Bucket List: Elk Rut in Cherokee, North Carolina, Great Smoky Mountains National Park! We’ve heard about it, but the closest we have seen is the aftermath in a large field that had been plowed up by Elk Rut “activity.” Hearing that it takes place mid-September to late-October, we decided to schedule our annual fall leaf-peeping trip 5 weeks early to check it out! Brief history: Although native to the area, Elk had been missing from the Southern Appalachian area for 200 years. In 2001, 25 Elk were reintroduced, and there is now a herd of about 150 in the Oconaluftee/Cataloochee area. It seems that their favorite mating meadow is right next to the Oconaluftee GSMNP Visitor Center, making it easy to view the show – if we are there at the right time! Thursday, Sept 10 Before leaving town, Tom had a 9:20 annual physical. With a clean bill of health, we were off at 10:45 – destination East Fork State Park just 8 miles away from Micah. We stretched a 3-hour drive into 4 ½ hours with a shop stop at Cabelas and a lunch stop for Chipolte carryout – which we ate in the trailer in the parking lot. By 3:30 we were unhooked and set up and cooling down the Silvermine from the 90-degree temperature. It didn’t take long with the AC and two fans running to circulate the air and outside the temperature was going down quickly, too. On a Thursday night the campground was mostly empty, but predicted to fill completely for the weekend. Our site was the last one in the loop, with not much shade around it. However, the angle of the sun in the afternoon gave us plenty of shade. East Fork State Park is one of the largest parks in Ohio, with a whopping 415 campsites, a large lake, hiking trails, birding trails, horse camping and bridle trails. At 5:00 we headed out in the truck – first for a drive past the lake. Then, into Jungle Jim’s for a walk-through. Always a fun place, we are usually overwhelmed by the variety of every kind of grocery item, and mostly go for the thrill of looking – rather than buying. But, we did buy a few items, and enjoyed browsing all the different ethnic departments. All of the displays are unique, but our favorite one is always the little psychedelic 16’ Airstream! We were back at the camper at 7:30 and had a light supper, walked the dogs, and let the day wind down. Friday, Sept 11 After a slow and lazy morning, we left the campground at 9:45 to meet Micah at our favorite Hofbräuhaus restaurant in Newport, KY. Since Covid, Micah has made this a Friday lunch pilgrimage, and we have been guilty of driving down from Van Wert just to eat lunch with him a couple of times! This time, being camped nearby, we were happy to meet him again at the outdoor Biergarten. At 11:00, there are very few people there, and the covered outdoor patio makes for great open-air social distancing. The portions are so huge (or is it that German food is so filling?) that we brought home plenty of leftovers for tonight! While downtown we had a bit of an agenda with the chance to visit the REI store. They always have the greatest and up-to-datest outdoor stuff, and we love looking at it all. It is pretty sad when two camping enthusiasts visit a camping supply store, and can’t find a single camping gadget to take back to the camper! The day remained on the cool and cloudy side, just reaching the low 70’s. It was a great chance to enjoy the campsite, as scores of campers arrived. One large fifth wheel was towed by a truck approaching semi-size, and another little compact car had a mound of equipment balancing precariously on a back-bumper bracket. It made me reflect on how our choice of a 25’ Airstream suits our need for living, mobility, and maneuverability so well. We drove all the campground loops and then took the dogs for a long walk, checking out the camper arrivals and taking note of campsites we might like in the future. We reheated our (can’t remember the German name of it) spätzle with steak tips and mushrooms and could barely finish the leftovers. We each took a shower (me in the camper, Tom in the shower house) and then retired to our outside chairs for books and movies! Tomorrow we head for Knoxville! Saturday, Sept 12 Off at 8:15, It was a quick get-away with only 5 hours to drive. Yarberry Peninsula Campground is our usual stay-put place when in Knoxville, and here we were meeting sister Tink for two nights. She had arrived at 1:15, and we pulled in at 1:30. As we rushed to set up, the sky darkened and my Iwatch started signaling lightening alerts. . . then the downpour chased us all inside. It lasted for 45 minutes, cooled things off, and then quit, giving us the opportunity to sit outside. Our campsite area is a series of stepped sites on a long, gradual, hill backed up to a beautiful green, grassy, “bowl.” The front faces an inlet of the lake, across the street. Dinner was hot dogs with coney sauce – Tink brought the food, Tom cooked the dogs, and I served everything in the Airstream! After dinner there was another brief rain – we were able to sit this one out under the awning. An unfortunate incident was that Jasper came back from a walk feeling and looking like a very sick doggie. He barfed in the camper twice: once on the floor (good boy!) and once on my bed (bad dog!) Tom left Tink and I to sit and chat while he carted all the bedding into a coin laundry. With that one good deed, Tom earned enough brownie points to last the next week! Sunday, Sept 13 This is a sad story to tell – I will make it short. Jasper was not better in the morning and we searched out an Emergency Vet clinic 20 miles away. His gall bladder was swollen, he was bleeding into his stomach, his breath was very shallow, his gums were white, and he was in shock. It was thought that he would not pull out of it and we made the difficult decision to have him gently put to sleep. He rode on my lap to the ER, and I did get this last picture of him. The grief consumed the rest of the morning into the afternoon. He was short of 3 years old, and was the sweetest, most anxious to please little doggie there ever was. He was always careful to do everything just right. He was Tom's best little walking buddy, easily trotting along for two walks (5 miles) every day. The afternoon perked up a bit as my brother Richard joined us for a dinner at the campground. Richard arrived at 4:00, and we enjoyed at least 45 minutes outside before the rain threatened. During that time, knowing that rain was on the way, we took a group picture of us three sibs! Knowing it would be a 100% downpour like last night, we moved the grill under the awning, positioned Tom outside for cooking, and the rest moved inside the trailer for eating. Menu: Steaks, margarita shrimp, twice-baked potatoes, rolls – not a green or yellow vegie on the plate! It was a great sibling retreat, and even more special because we pulled it off during Covid-time!
2 Comments
Mike
9/14/2020 08:39:47 am
We were so sorry to hear of Jaspers passing.
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Suzie
9/14/2020 06:07:30 pm
What a sweet picture of little Jasper. He truly was the best dog. I will forever remember him dashing out of the camper, the supreme escape artist, happily saying hello to everyone! He will be sorely missed.
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |