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Asheville 2.0
Mar. 11th, 2024 08:05 pmPotholes and daffodils were in full bloom in TN last weekend as I made my way home from Asheville. The daffodils look more like stealth plantings, rather than the beautifully curated highway fields of NC; it was almost pathetic to see a small clump of yellow and green in this giant swath of brown dead grass between asphalt. I'm also starting to recognize the state I'm in by its highways. Eastern NC is flat, but twisty-turny as it follows a river; KY is very up-and-down hilly, with some twists and turns; TN is a good mix of of the two, and not too much of either, but definitely more of both than Ohio. WV, which I will take on again Wednesday night, is more of a full-contact sport, and I have to remember that the second I cross the Ohio River in WV I need to slow the eff down because holy crap we're not in straight-flat Ohio anymore. VA starts to stretch out the aggressiveness of WV a bit, and bless them for their slow truck lanes on those long uphills. I could really do without that one descent on the way home, downhill and then into a left turn with nothing but dead drop off to the right. freaks me out every single time. I recognize it coming, now, and I can't decide if I should be proud that I know these landmarks in this 1000 mile round trip?
Turns out that (1) it's far more efficient to return the way I came and (2) the trip is downright pleasant when the world isn't on fire and I'm counting seconds until showtime. who knew? First leg of the trip down was rainy, and rain + night = unpleasant driving, but getting on the road earlier, and being closer to spring meant I had far more daylight than my last trip straight south. I need to remember that the world is AGGRESSIVELY THREE DIMENTIONAL once you cross the Ohio River, and make good use of Google Street View when booking hotels. I nearly choked when I saw the ascent required to get to Friday night's accommodations, and then took this photo just before leaving.
Asheville, as I was quickly reminded, is also aggressively three-dimensional. I try to study maps before I go, to get a vague lay of the land, major roads, etc, but the way things twist and turn and follow the topography, I'm hopelessly lost within seconds. Street parking in a hilly neighborhood was not my idea of a good time, to hiring a Lyft to the show was worth the money. I made my way to downtown, and because it was upper 60s and sunny, everyone and their dog was out and about and it was just too people-y for me. As much as I wanted to see the area around Citizen Vinyl in daylight, I also really wanted a nap. and food. I found my hotel, and then hit up Bojangles for Battle of the Biscuits, Part 3. At 2:45 I got checked into my hotel, unloaded, and collapsed onto the bed. I required 7 of the 8 pillow just to get comfy. Why do these fancypants pillows deflate so easily?
While resting prior to the show, i heard my phone go off a couple times, and I checked it -- my cousin Terri was also in Asheville, and did I have plans for breakfast? holy crap! I don't think we could've planned this if we tried! OK, she's actually my second cousin, as her grandfather and my father are [half] brothers 22 years apart. We are pretty sure the last time we saw each other was at my brother's HS graduation party. I know we've tried to connect a few times when she's been back in Ohio, but now that her mom isn't here, she really doesn't make it back. it was fantastic to see her and catch up, and to meet her husband, and hang with someone so much like me. she may not be a Bogner by blood, but by golly, she's definitely one of us. maybe all the good-crazy is from Grandma's side?
I spent more time than I'll ever admit being extremely juvenile about not getting to talk to Darren. It's ridiculous, I know, but my brain has decided we are equally invested in each other somehow, and him not having time for me set my little squirrel brain all a-tizzy. Now that I've had time to reflect on it, I realize what a ridiculous brat I'm being, especially given he was doing two shows, two nights in a row. It looks like he's quite possibly touring with CCL as their drummer which means yay paycheck for him, but who knows when I'll see him play his own stuff again. Those shows overlap with when I'll be back in the Triangle in April, so I know I won't see him at Flyleaf. Maybe I'll see him at WFLR, or the Eno House this Thursday?
Turns out that (1) it's far more efficient to return the way I came and (2) the trip is downright pleasant when the world isn't on fire and I'm counting seconds until showtime. who knew? First leg of the trip down was rainy, and rain + night = unpleasant driving, but getting on the road earlier, and being closer to spring meant I had far more daylight than my last trip straight south. I need to remember that the world is AGGRESSIVELY THREE DIMENTIONAL once you cross the Ohio River, and make good use of Google Street View when booking hotels. I nearly choked when I saw the ascent required to get to Friday night's accommodations, and then took this photo just before leaving.
Asheville, as I was quickly reminded, is also aggressively three-dimensional. I try to study maps before I go, to get a vague lay of the land, major roads, etc, but the way things twist and turn and follow the topography, I'm hopelessly lost within seconds. Street parking in a hilly neighborhood was not my idea of a good time, to hiring a Lyft to the show was worth the money. I made my way to downtown, and because it was upper 60s and sunny, everyone and their dog was out and about and it was just too people-y for me. As much as I wanted to see the area around Citizen Vinyl in daylight, I also really wanted a nap. and food. I found my hotel, and then hit up Bojangles for Battle of the Biscuits, Part 3. At 2:45 I got checked into my hotel, unloaded, and collapsed onto the bed. I required 7 of the 8 pillow just to get comfy. Why do these fancypants pillows deflate so easily?
While resting prior to the show, i heard my phone go off a couple times, and I checked it -- my cousin Terri was also in Asheville, and did I have plans for breakfast? holy crap! I don't think we could've planned this if we tried! OK, she's actually my second cousin, as her grandfather and my father are [half] brothers 22 years apart. We are pretty sure the last time we saw each other was at my brother's HS graduation party. I know we've tried to connect a few times when she's been back in Ohio, but now that her mom isn't here, she really doesn't make it back. it was fantastic to see her and catch up, and to meet her husband, and hang with someone so much like me. she may not be a Bogner by blood, but by golly, she's definitely one of us. maybe all the good-crazy is from Grandma's side?
I spent more time than I'll ever admit being extremely juvenile about not getting to talk to Darren. It's ridiculous, I know, but my brain has decided we are equally invested in each other somehow, and him not having time for me set my little squirrel brain all a-tizzy. Now that I've had time to reflect on it, I realize what a ridiculous brat I'm being, especially given he was doing two shows, two nights in a row. It looks like he's quite possibly touring with CCL as their drummer which means yay paycheck for him, but who knows when I'll see him play his own stuff again. Those shows overlap with when I'll be back in the Triangle in April, so I know I won't see him at Flyleaf. Maybe I'll see him at WFLR, or the Eno House this Thursday?
