Day Three: Biltmore

Farewell, Georgia. We will miss your aggressive drivers and your all-you-can-eat home cooking.

We started our day with a few hours of corporate brainwashing at World of Coke. We rode a ride in which we learned that the secret ingredient in Coke is you, I was sexually harassed by a seven foot tall polar bear, and we left with the impression that buying Coke will make you happier. We also left with free glass bottles of Coke. There was actually Coke to drink at the end of the tour, but I didn't think it was mixed well. It was kind of flat.

We stopped next at Tallulah Gorge, which I was told is the coolest place in Georgia. Poor Georgia. It was pretty, but it was no Royal Gorge, that's for sure. On our way up there we stopped at a souvenir shop with all the Confederacy stuff you could ever want, as well as a record player without a needle, a Little Orphan Annie doll, and a figurine of a naked girl on a motorcycle.

We stopped for lunch at Dillard House, run by the Dillard family in the fiefdom of Dillard. It was like a food theme park. We sat down and within seconds someone had set down a plate of tomatoes, a plate of cantaloupe, a bowl of Cole slaw, a bowl of peach jam, and a bowl of pepper relish. We ordered iced tea, which came in mason jars, and then our table was taken over by food, none of which we had ordered. This place doesn't even have menus. We had yeast rolls, biscuits, cornbread, ham, fried chicken, barbecued chicken, baked pork chops, acorn squash soufflé, cabbage casserole, whipped potatoes, gravy, collard greens, green beans, stuffed peppers, peas, and creamed corn. And then they only brought one dessert!

Next up we discovered that there was a museum nearby dedicated to a book series about Appalachian culture that Steve likes, so we checked that out, and saw the Eastern Continental Divide.

We finally made it to the Biltmore Estate and immediately fell in love with it. We extended our reservation for a day. We'll make up the time by spending less time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, I think.

Billboard of the Day: Stripping!
Karmic retributions seen: 2
Hotels stayed at: 3
Hotel rooms on the 6th floor: 3
Chocolate pate: chocolate mousse
Blueberry leather: blueberry fruit rollup