Mia Dances With The Dragon

Leaving Smoky Mountain National Park on a perfect autumn day was a special treat, driving through the colorful hills and winding roads leading away from the park, a fitting farewell for our visit. Heading south towards Georgia, we took the scenic Foothills Parkway around the southwestern perimeter of the park, which placed us onto Tennessee Rt 129, the legendary “Tail of the Dragon”, one of the most famous driver’s roads in America. Could this be a coincidence, an omen, a sign that Mia (or rather her driver) should test her (his) mettle on this famous road course?

The legend says 318 turns in 11 miles, with accompanying dips and undulations that have thrown hundreds of motorcycles, sports cars and unprepared truckers off into the woods, often adding to the tally of road fatalities rivaling the famed Nurburgring Nordschliefe in Germany. While it would have been more enjoyable to challenge this monster in a BMW M3 or a Ferrari 512TR, Mia proved herself up to the task. And while her steering linkage got quite a workout, never did she falter, except perhaps to let faster traffic by. We even got a few thumbs-up from motorcyclists, perhaps because we didn’t punt them into the woods as we drifted through the many esses that made up the tail. It was a highlight of the trip, for sure.

Continuing on through the deep woods, we detoured to Fontana Dam in North Carolina, parking near the trail shelter where I first reunited with Patty on my Appalachian Trail thruhike in 2005. One of the nicer shelters on the AT, it is affectionately known as the Fontana Hilton because it has running water and spectacular views of the lake. We picnicked just outside the shelter and even encountered a couple of southbound thruhikers who were straggling to Springer Mountain in Georgia, the opposite direction of my northbound route. The memories from my hike are still vivid, although I think the discomfort I experienced fades from that memory. I was glad not to be on the trail, but to be able to enjoy the comforts of living in Mia, The Dragon Slayer.

 

We continued our way through the sparkling, northern Georgia countryside to visit with several friends about an hour north of Atlanta. Mia has become quite adept at squeezing herself into the driveways of the many friends and family we’ve visited along the route, although she seems just as content curbside in front of homes, so long as she feels welcome. We generally stay inside her when we’re visiting, so as not to disrupt our routine and wear out our welcome wherever we land. It’s easier than packing and unpacking, and while it would provide a break from our routine to stay indoors, in the end it makes it easier for all involved. We traveled into Atlanta for one day to see the Capitol building, the funky Underground Atlanta area (a sunken streetscape near the former train depot, housing stores and restaurants) and Stone Mountain Park, site of the bas relief stone sculpture of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson and Jefferson Davis, carved to honor the Confederacy. We learned of this unusual sculpture when visiting Mount Rushmore, as it was begun by the same sculptor Gutzon Borglum (an egotistical, eccentric character), and then stalled when he quit in anger. It was finished by two different sculptors over the next forty years, and while not as compelling as Rushmore, it certainly has a much more colorful history.

Heading back into North Carolina, we visited with Patty’s sister Susie for a week, caught up with laundry and did some needed Mia maintenance. Enjoying a more leisurely pace while there, we had time to begin our Christmas shopping. We also took several hikes in nearby parks and through beautiful farm countryside, including a day trip back to South Carolina to tour the nearby BMW automobile plant in Spartanburg. We’ve toured several automotive manufacturing plants over the years, including Porsche in Germany, but were amazed at the amount of automation that occurs nowadays, and how many robots are used in the manufacturing, painting and assembly process. It’s a fascinating process and explains why the quality of vehicle manufacturing has increased so steadily in recent years.

Moving east through North Carolina, we checked off another Capitol in Raleigh (#31) along with the North Carolina State Museum, which chronicled the cultural and economic history of the state, emphasizing the development of the furniture industry. We arrived in Wilmington to spend Thanksgiving with Patty’s brother Brucie and besides gorging ourselves on the traditional turkey dinner, enjoyed seeing nearby Wrightsville and Topsail Beaches. Both are perfect places to walk off some of the Thanksgiving calories and enjoy some beautiful, un-crowded sandy beaches in the off-season. We continued down the North Carolina coast to visit friends in Southport, a charming village near the water and then made our way back into South Carolina yet again, this time drawn by the beacon of “South of the Border”, the famous roadside mecca. 

Columbia, South Carolina was our target destination, so that we could add #32 to our growing collection of state capitals, and this one did not disappoint. While perhaps not as grand looking from the outside as some, lacking a gilded dome and the white marble or sandstone that many capitols have, the interior was unusual and elegant in a stately, southern way. We still struggle with the requisite war memorials with Confederate flags that fly in the former confederate states, but I guess it’s a problem we’re going to have to live with, as they don’t seem to be interested in changing them (especially in the event the South rises again). Leaving the capitol, we headed to nearby Congaree National Park, which features a floodplain forest with swampland, cypress trees and old-growth hardwood trees, one of the few remaining in the country. We enjoyed a two-mile walk along a boardwalk path through the swampland and forest, an easy way to experience the serenity and beauty of this unique landscape (Cypress knees growing upward like cave stalagmites) unlike anything we’ve encountered on the trip. It was an unexpected surprise to us both and a nice addition to our collection of National Parks. 

On to Charleston and the Georgia coast. We’re getting some pretty cold weather right now and are hoping it will warm up a little as we get further south.  Happy Trails!     Bob