Asheville, NC

Things I learned from Asheville:

  I don’t think anyone is actually from Asheville.  Now, I realize that someone has to be from Asheville, but I didn’t meet a single local while I was there.  Most people I met had been living in Asheville somewhere between three and five years.   Even more fascinating is that no one seems to come for the same thing.  I met a woman who had been living in the Virgin Islands for the last ten years and came to Asheville for a change of scenery. Another person told me that the mountains have a unique energy about them and he felt drawn to it.  The woman that hosted me recently retired and wanted to escape the frenzy that is Atlanta.  Two different homosexual couples came for the openness.  This likely explains its eclectic population.  

   

   Asheville is an open community.  Year’s ago I met a guy unicycling across the country—yup.  The woman I was dating at the time and I hosted him for an evening.  He was a fascinating soul with a creative intensity about him that I don’t doubt will push him far in life.  Even though it’s been years since Cary and I have spoken he connected me with his friends in Asheville.  They were fun, crazy, and all about showing me the best parts of Asheville.  With knowing so little about me, they invited me into their fold and for a brief moment we were family—even took a picture together!  Thank y’all for that!  Which leads me to the next bullet...

   Bike touring and socializing don’t always mix.  When I ride, I tend to go to the parts of my soul that I’m not afforded the luxury to go on a regular basis.  The extended hours in the saddle make it difficult for today’s luxuries to distract me from a thought or a sinking feeling.  That’s why this trip felt so necessary after closing out my military career—there was so much to explore and heal from.

  When I got off the bike in Asheville, I was in mid thought and was unable to pull myself back to the real world.  I struggled to be social with most folks that I came across, not because they weren’t fascinating but because I was stuck in my head.  That’s something that I will have to continue to work on as I make way cross country: giving myself the time I need and not rushing to get to the next moment.