Category: Warm Springs Georgia Trip

Asheville

28 April 2016

I awoke this morning in a cloud of fog.  Literally.  I was fogged in. I had the foresight to purchase a breakfast sandwich from the Pine Mountain Subway the night before so I zapped it in the microwave and had breakfast in the fog on the cabin deck.

I made it out of the cabin and park by 9 am and headed straight to Asheville. I stopped at the REI store on the outskirts of Asheville to have my form fitting hip belt on my Osprey pack heated and fitted.  This is some store.  There were at least 12 people waiting on cashiers when I went in.  It’s a two story affair and packed with dream goodies.  I behaved myself and walked out of there for under $30.

A guy took care of me right away.  There’s a machine they heat up the foam of the hip belt.  He took the belt off the pack, inserted it into a preheated machine and we timed 9 minutes. I then put on only the hip belt and walked around the store. I think that’s the plan all along. You tend to purchase items while you wait for the belt to conform to your shape and for the belt to cool into that shape. In any case, the heat fixing was free of charge. Better yet, he put the belt back on the pack so I wouldn’t screw it up.

I’m staying at the Carolina Bed and Breakfast at 177 Cumberland Avenue near the city center.  My room is done up in red and called the Cardinal Room.  Susan and James are my hostesses and they have gone out of my way to make me feel welcome.

Carolina Bed & Breakfast, Asheville, NC.
Carolina Bed & Breakfast, Asheville, NC.
The Cardinal Room at Carolina Bed & Breakfast.
The Cardinal Room at Carolina Bed & Breakfast.

My main reason for stopping in Asheville is to see Reed and his Mom Joyce.  Reed was a Boy Scout in a troop in New Orleans that I volunteered as an assistant scoutmaster while in the Coast Guard from 1972-1974. His Mom, and Dad (conveniently named Fred) literally adopted me during my military stay at the Coast Guard Communications Station in Belle Chase.  I think I ate more meals at their house than I did on the station’s mess deck.
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When Reed made Eagle several years later, I was teaching at Itawamba Junior College in Fulton, MS. I sent him my old Eagle pin.  It was worn and dirty but he was nice enough to use it during his Eagle ceremony.

I called Reed when I settled into the room and the plans are to meet him and his wife Sara and their twin girls along with Reed’s mom, Joyce, and Alfred, her husband, tomorrow.  As we talked, I realized the last time I saw Reed was when I was teaching at Itawamba Junior College when he and his college buddies were on their way to hike in the Smokies. That was about 35 years ago.  I’m sure we both look the same.

Joyce and Alfred stopped by Fort Lauderdale many years ago when they were catching a cruise ship. I got to visit with them for a few hours during that trip, so it’ll be wonderful to see everyone again and catch up on our lives.

James, our host, recommended Zampras for dinner.  It is a tapas place with eclectic decor, almost Moorish. The tapas were ok but the martini and wine were excellent.  Freakishly, someone came by the bar and said the bar was donating 20% of your check for AIDS and provided an envelope if you wished to donate more. I did.  Last night, Sari emailed me that her brother Rob Nathans had passed away from AIDS related complications.  Rob was a good and great friend, a talented artist, and someone who came into my life when I needed a friend.  He will be missed.  This is the second death in the last two weeks. My hiking buddy from graduate school days, Charlie Cooper passed away.  It makes me worry about the old Southern idea of death occurs in threes.

I met a young lady at the bar who was into plants.  She introduced herself after she heard me explain about Rob to the person bringing the envelopes around.  We discussed AIDS, plants, and Asheville and had a wonderful time.

I then walked to a used book store that served champagne.  What a civilized way to sell used books! They also donated 20% for AIDS. I had a glass of champagne  and had an interesting conversation with the wait staff. I pretty much staggered home and climbed into bed. I like Asheville a lot.

 

Little White House and Wolfden Loop Trail

27 April 2016

I got a great night of sleep and got up around 5 am. I puttered around the cabin and then went out on the porch to watch the sunrise over the valley below.

Getting ready for sunrise.
Getting ready for sunrise.

I pitched the tent on the deck to let it dry out and then left for Warm Springs to see if there was someplace open for breakfast. Nothing!  The town is very small with only a few buildings. Restaurants only opened for lunch or dinner.

Main Street, Warm Springs, Georgia.
Main Street, Warm Springs, Georgia.

On my way to Warm Springs, I drove to Dowdell’s Knob and took in the view.  You can understand why Roosevelt liked the place.  The statue of him looks over the valley.

FDR statue at Dowdell's Knob.
FDR statue at Dowdell’s Knob.

I drove around until 9 am when the Little White House was supposed to open and accidentally discovered the original pool used by FDR and those treated for polio.  As I drove into the lot, the park ranger arrived.  He was in a wheel chair and it was nice to see the state hires the handicapped.  David introduced himself and we talked for a while, about the CCC, the New Deal, and what Roosevelt meant to the country.  You could tell he wasn’t a fan of the current administration, nor did he think Roosevelt got the US out of the depression, but he was a big Roosevelt fan.

