We settled in for the rest of summer, removing the bicycles from the car rack, removing the car rack itself, and unpacking and stowing fly fishing and bicycle accessories stored in the back of the Honda. A late breakfast was followed by a short drive to familiarize ourselves with the area. 

We are at Cross Creek RV Park in Maggie Valley, a small resort town in Haywood County in western NC, about 35 miles west of Asheville. It’s population is less than 1000, though swells in summer with the onslaught of tourists visiting the town, and snowbirds mostly from Florida “summering” here to escape the heat. Both the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains NP are within a few miles. It is a motorcycle town with many riders Harleys and on “slingshots” and “spiders”—3-wheeled motorcycles—riding through town and staying for a few days.. It is also home to Cataloochee Ski Area. The community gets its name from Maggie Mae Setzer; her father John “Jack” Sidney Setzer founded the area’s first post office and named it after one of his daughters.

Our day’s drive took us up the mountain to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the west to its terminus at Cherokee, NC.  Cherokee is the capital of the Eastern Bandof the Cherokee Nation. In the 1870s, the Eastern Band purchased the land for what is called the “Qualla Boundary” in the 1870s. It is another small  resort town adjacent to Great Smoky Mountain NP, and now a gambling town with several large casinos. 

From Cherokee, it was off to Lake Junaluska, just a few miles east of Magic Valley. Lake Junaluska is formally known as Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center; it is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, but open to all. It’s comprised of 1400 acres, including the 200-acre Junaluska Lake, and has virtually anything one would desire: golf course, rv park, fishing, canoes and kayaks, cycling, tennis courts, etc. We spent the afternoon walking around the lake, a 2.3 mile circuit. The wildflowers and gardens were incredible, and several butterflies were busy nectaring. In that regard, I brought the wrong lens—like taking a knife to a gunfight. However, we will go back, several times, over the next few weeks. We were verbally accosted by a middle-aged runner because we slipped on our masks as he approached—people just don’t get it!

With a a relatively short drive today, we enjoyed a lazy, unrushed morning, complete with a full breakfast. Afterward, it was back to the river’s edge where we watched a pair of adult eagles cajoling, and catching and eating an occasional fish; they are very efficient fishers—swooping down picking up a fish without missing a wing beat.

At 11:30 am, we withdrew the slides, contracted the leveling jacks, and unhooked from shore power. And then we hooked up the Honda, checked brakes and lights, and began the last leg of the trip onto I-40 and through the mountains of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina just as the rain began in earnest. It rained the entire 75 miles, and the interstate was both hilly and curvy, with speed limits of 45 mph in places, and we passed through several tunnels—not the best of driving days.

After arriving at Cross Creek RV Park on the eastern outskirts of Maggie Valley, North Carolina, we set up in the rain. As it continued to rain, we caught up with social media, extended the awning, and enjoyed the cool air and terrific view of the Smokies. We feasted on leftovers from home—smoked spareribs. Even with great cable, we continue watching Deadwind, a Finnish mystery television series.

Natchez Trace State Park was in our review mirror by 7:30 AM. Early mid-morning saw us through Nashville and noon saw us through Knoxville. One has to hand it to Tennessee, they maintain the I-40 route superbly, and it was such a pleasure driving through the clean and neat countryside. Turning off the interstate past Knoxville towards Gatlinburg, we veered away from the touristy highway to Douglas Dam Tailwater Campground, where we parked on the shoreline of the French Broad River for the night. After setting up and having lunch, we extracted folding chairs from the RV’s innards, set them up near the river, and enjoyed piece and quiet outside until rain came. And then it was back in for dinner and more downloaded television. While we had cell service, it was limited and sporadic, though I did find enough bandwidth to post several blog entries from this Journal.

Okay, I admit it. I am a nomad, wayferer, and wanderer, a modern day explorer. I really enjoy seeing new places and experiencing new adventures. While I really like having a home base, I so enjoy the free spirit nature of full time RVer, just part time. And, as I get older There is less tolerance for really cold or really hot weather. Thankfully , Kay tolerates it, and is my traveling partner. And my very good friends, Dan Olson and Jim Morris, also tolerate it.

