From Virginia, we headed south, following the general direction of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We knew we would have a Walmart experience at least once on the trip, and this was the night (ran out of campground options). Aside from our neighboring trucks running their generators all night, it was a welcome spot, with shopping (and toilets) available 24 hours. And the price was right, so we were content. 
Our efforts were successful, and we were able to move on after only one night in Statesville, continuing down the highway to a short stop near Hickory, North Carolina. Our luck with campgrounds continued, with a lovely spot located in a wooded bowl near a local river, quite far from the highway, quiet, and with excellent birding. The weather was continuing cold in the morning, but warming during the day to quite acceptable levels. Hickory itself was largely uninteresting, consisting almost entirely of giant shopping malls, so far as we could see. But they had a movie theater complex and that was welcome.
Our explorations near the camp focused on a local museum devoted to the history of the Waldensian movement in North Carolina. The museum was located in the nearby town of Valdese, which was founded by the movement and still holds many of its adherents today. I was surprised to learn that this is one of the oldest surviving Protestant movements still around, dating from the late twelfth century. As a result it was one of the most persecuted sects in history, almost wiped out on some occasions, but eventually many of the adherents moved to our shores and settled in North Carolina. Their adventures here make a fascinating story, as does the history of the European phase. And there were some wonderful crafts and churches that the group created. Among the interesting factoids was the startling news that the Sunbeam brand of breads was founded by the Waldensians as a small local bakery and grew enormously until it was purchased by the mega-corp that owns it today. 
Next, on to Asheville, an attractive town located quite close to both the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Once again, we were lucky in our choice of campground, locating one on a local creek halfway between Asheville and the park. Using that as a base of operations, we explored both areas over the next few days. A nice find was the small and charming community of Waynesville, near the campground. It's a bit of an arts center, with a very nice main street containing local arts and crafts places along with community watering holes which we took full advantage of.
The next day was spent exploring the National Park. We drove the Blue Ridge Parkway from our campground to the park, enjoying the views and countryside. It was late in the fall, heading into Thanksgiving, and the trees were bare and traffic was light. But the country was magnificent, as advertised. On the Cherokee reservation we visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. This is one of the best that we've seen. Native American history and lore have been a strong focus of our travels, and we've learned a whole lot.
That said, the town of Cherokee itself was a bit of a tourist trap. Endless overpriced knick-knacks and all the trimmings of a town posted at the mouth of a popular national park. There were hucksters selling Indian dance performances for the few tourists and the stores were mostly empty. Other attractions that looked interesting were closed for the season. But we enjoyed it anyway. On to the park itself. We didn't have time for a full exploration - that's also a theme of this trip - but we made our way up the highway that leads to the highest peak in the park. The peak itself was shrouded in clouds, but we had great views in all directions. We also took a good hike along some of the trails that led across the mountains. We trod the Appalachian trail for a short distance and went off on a side route as well. The next day was directed more to the neighborhood of the town of Asheville itself. Close by, and located on the Blue Ridge Parkway, is the Folk Art Center, the most visited part of the Blue Ridge Parkway and a major national repository of folk art in the region. The work there is extremely professional, and artists compete to get memberships and show their work. We were not able to get pictures, alas, but the museum and gift shop were remarkable.
We returned to the Great Smokies the next morning, heading this time to a secluded valley on the eastern side. The road there was challenging, gravel, narrow, and twisting, with steep dropoffs, and Ivy had a lot of fun driving in. But it was worth the trip. Before the area became a national park, there was a small village here and many of the buildings have been preserved. There is a good-sized elk herd that has been established in the valley, and we spent some time watching these fine animals. It was late in the season, and there were only a few tourists in the valley. It was a lovely, peaceful day. 
The next day, we headed down the road to Atlanta. Since the very beginning of the trip,we had been planning to spend the Thannksgiving weekend with Ivy's brother and his family. It was a rendezvous point over a very long distance, and I was very satisfied to have made it, after all of our various trials and tribulations on the way. Albert and his wife and children were very welcoming, and we had a great time. The food was fabulous. The Thanksgiving dinner included twenty-two people, and we had a chance to meet some of their good friends. We also toured the city and visited some local attractions. On our last evening in town, we went to a see a musical group called Hot Club from Cowtown, in a local spot called Eddie's Attic. They were spectacular, a trio of very accomplished musicians that projected incredible energy onstage. Saying a fond goodbye, we headed east towards the Atlanta coast, and our wintering grounds in Florida.
