The drive to Asheville was exciting on account of the torrential rains and the extreme grades.  We got in late to the campground which I reserved specifically because it was on top of a mountain.  Between the time I reserved it and the time we drove there, we watched a movie called 'Cabin in the Woods' where a group of unwitting youngsters drive into the woods in a borrowed RV despite all of the warnings and things don't go well.  As we wound up the mountain, there were little signs telling us to keep going that we were almost there.  Scary zombies are getting smarter about killing tourists.

The campground was nice and small and all of the friendly people gathered around to see Mr. Fancy Pants park his rented RV.  Fortunately, Mr. F-P did a great job and didn't run hardly anything over.

On Sunday and Monday we went to the Biltmore Estate.  Chris and I do not have a lot of stamina for sightseeing and after like 2 hours we get tired and sick of being around people and we end up sitting in some restaurant tossing back french fries and white wine.  At the Biltmore, if you buy tickets for one day (think Disney prices), they let you come the next day too for like 25 cents extra, so we decided ahead of time that we would go both days.  On the first day, we went on the self-guided tour of the house which was pretty incredible.  You are not allowed to take photos inside the house, so I have nothing to show for it.  Many people opted for the audio tour where you can pay 10$ to wear headphones that like 100 other greasy people have worn this month and then you'll have to talk REALLY LOUDLY to your tour companions.   The loud talking was enjoyable.  On the second day, we signed up for two guided tours, the Butler's tour which covered everything that was needed to keep the house running including mechanical systems, food delivery and preparation and staff housing.  It was super awesome!  We saw the whole sub-basement and learned that the original heating system is still in use (converted to oil though) and the original electrical system was operational until 1994 when it was replaced with breakers.  The house is still fully functional 'off the grid'.  If the end of the world really happens, the Cecil family will be still living with all of the most modern conveniences from 1895.

The second tour was the architect's tour and I thought that meant that you had to be an architect to take it, but judging from the lack of square, black glasses and the high number of fanny packs, I doubt there were any architects on it.  Most of this tour was spent on the roof, so we could take as many photos as we wanted!

An example of the intricate stonework that covers the house.

The Winter Garden roof.

The view from the top of the stair tower over the front lawn.

This is the flashing that's used on all of the roof ridges, GV for George Vanderbilt.  It was originally covered in gold plate, some of it still remains on this portion.

The roof!