Greetings from a Panera Bread somewhere in North Carolina! I pulled off the highway to take a break because it looked like it was about to pour...and now that I look out the window I see that it is pouring. That's going to make putting up my tent and building a fire a lot of fun tonight.
m1.
harsh or bitter derision or irony.
2.
a sharply ironical taunt; sneering or cutting remark: areview full of sarcasms.
After leaving my ShopRite last night I drove the five miles back to camp and passed the coolest, coolest, coolest diner ever. It was straight out of Grease but it was in the middle of nowhere. Upon further inspection I discovered it was also a drive in Movie Theater. I wished I could stay a few more days because they were advertising a Thanksgiving dinner special. If you feel the need, you can look it up...Mayberry Drive In Movie Theater and Diner.
When I got back to camp I built a fire and stared at it for about an hour. It was nice to just have time to sit and think and think some more. I went to bed about 9:30 knowing I wanted to get up early.
I woke up around 7:00 this morning (with a little help from some woodland friends...details to follow) and went on a hike around Smith Mountain Lake. It was gorgeous and absolutely peaceful and quiet. I couldn't have asked for better weather.
I also was coming across a lot of old wooden structures like this one:
I later found out they were used at tobacco curing barns back when people were "first" settling here. I saw a total of six over the course of about 50 miles. Two of them were like the one above, dilapidated while others were re-inforced and being used as garages or sheds.
The drive so far from Smith Mountain Lake State Park to Asheville has been the most scenic overall drive...about an hour more until I reach my campsite at French Broad River Campground. I will be there for two nights, and it will be really nice not to have to drive tomorrow. I am hoping the weather will clear up so I can do some hiking.
Today I...
...learned that squirrels running around outside your tent at 7:00 in the morning will serve as a better wake up call than any alarm clock. Especially if there are leaves on the ground these little guys are capable of making a shit load of noise. Enough that will make you sit up straight in your tent thinking they are something much, much bigger.
...realized how scary it is to have a North Carolinian cop drive behind you for ten miles when you have plates from a state whose residents are known as "MassHoles."
...followed an 18 wheeler for about 50 miles with the saying "You are not your past" written in the dirt on it's back end.
...followed an 18 wheeler for about 50 miles with the saying "You are not your past" written in the dirt on it's back end.
...realized I need to buy a tarp.
Thanks for reading friends...you're the best!
5 comments:
Sounds like an amazing trip so far!
I'd be scared out of my mind if I came across any of those old tobacco sheds at night.
PS: That should read "whose residents are known as "MassHoles"" rather than "who's residents are known as "MassHoles"".
WONDERFUL wooden things. OH!
Those squirrels may have been raccoons. Those fers.
It is an amazing trip - why would you be scared? Thanks for the typo fixer upper. And Emily - you can swear on my blog, we're all grownups...
sorry I forgot the tarp
Dany - I forgot it just as much as you did...maybe even more!
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