DER ADLER
by Don Janes
Christmas is over, things are back to the simple chaos we appreciate and have learned to accept as normal. All our guests are gone, the house is somewhat some what cleaned up and the trash can runth over. We wasted tax payers money a little bit by taking off early to avoid some of the traffic but it was to no avail as we didn't leave the house until after I took an hour practice nap.
Day - December 31 - Burlington, North Carolina - Mileage 260 - cumulative - 260
Traffic was a bear, very heavy until we got south of Richmond and on Interstate 85 and even that was moderately heavy. I took the back door route to Interstate 95 from the house and maybe this helped a little bit. The police are out in droves as it is New Years Eve and of course the drunks abound. Even though I had not been drinking I didn't want to waste time by getting stopped. I had hoped to get a little further tonight but we both were tired and opted to full into a truck stop and call it quits. We actually did make decent time but were slowed by having to stoop to buy LP gas for the heater and stove. I would not want to run out of gas when the temperature is hovering right below freezing.
It never ceases to amaze me when I consider what we pay for gas in the D.C. area and what we pay down here. There is a twenty cent difference so I guess the rest is local Virginia and county tax.
It was dark before we went through Richmond but we have traveled most of this area before so are not that hung up on the sightseeing. Tomorrow we will start climbing into the foothills of the Smokey Mountains so I am glad that we reached this far. It is still almost three hundred miles to the next hike. We pulled off the Interstate at a truck stop and will spend the night here. I must replenish the water supply in the morning and of course recycle the holding tanks as well.
Day 2- January 1st - Winston-Salem - Midtag Essen
We woke up a little later than usual, did our normal things that we would do at any place that has RV facilities and since there is no real schedule for today other than reaching Maggie's Valley - no volksmarches are open today - we are just putzing around. We stopped to have a late breakfast and four different places had long waiting lines so Mimi had to make the supreme sacrifice and cook lunch. There is absolutely nothing wrong with boiled beef and spatzle for breakfast. It is a great way to start off the year.
It is a brilliant blue day with not a cloud in sight. It was well below freezing but we were comfortable. We turned the heat down to 500 but still was able to keep it comfortable for sleeping While driving the engine heater is adequate to keep the inside comfortable.
There were three other RV.s in the parking lot, the most impressive was an Airstream 33 footer and I would imagine cost over $100,000. The dude driving looked like a cartoon out of the old west complete with a totally back suit, hat and boots. His wife looked like she was attired in that period dress as did the kids. I expected him to draw back his jacket and expose twin 44's holstered on his hips. It takes all kinds I guess. This is half the fun of being an Rv'er and volkshiker - volksmarcher or Volksmarch walker or what ever is currently politically correct and aimed at publicizing the sport rather than improving it.(1)
Day 2 - January 1st - Waynesville, North Carolina - Mileage - 227 - Cumulative 487
We arrived here n mid afternoon after a beautiful drive through the mountains. I had not checked the book and drove around Maggie Valley for a while looking for that start that eventually was found to be here in Waynesville sharing the same start point as Waynesville. We walked the course in Maggie alley anyway and enjoyed the snow and the people having a great time on the bunny slope right in town. The snow was about a four deep in most places making it fun to be on.
The weather remained very bright and the temperature was just over the freezing mark making it a great day for walking. I was comfortable wearing just a sweater over a long sleeve shirt. Maggie Valley is ten miles long and two hundred yards wide with great hills on both sides. It is largely tourists attractions of one form or another. The vacation homes one sees perched on the hillsides are very spectacular but by our standards in the district very inexpensive. There are at least a dozen RV parks in town but we opted to drive to Waynesville, find the start point and walked around the town for a while looking at the historic old section and the appropriate check points. I admit that I am not fond of walks around town but this was an exception because of all the old houses and buildings. However with all the great hills in the area it is hard to believe that there is not a trail or two to break the monotony of asphalt. My tired weary and creaking old bones sure prefer natural trails.
The book that is used for both hikes needs to be looked at, there was a register sheet only for Waynesville, I didn't find one for Maggie Valley at all. Parking was a minor problem as the recommended lot had a steep slope and I just do not feel comfortable parking 15 tons on a hill. The Mast General Store is the next best thing to L. L. Bean and the youngsters working there know their business.
From there it was to a shopping mall to restock condiments, staples and potables. We spent most of the evening catching up on our reading and watch people drag race their pickup trucks from one end of the parking lot to the other. The games people play. Mufflers do not seem to be in abundance either, maybe it is cheaper to buy the pickup truck without it.
