BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY CLOSURE

Linn Cove Viaduct ...not closed...just a cool shot

Driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway is a favorite activity for many people who come to Western North Carolina. Hiking, checking out Grandfather Mountain, Linville Falls, and the Orchard at Altapass, shopping in the little towns along the Parkway, and taking in beautiful high elevation views of forests and wildflowers make it popular with guests of the Inn.

We've learned of a closure on the Parkway that greatly affects travel north of the Asheville entrance. If you're coming to stay with us in the near future, please be aware of the following closure:

Milepost 367.6 to 355.3 – Asheville Area. A rockslide and roadway failure has closed the Parkway to all activities including foot traffic and bicycling between the entrance to Craggy Gardens Picnic Area and the entrance to Mt. Mitchell State Park.

Affected area...click to enlarge (please note this map is turned on its side; Old Fort is east of Black Mountain):

The picnic area is accessible driving north from the Asheville area and the state park is accessible via the NC Highway 80 entrance to the Parkway. This road closure will remain in effect until late spring 2009.

If you plan to head up to Mount Mitchell or points north, there are a couple of scenic detours from the Inn on Mill Creek. One, mentioned above, is Hwy 80. You can reach Hwy 80 from the Inn by taking Mill Creek Road to Hwy 70 into Old Fort. From there, you can pick up Hwy 80. The second route is to take Hwy 70 (or I-40) to 221, which will take you northward toward Linville Falls and Grandfather Mountain.

For more information (including details of other closures), visit www.nps.gov/blri

UP ON THE ROOF

Brigette's mom came to visit for a few days and when Brigette and her mom are together, they have one activity always planned: Biltmore Estate. This time, the goals were to check out what's currently growing in the gardens and to take the rooftop tour, one of the specialty tours at the Estate. The afternoon started with a walk up the Vista, where the statue of Diana the Hunter overlooks the Estate:



The rooftop tour guide said Mr. Vanderbilt and his guests would ride their horses up to Diana before heading out for a hunt. The only hunting we were going to be doing was for inspiration for next year's garden project at the Inn, so we headed down the Vista and took the long route to the Walled Garden. The Walled Garden was decked out in poppies and snapdragons (huge ones). We took a shot of the Walled Garden from one of the trails in the Spring Garden then headed to the rose garden.





The roses at Biltmore look spectacular right now. The garden has over 250 different kinds of roses, so if you like roses, make sure you check out Biltmore's beautiful blooms. This was the afternoon favorite, a strawberry and vanilla swirl:



The next stop of the day was the rooftop tour. A guide led the group up and down 250 stairs, through the four guest rooms above the library that are set to open next year, and up onto the roof above the spiral staircase. The dome that holds the chandelier above the staircase is made of copper and surrounded by gargoyles, Gs and Vs (for George and Vanderbilt), acorns, and other detailed artwork that was hand carved in stone over 100 years ago. Amazing stuff to see up close.

I'd be making this face, too, if there was a dragon behind me...



Beautiful views:





The guide then led the group onto one of the second floor balconies. Now closed off to the general public, the shared balcony was for guests staying in some of the second floor guest rooms. Those were the rooms closest to Mr. Vanderbilt's room, and the guide mentioned that the rooms were where his closest friends and family often stayed. Whoever those guests were, they must have been pretty special, because Mr. Vanderbilt shared with them the view that he also saw from his room. That view is what the guide called Mr. Vanderbilt's back yard:



The final stop was at the Gardener's Place behind the Conservatory. Since we're just getting our gardens started, whenever Brigette goes to the Biltmore, she comes back with a few nursery plants. This time, it was a double bloom Hibiscus (new home -- the dining Solarium), and three containers of violas, the same ones planted outside the entrance to the Estate.

On the drive out, we headed down the road to the Winery, taking a detour onto a gravel road to the left, which looped around for a nice farewell photo (until next time!).

VISIT TO TAASG

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Last week, we headed in to Old Fort to vote in our first North Carolina elections and also to stop by The Appalachian Artisan Society (TAAS) gallery. The gallery, which features all kinds of artwork from over 60 local artisans and handcrafters, is a beautiful place. We were especially inspired by the glass and the woodworking items, and came away with a stunning green fused glass sculpture (pictured above) by Carol Sheppard of Southern Orchid Glass and Jewelry Designs and a wood bin constructed by Bob Conard of Candler, North Carolina.

Another feature of the gallery is the new Catawba Vale Coffee Cafe. The menu has several sandwiches and quesadillas named after local names and places, such as the Upper Falls (tuna salad) and the Mill Creek Quesadilla. You can also find a variety of salads on the menu. And their frozen fruit smoothies are great, especially now that warmer weather is the norm. Of course, being a cafe, they serve several coffee drinks as well.

If you're in the area and like local, handcrafted art, stop in to The Appalachian Artisan Society Gallery, which is open Tuesday-Friday (10am-5pm) and Saturday (10am-6pm).

