From Madison County to Six Mile

We began our first land search on Sunday, the first of June, with Eunice Pearson, our guardian realtor angel.

After browsing the racket that is the Multiple Listing Service (a.k.a. MLS), we came across four properties within an hour of Asheville that looked promising.

Slanty Plains

The first, 68 acres for $340,000, was about an hour away:

"Laurel community. Build your perfect mountain getaway! This parcel has it all. Borders Pisgah National Forest. Bold streams, big game, wildlife, and long range views. Private yet only 2/10 of a mile from highway 208. Two miles from the Tennessee border and only 15 minutes from Greenville, TN. Ideal for mountain retreat or for investment."

After a nice chat with Eunice, we found the place, but not until after several wrong turns, educated guesses, and phone calls:



This place was very heavily wooded and very steep. In fact we decided it would be pretty hard to build houses anywhere because of its stepth.


68 acres is about a third of a mile by a third of a mile (a 10 minute walk), but we couldn't see the whole thing because the seller agent hadn't posted a plat map / survey on the MLS – so we didn't know where the property started and ended. This will be a recurring theme.

What's the Rope For?

After seeing this property we went to the next - only to find that we couldn't make our way up the mountain because Eunice's minivan only had four wheels. We skipped it and moved on to the next.

Cowy Acres



This place was interesting but seemed small. It had a nice combination of woods and cleared pasture land. It appeared to be long and narrow, bordered by a small creek and a road. Again we didn't get to see much of the property because we didn't know the layout.

Asheville area summary:

GREAT	DUMB
lots of mountains & streams proximity to Asheville few / no zzzoning laws	very expensive - a house on the property is nearly out of the question, and living within 30 minutes of Asheville seems equally impossible Asheville is being developed quickly and we may be surrounded by Dairy Queens in 15 years

Greenville, South Carolina


Next we dove south to Greenville, which supposedly is being rubbed off by Asheville. We could neither confirm nor deny this during our fifteen minute walk-n-sit downtown, but it did look cute.


As health food stores currently comprise our only metric for cities, Greenville went from an F to an A+ when we found its Whole Foods. We happily gave it a merit badge when we found vegan soy-free coconut ice cream in its cold section.

Welcome to Pickens County


Our next guardian was Robert Mixon, whom we met in the small town of Seneca, an hour west of Greenville. He explained passionately that the counties of Pickens and Oconee would be our best bets - Greenville County is being developed very quickly and is already too expensive for us, due to its location between the two Hip Cities, and its proximity to the Asheville airport.

We found some props to check and made our way north to Six Mile.

A Land of South Carolina




The blurb:

"Old Homestead sold As-Is. It is a farm house that can be renovated and used as a vacation/weekender or residence until you build. There are several great building locations on this 80% wooded property. Tranquil and private, there are trails throughout the woods, over 3 streams, gentle rolling hills and abundant wildlife. Hunting and horseback riding haven!"

After several vicious rap battles we decided we liked this place. A sad turtle near a sad stream fought a citrusy magnolia. A lumpy kitchen fought a nice clearing with snake. However, 33 acres is a bit small, and we moved on to the next property.

Sunset before Sunset

"57.52 unrestricted acres located in Sunset. This property has a nice combination of mature trees and green pastures with clear mountains streams. Perfect land to build your dream home. Very private with rolling hills and great long range view of the mountains."

With this plot of land we finally met our match. It took so long to walk into the property that we even had time to stop for toads. A nice two-story house with a shed, a well, a septic tank, and grid electricity sat near a beautiful oak tree. A tiny stream rests on one border, and a larger stream lies at the entrance, very close to the road and at the bottom of the slope. We probably wouldn't live here due to the water location & flow, but the property was still very pleasant and we miss it already.

Fence Expenses

Finally we went to the last property - a lot of acres for some amount of money. Either way it was in a gated community and there were restrictions on what you could build (minimum square footage, etc.). We couldn't even get in the gate and so we called it a day and moved on.

Night Vision

We then headed off to Paris Hilton State Park outside Greenville, and after seeing a PETA truck,


we built our first fire using a cigarette lighter and our most precious future diary pages.



Coming soon on this here blog - our adventures further east in North Carolina, via Chapel Hill Road, Chapel Hill Blvd, Old Chapel Hill St, the Nelson Chapel Hill Highway, and Durham Chapel Hill Blvd towards Chapel Hill.

Missing Miss Melanie

We miss this melanie!!!! If you've seen her at a wedding in Staten Island, please send her back to the road ghosts c/o Atlantic Ocean North Carolina. We will gladly scoop her back onto the road with us.
thank you.
and quick!

Asheville North Caroliny

Question of the Day:

Raspberry Or Blackberry?

