Mid-October. Time to hit the Blue Ridge Parkway again… fall colors, cool mornings, mountain air. We made reservations in early Sept, taking advantage of an email promotion from Country Inns and Suites in Asheville, the one we stayed in last time. Still not cheap, considering it’s the one month of the year that’s peak season for the area because of the leaf change, but we were able to grab a decent rate for a suite with a Jacuzzi.

M and I had only two items in our to-do list for the three-day stay at Asheville. Wallow in the Jacuzzi and have lunch at the Pisgah Inn. We arrived at the hotel early evening of Monday, so after feasting on the adobo that we packed from home, we crossed out the first item on our list. The second item proved much tougher to cross out.

We like Country Inns because they have a good breakfast spread. All sorts of cereals, fruits, and pastries, plus the warm stuff: waffles and biscuits with sausage and gravy. After a hearty breakfast, we headed out for the scenic drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway, planning on stopping at all the overlook locations to take pictures of the colorful trees on the layers of mountaintops against the clear blue sky, and then have a tasty lunch at the Pisgah Inn along the Pisgah Forest.

But nooooh. Someone had to dump a dead body along the Parkway the night before, so part of the highway was closed for the investigation. And then some recent rockslides rendered sections of the highway unsafe, so the authorities had to close them down also. Thank heavens for the World Wide Web, we found a couple of alternate routes to the Inn. But not before we took a wrong turn and ended up at the far end of the Parkway where there was another road closure.

Like they say, though, things happen for a reason. That wrong turn led us to Logan’s Lake where I met Karen Rowe, a photographer who was intently taking photos of something in the water (she mentioned later that she was shooting the eels). I approached her and asked, “Are you a famous photographer? Should I know your name?” She said she isn’t and just enjoys photography as a hobby. But she also said she has prints at a gallery in Asheville and at the North Carolina Arboretum.

“May I take your picture?” I was such a tourist. She was glad to pose for me with her camera and tripod. We exchanged info, then she asked if –I- was a famous photographer. I wish. When we got home, I looked her up online and found her wonderful photos at the Carolinas’ Nature Photographers Association website. Ha, I met a real photographer! Things happen for a reason.

The next day, M and I drove out with a couple of routes written out – resolved to have that lunch at Pisgah Inn. The road closures were indeed a blessing in disguise because without them we wouldn’t have stumbled on the Pisgah Ranger Station and the Looking Glass Falls, or the breathtaking winding road coming down from the Pisgah Forest.

The Pisgah Inn lunch was an experience too. Who would’ve imagined that despite the road closures, the restaurant would have a 30-minute wait to be seated! Good thing the weather was crisp, cool, and clear. I’ve never seen so many senior citizens in one place in my whole life. M and I were the youngest diners out there. Haha! We figured it’s the time of year (and it was a weekday) when mostly retirees are seen traveling and sightseeing because working folks are at work and students are in school.

The rest of the trip was uneventful. Which was good.