In a society that loves getting and staying fit, the concept of a vacation can throw your health routine into a downward spiral! Sleeping as late as you want and eating as much as you want?!

Well, even if your vacation puts your 7pm pilates or aerobics class on hold, and you want to eat your way through a new destination, there are ways to enjoy vacation and still keep your health (and weight) where you want it to be.

Asheville and the WNC area are perfect destinations for this type of vacation. Even the many delicious restaurants in town tend to be health conscious and (very, very) vegetarian friendly. In fact, I’m spoiled by living in Asheville - I can eat out at nearly any local restaurant and have several healthy, vegetarian options. When I go to most new places or other cities I forget the norm is a (chain restaurant) menu full of option synonymous to big, fatty steak dinner plates! See the restaurant links to the bottom right for local restaurants and their Ashevillian-style menus.

Aside from healthy eating your way through downtown Asheville, you can enjoy desert every now and then too without feeling guilty. This is a destination for walkers, and even those who hate exercise won’t notice they’re doing something healthy. Walk around downtown Asheville all afternoon. Walk around Biltmore Estate house and gardens (an all-day on foot event). Hike among your vast choices of trails and views from Black Mountain to the Tennessee border. The sights are plenty distraction from what your feet and legs are doing!

For novice hikers, check out this article on the benefits of hiking and getting started.

Happy (& healthy) vacationing!

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I stumbled upon this really amazing kids’ fundraiser being held at Lake Lure, Lure of the Dragons.

The event is being held at Lake Lure, the site of Dirty Dancing and a really beautiful and fun place to visit. (About 45 minutes from Asheville.)

Teams (anyone can sign up!) will race small dragon boats just beginning to be exported from China - in fact, this is the first exclusive small boat race in the United States!

The race is held in concert with the Asian-American and Southern Culture Festival, which will offer all day food, crafts, music, dance, demonstrations, games, inflatable play park and a playground for the kids, and a picnic area.

And, the best part of the event is that all of the proceeds go to WNC non-profits or services that work to improve quality of life for children and teenagers.

The Lure of the Dragons - boat race & festival
May 10, 2008
8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Morse Park at Lake Lure, NC

Read more about the event, beneficiaries, and how to sign up for a team at the Lure of the Dragons Web site link at the top of this blog entry.

For those who might be interested in traveling to the area and putting Lake Lure (and this event) on your itinerary, you may also want to check out the Asheville Mountain Discovery Pass, with a free ticket to Lake Lure Tours, and Chimney Rock Park.

Chimney Rock is minutes away from Lake Lure - which makes it an easy extra for a short weekend in WNC.
The Park is open all day, and tickets are $14 adult, $6 youth, free under 6.

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Although it doesn’t sound like a name for an appetizing (though smelly) treat, ‘ramp’ actually refers to a vegetable, also known as wild leek, that grows wild in Appalachia every spring.

According to a National Geographic article, ramps come from the same family as onions, garlic, and scallions. Therefore, they taste like a ‘garlicky onion’ - which, in my opinion sounds YUMMY. Ramps, however, also make you stink. They have a strong pungent odor, which - like garlic - leaks out of your pores after consumption.

Ramps, native to our WNC mountains (and the rest of Appalachia), are harvested in the wild and only grow between the time the snow melts and the leaves come back on the trees. They grow in the Blue Ridge, Great Smokey Mountains, and the Appalachian Mountains.

Ramp festivals have become really popular among small-town locals and tourists - causing some to fear that the mass harvesting is harming the abundance of ramps. In fact, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in NC and TN has banned ramp harvesting since 2002.

Read this article, jam-packed with interesting tidbits about ramps.

If this interests you as much as it interested me (I didn’t even know about it, and I’m a native North Carolinian who’s lived in WNC for over 4 years!), check out some of the ramp festivals happening nearby. It’s a great time of year to visit Western NC and Asheville, too.

