The day of my arrival Betty called me to to confirm my arrival time. When I told her she said "Okay so I have to time to go out back and hunt for a while before you arrive". That's fine by me I said.
This hunting stand is just a few hundred yards behind their house. She sat up there and bagged a nice buck before I arrived.
I have two more stops in North Carolina. Next was my cousin Cliff and his wife Betty. I saw Cliff briefly at his Fathers funeral but have not spent time with him in maybe 15 or 20 years. But a theme of this trip is reconnecting with people across the years, so what better time than the present.
Cliff and Betty are both avid hunters and they have maintained that level of enthusiasm over the years. I suppose a huge factor in deciding to move to Jackson is the deer hunting in that area. This was one of those times I needed to rent a car, they are way out there.
Looking back over the years, I have many fond memories of visiting my Aunt Willy
(Cliff's Mother) as a child. She was always cheerful, always ready with a
big glass of southern sweet tea.
And Cliff has always been an
outdoorsman, hunting and fishing with his Pa, my Uncle Red. Red liked to
chew tobacco and in fact "Red Man" was his brand. He would always offer
me a plug, but I was never tempted. I would just smile, "No thanks" I
would say.
We have lunch in town and managed to iron a few things out.
Afterwards we drove on to a few scenic overlooks around Lindville Falls.
Dispatch 4c 12 Nov - 22 Nov, 20011
Driving the Blue Ridge Asheville with Fred and Lori Cliff and Betty in Jackson Meeting Chuck in Durham
Sadly they actually did give me an econo this time, no convertible.
12 Nov 20011 So as I bid farewell to Atlanta my plan was to rent a car for this leg and drive to Asheville Via the Blue Ridge Parkway. My timing was a little off. The most colorful time would be when fall colors were at their peak. Even under the best of circumstances the best time is hard to predict, it changes every year and a lot depends on the amount of rainfall during the summer. But in any case I was really too late. I got little hints when I was at lower elevations, for example I saw these beautiful trees in Atlanta and I also saw some isolated colors in Asheville and Durham but colors in the higher elevation vistas of the Blue Ridge were long over.
Back when I was planning this trip I had looked for the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway on Google Maps. I noticed a coffee shop called "Tribal Grounds Coffee" near the point I would enter the Blue Ridge but otherwise seemingly out in the middle of no where. Sitting in Miami Lakes it seemed far away both in time and space so I marked the place on the map and thought "Well if this trip ever happens I will stop there for Coffee and perk up before starting the the drive". It became something to look forward to, a kind of landmark for me. I wasn't sure quite what to expect, it seemed like it would be some lonely little roadside coffee stand catering to the occasional tourist like me.
When the day finally came and my GPS guided me to the spot I found something more like this.
Yes Tribal grounds is in there amongst the souvenirs shops, pan-for-gold places and restaurants. It was not quite as lonely as I had imagined . I guess they were the only ones to get themselves listed on Google Maps.
For the record I did have coffee there. It actually was a kind of nice place, but just a bit too much like Starbucks. It had a nice walkway next to a stream out back.
It was a lovely drive and fun although I wonder if I had invested too much anticipation in the trip. It was not the optimal season and I would like to do it again if I have the opportunity to do it at a better time of year. Even so it had its moments.
It's impossible to capture the the impact of scenery like this in a photo
Natural Snow and ice are always a novelty for a Florida boy like me.
And so as I come to the end of the Blueridge drive it's time to visit Fred and Lori. Fred is one of my oldest friends, living in my neighborhood since grade school. Here are photos of him from way back in the day.
What starts as a Halloween costume becomes a second job as a performing clown for kids parties.
Myself, Fred (as Santa Claus with much poetic license) and my brother Carl many years ago.
13 Nov 20011 Now back to modern times, Fred and Lori took me to a "Art Walk" in Asheville. Some of the studios were in a very cool old industrial building.
They have a friend with a studio in the building.
Here I am inspecting some of the less formal artistic endeavours.
14 Nov 20011 Another day we took a trip to Linville Caverns. Fred brought couple of friends Shannon and Scarrie. (Well, her real name is Carrie) She has a great sense of humor. She greeted me like an old friend (Oh Dean It's been so loooong) even though we had never met.
They are both pretty cool people.
Here is me and Cliff as youngsters. Notice who has the fish
A motion activated camera that takes pictures of wildlife
Here is the camp of the hunting club. You can see the CB antenna, they still use CB a lot for communications. Above is a map of the territory where they have hunting rights. it's about 3900 acres. That's quite a parcel!
Inside the clubhouse you can see the log book on the table. Every deer harvested is recorded for the government game office. Bag limits are set to regulate the deer population at sustainable levels and the club complies with the regulations.
It is a kind of sad reality that we have eliminated the natural predators. Some people abhor hunting but the alternative would be to let the population grow until there was not enough fodder. Like it or not hunting is much better than mass starvation as a limit to the population.
I tagged along with Cliff one day. Unfortunately we did not see any action this day. That's the life of a hunter, but it was great to be out in the woods anyway.The gave me a red hat to wear, it's a required safety measure.
(I wonder if Harry Whittington was wearing one.)
Here are a couple of snapshot Betty sent me of hunts from years gone by.
After a few days with Cliff and Betty I loaded up the rental car and headed back to Durham, my last destination in North Carolina.
James, my Couchsurfing host
Two important things happened in Durham:
1. I once again found a place to stay through Couchsurfing.org. James lists his occupation as "scientist" and in fact he was a very interesting guy to talk with and a great host.
2. I met up with an old High School buddy that I have not seen since our 10 year High School Reunion. (About 25 years)
I face an inquisitive glare at the Durham Art Museum.
Cousins Sue and Cliff, Uncle Red and Aunt Willy
I remember an ornate wooden cabinet at Aunt Willys house. Here is a picture of Willy and Cliff from back in the day with that cabinet is in the background.
And today, 17 Nov 20011 , you can see on the right that Cliff and Betty still have it.
Here is Chuck at our 10 year High School class reunion.
In the photo with him is Bonnie who is one of our class mates.
19 Nov 20011 Myself Chuck and his lovely wife Karen. (He hasn't changed so much has he)
So after years of unhappy marriage and finally a divorce Chuck met his new wife Karen through Craigs list (imagine) She jokes that she got her cat, her job and her husband all on line through Craigs list. Well actually, it's true. But the wonderful part is this. While we were down-town checking out a little jazz combo he told me the story and said that now that he is with Karen he has never been happier in his life. So Chuck is living proof. You can build a new happier life if you try.