Now that that is established, we departed the Hot Springs Village RV Park at 7:30 AM, in the rain, with a day’s destination of Natchez Trace State Park between Jackson and Nashville, TN. It was an uneventful trip (thank you, Lord) as we stopped only once, for gas, east of Jackson. Kay checked us in via phone as we neared the state park. After unhooking the Honda, we found our site, and backed in—challenging because the neighbor had parked where we needed to turn. Jacks were extended, slides put out, and electrical cable plugged in. All set. Well, not quite. The sun and night shades on the front windshield would only go halfway down; nothing would budge them. Kay and I unattached them, ran them up and down, and then reattached them. They worked, but I contorted my body in ways unimaginable assisting in the repair.

Backed in without hitting the truck or running off into the culvert

After dinner (leftovers from home), we watched “Dead Wind” and “Silent Witness”, downloaded from Amazon Prime.

On Monday Kay took care of business (including an oil change for her car) in Hot Springs, while, procrastinator that I am, I finally started packing clothes and personal items. Fortunately, we keep lots of checklists, so one was retrieved from the computer’s memory, and items checked off one by one as they were packed. Kay had made arrangements to park the motorhome at the HSV RV park to facilitate loading and stowing our things—smart lady! I moved it from storage to the reserved site, set everything up and was met by Pam who delivered me home. There, all the packed stuff was loaded into the Pilot for transporting to the RV park. Kay unloaded the Pilot and stowed all of it; I played golf in weather so hot and humid that it was no fun, miserable! Dinner was fried chicken, real mashed potatoes, “yankee” gravy (that brown stuff), green beans, and a biscuit from Granada Grill for $7.95 each. It was delicious!

Fly fishing gear for both Kay and me

Today is Tuesday, July 21, and is my big sisters’s 78th birthday. She has watched over me my whole life like a second mother. Happy birthday, Carma. I love you. This morning, Kay changed the “bed clothes” (we like to come home to a clean house and clean sheets on the bed) and packed “pantry” food and refrigerated and frozen items. I emptied the hot tub, shut down all the electrical toys, and put new batteries in virtually everything that used them. Kay’s longtime friend, Sue, is kind enough to house sit for us while we travel, and we wanted things to be just right for her. We collected last minute toiletries, charging cords and devices, and other last minute items and took them to the motorhome. The rest of the day was quiet, and we read, etc. Sue arrived early evening, and Kay served us Subway sandwiches; they never tasted better. After eating, we left Sue to take care of things while we were gone, and returned to the motorhome to spend the night before leaving tomorrow. As luck would have it, Ron and Bev (from Conway, and who we met in Arizona this winter) were next to us. They had sold their house in Conway, and downsizes from a diesel pusher 41-foot motorhome to a 25-foot Tiffin Wayferer. They dropped by and we had a great visit. They are building a house in the Village, and it will be so great to share their friendship again. After all, they like Southern gospel music!

Hot Springs Village RV Park

Jim Morris and I had a socially-distanced coffee time in his back yard under the trees relatively early Sunday morning, but the rest of the day got lost in the busyness of getting ready to travel. Toys (cameras, computers, and fly fishing gear) were assembled and cleaned. Travel bags were recovered from the attic, and a box of camping and fishing stuff was retrieved from the crawl space. The box of stuff stunk from the crawl space stunk to high heaven, and when I dumped it, a dead mouse was discovered. It was quickly dispatched, and the stuff sprayed first with ? and then with Lysol—didn’t work. The items were thrown in the washer, and soaked for a couple of hours, washed, and then hung out to dry. Some residual “stink” remained, so cotton balls were soaked with pure vanilla, put in the box with the stuff not being packed for the trip, and stored again. The float tube was disassembled and the bladder filled to determine if it leaked. The cover was washed. Seems like when something is begun, a bunch of other tasks emerge! Since Kay had finished packing her clothes and personal items, she joined longtime friends and book club members, Pam and JaneAnn for the afternoon at HSV’s new million dollar swimming pool, and really enjoyed it. She is far more efficient than I.

Pam and JaneAnn

Friday morning, after gathering all the tools and accessories, it was off to Walmart for oil and an oil filter; fortunately, most people were masked, and with self-checkout, it was relatively safe. And then, I was off to the RV storage garage to perform an oil change on the motorhome.It was fairly quick, and yes, I managed to get oil all over me! Upon returning to the house, all oily and soaked with perspiration, it was time for the first shower of the day. Meanwhile, Kay ran errands including picking up our meds for the next 90 days, and did other odd jobs for which I’m so grateful. It was too hot and humid to do much anything else, except stay in out of the “miserable” weather.

