:time in: Puras mother was in town last week. 10 days actually during which the three of us toured three states. In the past 10 days I wrote nothing, zilch, didn't even bring the iPad. I had a feeling I wouldn't have time, I was right. I've only been wrong once, remember? It was a long time ago but I divorced her 13 months later so essentially I was right that time too.
I didn't write anything because I didn't have time to beat my keys in privacy, hashtag Jack of all trades. The Luckiest Guy I Know was busy playing mediator. And sometimes narrator. And navigator too. Motivator and tour guide. Referee, pool boy, dishes doer, defuser, chauffeur, grocery getter, coffee maker and pourer, mood changer, door opener and closer, Go-Pro picture taker, lane changer, decision maker, game player, movie finder, antique admirer, stream subscriber and a buncha trades that end in errr.
It began with a popular scenic drive in East Tennessee people travel from all over the country to see. A 17 mile Smoky Mountain stretch of US 129 called Foothills Parkway.
Cloudy, mid 80's, smells like rain and sounds like Thin Lizzy. Some trees were brighter than others. Green, though, super green like WhatsApp. Gringo green like @intothewild. Green-green as far as you can see like July in Tennessee.
There's a look-out point on the Parkway summit, next stop—Cades Coves. Abrams Creek runs parallel to the highway most the way with plenty of pull off spots to stop and ski.ipr ocks.
Those last three are sunroof views. Same road, different window. These next three are the same window. Different times, different filters.
Cades Cove is an 18th century settlement of 5,000 protected acres turned national park in 1966. The grassland valley is bordered by an 11 mile, one-way scenic loop with plenty of stopping spots to pull off and get lost.
Pura and I made the trip out there one other time. @coloneljethro is from Kentucky, he said the only time he's seen a bear was at Cades Cove. He's a super outdoorsy dude so we took off to see a bear. I, however, am not super outdoorsy. Where I'm from it's anywhere between 79-83 degrees year round so it didn't register it was too cold for bears until we got there—no bears in January.
Saw one on July 15th though! Only time I've seen a bear in the wild. She was quite a distance from us, her and two little cubs. You'll have to take my word for it, I only managed to snap one blurry photo of momma bears head from a few hundred yards out. @papilloncharity's zoom would've been handy. Wild horses are less leery. Next stop—South Carolina.
We made it to Charleston somewhere between day four and six. You know you're in South Carolina when Spanish moss grows from the treetops down until eventually reaching the ground.
I haven't had seafood since last time we were in a coastal city, can't get seafood in middle America. It's all I ate in South Carolina. Breakfast - seafood. Lunch - seafood. Seafood, seafood, seafood, seafood, seafood and it never stayed in front of me long enough for a photo. Neither did the beignet's in French Quarter. Or the tiramisu on the docks.
Charleston's a cool city, ladies call it charming. It's been around since the beginning of the country and hosts two million tourists annually. Historically aged, modernly preserved.
We didn't do much in North Carolina other than drive through it—rained relentlessly. I've only lost the eyesight in the car one other time during a hail storm in Georgia. Lost it for a few minutes in North Carolina, too, windshield wipers didn't stand a chance.
But she said she had a good time. She was teary-eyed when we dropped her at the airport, said it was her favorite birthday all year. That was nice.
Unlike North Carolina—not nice. Soaked. But six hours worth of road trip memories aren't bad. I wish Pura could spend more time with her, she's the only parent she has left. They kept insisting I roll up the window and it was Puras moms birthday by the way, I might've left that part out, not the camera though—nope! Rolled the window up just like they asked, did as I was told. I was a broken record for 10 days straight, I might've left that part out too.
'Yes, ladies, anything you need ladies. Of course ladies. Stop right here? No problem, ladies, the pleasure's all mine. Turn right? Certainly, u-turn? Anywhere you wanna go. Just name the place, ladies. I'll get us there in one piece, carry luggage, shower last, sleep out back and await further instruction - ATTEENNNTION!!'
Happy Birthday Puras Mom❗️
