North Carolina

Trekking the country in a Subaru Forester is no joke. If you want a reliable and spacious vehicle for any and all travels, I highly recommend it! Our subie has been with us on many of our adventures across the country and it has not lead us astray.

Driving through North Carolina was a dream for me! I have a deep love for all the trees in the world. I feel connected to them. There were so many, you constantly felt like you were in a forest.

We were on our way to visit Trace’s brother Josh and his girlfriend Nicholl, who lives in Southern Pines. Josh planned for us to spend the weekend in Asheville, North Carolina. He found a hidden gem Airbnb campground called “Baying Hound Campground” for us to pitch our tents. North Carolina had been on our bucket lists for many moons so we were stoked! It was only $25 a night and pet friendly if you are tent camping. They had these funky truck beds with the shell that they turned into your own private room and even an out house for handling business! The part I loved most about the campground was the community fire pit. We met several rad people throughout the weekend and got some helpful tips and suggestions on places to check out on our trip. All from hanging out around a fire talking to strangers.

We took the pups and hiked to Catawba Falls. A very mild hike and absolutely stunning in the rain. Riley (our 17 year old dog) hiked most of it, slowly and with a little help from mom and dad and he was golden! Brutus (our 8 year old dog) trekked along as happy as could be. We like to call him FOMO because he insists on being by our sides and part of the fun 24/7! FOMO – Fear Of Missing Out.

After our hike, we stopped by Trader Joe’s and picked up some grub to cook on our camping stove back at camp. The night consisted of steaks, rice, peppers & hummus, drinks and memories being made. Morning came, we packed up and headed into town to get a drink and see some street art. Asheville must be a mecca for any and all street artists. The creativity and exquisite detail in the art was incredible! I don’t see graffiti as vandalism when it is so beautifully done. Asheville’s theme/slogan is “stay weird!” So we made sure to do just that. Being weird is much better than being ordinary. We drove over to White Duck Taco Shop – Josh claimed that these tacos were amazing. They weren’t our favorite, but they have many options to choose from so maybe the ones we picked weren’t on par.

We made the drive back to Southern Pines to spend the week in that area. When we got back to Josh’s house, we discovered there was a tiny hole in our air mattress, great. Well lucky for us, we had flex seal! Haha no, but seriously. We sprayed the shit out of that hole and let it dry for several hours and it worked! Our time in Southern Pines consisted of driving around the area, eating local grub, getting quality family time and hitting up 2 bouldering gyms. Triangle Rock Club and The Climbing Place, both in Fayetteville. They weren’t too shabby, but definitely made us miss Momentum from back home in Utah. Got to keep your fitness in check while on the road! Especially with all the tasty local food we were feasting on.

Southern Pines is a cute little town amongst the woods. We walked downtown with the pups (we let Riley stay back and relax his little legs) and hung out at Southern Pines Growler Co. while enjoying some local beer on tap, yum! They had an outdoor patio so the dogs could hang out and enjoy the day with us. The downtown area of Southern Pines is so cute and quaint! The cobblestone gave it that old school vibe that we love. Other days included trying some of the local coffee shops. Started with Pony Espresso then Swank, Java Bean Plantation & Frankie’s Southern Grinds. Frankie’s had the best customer service and some sweet delish coffee! One of our favorite spots for pizza in the area was SoPies, it was so bomb that we had it twice. Nom nom. If I had one weakness, it would be pizza. Without a doubt! I can’t forget these amazing crepes that we had at Betsy’s Crepes. I’m talking nutella and white chocolate melted into a crepe and topped with fluffy marshmallows with a side of coffee in a Hooters mug. It’s the little things.

We played cards, caught up on sleep, laughed, cried, shopped at the Hairy Teets for the next part of our journey. I started calling the Harris Teeter Hairy Teets after hearing Josh call it that several times haha it just kind of stuck. We cleaned Josh’s house, like good guests should do and we were gone. Off to South Carolina we go..