The trees have returned
Trip Start
Nov 21, 2007
1
11
13
Trip End
Dec 06, 2007
Damascus,
Virginia,
United States
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Since we entered eastern Tennessee yesterday eve, I've felt a move towards east-coastedness. Towns are becoming increasingly closer, more dense and wooded. The roads weave around the natural geography of rolling ranges and rivers rather than plowing ahead unimpeded for miles as they do in the midwest. The feeling that you could turn down some unknown road and disappear for a while is gone. More cars are on the roads, moving faster. The shift is welcome. If feels like progress.
I'm also feeling an appreciation for the massiveness of our country
dog bed put to use
. This is about the 5th major geography shift and each comes with it's own totally tangible cultural manifestations - people, language patterns, types of homes, food. Fascinating to think about our nations relatively short history of exploration, settlement and industry that has shaped it all. And while a bit unwieldy to experience (two weeks in and a neophyte), it's really not that subtle if you're paying attention. OK, anyway.Kaya suffered through another ear setback this morning; still seeing a fair amount of blood when I change her bandages out. I've opted to fit her with a small bandage over the ear alone to minimize the discomfort and her fidgeting. We're 6 hours in and it seems to be holding up OK.
We only had a few hours of sunlight after the ear work, and I really wanted to set up shop before sundown, so we made our way towards the Appalachian Trail. Many of the small mountain towns cater to the hikers along the AT, so I figured we'd stand a good shot of finding a cool remote place to crash.
As soon as we entered Damascus I knew it was a solid choice (it's beautiful here, really - will take pics in the daylight tomorrow). I stopped at a mountain outfitter asking the shop owner about good lodging. We talked for a half hour - he let me use his phone, computer, he even made a few calls to friends about open rooms. And, amazingly, he's also maintains the town web site - http://www.damascus.org/. A ten minute tangent ending in a mutual appreciation for intuitive information architecture followed - this old dude gets it.
Most of the lodging options are guesthouse style - rooms or small homes behind a main house
tennesee hills
. I found Suzanne, the owner of the Hiker's Inn, by phone and she gave me walking directions, closing with, "I'll turn the heat on for you."I arrived, she got me sorted and then sat down to talk. It seems like that's how it works here. First about the place, her pets, then Kaya. when she learned about her Katrina background, she talked about her volunteer stint in Biloxi 2 weeks after the storm. Amazing story. Another cool thing about the Inn - no keys. Hikers come and go as they please, all payment on the honor system. She said I'll probably have the place to myself but perhaps not as there are a few straggling southbound hikers (Sobo's) from Maine that are still on the trail. If you're not south of here by December, it's usually too cold to continue.
Gonna head over to Dott's Inn for a cheeseburger and beer in about an hour. Tomorrow we're making the 5 hour drive to DC to rendezvous with a friend, Joanna. Looking forward to a proper meal and good conversation.
ps - haven't touched a book in a few days, the real thing is too hard to put down :>
