Day 1–Greenville, SC Trip (Saturday, April 20, 2013)

The purpose of this trip was to pick up our new BMW from the factory in Greenville, SC.  BMW has a great program where they put you up in a hotel, feed you dinner, and give you a day at the plant.  At the plant you tour the factory, drive a vehicle similar to yours on their track, go through their museum, and get a full explanation of every detail of the car.  And then you get a road trip home in your brand new vehicle.  So we decided to make a little vacation out of it.

Today we drove from our home to Asheville, NC.  We rented a 2012 Mazda 3 from Hertz and got an amazing deal on it through AAA!  For three days we paid only $179 with unlimited miles!

So today we drove 767 miles which took us 13.5 hours.  We started bright and early (about 4:15 a.m.).  The drive was quite beautiful especially the second half. 

We went through three tunnels and I wish I had pictures to share with you but there was no where to pull over and take any pictures and the camera was in the trunk.  The first one was the Cumberland Gap Tunnel at the border of Kentucky and Tennessee on Hwy 25E.  The second two were on Hwy 40 in North Carolina between mile markers 4 and 9.

While in Tennessee we stopped at a beautiful scenic overlook called Veteran’s Overlook on Hwy 25E just south of Springdale, TN.  Here are a couple of pictures.  The purple flowering tree is even more spectacular in person especially against evergreen trees and trees with light green baby leaves.

Our day ended with a stay at Aloft Asheville Downtown which is a very modern hotel.  Because of a stay my husband had at a Sheraton for training last fall, we had a lot of points that we could use for a free night.  Additionally, he had stayed enough nights to become a platinum member and so we got a free upgrade to a suite and will get free breakfast in the morning.  Here are a few pictures of our suite which is amazing:

As you can see, our suite includes:

• A separate bedroom with TV, desk, bench, and huge closet storage
• A bathroom with a whirlpool tub and separate shower
• A living area with a huge TV, table for 4, couch and chair
• An entry way with sink mini fridge, microwave, and storage
• The entire plan is an open concept with sliding doors, so you can watch TV in the living room while soaking in the whirlpool tub (or close that sliding window for privacy).

To bad we can’t stay here longer but we are looking forward to tomorrow’s adventures and seeing my aunt and uncle.

Day 2–Greenville SC trip (Sunday, April 22, 2013)

After breakfast at the hotel we headed for a day of exploring waterfalls.  The views from the car were spectacular.

We got on the Blue Ridge Parkway which is a very scenic highway through the mountains.  At first we were so excited to get out and take a look at all the overlooks until we realized they were about every half mile at which point we got a little pickier about where to stop.  Here is our rental Mazda 3 parked at one such overlook:

Our first waterfall was Woodfin Cascades.  No hiking involved but you don’t get very close.

And here is the view from the Blue Ridge Parkway near Woodfin Cascades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the view from Fork Ridge Overlook:

And the view from Waterrock Knob Overlook where we did a little hiking:

Our next falls was Soco Falls which was quite an adventure.  It was rated at a 7 for strenuous but that probably didn’t include the second half of the climb down.  Someone had put up ropes to hang on to as you climbed down.

A trip through the mountains would not be complete without a few tunnels.  Here is the Bunches Bald Tunnel:

Here is Bunches Bald Overlook:

Last but not least, we stopped at Mingo Falls:

We then headed for lunch at Colima Mexican Restaurant in Sylva which was very good.  Then we underestimated the amount of time it takes to drive mountain roads as we rushed to make it in time for my Uncle’s church service and then dinner and great conversation.

Day 3–Greenville, SC Trip (Monday, April 22, 2013)

After breakfast with my aunt and uncle, we headed back to North Carolina to find some more waterfalls.  My mom had lent us a map of waterfalls in North Carolina.  We didn’t even scratch the surface of the 301 waterfalls listed on that map.

The day started with Whitewater Falls which boasts a 400’ waterfall.  There was a $2 charge per car but well worth it.  Here are a few pictures but first a picture of a view from that park:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch at Subway, our next stop was Connestee Falls Park.  Unfortunately, the stairs and path to the base of the falls was no longer open and permanent barriers had been put up to keep people out.  I imagine the view would have been even more incredible had we been able to descend. 

Our last waterfall of the day was Pearson’s Falls.  This park also had an admission fee of $5 per adult but I felt it was really worth it.  It was a short walk without too many steps along the river until you got to the falls which were beautiful.  They also had identified wildflowers currently in bloom for you to look for on your way.

Woodland White Trillium (Trillium Simple)

Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisema triphyllum)

By the time we were done with those three waterfalls, it was time to turn the car in to Hertz.  We dropped it off at the GSP International Airport and were amazed at the process.  Before we had the car in park two Hertz employees had approached the car and scanned the barcode on the window.  They were very friendly and were able to immediately print out a receipt from the car so by the time we finished getting our belongings out we were set to go.

