This morning
it was still foggy and breezy on White Top, but the rain had mostly ended. It
was another quick job of breaking camp and we drove back down to Damascus for
breakfast. The Appalachian Trail passes through here, and the town is a
favorite stop for hikers. We had a great morning meal at one of the diners that
caters to the hiking crowd.
This is also where we said goodbye to George and
Roxanne. We’re heading up toward Washington, D.C., and they’re going for a bike
ride to Abingdon and then returning to Wah Haw Haw for more adventures.
We can’t
thank George and Roxanne enough for hosting us in both Florida and North
Carolina. We saw and did things we would not have done without their help.
Despite being on opposite coasts and being busy with our careers, George and I
have managed to get together for some adventures over the past 40 years. It’s
always fun to add to the catalog of stories (the ones that get better with each
telling), so I’m hoping we can do this more often now that we’re all retired.
Karen and I
took a very scenic country road north out of Damascus, then hit the interstate
toward Roanoke, VA. That’s where we got fuel and some food for dinner. Our
destination was the Peaks of Otter campground in the Blue Ridge Parkway
National Park. The GPS took us through rolling farm land and narrow country
roads (the kind with no stripes painted on them) from Roanoke to the
campground. Karen had called ahead to the campground and confirmed there were
campsites available for the night. Thanks to our advanced age, we got the
campsite for $10 per night.
As soon as we
pulled into the campground, we saw two deer standing next to the road. This is
not an unusual sight in this part of the country, but there was something
different about the look in one of the deer’s eyes. Instead of moving out of
our way, it gave us an insolent stare as we drove slowly by.
There were
signs posted warning campers to secure their food at night since Black Bears
are known to frequent the area. The park ranger assured us there was nothing to
worry about because there had only been a few recent sightings and besides,
they’re more afraid of you than you are of them (I’m not sure Karen agrees with
this). We had already planned our dinner for the evening: fish tacos. I seem to
remember bears like fish, too…
We figured if
we took the trash over to the dumpster as soon as we were done eating, we’d be
OK. Meanwhile, big booms of thunder were pealing among the surrounding hills. It
was certain that we were in for another afternoon rain storm. We got the BBQ
started just as the skies opened up and the rain came down. Somehow, the grill
stayed lit and we got the fish cooked. With the scent of freshly grilled fish
wafting throughout the campground and into the surrounding forest, we fixed our
tacos inside the Aliner.
After washing
the dishes and cleaning up inside, I took the first of two loads of trash
across the campground to the dumpster. About halfway there, I ran into that
same deer we saw earlier. At first, it acted as if I was not there. Then, after
I passed by, it began to follow me. It always stayed about three feet behind me
and it seemed as if it would have tried to get closer if I hadn’t kept turning
around to see what it was up to. It finally stopped as I got close to the
dumpster.
On the return
trip, it did the same thing. And, when I took the second trip to the dumpster,
it again acted the same way. I was beginning to think I should be more worried
about deer than bears.
We had the
whole campground almost to ourselves – there were maybe two other campsites
occupied. It’s a beautiful place nestled among moss covered trees and ferns on
a steep hillside about a half mile from the Blue Ridge Parkway. As with the
past several nights, we prepared for a wet and stormy evening.
The thunder
continued and the rain fell. At one point during the night it got so humid in
the trailer that our carbon monoxide alarm went off and I had to open the roof
vent and run the ceiling fan for about ten minutes. We stayed dry and made it
through the night. Karen dreamed of bears, I dreamed of evil-eyed deer.
Next: Hope
for the sun…
No comments:
Post a Comment