Day 3 - January 2nd - Charlotte North Carolina - Mileage 144 - Cumulative 631
Great day of hiking, we fudged slightly because we have walked these two hikes before and remembered the check points so only did the paperwork (and paying) before we took off for Brevard.
The drive from Waynesville to Brevard is nothing but spectacular. The summit of the pass is at 4500 feet but the road is never that steep. There were a few places were there was ice and snow in the shady places but I didn't feel that much slippage. The icicles and waterfalls were breathtaking and great to take pictures of. There are many commercial activities on the Western slope with at least a half dozen RV parks. However before one reaches the top one is on Pisgah National Forest and there is no more commerce at all. We did stop to take pictures of the icicles and water falls and a great view of the "Smokey" Mountains. On the down slope we stopped to watch a stream a while and to collect some more specimens for our rock garden at the north end of the house.
The map for Brevard needs to be updated, the start point is incorrect. It is now Bullwinkles and no - I do not think they require licensing from Disney Productions. The people at the new location had little idea what the box was for and I took twenty minutes explaining what it was all about and who they should contact if they want to join a club. The mother and daughter were very delightful and charming and they made my day. I just could not resist buying another sweat shirt thereby taking my life into my hands when I returned to "Tiny".(2)
Daughter Melissa, a beautiful girl, is a student at Appalachian State University and was surprised that not only did I know about it, I had been there and that there was a Volksmarch there. I felt so proud of myself. The trail was too much town and too little trail but that is my thing. With all those beautiful that abound in the area I would love to spend an hour walking around in them. Parking "Tiny" was not a problem, this is always a concern. It had warmed up to above freezing by this time and I wore only a long sleeve flannel shirt and was still hot. Between the L L Bean lined trousers and the flannel shirts I stay warm most of the time.
The next hike was at Asheville Arboretum just south of the city. As one might expect at this time of year many of the plants have been placed in green houses or mulched so heavily that they are not visible. However the beauty of the area and surroundings are not diminished at all and it was a great experience. A good portion of the hike is natural trail (Hurrah) and it was great not to be looking at buildings but at Mother Nature. This is a location that we have marked off to revisit during the late Spring when we plan our next sojourn in the area. I know the view will be much enhanced by having all the plants on display. From the activity board it appears there are lectures and exhibition al; year around and the Arboretum and staff is to be highly commended from attempting to bring people back to an awareness of nature.
The next hike was in Asheville as well and it was all down town. It was a pleasant enough hike but not my real cup of tea. It was all paved and in town. There are several areas that we saw from a distance that were very attractive but we didn't pass close enough to fully appreciate them. The photographic possibilities were severely limited.
From there we had to make a decision. I had originally planned on driving to the State Part at Burnsville and doing the hike there. It is rated as a 4 and sounded great. However it was getting late and I didn't know if we would be allowed to go out when we might have to return using a flash light and if the snow conditions were too bad. So I chickened out and opted to go do Black Mountain instead. The staff at the hardware store were sure that I am crazy for wanting to go out so late and only wearing a vest over a flannel shirt but I assured them. I soothed them slightly when I purchased some things that I needed for one of my many projects at home and while I finished via flashlight. While too much of the trail is in town there is still sufficient view at least of the hills surrounding the town. For a small town it certainly has all sorts of activities to participate in. I would have enjoyed the museum and the arts and crafts but after dark all I could think about was finding a place to rest my weary head. Again parking was not a problem for which I am always grateful.
When we left town it was dark and all we could think of is reaching Charlotte and finding a place to park. It didn't help that we passed one intersection where there were four police cars, an ambulance and a crime scene investigator's panel truck and a coroner's car all on the main drag. We finally situated ourselves not too far from the start point and are hopeful that we are not bothered during the night. Of course anybody that does bother us is in for a surprise but I would hate the paperwork involved.
Parking is abundant but none of it is on the street. It is all paid parking lots and it took a while to find a place I could park "Tiny" comfortably. Most of the parking seems to be monthly permit with gates and even those that didn't have gates the entrances were very narrow. We did find a place that was well lit so we felt a little more secure. There wasn't much going on after 2000 and after 2200 we were the only vehicle to be seen. I slept very lightly and woke up easily the few times I heard foot steps go by. I will confess I felt happier when the sun started coming up.
