese. The service was excellent, cheap and quick. We got a suggestion to try Dolly's bar for ice cream. There was a huge line so that was promising. The service was quick, however the ice cream was terrible. I got moose tracks milkshake. The ice cream was watery and didn't resemble any taste to moose tracks. I only had half of it and threw it out. It was probably the only time I have ever done that with any milkshake. So disappointing! We went back to the room from Brevard, which was a 30 minute trip.

We went to Shine for dinner. It was in a cute town of Hendersonville. We got there early and walked around. It was a charming Main Street with restaurants and very lively. We made a reservation at Shine and went in. I had a Bees Knees drink. It was lemony but smooth otherwise. Chloe and I split the She Crab soup which was so delightful. The Strawberry Big salad was split as well and it was delicious, minus huge pieces of lettuce. It should have been cut down into smaller pieces. The wait staff was excellent and very attentive. Finally, Chloe and I split a thai beef curry with scallops. It was spicy, but so delicious and worth trying. We had Chris S as a waiter and he was fantastic. We went back to the hotel to sleep. We checked out the next morning and went to Flat Rock bakery. I got a delicious ham and cheese croissant. It was very tasty and the coffee was decent. We went home from our trip and enjoyed our time together.

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