Fall at Biltmore

Biltmore Estate is the largest privately-owned home in the USA. It was the Southern retreat for George Vanderbilt and his friends. It's one of the most ostentatious displays of wealth you have ever seen but it sure is amazing. It has 250 rooms, with 34 bedrooms and 43 bathrooms. It took 1,000 workers to built and took six years, from 1889-1895. It has an indoor swimming pool, bowling alley and it's own electrical grid, hot water and central heat.

This place puts Jay Gatsby to shame. At some point, the cost of maintaining the home was greater than the inheritance of George Vanderbilt's heirs. To their credit, rather than letting it fall into disrepair like so many European castles, the Vanderbilts put together a plan to turn it into the most beautiful estate destination in America, with two hotels, a village and a winery that sells 2 million bottles of wine a year. If you are ever in the Asheville area, it is definitely worth a visit. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone. 

Extreme Car Camping

The guys who were camping next to us at Overland Expo explained it to a friend back home as "Rube Goldberg Camping." That's pretty fitting. Some of the rigs and tent setups require advanced degrees just to operate. If you're wondering where we are, look for the black Jeep in the lower, right portion of the photograph parked next to a green, tan and orange tent that is just slightly larger than the Jeep. That was our home during Hurricane Matthew and it held up fantastically. 

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.

Bamboo Tunnel

If bamboo wasn't so difficult to keep under control, I would totally line my yard with rows of it and pretend I was off on a distant island somewhere. I guess when you are George Vanderbilt and you hire Fredrick Law Olmsted (the same guy who designed Central Park), you aren't so worried about maintenance. This bamboo stand lines the road as you enter the Biltmore Estate. It adds a whimsical effect to the entrance as though you are visiting a castle in a far-off land. And you sort of are. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300. 

L-I-V-I-N

Those Vanderbilts sure lived large! This is the 135,000 square foot Biltmore House. It was built in 1895 and is the largest private home in America by a considerable margin. If you ever visit Asheville, the Biltmore Estate is definitely worth a visit. In addition to the house, you can also visit the winery, Antler Hill Village, the farm and even go on an adventure with Land Rover!

This photograph was captured with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional drone.

Biltmore Guardian

We visited the Biltmore Estate with the kids last week. They were amazed by the house as they ran through it with my wife like it was their own. We had been camping on the property down by the French Broad river at Overland Expo (during Hurricane Matthew and it was still amazing!).

I had to get back to camp to break everything down so this guardian lion is as close as I got to actually going in to the house. 

This photograph was captured with a Sony a6300.