Sitting Creekside, or The Calm Before the Cuts.

We returned from a busy and fun-filled week in Louisville, Kentucky the day before two of our grandchildren arrived to spend the week with us. The purpose of this visit was to attend Vacation Bible School at our church and to absorb all the hugs Helen (adorable wife), and I could squeeze out of them. We had a wonderful time.  The highlight of the week was watching them spend several hours composing poetry and reading their work aloud to us—what fun. Although we had plans for the week after their departure, it was sad to see them go.

Easin’ Along readers may remember that we had to leave Gracey (travel trailer) at home rather than take her to Louisville because Bert (truck) was in the shop. Well, Bert received a new set of wheel bearings, so Helen and I were itching to get back on the road once the little ones left for home. The primary reason for another trip so soon is because Helen is scheduled for a second knee replacement next week and I will be receiving a new hip in three weeks. We did not linger long over the decision of where to go for some calm before the cuts, because we both knew we had to go to our favorite campground in North Carolina.

We love this campground near Cherokee, NC and have returned several times since we discovered it two years ago. The campground sits on the banks of SoCo Creek, and we always ask for a campsite that allows us to back our trailer to a spot within feet of the water. Due to a large amount of rain in recent weeks, the creek was running high, and the sound of the flowing water enveloped our campsite in total tranquility. We slept with the windows open and slept very well.

Usually, we look for some activity or place to explore when we are on road trips, but we are familiar with this area, and therefore content with sitting by the creek to give our soon-to-be-replaced joints a bit of a break. We came here to do nothing, and we can do nothing as well as anybody. After an extended conversation over coffee at Creekside, however, we drove the short distance to Bryson City, NC to do some browsing through the charming shops along Everett Street where I found a book to read in the used bookstore I always visit. We also picked up some freshly made dark chocolate from the chocolatier in town. For the final stop on our visit, we strolled over to High Test Deli and ordered two of their fabulous sandwiches to take back to camp for dinner. 

Day two started out much the same.  First, it was pancakes for breakfast, then Helen struck up a conversation with a group of campers from Birmingham, AL attending a Bluegrass Music Festival in the area.  This group was having too much fun, and their laughter was infectious.  I chuckled when I noticed that all of the ladies in the group had matching pajama bottoms to wear around the campfire. I regret that I did not get a picture of them.

Following breakfast and some time spent attending to a few maintenance items around Gracey, we drove to Deep Creek Campground in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Although both of us knew we needed some exercise, we knew that we wouldn’t be able to do much. Nevertheless, we were up for a walk along Deep Creek to the waterfall a short distance down the trail.  The weather was perfect with the temperature in the low 70’s, and the sun was out in full. Deep Creek was full of folks floating along on colorful inner tubes.  The water was probably a little bit cool because everytime a tuber fell in or got splashed you could hear them squeal. Once we made it to the Falls, we were able to take a few pictures of the floating passersby admiring the view.

I was ready to return to the car, but Helen insisted that we walk on a few hundred yards to a bridge over the creek so that we could say we made it. I’m glad we did. The colorful inner tubes and the fun-loving tubers formed a floating parade that we watched for a long time.  I suppose it helped that we were not in a hurry to do much of anything except enjoy the moment.

By Monday most of the campers had moved out, and we had the campground pretty much to ourselves. Taking advantage of the calm and peaceful surroundings, we read our books, took naps, and watched a couple of fishermen cast flies in hopes of catching a trout. This pace was one we could handle, and a great pace for two folks just Easin’ Along.