July 23, 2008

Native Charlottean takes a road trip

As everyone who knows me well knows, the Pappas clan loves a road trip! Charlotte is located in a great spot in our fair state of North Carolina and we are a short drive to many wonderful destinations. Last weekend we loaded our gas guzzling suburban to the gills and took off for the shores of Lake Summit. You die hard campers might recognize the name if you are an alum of Camp Green Cove, Camp Mondamin, Camp Pinnacle or Camp Greystone. The lake glows a beautiful blue-green and is so clear that you can see your feet when standing in water up to your waist. Bring your bicycle because there are miles of dirt roads to ride on and explore. The nearby towns of Flat Rock and Saluda are full of shopping and restaurants and Asheville is a 30 minute ride away.

A summer trip is not complete with out a local farmer’s market. Lake Summit is right down the road from the Curbside Market which is chock full of locally grown produce, fresh baked bread, cookies and cakes. There is also stall after stall of hand-made crafts.

The best way to see the lake after you have loaded up on groceries is definitely by water. Bring a canoe or a kayak for the best lake view or rent a house that is fully stocked. The powers that be are very strict about official Lake Summit stickers for power boats so you can not bring your own. Fortunately you can bring all the rafts that you want. Because after all the paddling, shopping and biking you are going to need to rest!

Happy travels until the next installment,

Catharine Pappas

Posted by: Catharine Pappas