The images taken last Friday, showed the beautiful fall colors in Morganton. One day later, my husband and I packed our bags and headed to Asheville. We weren’t alone!

For weeks, we’ve reported that the best time to see the fall foliage was this past weekend and the week before that. When we arrived at the Grove Park Inn, the place was packed. We got there right at check-in time and there was a long line of others trying to drop off their things and check out the views.

The morning of our first full day in Asheville, as we walked to our car, there was actually snow – yes, snow! – falling. Of course, it was just a flurry but it felt great. Minutes later, I was driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway for the first time and there was plenty of “eye candy” all along the way.

For as far as the eye could see, tree leaves were turning colors, making the entire landscape red and orange. It reminded me of the time I took a great camping trip in western North Carolina with my parents when I was about 6 or 7. The air was just as clean and just as refreshing.

This time around, we still had plenty of fun. We hiked along some areas off the Blue Ridge Parkway and saw plenty of other groups and couples doing the exact same thing. The leaves weren’t the only things people were taking pictures of this past weekend. Along the entire parkway, there were mountain ridges – covered in icicles. It was a beautiful sight.

To be honest, the best part about taking a retreat for a few days was just getting perspective outside of the hectic newsroom. For three days straight, there were no deadlines, no breaking news, and no bad news! It’s was nice to just kick up our feet and see Charlotte from afar.