Return to Cataloochee

     We left Vogel State Park about 10 am and drove noth into North Carolina. This was supposed to be a simple 90 mile drive to Waynesville, NC.  Nothing simple about it.  For the first time since we purchased "Georgie Girl", She let us know her limits.  Crossing the mountains north would have be done without a thought in the car, but the mountain highways here are a bit steep and on two of our climbs, Georgie Girl was brought down to 35 mph.  The downhill slopes were also a concern with the speed limits on these waverly runs were 35mph and keeping her in second gear, the motor was squalling at 4200 rpm attempting to restrain the force of gravity but the brakes were still necessary and I would bring her back to 25 just to give her a little relief, and myself as well.  I made a habit of pulling off at the top of each mountain, then crawling out after traffic had passed, turning on the flashers, dropping her down to second gear, and holding her back as needed to maintain control.  We pulled in to  Waynesville, NC about 1:30pm. 90 miles / 3.5 hours = avg. 25.7 mph.  

    The RV park here is unremarkable, but today's blog is more about memories than the grind getting here.  My love for out of the way, off the beaten path, middle of nowhere camping escapes is deeply rooted in tradition.  Growing up, Our family took a big vacation every year, or at least that's how I remember it.  We would either go to North Carolina or Colorado.  Since Colorado was considerably further, North Carolina, and more specifically within the Great Smokey Mountains National Park, Cataloochee Campground.  

    It just happened that the RV Park we were staying at was only 3 miles from the road that leads to that campground.  Now, my sister and most of my Whitney family will remember this place well.  What I can't understand, and hope to hear from them in the comments below is: " How in the H___ did we ever come to find this place.  50 years ago when I was last here, It was 10 miles of barely more than a single lane dirt road that was treacherous enough on its own but almost terrifying if it was raining.  Today, Most of the trek is a standard 2-lane paved road, but only most.  I'm only guessing but I think there is still about 3 miles of likely the most treacherous but now a fractionally wider gravel road.  Driving it, its easy to understand why it hasn't been paved to this day.  Also, an entirely new route was cut and paved through the last couple miles leading up to the campground.  All in all, it was a wonderful trip down memory lane, at least for me.  For lynn, I was reminded of my mothers disposition from those vacations 50 years ago and could almost hear her cringe as we drove around sheer cliff edges or met an oncoming vehicle and wait to see who was going to back up to a spot in the road where both could pass.  Yes, It was that narrow.  

    Also of note, I still have vivid memories of camping there and playing in the creek.  By my Estimate, the creek has cut through and eroded about 5 feet in 50 years.  It's quite a bit further "Down" to the water than it was when I used to watch my Grandfather fly fishing for trout.  The campground is much the same as it was other than that, except is has an actual bathroom instead of a tiny outhouse and there are probably twice as many campsites. Thanks for joining me, and please, feel free to share some of you Cataloochee memories below if you feel so inclined.  Bye for now.