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The Injuns are coming
John dresses up as a colinial settlerLet me take a brief moment to explain the title of this update.
This quote is one of John Muir’s most quoted phrases. It was contained in a letter he wrote to his sister Sarah Muir Galloway from the Yosemite valley on September 3rd, 1873. For those of you who may not be familiar with John Muir—he was one of America’s first naturalist, ecologist, and more importantly, nature author. Growing up in California, I had learned extensively about John Muir. He is one of my real inspirations when it comes to appreciating the great outdoors. You could probably imagine my surprise when I met a young man by the name of John Muir while I was stationed at Misawa Air Base in Japan. As it turns out, he was the great grandson of John Muir mentioned above.
Ok, now let’s move on to what Lynne and I have been up to over the course of the last week. We answered the call of the mountains. Our plans were to perform a function check on our gear and fine tune our packing list for our RTW trip beginning on 6 June 2008.
We left the mountain in Tellico Plains
Marco's Temporary Home
Marco poses in front of his home during his first camping trip and headed north to Cumberland Gap, TN. We set up camp at the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. Our original plan allowed for us to take a tour of the Hensley Settlement on Mother’s Day, but our plans changed upon arriving at the campground. As we were setting up our campground neighbor Rick came over to offer assistance prior to the rain beginning. We fortunately didn’t need his assistance. He then invited us to join the entertainment for the Dulcimer gathering.
We lucked into a really magical mountain moment. There was a group of about 150 musicians set up at the campground. They were there for the Cumberland Gap Dulcimer Gathering. The dulcimer is a simple stringed instrument that is typically played on the lap. Dulcimers are typically associated with mountain music, but can be played with a variety of other music to include country.
This Dulcimer Gathering was made possible by the dedication, hard work and funding from two truly exceptional people—Terry and Pam Lewis. These folks are really passionate about the dulcimer and are on a mission to do every thing they can to re-introduce the mountain dulcimer to the public. They arranged to bring in
Home Sweet Home
Lynne tries out her new digs professional instructors to conduct seminars and classes for participants and provide concept opportunities. All this was done free of charge. Terry and Pam were extremely busy during the weekend and I only got a brief moment to chat with them, but they provided a really magical weekend for Lynne and I and we are grateful to them for this.
Besides Terry and Pam, there was a large gather of folks from the mountain dulcimer community. We met folks from Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Florida and a few other places. Some of the other key folks providing lessons and seminars included Jim Miller (I’ll chat about Jim in more detail), Don Pedi, Lois Hornbostle, Deby Libby, Bing Futch, Alan Darveaux, and other talented musicians.
Lynne and I had the pleasure of sitting in on one of the lessons (just to watch of course), sit in on some of the Jam sessions and watch the free concerts in the amphitheater. The jam sessions were really cool to witness. Imagine 40-50 happy folks sitting under a large tent and passionately strumming on their magical mountain instruments. Along with the dulcimers, we saw a wide variety of other
Danger, Danger, Danger
This photo is dedicated to Rachel. Why in the heck would anyone post a sign like this on a rock that hangs over a waterfall? instruments to include banjos, hammer dulcimers, wash tub bass, standup bass, Tennessee Music Box, wooden spoons, guitars, shakers, band jammers as well as a few custom instruments I couldn’t identify. Sitting back listening to everyone playing was something else. Perhaps the most unique instrument was a hurdy gurdy. Fred Meyer brought this antique hand cranked music machine.
Let’s get back to Jim Miller for a moment. I first saw Jim while we were sitting in on the first jam session. Jim was teaching people to follow the chords by doing his customized version of sign language for the crowd. At first, I thought one of the players was deaf and wondered how someone could play an instrument if they were deaf. I later learned that this is a tool Jim used to help people follow the chords while they were playing. Jim is a very colorful guy who loves playing music and is quite an expert on many instruments. We even saw him playing a turkey baster. Yep, you heard me right, a turkey baster. That was really a sight to see. Jim even made a hilarious device to help him show the chords while he played. He used
Terry and Pam Lewis
Thank you for providing us a magical source of entertainment for the weekend. You are both really special folks. turkey basters attached by hose to party favors on a hat. This demonstration had the entire audience in stitches.
While we were hanging around this talented group of folks, we met some really awesome people. We will do a quick shout out to Rick and Barb Rassi as well as Jim, Linda, Larry, Karen and Nancy. Thanks for being special people. Lynne and I enjoyed your brief fellowship. Perhaps we will return next year—hope to see you then.
Another really exceptional part of the weekend in Cumberland gap was a colonial re-enactment of the Raid on Martin’s Station. Again, we met some really neat folks who dedicate their time as role players in these re-enactments. I even got a chance to dress up as a settler as shown in the opening photo of this update—that was a blast.
Martin’s Station is located in Wilderness Road State Park in Virginia at the base of the Cumberland Mountains. The Wilderness Road Trail roughly follows the trail carved by Daniel Boone on his way to Kentucky. Martin’s Station served as an outpost for settlers moving west through the Cumberland Gap and was key in the settlement of the American West.
Hurdy Gurdy
Fred Meyers plays an antique Hurdy Gurdy at the Cumberland Gap Dulcimer Gathering Each year, the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation puts on a realistic re-enactment of an Indian raid on the fort. This takes place every year around Mother’s Day weekend. This is certainly worth the time to check out. The re-enactment is of the Shawnee Indian raid on 30 April 1776. The players all did a superb job in providing a realistic performance we both enjoyed.