• Robbinsville Smokey Mountain Romp & Ramps Festival. Sat, April 26. Nature walks, workshops, music, and dinner. Stecoah Valley Arts Center. Call 800-470-3790.
• Waynesville Ramp Festival - Sun, May 4. American Legion Field. Call 828-456-8691.
• Crossnore Ramp Festival - May 24-25. Bluegrass music, dancing, and ramp recipes to try. Jim & Jennie’s Music Barn and Campground. Call 828-733-2807.

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You can imagin the excitement when my neighbours invited me on a short hike that they described as being “On Top Of The World”.  We loaded up and set off  NW leaving Asheville on Leicester Hwy, Route 63, we drove all the way to the end [ which is a beautiful drive ] and turned right onto Route 209 towards Hot Springs, we kept going for a couple of miles and the valley opens up into a water shed, you’ll pass a lovely stone building on your right, not too far after, turn left on “Caldwell Mountain”.  Drive all the way to the end then turn right, sorry there was no street sign, a mile or so on you will see a brown sign on the right of the road that says “Max Patch”, turn left at this sign, the road will turn from paved to dirt, continue for approx 5 miles, even though there are a lot of switch backs it is not necessary to have  4 + 4 if there is not any snow on the ground.  Eventually you arrive at a small parking area.  It is but a short 20 min walk to where you will cut in to the AT  [Appalachian Trail].  It is kind of funny when you meet weather worn hikers that have been on the AT for days and they ask you where all your gear is and we tell them there is a parking area 20 mins from the summit :).  The views are spectacular, 360*  so don’t forget your camera, canine companion and picnic. Please pick up after your self & your furry friends and leave this place as spectacular as you found it. Enjoy.
  

Trout season is now in full swing on North Carolina’s hatchery supported waters, attracting local and visiting anglers, and offering a unique social sporting experience with tasty rewards.

North Carolina hosts three species of trout. The only variety native to the state is Brook Trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), a Pleistocene epoch creature which has changed remarkably little over the previous three million years. This species is identified by the white leading edge paired with black markings. Brook Trout thrive in habitats marked by very specific environmental conditions, many of which are currently under threat from development and poor watershed quality. North Carolina recently began a vigorous restocking and diversity program to ensure adequate numbers for the future.

Rainbow Trout (Oncorhychus mykiss), now recognized as the state fish, were originally imported from similar high-altitude streams of California’s Sierra Nevada range during the 1880’s. This species is distinguished by longitudinal red- or pink-colored bands accompanied by black spots. Resilient and capable of surviving in clear or muddy waters, with various oxygen ratios, the Rainbow Trout has become a staple of sport fishing.

Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) arrived from highland areas of Germany and Scotland around 1900. This species exhibits a sable coloration with black, orange or red spots. The Brown Trout may prove as adaptable as its California cousin—the limited scope of release across the state accounts for its smaller numbers. The largest of our three species, Brown Trout easily accommodates a full meal.

North Carolina offers more than 2,000 miles of streams and rivers open for Trout fishing. State hatcheries release over 600,000 individual fish into these waterways each year. Because many stocks are released into the wild in protected and sheltered locations, the casual angler may have some difficulty locating the best points of access. Attempting to locate these spots with regular road maps is frequently a difficult if not impossible prospect. Detailed county-specific or USGS topographic maps are more helpful in this regard. Trout season lasts practically the whole year, an eleven-month span punctuated by a no-fishing restock period during the month of March. You can find additional details here.

A number of vacation rental companies advertise properties convenient to fly-fishing access points. For one example, see Trout Rock.

Prepare beforehand: Make sure to purchase a license (if required) and observe the proper regulations. Also bring proper fishing attire—rubber boots are the footware of choice for fly-fishing, although attaching carpet to old sneakers also provides good traction. This is important because even shallow water packs a strong current and may be dangerous. Make sure to closely monitor your time in the water—mountain streams are notoriously cold even in the summertime, and hypothermia onset can begin within minutes. Many mom-and-pop general stores sell both live and artificial tackle, plus other supplies such as poles and fishing line. Happy angling!