It was pretty emotional for me to tour the pool and the attached museum.  They had an iron lung.  People forget the devastation of polio and David and I got to talking how no one in their right mind thought mother’s collecting dimes would lead to anything.  The pool is now drained and hasn’t been used since the 60’s but they had water bubbling like a fountain so you could test the temperature.

Original pool used for therapy.
Original pool used for therapy.

Admission was $10 for a senior and also entitled you to visit the Little White House.  David suggested a back way that took you through the Warm Springs/Roosevelt institute. The place is massive.

By the time I got to the Little White House, bus loads of school kids had beat me there.  The staff routed me around them. I got to see the house pretty much by myself along with a tour guide getting ready for the kids.  The house looks small but is deceptively large.

Little White House, Warm Springs, Georgia.
Little White House, Warm Springs, Georgia.

A really poignant moment was seeing the desk at which Roosevelt had his stroke.

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Desk where FDR died.
Desk where FDR died.

Another great moment was seeing the unfinished portrait that was being done the moment of the stroke.  That is in a separate exhibition hall. In talking with one of the personnel, Georgia has a plan to make all parks self sufficient.  The Little White House has done so but there is only one full time person. Everyone else is part time or volunteer and they receive no benefits.

I returned to the cabin, packed my day pack with about 30 lbs and headed to the Wolfden Loop trail. It’s 6.7 miles and traverses a variety of terrains including 3 major waterfalls.  I started a little after noon and finished the trail by 4:45 pm. I was pleased I completed the trail as a warm up for my Smokies trip. It gave me confidence I could do the Deep Springs/Martin Gap/Indian Creek loop.  That entire trail is a little over 12 miles and I’ll have three days for it.

The Wolfden Trail is part of the 23 miles Pine Mountain Trail which is superbly maintained by the Pine Mountain Trail Association.  The trail was very well marked and foot bridges were provided when ford crossing was too dangerous.

Wolfden trail
Wolfden trail

Regardless, I logged some 7 fords of streams with my trusty walking stick (50 years old – the stick, not me) to balance my way across.

The Mountain Laurel was in full bloom and often provided arbors over the trail. It was spectacular.  I always have loved this plant.  The stamens are inserted into the floral tube and when an insect lands to pollinate, they pop out of their pockets and powder the insect with pollen.

Mountain Laurel - Kalmia latifolia. It was everywhere!
Mountain Laurel – Kalmia latifolia. It was everywhere!

There was a good bit of climbing trail but the PMTA was good about using switchbacks so no trail was too steep.  The increase in altitude was not great but you started out at around 1300 feet elevation.

Wildflowers were in profusion and the trail was not heavily used.  I met a total of seven people and two dogs.

The water falls were especially nice. Cascade is the main fall most people hike to but the other two were equally nice.

Cascade Falls
Cascade Falls

I admit I was dragging towards the end.  I made it back to the cabin, took a hot shower and headed to Pine Mountain and the Aspen Mountain Restaurant for a beer and a hot meal.  It’s been a good day.  Tomorrow is a drive to Asheville, NC.

Wolfden Loop, 6.7 miles. I did it!
Wolfden Loop, 6.7 miles. I did it!

Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park – Pine Mountain, GA

26 April 2016

The dawned cold! It was 59 F when I got out of the sleeping bag this morning. My bag is rated to 50 F as a comfort temperature but during the night I put on a pair of socks and a jacket. I dozed a little here and there between a visiting raccoon and the erudition of a few teenagers who saw the raccoon which then followed them for a handout.  It’s good to know teenagers have mastered the use of the f**k word since they used it about 60 times in 60 minutes.  The raccoon obviously has a pattern of visiting all the campsites looking for food.  Eventually he and the teenagers went to bed and I got some sleep.

It was approximately a 7 1/2 hour drive with stops to Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park near Pine Mountain, GA.  I phoned ahead in case the office was closed but made it around 4:15 pm.  I checked in and went to the cabin.

Main office and welcome center of Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.
Main office and welcome center of Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park.

The cabin is magnificent!  It was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930’s and has been restored.  I have a massive stone fireplace in the bedroom and the kitchen.

My humble abode for two nights.
My humble abode for two nights.

Bedroom with my fireplace.
Bedroom with my fireplace.

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My porch overlooks the valley below.  After this posting, I plan to have a glass of wine and watch the sun set.

View from my balcony.
View from my balcony.

My Dad was in the CCC and got the word he had been selected when as he was plowing 30 acres of bottomland in Pulaski, Ms.  He said it saved him.  They trained him as a cook until they realized he could play basketball and then put him on a team that traveled throughout the southeastern U.S.

Dad, second row, far right on the steps of the Parthenon in Nashville during basketball CCC days.
Dad, second row, far right on the steps of the Parthenon in Nashville during basketball CCC days.
Statue honoring CCC workers.
Statue honoring CCC workers.

Tomorrow, I intend to do the Little White House tour in Warm Springs and then a day hike along some of the trails.  FDR’s favorite place was Dowdell Knob and the trail is a 4.3 mile loop so I may do that.  Supposedly the grill he used is at the site and there’s a statue of him at the overlook.