This was trip number 2 for me, but a lot more fun because J-Unit is more adventurous and more fun than my parents. I plan to go one more time with the BF when the Christmas festivities are in full swing. Somehow, knowing that, I got suckered into a 12 month pass. It gets worse later. But the 12 month pass got J-Unit a 15 buck discount on her admission price, and 10% off food and souvenirs. Somehow this made it worth the extra 40 bucks. No cameras were allowed inside the house (how un-ASIAN), so I have no interior pics to share.
However, the real fun was our outdoor activities. Forgive me for thinking that my 12month pass got us discounts on the outdoor activities. Because I didn't learn the first time around, I ended up upgrading my 12 month access pass to an "Explore Biltmore" pass for outdoorsy stuff. We rented mountain bikes. It sounds harmless, but the last time I was on a bike Bush Senior was in office. Surprisingly, all those sayings about riding a bike after two decades pretty much holds true. The first 10 minutes were a bit rough I have to admit. I actually didn't think I was going to make it back up after going 50 yards down a wrong path. The paved path and going downhill-NO PROB. Actually the first 30 minutes we thought we were the shit. Well, I thought we were the shit. And then all hell broke loose.I want to tell the worker bee at the bike rental desk that looks can be deceiving. She told us that we should make it up to the house with no problem. Oh there were big problems. The one and only one being that I wasn't fit enough to ride uphill. I had to walk my bike up most of the way. Is this why I rented a bike? I think not. Going back was a breeze. Except for the steep downhill section, where I was having difficulty balancing saying a last prayer and hoping that I don't hit a rock, fly off, and crack my head open. Mountain biking was a good intro to our outdoorsy activities. At least we've been on a bike before. Kayaking was next. I'm not a fan of non-shower/tub water. Meaning, I don't swim, I don't go into ponds, lakes, or any of the 7 oceans. Here is our Missing Persons poster:
Just in case we fell and got lost. Although there's only one way to float along a river, J-Unit and I still have a high chance of getting lost. We're that good.I was scared shitless of kayaking. How do I know how to steer or go forward? They gave lessons on going backwards, but the opposite direction seemed to be more important. Strangely enough, kayaking is intuitive. Not to say its easy, but its easy enough to pick up the basics. What our 5 minute crash course instructor failed to instruct us on was upending ourselves from rocks. The noise of grating over the rock was like imminent death. How much would it suck if I died of starvation or dehydration because I'm too fat and my arms are too weak to be able to dislodge myself and my kayak from rocks?? I can't even begin to fathom the embarrasment. And because we are that good, J-Unit and I got stuck on rocks probably on average once every 1.5 minutes. A fish struggles by flailing and flapping around when taken out of water. The only way I could figure out how to get myself unstuck from the rocks was the shimmy back and forth and side to side. I'm sure it was a sight to behold, but I was desperate. Already we were way beyond everyone else, but on top of that, the guides told us they would get worried if we didn't make it to the end within 2 hours. Most people are proud when they graduate, get a promotion, buy a new house. I was proud when we made it without falling into the water and without anyone rescuing us. Trust me-that was an accomplishment.The next day we did the Land Rover Experience Driving School. This was the main reason why we wanted to go to the Biltmore anyway. Let me just say that it was AMAZING. I think everyone should try it. Like the instructor said, it was definitely the most fun I've had at 5 mph. 
Talk about adding to the list of things we "need." A freaking Range Rover.
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