Coming Home to the Mountains: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC 6/14/08

We left Modoc around 9:30 and decided to continue on the Heritage Corridor Nature Trail until Clemson. We still weren’t sure of our exact plans, but were leaning toward heading for Asheville to see the Biltmore Estates. The drive thru the South Carolina foothills is stunningly beautiful. It’s hard to compare all the back roads we have been on, but this particular stretch of road is truly picturesque. We traveled up and down rolling hills, thru broadleaf forests and really quaint southern towns. We passed a Dairy Festival (I couldn’t believe Ned didn’t want to stop for free ice cream), a couple of Black History Festivals, a Scottish Festival and several other small town celebrations. Most of the time we were hugging the Georgia border. We were on a quest to fill up our propane tank in the Winniemobile, and after several false stops finally came to a small campground run by two woman who had the propane AND the right nozzle. While striking up a conversation with them, and discussing where we were headed, they suggested an alternate route to the Smokey’s. Basically our choice was to turn right and visit Biltmore, or turn left and go through some remote areas, including the river spot where the movie “Deliverance” was filmed. Well, you probably guessed our decision. We scrapped the house tour and headed for Bluegrass Country. We were definitely not disappointed in our choice. The benefits were incredibly beautiful mountains and wildflowers, mainly daylilies, and the weather cooled down immensely- 70’s. We stopped for lunch at a roadside diner, and this time, were pleasantly surprised. It was the usual selection of one meat and several “vegetable” side dishes. We choose ham, black-eyed peas and cantaloupe (Ned also had mashed potatoes and gravy). It was delicious! (Note: the vegetable side dishes are usually a choice of fried okra, collard greens, macaroni & cheese, potato salad, coleslaw, black-eyed peas, and an assortment of fruit cobblers). Yesterday I mentioned that I was a little sad about our return journey. However, upon reaching the mountains this afternoon, and experiencing the absolute joy of being IN the trees and seeing the endless mountain ranges, it made me nostalgic for home. I realized how much I love living in Nevada City and having the Sierra’s in our backyard. We expected the most visited National Park to be packed with people, especially on a Saturday night. We didn’t have reservations and really didn’t know what to expect. Apparently, the North Carolina side is less visited than the Tennessee side. We really lucked out and have a gorgeous creekside campsite. BTW - Did you know that this National Park is free? We spent some time visiting the Mountain Farm Museum at the park. A light rain fell most of the day in the Smokey’s, so we decided to eat inside. We popped a bottle of red wine and munched on cheese & cantaloupe that we bought from a roadside stand. It’s beautiful sitting here listening to the creek and being surrounded by this luscious forest.