What a trip!

John Mayer has a song called 3X5's. It's a good song. The song sings of a person who travels and has left loved ones behind. As the traveler writes home, he slips photos into his letters of all the places he's seen. The traveler comes to a point where he realizes he's only sharing these memories with the lense of his camera, and not with the loved ones he cherishes. The chorus sings

"You should have seen that sunrise with your own eyes it brought me back to life You'll be with me next time I go outside just no more 3x5's"

I always liked this song. But, this weekend, I decided to jump in the car and venture off to capture some memories of my own. Not a care in the world. No laptops. No cell phones. Just the car, a camera, and the road. I can't tell you how relaxing this getaway was. I originally had planned to stop thru Greenville, SC to check out some possible investment properties...which I did. But, as the weekend grew rainier and rainier, I decided to take the backroads up through the mountains, near Asheville then back home to Charlotte. I went to a gas station, bought a NC state map, located some small, lesser known landmarks, highlighted some backroads, and plotted out my adventure. While in Greenville, I stopped at Reedy Falls Park. It's smack in the middle of the newly revitilized downtown area. So beautiful. Tons of river rocks, a gentle rain, green grass, well maintained gardens, and kids playing in the river. What else can you ask for? After grabbing a hot dog for lunch (this area of the country must love hot dogs, because I passed over 10 hot dog joints in the Greenville area alone), I headed just north to Landrum, SC. Landrum (just outside of Tigerville) has the only covered bridge in South Carolina - Campbell's Bridge. It's a state landmark. Campbell's Bridge. Although I never saw the movie, this had to be like one of those bridges in Madison County. It was nestled over a quite little brooke. Nothing around for miles. Along side the bridge was the ruins of a grist mill. It was pretty cool. Kudzu had overgrown the entire ruins. But, you could still see the well, much of the foundation, and a small mill roof. After this, I heard of another bridge close by, Poinsett Bridge. Poinsette Bridge is the oldest standing bridge in South Carolina. This place was absolutely amazing. Purely covered with trees, the bridge looks as if it were untouched and unharmed since the day it was built. One of the prettiest babbling brooks and bridges you'll ever see. I just hope my photos do it justice. After these two great finds, I jumped in the car looking for more adventure. I was very close to the NC border, so I ventured on up to Hendersonville, NC to visit one of the regionally famous Mast General Stores. Apparently they are a must-stop for any backroads North Carolina trip. I stopped, and picked up a few goodies. Upon checkout I asked the guy behind the counter "what's there to do in Hendersonville?" He quickly replied with Jump Off Rock. Apparently, from downtown Hendersonville you just take 5th street west for 7 miles, and you arrive at a dead end which is the highest point in the area. It's a cool birds eye view of the entire town. Pretty cool stuff. I swear that from atop these peaks I heard eagles scream repetitively. By this time it was 6:00pm and the local band was just tuning their instruments in the visitor Center parking lot. After sitting there for a while, I realized I was dead tired. So, I was off to find a hotel for the evening. I eventually found one in Asheville. That night I contemplated what I wanted to do the next day. On the list was whitewater rafting, tubing, caveing, venturing off to Boone, or just staying there in Asheville. My body decided for me. For some reason, I was physically drained. So, I decided to just tool around downtown Asheville on Saturday. Asheville was cool. It was a very cool day (in the 60's all day). The cool weather, the cloudy skies, and the hilly terrain made me realize why people liken this town to San Francisco. Very cool. So, I was tired. I looked at my watch and realized I could make it home in time for the Carolina Panther preseason game. So, I jumped in the car and headed home (back roads of course). Through the mountains toward Lake Lure, through Chimney Rock (which looked ominous darting through the thick clouds), and then racing through the foothills toward Gastonia. Finally, on Saturday evening I made it home. Once I home I realized I took over 200 photos. Wow! And I didn't take many photos of Hendersonville, and none in Asheville and the drive home. Imagine the damage I could have done. I'll have to plan another trip soon. Who's up for canoeing on the Nantahala or French Broad? Here's my favorite photo of all the photos I took on the trip. Click any of the photos on this post to see the rest of the photos I took. (All 200+ of them!)