We walked out of New Orleans!

And on we went.

On the way away from Earthaven

to Asheville we saw quite the possibility in terms of naming the land on which we will soon eat most of our breakfasts:

Tada!

















We went to asheville!
We did ititititit!
We saw them!
We did s'more!
We sunk in.
We turned about!
We climbed up, and slept at the Colonial.

We saw some friends! We sneakily snuck them a note.

















But then we didn't have to! They asked us on a date in their beautiful home.

















Before that, we learned how to wash our hands.





























We washed our hands and then went out about into the town. We were climbing a tree
































when all of a sudden we heard the most beautiful sound!




With the help of long lost purchase college allies Sara Kinney and John Ruso (over the mystery of the spelling of their names which no one seems to know) we learned about the abundance of beekeeping and permaculture classes in Asheville, and about how there are lots of people there who would be supportive and excited about us living in the way we dream of.

















(The only picture we have of these wonderful people! (one of which here is posing as keith but is actually sarah))


Then we went to a river by the city and pretended to fish with a stick of bamboo.



















There by the river some homeless people started gathering, because a Christian group comes there to hand out free meals around 7:00. As we were about to leave a man asked us if we wanted to see a baby raccoon. We turned around and sure enough, there on his shoulder was a ridiculously cute little creature.

















The man told us a little about himself and the raccoon, then thanked us for listening, and we were on our way.

That night we stayed with the McNally Family Friend Susan the Camel, in the lovely home of her lovely family, where we cooked our first melanie-heather-keith-cooked meal of the trip, and it was delicious and satisfying indeed.

















Susan told us a little about the vibrant contra and square dancing communities in Asheville.
She also told us that the people that live in the mountains around there are kind people.

Quickly again, we were on our way, this time to look at our very first properties!! We celebrated the occasion by saying we should celebrate this! and gazing at the fruit plants growing wild and free.


















As soon as a whistle we will tell you more about the lands that we saw!

Mountain Havens

From Evergreen, Alabama, a town formerly endowed with a movie the-ater, but now only populated by 3,600 of the kindest or rudest humans, we drove straight through Georgia and South Carolina to reach the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina. A nice southern man wearing a nice southern hat tersely allowed us in the gate of Pisgah National Forest, but only after we promised to be quiet.

Our day having been shortened both technically and physically by our entrance into the final time zone, we each spontaneously awoke at 7am. (Alternatively, this may have been due to a gaggle of bees going ahead and mistaking our tent for some type of flowie.) The early rise gave us a chance to relax, sew buttons back on our clothes,


and also provided ample time to navigate the winding roads leading to Earthaven Ecovillage.


Sticks & Stones

A woman named Suchi showed us around Earthaven, introducing us to trees, water, buildings, and food. A hummingbird invited us into their conference hall.


Twice a month, all 40 members meet in this 13-sided round-pole timber-frame building for 4 hours to make decisions using consensus (rather than pseudoconsensus). Smaller committees meet more regularly.


This building also doubles as the school,


which children attend three days a week, to augment their parents' homeschooling. Clip-art demonstrates that the children are smart in 8 ways.


Many of the other buildings on the property were equally immaculate. This multi-story passive-solar timber-frame building houses many members, though we can't remember how many.


An abundance of windows on the South side and a dearth on the North side (pictured) keeps the building warm through all but the coldest days of winter, and keeps it chilly on the hottest days of summer.

Other types of buildings included stick-frame,


adobe brick,


cob,


and sword porch.


Recycled and salvaged materials were often used for flooring, insulation, doors & windows, etc.

This American Life

Many roofs at Earthaven sport photovoltaic solar panels, which provide a modest amount of electricity to human inhabitants.


Many buildings have refrigerators, laptops, and lights, and some have more energy intensive tools like blenders. Some members try to avoid the hassle and expense of inverters and batteries, for example using root cellars.


Some members' homes are powered by a 600-Watt hydroelectric generator fed via a 4-inch pipe from the creek running through the property.


In the future, the waste heat produced during generation may be piped into a hot tub.

Most cooking is done with bought propane, and wood stoves provide the heat needed to get through the mild winters.


Earthaven has accumulated an 8-10 year supply of of firewood due to the extensive clearing needed on the previously heavily wooded (though second-growth) forest. I suspect this is also why stick & timber frames are more popular here than adobe or cob.

Useful Plants

Surprisingly, growing food is a relatively new development at Earthaven. Peter Bane, editor of Permaculture Activist magazine, keeps a "state-of-the-art" Permaculture garden, including perennial fruit such as raspberries, figs, peaches, and kiwis (seen here smothering the front porch awning in the center).


