August 11 and 12 2016
Jeff and Robin gave us a Getaway to Hot Springs NC for
Christmas. For one reason or the other
we had not gotten it on the calendar…but this week we were in the
mood for a little trip and called to make the arrangements. We would be staying in the Iron Station Inn
right in the middle of Hot Springs, having dinner there in their restaurant,
and enjoying an hour in one of the “hot tubs” at the famous Hot Springs. Jane needs to apologize for the lack of photos. No phone signal from ATT in Hot Spring so the phone went into a pocket and was often forgotten - a nice feeling!
We enjoyed a ride over the mountain from Greeneville – a road
neither of us thought we had been on.
But as we left Greeneville Ben remembered he had been all over that area
doing a damage assessment during the flooding about 10 years back. So he enjoyed remembering all his
experiences. It was a devastating flood
for the Camp Creek area. I remember
seeing the photos and hearing the stories of houses literally floating down the
mountain. Remarkably the worst flooding
was near the top of one of the mountains.
We stopped to look at one house that Ben remembered distinctly had no
soil left in the yard – now a nice green lawn but after the flood it was a
front yard of only round river rocks.
Hard to believe the small less than a yard across creek could have
caused so much damage.
About an hour from Greeneville, just across the North
Carolina line, sits Hot Springs. This
small town is truly small town America.
The Appalachian Trail follows the main road – US 70 & 25 – right
through the town. We found the Iron
Horse Inn where it sits beside the railroad.
The area in late 1800’s had a huge 360 room hotel and the Hot Springs
were a huge draw. Later a fire would
destroy the hotel. A German Prisoner of
War camp, the hot springs, and the railroad are all intermingled in the history
of the area. Now the main industry seems
to be the outdoor adventures – rafting, hiking, and sightseeing and of course
the hot springs.
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| Appalachian Trail is Main Street of Hot Springs |
We got ourselves checked in and then explored around town a
bit. A couple hardware stores, a few
restaurants, gift shops, and a nice trail along the river. We particularly
enjoyed the Bluff Mountain Outfitters which was a very nice outdoors shop with
nice clothing, hiking gear, books, food, and other items primarily for the many
hikers that come through town. There was also a very nice jewelry and rock shop but it was closed.
About 5:30 we headed to the Iron Horse Restaurant for
dinner. Thursday night special was Prime
Rib which sounded perfect to Ben. I
added some Fried Green Tomatoes and we had an excellent feast. Our only problem was way too much food. We should had split the meal! The fried green tomatoes, green beans with
tomatoes and garlic, and the prime rib were as good as anywhere.
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| Fried Green Tomatoes at Iron Horse |
Our scheduled hour at the Hot Springs was 7:45 and we were
told to be there about 15 minutes before our appointed time. We considered walking over the railroad to
the hot springs but after considering the walk back after an hour relaxing we
drove. While it did not look like it was
very far – it was further than it looked.
The water comes from deep in the ground not from water bubbling out of
the ground – it is pumped into the various “hot tubs” that were placed along
the river banks in gazebo type structures. Since the business operates year
round – the roof would be needed for rain and snow plus keeping leaves out of
the tubs. The water was hot – they said
99 – 102 degrees. While it was relaxing
– the experience was also a bit like being in a sweat box – so guess that was
healthy! We enjoyed the experience and Ben even enjoyed ice cream after the soak.
The Iron Horse Inn is the upstairs above what must have been
the railroad offices. The ground floor was now the restaurant, police
department and city hall, and other shops.
The rooms were small but furnished with vintage furniture. The only phone in the place fit right
in! A TV was out in the lobby area as
were reading materials etc. and you were encouraged to sit with lots of comfy
furniture. The WIFI worked well some of
the time all over the Inn. Early in the
afternoon it was hard to get a consistent signal but later it worked fine.
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| It works! |
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| Room 209 |
After reading a while we were sound asleep. Ben heard a train in the night – Jane heard
nothing. Great night’s sleep.
Coffee but no breakfast was offered in the Inn so we went to
the Smoky Mountain Diner – recommended by the Inn for breakfast. Follow the cars is often a good test for
restaurants in small towns and that was the case here – locals and tourists
both were enjoying a multitude of foods.
After a good meal we wandered through the gift shop below the Inn – lots
of nice things.
We headed towards Asheville on US 70-25. We headed to the Asheville Mall where Jane
spent about an hour searching for a few bargains and did find some slacks and a
couple shirts. We then found the Trader
Joe’s and bought a baguette and chicken salad for lunch and a few other
goodies. Nice to finally find this store
– our nearest Trader Joe’s.
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| Beautiful Day in Western NC |
Ben had been asked by Robin to come to speak to Daniel’s 4th
grade class on rocks in a couple weeks when we are there.
Ben said he needed one more rock to be able to fully “show and tell”
about all types of rocks. It should be noted here that he already has a cabinet full of wonderful rocks collected over more than 60 years! The perfect
one would be found near the “Eye of God” in one of the cuts on I-26 near Sam’s
Gap. So off we went in search of that
perfect rock on our way home. He found
the perfect metamorphic example after a bit of searching and Jane got a good
photo of the “Eye of God” – the dark section in one of the major highway cuts.
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| Up to "Sam's Gap" on I 26 |
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| Searching for that perfect rock |
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| "Eye of God" |
Very nice getaway for us!
We are so lucky to live in an area where only a few miles away from home
are numerous beautiful get away locations!
Thanks Jeff and Robin.
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