Ok, so let me give you a quick update on our function check. When we packed our backpacks, Lynne’s weighed in at 24 pounds. Mine weighed in at 37 pounds. These were respectable weights considering we were packing our camping gear as well. We took a few extra luxury items on this trip and they were a real blessing. Lynne and I learned a few things about functioning with the camping set up and I was able to try out a few primitive tricks to help make life a little better for us. All in all, the dry run was really beneficial for both of us, but we may do another one just to tweak a few things before our departure in 3 weeks. We will be reducing the contents of our
Cumberland Falls
Self-photo at Cumberland Falls food bag because we will be able to pick up what we need on the road. The additional weight just does not justify packing everything I desired. I also tested a couple of recipes and they worked out great.
After departing Cumberland Gap, we headed over to Hot Springs, NC. We had intended on setting up camp along the French Broad River, but we rolled into town during a tornado watch. We quickly jumped on plan B and stayed in the Hot Springs resort. We enjoyed the natural mineral waters in the hot tub right in the room. We stopped at the local outfitter and I picked up a replacement rain jacket. The one I was planning on taking on the trip was lightweight, but it was inferior as demonstrated while we were in Cumberland Gap. The weather remained nasty so we pulled up stakes and headed off to Asheville.
We bedded down for the night in Asheville, but stopped by the Mast General Store to check out their gear selection. Lynne picked up a pair of trail runners so now she has the shoes she will be trekking around the world in. While in Asheville, we
saw a flyer for Shoji Retreats. This retreat had Japanese style bathing tubs. You guessed it right. We stopped for a 3-hour stop to soak and enjoy. I also tried some of their herbal tea and got hooked on it. Some really good stuff so I picked up a bag of it.
Heading out of Asheville, we jumped on the Blue Ridge Parkway and enjoyed the scenic route through the mountains. We were heading to Bryson City to spend the night and relax. Bryson City was rather uneventful, but peaceful.
Upon heading out of Bryson City, we drove through the Nantahala Gorge. This is one of my favorite places in the US. We stopped at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) to have a quick look at the river and peak in at there outfitter store. The Appalachian Trail (AT) crosses the road right at the NOC. The NOC primarily caters to kayakers and paddlers, but is also a primary stop for people hiking the AT. When we pulled into the parking lot outside the NOC, Lynne and I noticed two thru-hikers opening boxes they received in a mail drop. It was really cool to see their excitement as
they looked over the contents they received for their resupply. When we walked by, I simply said “I see you got a mail drop”. One of the young ladies replied “It’s just like Christmas”. I got a big chuckle out of their response. Lynne and I had the pleasure of striking up a conversation with Beth and Julia. They were thru-hiking the AT and had started at Springer Mountain, Georgia about 3 weeks ago. They were hiking all the way to Maine. While we were chatting, they shared a story about their Whisperlight stove catching on fire just the night before. Beth shared that she was going to look into picking up an alcohol burning stove. I told her to wait right there and went to the Pathfinder. I brought back my homemade can food tin stove and a bottle of denatured alcohol. I gave them both to Beth and told her it was a little trail magic. We then sat down on the curb and performed a quick function check on her new stove. To Beth and Julie—Happy Trails to you both. If you haven’t gotten a trail name by the time you read this, Lynne and I have
Ambush
Militia from Martin's Station walk righ tinto a Shawnee Indian ambush a few suggestions in light of your stove incident. Here ya go: Afterburner, Sparky, Smokey, Flame, or Whisper and Lite. Leave us a comment on this blog and let us know how your stove works out for you. Remember my friends, it is not about the destination, rather it’s all about the journey.
Upon departing the NOC, we headed back to the mountain via the Cherohala Skyway. We saw some really remarkable vistas along the way.
We are now back on the mountain and making final plans for our departure on 6 June 2008. We have scrubbed our gear list and will make some minor modifications. Today, we booked our EuRail passes and firmed up our Hostel for two nights in London.
I will attempt to upload some photos from this trip. Please be patient with the photo uploads. We are also way behind on getting caught up on e-mails.
Joe, I received the package in the mail today. Thanks so much. Lynne is a real happy camper now. We will certainly let you know the first time we need to use it. I’ll send the money off to you in the morning.
Stefanie, Lynne
and I used the travel sponges on our camping trip. They worked out really great. Thanks to you and John for that neat little gift. They will certainly come in handy and will get plenty of use. It was great to spend some time with you and to finally meet John. I still need your mailing address. Lynne is making something special for you and we need to send it off to you.
Boss, I’ll send you an e-mail separately, but Lynne and I will plan on visiting next summer. We will let you know a good timeframe, but I think it would be a great time to head out to Brooks Camp and Brooks Falls. Congrats again.
Jackie, Lynne and I are proud to see that you started back to school on Monday. Stay focused and work your plan.
Rachel, I couldn’t help adding the photo of the sign. Lynne and I enjoyed our visit with you and Jeff, but still miss all of our road trips.
Frank, Lynne and I will give you a call. Congrats to you and Terry on your retirement. You have served your nation well and mentored many of us.
View Rough Butt Bald
Somewhere on the Blueridge Parkway Thank you for being a friend and mentor.
Marco completed his first road trip successfully and is already looking forward to his next adventure. Let me tell you this fuzzy little dude loves to have his photo taken. I have a sneaky suspicion that you will be seeing plenty of photos of Marco as he begins is career as a travel model. He is already asking is we can customize his travel wardrobe so he can blend in and not lot like a typical silly tourist. I guess we will have to accommodate him. I would hate to have an unhappy monkey along with us.
Until the next update, live your own dreams and keep those comments coming. We really love to hear from everyone.
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Bubba
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Jed Clampett
Hey Dude, you look like Jed Clampett in that photo. Listen to a story bout a man named Jed, Poor mountainer, but he kept his family fed............................................