An Almost Eclipse

Ruthie has a Minnie Winnie and our friends Duane and Carol have a Class B. Back in April, Ruthie said, "I just made my reservation at Smokmont for the weekend of September 18. I am meeting Carol and Duane there to see the eclipse. You should come too!" At first I was reluctant as Smokemont has no hookups. It is in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and never having boondocked, I wasn't sure I and my equipment were ready. But these are three of my favorite people, so a reservation I made. For the weekend. Sigh. I did't realize until too late that the  eclipse was scheduled for a Monday and I would be at work.

I missed seeing the eclipse there but would not have missed the trip for the world. The state is building a new bypass around Asheboro with a connector to the zoo. Ordinarily I am dismayed when the DOT removes trees for road widening but as I pulled out of town on US64 I was stunned by the beauty of the vistas opened by the road work. Greg and I had always talked of living in the mountains and as I took in the new views, I realized that I did live in the mountsins. The Uwharries, because of their extraordinary age are not tall, but they are rolling and wooded and very beautuful.

As the scenery brought Greg to mind, I was filled with happy memories of trips with him and the children to the Smokies, up this road past places fond and familiar. I have not enjoyed that kind of peace and contentment in a very long time. And it remained with me the entire trip.

Ruthie is great company and Smokemont is full of lovely places to walk. She is

also interested in mushrooms. The Smokies are famous for their biodiversity, particularly mushrooms. Her interest and knowledge made the hikes even more fun. Later, we drove to Cherokee and saw a young elk grazing on the shoulder of a busy road totally unperturbed by traffic. And we stopped at the park Visitor's Center for some holiday shopping. We ran into Duane there, a pretty amazing coincidence considering all the folks gathered for the eclipse. Carol was not well and hadn't come but we traded hugs and good wishes and proceeded outside to the historic farmstead lovingly preserved for park visitors.

The visitor's center with its restored farmstead was Greg's favorite part of the park. There was a particular corn crib that always caught his eye. Our place at home was covered with old

log buildings he lovingly relocated and restored there. When I sold it, the realtor inventoried 15 structures, none newer than 1925, the house as old as 1816. I urged him to take photos of the corn crib and years later he was able to reconstruct a copy of the graceful little crib made with old logs from a nondescript crib he'd gotten north of Pittsboro.

I headed home on Sunday and while I didn't see the eclipse from the Smokies, I did have a great time observing it at the library where I work. An older African American man asked if he could borrow my eclipse glasses as we stood among a gaggle of home-schoolers in the library parking lot. The atmosphere was festive and we chatted away between glimpses of the changing sun. At one point, a passing acquaintance asked if he had a cigarette. The man was thoughtful and said he hadn't smoked in years, couldn't remember the last time he had smoked. Then he said he did remember his last cigarette. He said he smoked the last one the day Reagan was elected. He looked at me with great solemnity and said, "I didn't think I'd survive Reagan AND cigarettes...". I am not allowed political opinions at work but I have laughed every time I have remembered this.

So I can honestly say I did not have the eclipse weekend I expected. I think this one was better.