 |
| Fontana Village with ice covered trees up on the mountains. |
The weather stunk this morning. It was cold, wet, raining. So we ate breakfast and were all ready to go, but not wanting to go. We went in the store and asked if there was anyone going to Fontana Dam and it just so happened there was. So after debating it for awhile we decided to go with him. [Our first gap in the trail - I had to wait 7 years to fill in the gaps and finish the trail in 1981]
Anyway, the guy we rode with came from western New York, and he was telling us all about the people who lived around Wesser. Mountain people who are all related to each other. He told us how they come into the store and sit around and just talk all day. And this old man who owns 200 acres and who hasn't been outside a 20 mile radius in 30 years or so, and his cabin with squirrel skins all over the outside walls and dogs everywhere. We saw plenty of those old mountain houses around the area. On the way we saw a few houses that were demolished by tornadoes last week. Heard a few people were killed in the area.
We reached Fontana Dam Village about 10:00 and checked into an $8 cabin. Had a refrigerator in it. The weather turned nice - it became sunny and warmed up. There was a covering of ice all over the mountains though. The trees were all white and sparkling up there against the deep blue sky. Really beautiful. Picked up mail and checked out stores, bought food, tried to find a ranger to get our permit for the Smokies, played pool, then had dinner in the cafeteria.
Afterwards we hitched a ride to the Ranger Station 6 miles down the road. Got a ride from 2 guys in a van. They'd been drinking and were still drinking. The driver wasn't too bad, but the other guy was gone. The driver was supposedly a bass player in a country music group which had just released and album. Can't remember the name of the group. Anyway, we got to the Ranger Station and got a permit for 3 nights to Newfound Gap. Plan to go to Gatlinburg from there and get a new pack for Rick. Tried to get a ride back from the Station, walked more than 3 miles before we got one. Not much traffic. Got a ride with a couple of hippies from Sacramento, California. Got back to the village at 7:45. Went to see "Live and Let Die". Not bad, not too great. So ends another day.
[Fontana Dam Village was originally housing for workers who built Fontana Dam, a TVA project. After the construction was completed it was turned into a tourist resort.]
No comments:
Post a Comment