The Cove
(Saturday traveling stories - part 8)
I woke up before the sun had risen but stayed in bed. No sense in going out into the cold night. Nothing demanded it. When it did get light out, we got up and started getting ready for the day. No hurry though. It takes me a while to get that “I’ve got to be doing something, getting something done, going somewhere,” mindset out of my system.
M made pancakes, eggs, and bacon for breakfast. It was good. I’m in charge of coffee making. We use the pour over method while camping. It’s great for home use and I have found it invaluable on my missionary travels. Pour over makes a good cup of Joe without electricity. All you need to do is heat up some water.
After breakfast, cleanup, and making everything bear safe, we grabbed out bikes and headed out to Cades Cove Loop Road. The Loop is eleven miles of one way paved road. It begins and ends near the campground entrance.
It is a very popular drive – as we discovered by first hand experience today.
The loop has several historical sites you can stop and visit along the way. This was once a community of people with homes and churches. Some of those buildings still stand and you can visit them and walk around in them today.
We stopped at the Methodist and Baptist churches along the way. They both had grave yards next to them with headstones dating back into the 1800’s. A number of them were the children’s graves. Several markers gave the birth and death as the same day. That they were buried the way they were, with names and dates on carefully carved headstones that have last over 100 years, demonstrates the way the folks who lived in Cades Cove back then respected the sanctity of life.
I also noticed that most of the headstones gave a eulogy of sorts. The marker of David W. Sparks, for example, says, “He was a good father, husband, and honest man.” Many were like that, remarking on their relationships and character. None of them that I saw, save one, said anything about whether they were butchers, bakers, or candlestick makers. The one exception, understandably in the context, said that the woman whose grave it was was the author of a book about the history of Cades Cove.
The point being, we spend way too much time building our identity around what we do – pastor, carpenter, computer programmer, etc. and way too little time thinking about and investing our energy in building and identity that matters in things that will matter to the people we leave behind when this life is over.
Nobody is going to care if you were salesman of the month or had the biggest church in Adair County when you die. Truth be told they don’t care now. Not that those things are without value or merit. Hard work, big achievements, accomplished goals are all great things. But not the most important things. If you accomplish everything else, but fail at relationships and character, what has it all meant?
We were fortunate to see a black bear along the road when we were riding. He came out into clearing just a few yards away from the road. He looked about, and if I read bears’ minds accurately, he was thinking about how to get across the road without too much interference from we tourists. He disappeared into a thicket of tall grass and scrub trees, his long black hair shimmering in the sun as he strode gracefully away. He had nice hair. I wonder if he uses any products.
At about the half way point we rode up a long gravel drive to the parking lot for the Abram’s Falls Trail Head. The hike is 2.5 miles long. It follows along a small river and the sound of the water rolling along brings an added peacefulness to the walk.
We enjoyed looking at the flowers and mushrooms and falling leaves along the trail. At several spots the Park Service created walking bridges over stream crossings using large fallen timbers. They flattened one side for walking on and made balusters and handrails out of other trees.
The handrails were worn smooth and had a dark rich brown color created by the thousands of hands that have passed over it through the years, polishing its surface smoother than any craftsman with 200 grit sandpaper could have done. And the natural depositing of oil from human hands adds a preservative that will keep the handrail from wood rot for a long time.
Lots of other people were hiking the trail, but not in the sense that it was overly crowded. Just in the sense that we said a lot of hellos to people as we passed them both ways. When we arrived at the falls we found some large, flat rocks along the river bank to sit down and enjoy the snack bars and water we had brought along.
I took a few pictures using a trick I learned using my iPhone. I brought my good camera along on the trip, but I haven’t used it once. I feel bad for her, and a little guilty. But I didn’t have a good way to bring it along with me on the bike. Had it just been a hike it would have been fine, but having it banging about on me while riding my bike wouldn’t have been good for either of us.
When we got back to the beginning of the trial head, we decided to ride over to the visitor center so M could have a break. There are a few old buildings there to visit as well, and we did.
The rest of the ride back was...interesting.
The thing about riding that loop is it would be fantastic if it weren’t for all the cars. And the cars wouldn’t even be a problem if the road was wider. If you are going too slow you are holding up the traffic and feel like you should pull over and let it clear, but letting it clear usually means letting 25 to 30 cars roll by slowly.
It’s also hilly and M isn’t a hill climber. So there was a lot of stop and go the last six miles. Then, about 1 ½ miles from the exit back into the campground, the traffic got heavy and slow. So, we were just in the mix with everyone else. I road next to a rather large Harley biker. He had the kind of bike with a mechanical engine. It wasn’t an issue, it just wasn’t a leisurely ride through the forest.
Back at the camp we visited with Alex and Sunny a bit. Their youngest, Oliver, has had a fever. Probably new teeth coming in. Alex said he had walked down to the river and did some fly fishing. Sounded pleasant. I may have to look into that again if we ever come back this way.
I’m seriously thinking about taking up fishing again. I fished a lot as a teenager. Not a whole lot since, just a few forays into it occasionally.
M took a brief nap. I did some writing. We walked over to the camp store. She found a deal on a souvenir t-shirt. I found one I really liked but its not cheap. Didn’t buy it today. M says I need to buy it. We will see tomorrow.
Tonight we are having meat and potatoes. That’s all I know right now. I’m sure there is more to it than that, but that is what I took from what M said about it. It is camp food so it will be good no matter what.
