The
young lady in the form-fitted red dress calls it a “rain event.”
She looks as if she is in high school, but she is the weather person
for a local television station so I'm sure she knows what she is
talking about. Just the same, calling the constant rain we've had
for several days now a rain event doesn't require a college degree.
It rained daily while we were up in Asheville at Lake Powhatan, and
now it is raining constantly with only occasional breaks in the
persistent drizzle. Constant rain really does dampen the camping
spirit, so to speak, and we've seen many tent campers pack in early
and head home. We left Lake Powhatan early Friday morning while it
was semi-dry and got to pack away the mats and awnings while they
were also semi-dry. We barely got out of the mountains before it came down again in earnest.
We
opted to take a scenic drive through the edge of the mountains back
to Georgia rather than heading back down US 25 to Greenville, a ride
I thought was bland and uninteresting, even if trouble free. We
picked up NC 280 just south of Asheville and cruised into pretty
Brevard, a few miles down the road. There we picked up the
“waterfall trail,” US 64 and headed to Cashiers, a road we last
drove in 1980. The rain faded away so it was an overcast, chilly day; perfect for towing a trailer.
Back
then, U.S. 64 was a narrow, twisty road that really suited the turbo
Mustang Cobra I owned at the time. The McLaren orange sports sedan
had a Michelin handling package and made mincemeat of the mountainous
highway. It was an absolute dream to drive through the mountains. The
countryside back then was still Appalachia, with roadside vegetable
stands and people sitting on their porches watching traffic. It
looked like it had in my youth.
The
highway hasn't changed much in thirty-three years. In fact, most
parts don't appear to have even had any maintenance since the last time we
drove it. Beautiful drive, but definitely not the right road to tow a
camper! It was a scenic, if somewhat busy ride, with several anxious
moments watching high-dollar SUV's crossing the double yellow line
while headed toward us.
What
has changed, though, is the landscape. With sterile, man-made
waterfalls and gated communities dotting many corners along the
roadside to Cashiers and Highlands, it looks like the money has found
where to go for the summer. Asheville looks practically poverty
stricken by comparison. There are more Audi's, Mercedes Benz and Lexus here this time of
year than in Palm Beach or Naples. The highway traffic jams are made up of
Porsches, BMW's, and Jaguars, many of which have Florida license
plates. Appalachia has a new face, at least in the far southwest
corner of North Carolina, and it doesn't spit tobacco anymore.
By the
time we drop out of the mountains into Dillard, Georgia, the rains
start again and it appears we are back in reality as normal traffic seems
to be made up of Toyotas, Chevvies, vans and pickup trucks. The ride down to Richard
Russell State Park near Elberton is an easy, uneventful, if wet,
drive.
Since rain is forecast for the next five days or so, we've decided to
stay at Richard Russell State Park in Georgia instead of heading up
the road a short distance to Lake Hartwell and Watsadler Campground, one of our
favorites, as we first planned. Since we can't go outside to play,
we'll stay inside and take advantage of the basic cable television
service and the free Wi-Fi, neither of which are available at
Watsadler.
Hopefully,
the “rain event” will pass by before we all get cabin fever.
NEXT: Alone, At Last, at Richard Russell State Park, at:
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