Going Down Memory Lane!

     The hubby talked about visiting his childhood town last year. So we made the decision to do a road trip for the summer. We left for the first leg of our flight through Narita, Japan. So far all looked great all the way through to Florida. We arrived into Narita without a hitch. Not much of a layover so we just stayed at the gate to wait for our next leg into Denver. Once we got our seats, we made our way preboarding into the Polaris section of the plane. Polaris is the one of the best seats for a long 10 hour flight into the USA, in case you didn't know what that was. You are able to lay flat and sleep. It helps when you get leg swelling from sitting upright for that long. 

Peach drink I got via Japanese vending machine in airport.

Polaris seat into Denver.

Main entree via Polaris.

    

    It was an uneventful flight into Denver. While waiting for our last leg into Florida... Sadly, we didn't make it on. So, we had to stay a night in Denver, not too bad considering we've never had a layover that long there. We made it into our hotel room, and Sara and I slept most of the night into the next day. Sam was able to enjoy a bit of Denver alone and ate at a nearby restaurant. By next morning we had to leave for our last leg. But first it was breakfast. Once done, we got our bags, and took the shuttle bus to the airport to try again. Our flight wasn't until the late afternoon. But we made it on and arrived into Florida that night. 

 

We met up with our oldest daughter Kalani and her son and we had a well rested night. By morning, we had made our plan for driving to North Carolina. First, we had to get the rental car. Then, stock up on food for travel. By July 12th we were on the road to Asheville, North Carolina. It would be a 6 hour drive. It was definitely amazing we got all our luggage, 2 children and 3 adults into the rental car! Haha! The drive had us stopped at least twice for bathroom breaks. Most of the scenery was the back roads of Georgia and North Carolina. We saw a lot of little towns, farm land and in those towns we noticed that every one of them had at least one Chinese Restaurant and lots and lots of Churches!! Too funny!

 

Hardeeville trees side roads.

Hardeeville farm land.

Piggly Wiggly along the way.

 

   

In Fletcher!

 

Pisgah Forest Trees.

 

    We did good time, and by late afternoon was in Asheville, NC. We made our way to the hotel, unpacked and had dinner. The next morning we drove to Sam's former hometown of Brevard, NC. It was just a visit for the day. So to make good time we saw Mills River and the Pisgah Forest along the way. It was really nice to see what Sam remembered as we drove through the town. He was only 11 years old at the time but he remembered a lot! He told us about the stores he would visit when he went shopping with his Grandmother, and the church they had attended. Some places still the same, where others had completely changed. We wanted to stop and walk around the downtown area, but decided not too, because of time constraints. We did stop by The Silvermont Mansion & Park. Just for a stretch break. It was lovely, but because it was a Saturday it was closed. So the kids just took a break at the playground, while we walked around a bit. 

The Silvermont Mansion & Park.

 

A white squirrel by the mansion!

    As we started to leave the park, we saw a white squirrel gathering nuts. We had never seen a white squirrel before! At first we thought maybe it was an Albino type of squirrel. But when we got to the nearest gas station, we found out that white squirrels are native and only found in Brevard! Truly awesome and for us to have seen one that day!! So after our little break at that gas station, we were told that there was a waterfall close by. We decided to check it out. Never found it and made our way to Sam's old elementary school first in Rosman, NC. He told us the memories he had going to school there. We walked just around the parking lot as the school was close since it was a Saturday. But still it was a walk down memory lane for him and we loved seeing the joy in his eyes. We stop by the local McCall's gas station to ask for directions, and found out where the house was and even who owned it now. But they were at work so we could only make it to the front gate. Sam took photos and told us his memories of living there. Afterwards we took a little drive following the route his bus took to take him to school, and made a stop at the Courthouse Valley Overlook. From there we could see the blue mountains. It was gorgeous and great way for us to get out and stretch too. It was a lovely drive through memory lane for all of us and making memories with our grandson and youngest daughter too. 

Grandma Bonnie's former entrance to her property.

Soldier bear with me for the ride!

Courthouse Valley Overlook.

     After our drive and grabbing a late lunch back at Brevard. We made our way back to Jacksonville. It was a long but nostalgic day, one that we all will not forget. We got into Florida by late night and slept in. We spent that Sunday and Monday, shopping and enjoying Jacksonville. Kalani even took us to antique shops, the mall and local Goodwill too! See next post!! Part 2  and Part 3

Thank you for reading! ~ ggsdolls