Hiking with Matt Vande, Amy Musser and Bear along the French Broad River on Biltmore grounds, Matt displays his standard level of dignity while Amy and Abner try to pretend he isn't terminally weird. Bear simply looks the other way so no one will notice him.

Winter seems to have it's own beauty here. The hills are bare but you can see great distances on clear days. We are also almost at the end of the popular tourist season. If I were looking to visit Asheville when I wouldn't have to compete with other tourists, I would come between New Years and the first of April. As you can see below, the tourists may be departing but the Canada Geese certainly aren't. These birds are quite large and beautiful but there is a danger being in the fields in which they spend their winter. Goose poop, and lots of it. These birds produce more than most medium sized dogs and since there are hundreds of them hanging out around the lagoon at Biltmore, the meadow south of their watering hole is a major poop danger zone.