One of the neighborhoods' themes is edible landscaping - every plant in this area is edible in some way.


This neighborhood also features the hotttest kitchen.


Many members keep small garden plots, and some members run a several-acre CSA farm, which provides produce boxes to other members in exchange for Leaps (the Earthaven currency).

Mid-Terms

Earthaven was beautiful and impressive. In less than fifteen years they have built a village where everyone seems genuinely cheerful and comfortable. Members' personalities, needs, and ages vary widely, but this appears to be a more of a strength than a struggle. The variety of homes, gardens, designs, alongside the natural diversity of the mountainous forest, make for a very charismatic and interesting place.

Earthaven seems like a great bridge between American suburbs and sane, sustainable living. As Red Moon Song said, it is a "transitional community," still using propane and importing food. In our opinion, however, many of the buildings seemed overly extravagant and expensive – Suchi told us that the adobe house pictured above might end up costing $80,000 or $100,000.

We mused that perhaps the complex buildings are intended to prove that urbanites can live sustainably in an environment similar to the one in which they have grown up & grown old. And of course this is a reflection of the openness and acceptance that Earthaveners have for each other – there are no rules for style or materials for new buildings.

Suchi mentioned that usually it takes centuries for human cultures to build a village, but at Earthaven they are trying to do it in one generation. Their plan for housing 150 members means Earthaven is a perpetual construction site. For me this really affected the tone & feeling of the place - tractors and trucks parked all over, orange spray paint on the ground, half-dug-up pipes, buckets and piles of garbage on the side of paths. This will probably change as Earthaven matures, but that won't be for many years.

The driving distance from Asheville (about 50 minutes) seemed to be a good compromise. Many members go into the city on the weekends or for events – but nobody commutes there. Members who work outside Earthaven do so nearby in the country - landscaping, construction, excavating, etc. Suchi also mentioned that many women at Earthaven are finding it difficult to find work.

Earthaven also seems encumbered by laws, both beneficial and good-intentioned-but-backwards, as mentioned in Creating a Life Together. For example, in North Carolina, greywater systems are illegal (along with midwifery and raw milk).

Also, last year, due to a mostly uneventful Hepatitis-A outbreak at Earthaven, the county health department placed limits on their use of the land's 14 freshwater mountain springs. They are now required to build several wells and designate "water districts" so each water source serves fewer than 24 people (this part is NC state law). In the meantime, all volunteers, visitors, and work exchangers must bring their own water, because Earthaven cannot legally provide any for them.

Finals

We really enjoyed our tour of Earthaven and learned a lot that might take a while to sink in. We are now having a pleasant, organic time in Asheville – more on that soon.

New Orleans

Our Austin area morning started with a greeting from the park ranger who informed us that we were lucky, as the day before was so swelteringly hot, we probably wouldn't have been able to sleep in our tent. She proceeded to tell us that the reason we could stand there talking to each other without dripping sweat was a northerly breeze that came in before we did. Thank goodness for northerlies.
She was incredulous when we told her we were fixing to get to New Orleans that day, but we didn't let that stop us.

A delightful rest stop near the Louisiana border yielded plenty of lizard sightings and touchings,



while the Louisiana border itself yielded a fierce and pelting thunderstorm.

As we approached and eventually entered Louisiana, the scenery became even more lush. Swamps passed us on the right,


and frogs sang a chorus when we stopped to change drivers.

New Orleans

We got to New Orleans around 9:30 to stay with a McNally Family friend, John Flemming. John generously and graciously accepted us into his home (and his kitchen). John is an artist who makes beautiful leather masks,

and in the morning, he took us out to breakfast and directed us to New Orleans's points of interest. We are so grateful for John's help and hospitality.


Our first stop was the lower 9th Ward, which experienced some of the worst damage from Hurricane Katrina. The three of us agreed that seeing what really happened there was essential to our New Orleans experience. Three years after the levies broke, houses are still in disrepair.




The area is eerily quiet, and there are many spots where houses once stood which grasses and plants have reclaimed.

The sobering reality of the 9th Ward was followed by the surreal partiness of the French Quarter, where Bourbon street was loud and populated even at 4pm on a Thursday. Iced cafe au laits were procured at the Cafe du Monde and enjoyed on the banks of the Mississippi. Heather and Keith started out unimpressed, but soon warmed up to the murky water.

A toe in the Mississippi for Grandma Rycyk

Our search for dinner allowed us to walk around the French Quarter and Frenchman Street a little before heading off to Mississippi. Our first stop in Alabama was a gas station, where we discovered a would-be stow-away.


Our next stop was our first hotel - America's Best Value Inn in Evergreen, AL.

Now on to Georgia!