1. 2757.6 miles and 44 hrs 42 minutes is a lot of driving in 9 days
2. I never knew the etymology of the word "bunk"...until now (unless this sign is just, well, bunk!)
3. Nancy is in way better cycling shape than me.
4. North Carolina has the twistiest roads I have ever driven on. My motorcycle would have been preferable to the minivan. 🙂
5. One of my favorite authors is buried in Asheville
6. The Biltmore House is really stunning. The history is amazing, the architecture and engineering is incredible.
7. George Vanderbilt was truly a visionary. He purchased over-used farmland and was instrumental in creating the first managed forests in the United States. After he died, his wife Edith sold the majority of the acreage to the US Government for what is now Pisgah National Forest. One of the most stunning things we were told was that at one time, when you stood on the back verandah everything you saw in every direction (over 15 miles out) was owned by the Vanderbilt's.
8. Exercise equipment has been around for awhile. Check out the various "toys" in the Biltmore House gymnasium. Barbells, dumbbells, Indian clubs, a rowing machine, a cable pulley machine. Even one of the first massage showers, which they called a "needle bath". Really cool for this gym geek to see!
9. North Carolina is really beautiful.
10. It's good to be home - see y'all soon!
Coach Dean