2008 BIG PROJECT #1: CARPETING

We decided that our first big project for 2008 would be new carpet in the Great Room, stairs, second floor library loft and three of the guest rooms. Quite an undertaking! Big Project #1 is now finished, thanks to our handy carpet installers from Tyson Furniture in Black Mountain, Tony and Kevin, who worked tirelessly for more than four days to get everything just right. Here are some photos of the work that was done:

Old carpet...buh-bye!





In the "prep work" category, Innkeeper Dave got in on the action, putting in 1,455,003 screws (give or take a few hundred thousand) to get rid of the squeaky floors before Tony and Kevin laid the carpet:



Cutting around the fireplace:



Tony the carpet installer makes a sizable cut (lots of angles in the Inn):



Finished!



Innpug tested and approved:



Big Project #2 entails hanging fabric panels in the solarium; that project is currently in the tweaking stage. Big Project #3 involves converting a gravel stone path to a stepping stone path near the arbor overlooking our little mountain lake. The stone has been delivered and we'll be digging in the stones as soon as the threat of rain subsides.

Photos of both those Big Projects coming soon!

UPCOMING ARTS EVENTS

From time to time, we like to share upcoming events in our area for those of you who'll be traveling this way. May is just around the corner, and with it, lots of things to do. Here are a few activities in the "arts" category:



The East of Asheville Studio Tour (EAST) is an open house where local artists in the Black Mountain/Swannanoa area invite visitors to see where it is that some of our fantastic local art you hear so much about is created. Fine jewelry maker Robert Vengoechea who owns Visions of Creation, Will and Trish Byers of New Moon Pottery, and Southern Highland Craft Guild member Akira Satake are just a few of the artists who will be inviting visitors to their studios. EAST takes place in the Spring and Fall. This tour will be May 3 (10am to 6pm) and May 4 (12pm to 5pm). Visit the EAST website for a map and full list of participating artists.


Work by artist Robert W. Stephan

The North Carolina Glass exhibition at Blue Spiral 1 Gallery (just north of Biltmore Village) begins with an opening reception on May 1. The group exhibit, which runs through June 28, features the work of more than 20 artists. Pieces include sculpture, vessels, wall installations, furniture, goblets and even kaleidoscopes. From the photos on the Blue Spiral 1 website, it looks to be an amazing exhibit if you enjoy glass works.

Other exhibitions at Blue Spiral 1 during this timeframe are works by Sylvie Rosenthal, Scott Upton & Sang Roberson and an exhibition called Referencing the Earth, featuring glass, wood, clay and paintings by four artists. The gallery is open Monday-Saturday, from 10am to 6pm and Sundays from 12pm to 5pm.



The Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) will take place May 9, 10 and 11, at Camp Rockmont in Black Mountain. LEAF is a non-profit organization "established to build community and enrich lives through the Arts - locally and globally - with festivals, events, mentoring and educational programs."

LEAF will celebrate the arts over a three day period, with musicians, dancers, handcrafts, healing arts, poetry, culinary arts, and even a kids village. The outdoor setting at Lake Eden is spectacular, with great views of the beautiful mountains as spring arrives. LEAF also takes place in the Fall, so if you miss it this time around, you can check it out October 17-19.

BILTMORE ESTATE FLOWER UPDATE

If you visit Biltmore Estate this week, you will notice that landscapers are already pulling up the tulips from the front entrance and the walled garden. The tulips are now past peak and, to keep everything looking beautiful at Biltmore for the Festival of Flowers, the landscapers are replacing the tulips with thousands of gorgeous poppies, violets and snapdragons.

Be sure to check out Biltmore's Bloom Report for weekly information on what's in bloom at Biltmore. The website currently reports several blooming shrubs and trees in the Shrub Garden, Azalea Garden, Walled Garden and Spring Garden.

Love gardening or even just strolling among the beautiful blooms? Learn more about the gardens and their history by taking a Guided Garden Walk. Walks are available Saturdays and Sundays, April 5–June 1, at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The cost is $15.00 per person. Make reservations at the Welcome Center on the day of your arrival.

Don't forget, for your convenience, you can purchase discounted Biltmore tickets here at the Inn on Mill Creek. Those tickets are good anytime for two consecutive days.

HERBS

The biggest garden at the Inn right now is what we call the Pool Garden. This is a rather large swimming pool that was filled in and is now on its way to being a beautiful garden, with roses at one end, bulbs and perennials in the middle, and herbs at the other end.



Currently, the herb section contains spearmint, rosemary, chives, cilantro, lavender and a couple of types of thyme.

This year, we are growing herbs from seeds to add to the herb section of the Pool Garden. We're starting off with large leaf basil, red leaf basil, dill, fennell, two kinds of chamomile and St. John's wort. We've read that St. John's wort is difficult to grow from seed and it was suggested to buy it as a plant. We're happy to report that all the herbs we've started are now baby plants, including the St.JW.



Brigette did break down and buy one set of herbs as plants rather than seeds. She could not resist buying chocolate mint (which, unfortunately, doesn't taste like chocolate, but has a good chocolate mint color and scent).