There was some confusion with the shuttle to the airport.  I guess they usually pick you up in a BMW but it wasn’t made clear to us so we after calling in we got on the next Marriott Shuttle we saw.  So we missed out on the BMW but they did a great job giving us the VIP treatment. 

So far we have been very impressed with the Marriott Greenville.  BMW paid for the room as part of the Performance Center Delivery.  They also paid for dinner tonight and breakfast tomorrow morning plus Marriott gave us two drink vouchers.  So we sat in the bar and had a before dinner drink and then moved to the dining area for a fine dining meal with an attentive waiter. 

We both started with Caesar Salads.  I then had Pan-Seared Mahi Mahi and Paul had Amanzi Chicken Risotto.  I then finished off the meal with Lemoncello Crème Brulee which was the best crème brulee I have ever had and Paul had a Chocolate Riccoti Cheesecake.  Everything was really good.  Now we look forward to a great day at the BMW Performance Center.

Day 4-Greenville, SC Trip (Tuesday, April 23, 2013)

Today was the whole purpose of the trip and probably the highlight for Paul.

We woke up and enjoyed a very good hot buffet breakfast at the Marriott at BMW’s expense which included made to order omelets, Belgium waffles, biscuits and gravy, quiche, scrambled eggs, various breakfast meets, fruit, yogurt, cereal, pastries, etc.

Then our day began at the BMW Performance Center.  After a short classroom lecture, we got in a similar vehicle to the one we were purchasing and took it on the track.  We were given a 2013 white x3 35i.  I can’t count how many times it was repeated to us that it’s “Not Your Car” as they wanted us to really push the car.  They broke us up into smaller groups and so we traveled with three other couples to each of three exercises.  Each of us got to drive each of the exercises.  Here is the car we drove:

The first part was to test out the ABS system.  We were told to accelerate to a certain speed and then when we got to a set of cones stomp on the break as hard as we could.  We tried this at several speeds.  You can see the red and white striped cones which is where we were told to stomp on the breaks.

Second we did laps on a track with tight turns and again we were encouraged to push the car.

Lastly, we tested the traction control.  We got into a BMW 335i with an instructor and drove on a track that was wet.  The instructor turned off the traction control and we drove as fast as we could around the circle track until we spun out.  After a few attempts at that, the traction control was put on and we did the same thing (but didn’t spin out).  I much preferred the second part of this exercise as it is a bit unnerving being in a car that is spinning out of control.  When it was our turn each of us drove the red one.

Before leaving the track, those who were interested got to ride with a driver in an BMW M3.  My stomach had been jostled enough by this point so I passed but Paul was excited for the opportunity.

At this point they split us into two groups: those who would have their cars delivered first and those who got the factory tour first.  We were part of the latter group.

We got into an x3 again (although a different one) and drove to the factory but not without a few obstacles on the way.

They did not allow cameras in the factory so I don’t have any pictures to show you but it was really interested.  They build x3s, x5s, and x6s currently at this factory.  They will be soon be building the new x4 here as well. 

Cars are built in invoice order which is different from other manufacturers.  So you may see a left hand drive followed by a right hand drive.  And you will see some with sunroofs, some with other features all mixed together.  Parts are delivered to the line in order as needed.  Suppliers have a 2-4 hour window to deliver the parts needed as they have no storage for parts longer than that. 

They use a lot of robots (like Sunny who puts in the sunroofs) but it takes a lot of manpower as well.  They have a torque wrench that is networked so that based on the location of the wrench it knows how much psi is needed and can switch psi from bolt to bolt automatically. 

On our way back to the BMW Performance Center we stopped at their off-roads course to see what the x3s and x5s could do.  One of the first obstacles was driving through 22” of water.

We drove up some really steep and uneven inclines.

We then returned to the Performance Center for lunch in the cafeteria.  After eating, we wandered the gift shop and saw that our car was being readied for delivery.

Then we finally had our car delivered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After delivery we took a short trip to the museum and gift shop at the plant.  Here is a picture of our VIP parking spot there.

Then it was time to start the trip home.  We had to get to Lexington, KY by the end of the day.  We took some back roads and at the suggestion of my Aunt and Uncle took Hwy 25 north from Greenville and then Hwy 25E until north of Knoxville.  Hwy 25 was closed at one point in North Carolina near the border of Tennessee which sent us on a detour but we can’t complain.  The detour was absolutely gorgeous.

We finally made it to the hotel about 9:55 p.m. that night.  We stayed at the Four Points Lexington hotel which was quite nice and free (as we were able to redeem points to pay for the night).

Tomorrow ends our trip as we make the long trek home.  I feel like this trip has been too short but I also look forward to being home.