Up early again on Saturday morning, it was back to Balboa Storage where I moved the motorhome from its “garage” to the wash rack. Of course, I ran out of car wash soap, but Kay was quick to the rescue. Two and a half hours later, the motorhome was washed and dried, and I was soaking wet with perspiration. Back at home, the outdoor potted plants got watered, and I took the first of two showers for the day. Kay got “beautified” in the morning, even scheduling and paying for my pedicure later in the afternoon. She spent the afternoon packing.

On our return from Memphis, Kay and I talked about the heat and the staggering increase in Covid-19 cases in Arkansas, and how we could deal with it. Historically, we travel to cooler climes in July and August; this year was to be no exception. In September 2019, we made reservations for July and August at an RV park in the mountains of western North Carolina, where average daily high temperatures are in the high 70s. Because of other commitments and family concerns, we found it necessary to cancel those. However, the Covid-19 Pandemic resulted in cancellation by the tour company of a conflicting month long United Kingdom trip in late summer and the other issues resolved themselves. This left us free to either stay home or escape the sweltering heat like we have done the last several years. Consequently, Kay called the resort in the mountains of western North Carolina where we had originally planned to spend all of July and August, but they had no vacancies. A high school classmate of hers and his wife were posting on Facebook from an RV park in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, that they really liked. Kay called the RV park (Cross Creek RV Park) and they had an opening; she immediately booked us through August. Focus for the next three days would be on pre-trip maintenance and packing.

The month began with continuing rain, with over 5 inches falling in the first few days of the month. And then, overwhelming heat and humidity settled in for the long term. In our old age, we have become soft, and do not venture out to play golf or pickleball often, and when we do, our clothes are soaking wet. Just watering the plants in the morning necessitate a shower and change of clothes!

We had a great July 4th “picnic” at Jim and Jackie’s. The Altom’s, Pam, Don, and Kay and I had Walmart fried chicken, baked beans, potato salad, and other great food. Dessert was peach cobbler and ice cream, though I didn’t partake.

Jim and Jackie Morris

Bobby and Martha Altom

Pam Williams and Don Atchley

Yours truly and Kay

Harper (our 8-year old grand daughter via Jenny) came with her mom and little brother, Linc, to visit the weekend of July 11-12, and she stayed with us until we took her home on July 15. Despite the “deplorable” weather, we had a great time. Harper enjoyed Balboa beach Sunday, followed by play time in the “cool” hot tub. She loved the “waterfall” and the foam resulting from air injection. One of her many comments was, “I could get used to this.” KK took her shopping on Monday followed by more play time in the hot tub. Tuesday, she and KK visited Aunt Karyn and cousins Ridge and Aker. Ridge came back with them for another beach day with DD. She “hot-tubbed” again after Ridge returned home. We took her home on Wednesday, and while in Memphis, I was tested for and purchased new hearing aids. This makes my 4th set! Getting old is not for sissies.

Harper and Lincoln

Ridge and Harper

Hoping that the Covid-19 Pandemic would wane after all we had been through already this year, we were not shocked to see the situation worsen as much of the US, including Arkansas, entered into “Phase II”.  Arkansas failed to provide guidance and leadership to stymie this outrageous plague moving through the state and nation as if it were an out-of-control wildfire. Thus, we continue to observe a solitary and confined lifestyle, without the closeness of kids, grandkids, other family, and friends. We have seen the kids and grandkids a couple of times, and it is impossible to distance ourselves from them when they don’t understand the lack of touching. So, we’ve been lucky. Regretfully, photos of them are far and few between. Each of us also has a trusted friend with whom we do things. We also play golf and pickleball, though taking care to keep our distances, not take chances, wear “protection” and not touch, and wash and/or disinfect often. We also order-out food once every week or so. FaceTime, Zoom, FaceBook, and other social media greatly helps in maintaining some semblance of a social life, and keeps us as up-to-date as possible. Shopping is via the internet, and what few groceries purchased are done so via online ordering and non-contact pickup. We are quickly exhausting Netflilx, Amazon Prime, BritBox, Hoopla, PBS, and other video venues. I have seen so many YouTube videos that my mind is about to explode with useless information! Hopes for a speedy recovery have all but disappeared, and we have canceled both domestic and foreign travel. Our winter plans will be in serious jeopardy unless a vaccine is developed and dispersed very quickly. This is a hell of a way to live out one’s final years!

Links to photos taking through the end of June are as follows: 

Arkansas Wildflowers

Arkansas Butterflies

Arkansas Dragonflies and Damselflies