Hello from the Amicalola Falls State Park and Lodge in Dawsonville, GA.
I reserved a room at this place at the recommendation of a park ranger earlier today at Vogel State Park 50 miles northeast of here. I'm so glad I did. With sweeping views from the veranda and a sunset
over the Appalachians about an hour away, I am floating with Angels at this place. A stunning way to spend my last full day of riding.
I spent much of today meandering through back roads and exploring a couple of state parks
and hiking trails. Along the way I was hoping to find a watering hole for a quick swim but no such luck.
I woke up this morning in Highlands, NC a bit groggy but otherwise contented. After a late dinner last night at the Ugly Dog Pub, I wandered over to the Lost Hiker, a local dive bar with loud music, dancing and young locals letting their hair down. It turns out it was Karaoke night. At 10 o'clock, people started lining up to sing. Being alone and a 1,000 miles from home, I thought about giving it a whirl. That is until others starting singing. Oh my! This wasn't a bunch of drunken hacks. These were confident, quality singers with zero stage fright. One was a backup opera star. Another was a Janice Joplin sound-alike. One guy had the crowd on its feet with a flawless rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody. I was blown away. After their performances there was no way I was getting up there.
I enjoyed chatting with folks around the bar and talking with the bartender, a Malaysian native who used to be the chef at Craigie on Main in Cambridge. Go figure.
Tuesday started at Pop and Nana's Kitchen a Robbinsville, I ate there on the patio having a large bowl of Karl's Oatmeal and a mug of coffee. Linda (I think she might have been Nana) and her two staff members rotated coming outside for smoke. I was there for two hours so I got to talk to each one three or four times.
One of the things Linda talked about was the local moonshine community. Because Graham County is dry, there is a thriving black market for white lightning. There are moonshine stills high in the mountains far from the prying eyes of the local authorities.
Have you ever heard of the TV show Moonshiners? I hadn't until yesterday. It's a realty show entering its fourth season on the Discovery Channel. The show stars "Dave", a mountain man who makes the "best brandy money can buy". Linda was telling me about him when low and behold, who pulls up in his old beat up pickup truck? Yup, it was Dave in the flesh. He was there to deliver some merchandise promoting his brandy, Sugar Shine. You can actually buy it at the distillery up in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, 80 miles north.
Dave stayed a few minutes to talk, provide directions to the distillery and shake my hand. Before he left, I bought one of his hats.
My plan had been to go to Gatlinburg anyway. I wanted to spend the day just north of their hiking six miles to LeConte lodge ( http://www.lecontelodge.com ), the highest guest lodge in the eastern U.S. with expansive views of the Smokies. Unfortunately, up one calling, I found out that it has been booked for months. There are no openings until next season.
As an alternative, I decided to get a room at the Lodge at Buckberry Creek, a charming mountain retreat that Eric told me about before he left. It was going to be my one big splurge of the trip. I made the gorgeous two-hour ride over the mountains to the lodge only to find out that it was full too.
No big deal. I drove into Gatlinburg to find another place to stay and to pick up a small bottle of Sugar Shine. A big mistake. Gatlinburg is a crowded, loud, touristy amusement trap. Its long row of tacky shops include Ripley's Believe it or Not, Guiness Book of World Records, Hard Rock Cafe, a Tex Mex restaurant and many souvenir shops. There was no street parking. The off-street lot was $8. Yuck. I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I'll get some Sugar Shine another time.
I went back south on the same road I came in on, Rte. 441. I stopped in Cherokee, the headquarters for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation. When I was cruising around town I stumbled on a bunch of guys taking archery practice.
Very cool. One of them showed me his compound bow. He had used it earlier in the day for a archery competition. What an impressive piece of technology. Including the counter-balance and scope, the thing costs $2,500. He wouldn't let me touch it but I watched as he took a graphite arrow from his quiver and nearly hit the bullseye on a target 50 yards away. Amazing.
From there I headed south for a couple hours until fatigue set in. Vi pulled into Highlands around 7, grabbed a room at 200 Main, a very comfortable inn in the center of town. After a shower I ventured up to the Ugly Dog for dinner.
I am very fortunate to be able to take these trips. For me, it's a wonderful way to experience this country's vast beauty and to meet some terrific people along the way. Feeling very blessed.
Off to Atlanta in the morning. Back to reality. Goodnight.
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