Day 4 - January 3rd - Tom's Mill Virginia - Mileage - 440 - Cumulative 1071
We are less than one hundred and fifty miles from home but I am tired so we opted to spend the night here instead of pushing it further. The truck traffic was heavy and there were so wild drivers to be experienced. I do not know if they were drunk but the style of driving would be characteristic. They were all over the road and the State Police were all over with stopped vehicles. I just felt better taking it easy. We polished off some BBQ'd pork ribs we purchased in Waynesville and some other assorted snacks as well. We did not go hungry by any stretch of imagination. I did have a headache and after a few aspirin it is all over for me. Mimi will stay up and read for a while and suffer from it when I wake up early.
The hike in Charlotte is much like we expected, all sidewalks and city street. The city is developing rapidly and there are new office buildings under repair all over the place. The designs are avant garde for this neck of the woods and most attractive. There is an interesting feature to this as I see many store fronts that are vacant. There is one section of much older buildings that have been converted in a very trendy shopping mall and the restaurants - if they had parking - one would expect to see BMW's and Volvo's parked in front. It is attractive but I just wonder. The hike did go by the two stadiums in the center of the city in addition to the convention center so I guess this was just the wrong time of the year for activities.
The hike at Cornelius was much attractive for us with a good portion of the hike on natural trails in the woods surrounding the area and along the lake. From what I could see of the lake it would not be a bad place to retire to in a few years. The cost of living is less than it is in Virginia and the driving isn't as near as vicious. I seem to be taking more of this into account lately. I suspect that this town is considered a bedroom community for Charlotte, I noticed the YMCA is an extension of the Charlotte chapter. Whenever I have the opportunity I like to pick up these "Home" guides which gives an accurate impression of the cost and availability of home. This being North Carlina I suspect half the homes came here on wheels but near the bigger cities there are the arch typical housing developments.
The hike at Troutman was the best of all the hikes so far this weekend. It was almost entirely in a State Park on the shores of the largest lake in North Carolina. There were a few rolling hills to come back on but in general it was just fantastic. We saw boats on the lake fishing but nobody was walking at all. The start point was a bait and tackle shop and from the "Good Ol" Boy's" conversation one could swear that Moby Dick had gotten away from all of them that very morning. I didn't see that many houses on the lake but I think I could fit in around here right well as I can tell fish stories with the best of them. Did I ever tell you about - no, I had better wait and tell you that one in person or otherwise you might not believe me.
The next and last hike of the trip was at Mount Airy just south of the Virginia border This town is better known as the home town of Andy Griffen of TV acclaim and the barber shop he used to own is still in operation. It also has the largest open face granite mine in the world. I was fearful of taking Mimi even close to that one as we all ready have close to a thousand pounds of rock again. I cannot get my feet under the table because of the rock and I will have a great time unloading this and moving it to the side of the house.
The hike was pleasant enough but still all in town. The Blue Ridge Mountains are close and it was nice to look at those while striding along. There was fifteen inches of snow just after Christmas and the snow was deep in some places. The town is older than expected, being settled in the early 18th Century as there was a pass (Fancy Pass, VA) across the mountains not that far away. Some of the homes date to the early 19th Century, the start point is a museum to that era and was built in 1832.
We left via an old road instead of directly out in the Interstate. This road went through the pass and along the Blue Ridge Parkway for a while. The snow was still quite deep along side the road and one could see deer eating where the snow had melting close to the trees and rocks. Someday I would like to drive the length of both the Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway from one end to the other.
Once back on the Interstate it was pretty much smooth sailing. I am quite sure that I saw a coyote eating away on a dead deer along side of the road. I have heard that coyote are moving east and I guess this as not a rare sighting. In reading one brochure of a hike we did not go to was a caution about the bear that frequent that section of the park. Some towns are experiencing major problems with deer as the deer are coming directly into the yards and unfortunately are leaving calling cards such as ticks which carry nasty things like Lyme Disease which is no fun from what I understand.
Day 5 - January 4th - Home - Mileage 115 - Cumulative - 1215.
We were back on the road early - before sunlight actually and drove for an hour before the necessity for coffee made us stop for an hour. While we were there it sprinkled a little bit but not enough to wash the RV drat it. We were home at 0930 and have spent most of the day cleaning up ourselves, the house and "Tiny." I do not if we are psychologically prepared for work tomorrow but have little alternative I fear.
Let me get this read for mailing in the morning, no rest for the wicked.
We hope you all had a great holiday season and that we all have a great and prosperous year to come
1. Ron Hamnerism
2. RV
Have a great holiday season.
Previous travels with Don:
Virginia Tidewater
Manassas and Gettysburg
West Virginia
Links of Interest:
North Carolina Walking Events
Asheville Amblers Year-Round Walking Events
