Nantahala Oct. 07

[bearridge]

Fellas,

Me, Miz Bear, Swamprat, Joe 'n Nancy aim ta join up at the Lost Mines fer a week in October before the last Saturday. There will be other folks there I aint met yet, but we will meet 'n paddle......mebbe some will be Aussies? The colored leaves iz worth it. Short hikes on the Appalachian Trail 'er thru Joyce Kilmer iz worth it. Raftin' iz worth it. Settin' round the campground 'n soakin' up the Smokies iz worth it. Eatin' good 'n tellin' tall tales iz worth it.....least it iz ta me.

If any of ya'll kin bust loose, let me know. Miz Bear'n me bout ta start packin' fer our Great Divide Expedishun......Laramie, Boise, Ft. Lewis, Butte, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, etc. I dont care fer Mister Gates 'er the horse he rode in on, so I wont buy no Vista 'n I dont have no laptop.....but I mite git a Mac. [Dave, I aim ta Linux.....someday.] If I dont git a lap top, I mite be in withdrawal frum Mister Gore's web....so dont go flyin' off the handle if I dont answer ya rite off. :wink:

Oh....flyfishin' heaven iz less'n a mile frum the Lost Mine Campground.

regards
bearridge

If someone is so fearful that they are going to start using their weapons to protect their rights, it makes me very nervous that these people have weapons at all. Henry Waxman

 

[Jimmy W]

Brr Bear, Have you driven across the Cherohala Skyway between Tellico Plains, TN and Robbinsville, NC. The east end is just down the road from Joyce Kilmer. I figure that you probably have, but if not it is worth the trip.
There is a nice National Forest campground along it at Indian Boundary Lake.

 

[oldyaker]

Love ta join y'all Brother Bear......I just got my clothes outta the bag and washed, only to get ready and repack for TN..........I'll be camp'n at the Marriott in Nashville......I'd rather be around your fire at Lost Minds. :cry:

 

[bearridge]

Friend Jimmy W,

I have been ta Joyce Kilmer a few times, so I drove part of that skyroad. Up on top of the mountains where we turn off ta Joyce's old growth it seems like a dream ta see this fine, double wide, concrete highroad out in the middle of nowhere. The most expensive road ever built.

http://highdollarhighway.notlong.com/

Friend oldyaker,

We got Black Box red wine (e-hat tip ta DM), fine cheese 'n fancy sardines, Harry's percolator, Chuck's cast iron, Mac's BS, Joe's world wide tale tellin', Miz Ann with her dog Basil 'n her cats, coolish campin' weather, a chili cookin'...........but we will still miss ya'll. :cry:

We will miss yer Italian butcher even more. :mrgreen:

regards
bearridge

St. Louis?
No, Navin Johnson.

 

[bearridge]

Well, here goes. First off, no camp fires....burn ban all over Carolina that week, even after all the rain.

Drivin' there we found Whitt's Barbecue. Good, but even better on the way home when I asked fer bark in mine. Whitt's iz on the Tammy Wynette Memorial Highroad, close ta Moulton, Bamalama.

The trees wuz nuthin' special til we hit the Nantahala Gorge. Not az nice az last October, but nice. The Commodore 'n hiz son wuz set up in a pop up across frum our site. The High Sheriff's site wuz empty. So wuz Brad's. :cry: We wuz scairt of rain so we set up camp 'n slept purty good, even tho it wuz too hot fer me.

Next day we rested up. Mac 'n Wynelle showed up. I reckon hiz parole officer figgered it would be okay since Wynelle could keep an eye on him. :wink: Lucien 'n Ramona run the river. That nite it rained fer the first time in months.....all nite long. Good sleepin', but a bit warm agin....high 40's.

All the rain had the river runnin' on the high side. I seen rite off it would be some big water. I pulled out in Patton's Run ta git my mind rite.



The ride down ta Ferebee Park didnt take no time. Here iz Lucien 'n Ramona with some mitey fine leaves behind 'em.


I even pulled inta a eddy fulla gold leaves.


The trees wuz wearin' their finest leaves.


When we come upon the surfin' rapid, Miz Bear snapped anuther fine leaf pichur.

Lucien 'n Ramona got ta the Falls before me. This iz them catchin' Truckstop eddy.


Here they come by the top hole.


The bigger water made fer some big splashes. They had a good run, jest like the day before on her birthday #60. Lucien iz older'n me....even older'n the High Sheriff.

After lunch I may put some more pichurs on here. I think I made 'em all small so the country folk kin see 'em. :wink:

regards,
bearridge

I’ll say a word, jest a word. This was a good brave boy, he had a fine tenor voice and we’ll all miss him. There’s accidents in life and he met with a bad one. Now we may all do the same if we aint careful. Dust to dust. Now let’s the rest of us go on to Montana. Gus McCrae

 

[swamprat]

Good stuff Bear.... Good to see Lucia and Ramone... They haven't changed a bit. Now off to look at the rest of the pics