We are up at the crack of dawn – actually I think before dawn even! – to catch the 5:30am shuttle to the airport. Not a big deal, first flight in the morning is always better than the last flight of the day! We’re downstairs, ready and waiting before the appointed time. Along with a family with 2 really obnoxious, rambunctious and loud small boys. It is 5:30 in the morning people, can you keep them in line? Honestly! We finally go outside to stand and wait because they are so annoying and loud in the lobby. 5:30 comes and 5:30 goes. And we wait. We’re trying to decide what our cut off time is to just order an Uber when finally, here comes our sweet driver from last night who has obviously been pressed into service yet again today! He slept at the hotel – which is a bonus – but was so tired, he also overslept. Poor guy. He thought he was off today. Guess not!

Finally off to the airport, we drop annoying family off first then arrive at our terminal, thank our sweet driver and over tip because he deserves it, then head to security to find the lounge for a few minutes to wait for our 7:15am flight. As it turns out, our flight is delayed for about 25 minutes – for what reason, we do not know. But we finally do take off and fly over the city, blanketed in a Canadian fire smoke haze. Pretty, but sad, you know?

The pilot makes up all our lost time and we arrive in Asheville actually on schedule. Yippee! Now, to find our bags! We had a notification last night that our bags had arrived in Asheville without us! Really? Sheesh. We guess in a way, it was better to have our bags sitting overnight in the little Asheville airport as opposed to monstrous O’Hare where who knows what mischief may occur. However that means we now have to find said baggage. Asking at the information desk actually works! We are directed to the United check in desk, where a lovely agent actually stops working with a couple who have some bizarre ID/passport/ticketing problem and gets us our bags which are safely locked in the office right behind him. Love it when a plan works out – especially a plan not of our own making!

Before you know it we are out in the parking area greeting John who has sweetly agreed to pick us up – and we are home in a jiffy. Back to real life after an incredibly fabulous trip full of excellent adventures and good surprises and tons and tons of excellent memories.