APPALACHIAN SKYWAY

7-9 June 2013: Days 24-26 of 43 – The Blue Ridge Parkway, Appalachian Mountains, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Asheville NORTH CAROLINA (State 12), Hillsville, Roanoke, Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park VIRGINIA (State 13). 

Overnight in Cherokee NORTH CAROLINA, Hillsdale and Waynesboro VIRGINIA. 

Period 1,421km, Total 9,949km.   

The Blue Ridge Parkway is considered one of America’s all-time great scenic drives, up there with Route 66, connecting Cherokee NORTH CAROLINA with Front Royal VIRGINIA. It is a single road, 469miles (755km) long snaking its way through the Appalachian Mountain chain (coming from Apalchen or Apalachen, an indigenous tribe located near present-day Tallahassee, Florida. The name was altered by the Spanish to Apalachee and used to the describe the tribe and the region). The Blue Ridge Parkway road was commissioned by President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1935 to get people working again

because of the depression and took 52 years to build with the last piece in 1987. On 7 June, we drove 3hrs from Atlanta straight to the Great Smoky Mountains NP in North Carolina, just past the town of Cherokee where Blue Ridge starts. Great Smoky is the second most visited National Park in the USA after Yellowstone with 10million visitors a year. Most of the park is in Cherokee territory. More on the Cherokees later. There are 150 walking trails covering 800miles (1,287km) and the most famous and important of these is the Appalachian Trail which retraces the expulsion of the Cherokees by European settlers from 1835-1839. I ran 2miles (3.2km)

of the Appalachian Trail in a place called Newfound Gap (Elev 5,046ft, 1,538m) – the others walked about 1mile on the same. The real running challenge came with the 3.4mile (5.5km) Forney Ridge Trail to Andrews Bald from a place called Clingmans Dome (Elev 6,643ft, 2,025m). It was a tough run and a tough walk. I ran all the way there and back with the others walking and turning back at earlier points. Andrews Bald is a clearing with views of the surrounding mountains and distance lakes. Great Smoky is very green but we did not see much from the trails.

I also walked up the 1mile (1.6km) Clingmans Dome Trail up 100m to a man-made concrete crow’s nest at the summit but unfortunately it was in cloud. While I was up there Thelma and Bubba explained how they got accosted by two postal workers who claimed they had scratched their car as Bubba opened our Mustang car door. I was expecting something to happen to Bubba after so long on the road and this was it. Bubba put on his English accent to keep the accusers at bay and Thelma tried desperately to keep her laughter hidden under her breath as she clasped the steering wheel like someone hanging on to dear life…

After hearing the account it was time to visit the Cherokee Museum in Cherokee village, 20miles (32km) away where we would be staying the night. The museum was jammed pack with facts, figures, photos, wax figures, artefacts and even verbal recordings. Cherokee means “Red Fire Men” or “Red Fire People” after the legend of the fire bird that was instrumental in creating the earth – many of the Cherokee stories are exactly like the Australian Aboriginal Dreamtime stories. In summary, the Cherokees are one of four main tribes that occupied the south-east region from approx 10,000BC. In 1835 President Andrew Jackson ordered the expulsion of the five tribes to the west to make space for settlers. This went on until 1839 and led to stories of misery and death known as “The Trail of Tears” which is now recreated by the Appalachian Trail that many people walk themselves. It is estimated that between 4,000-8,000 Indians lost their lives and many modern day Indians will not carry $20 bills since they bare the image of President Andrew Jackson. One of the champions of the Indian cause was William Thomas who was adopted by the Ocoraluftee Cherokees and battled for many years to secure rights for the Cherokee in 1866. Today there are 300,000 Cherokee making them the largest of a total of 565 Indigenous tribes in the USA.

Around 7pm we left the snug comfort of our wooden hotel to attend a public session with full-blood local Cherokees to learn about their culture and dancing. The museum attendant put us on to this and it is common place during the school holidays for the local Cherokees to gather in this way. A gathering of approximately 30 people sat undercover in the rain, listened carefully as a local full-bloodline Cherokee dressed mainly in red covered everything from expelling myths to family practices and politics.

Some key points. “Indigenous American” is the preferred term to “Indian” or even “Native American”. “Cadua” or the clan name is preferred to “Cherokee” which is the word Europeans assigned. “Redskin” is definitely offensive and there is a campaign to eliminate this term from the NFL team “Washington Redskins”. We heard about two particular practices that are similar to other cultures. The first is that the Indigenous prefer to hand down their culture verbally and through dance rather than writing it down since it makes a bigger (visual) impression and is more readily remembered – this was the practice of the Greek Orthodox under the 400

year occupation of the Ottomans. We debated this since to set Westerners straight on the truths of American Indigenous Peoples via word-of-mouth is simply not practical in today’s internet age. The second discovery was that the Indigenous bloodline follows the woman – this is the same as in Jewish practice. We also discovered that the origin of “tie the knot” to mean “get married” is from the Indigenous practice of a betrothed couple tying together their blankets to signify their union. After an hour, we realised that our Indigenous friend may have been stretching out his spoken session to wait for the rain to stop to enable him to demonstrate some dancing around  a nearby fire but it did look like it was going to stop, the temperature had fallen, it was 8:30pm, we were starving so we decided it was time to leave. We wanted to try something indigenous and local so we ordered local trout,

rabbit and an “Indian Taco” comprising mince, tomato and cheese on “frybread” which is a flour and water dough, fried in lard and tastes like a doughnut. Trout was OK but rabbit was too dry and the chips were cold. The worst part was that there was no booze on the menu since the whole reserve is a dry area – something we think was legislated by the Caduas since the state and federal governments allow them to pass their own laws as long as they do not conflict with the US Constitution. We made up for it by consuming what was left of our own stash of wine back at the hotel. At 7:30am we drove into the very start of the Blue Ridge Parkway under a very cool blanket of mist. It took us 2.5hrs to drive the first 89 miles (143km) to the first main town of Asheville NORTH CAROLINA and on the way peaking at 6,053ft (1,845m) the highest point on the whole Parkway. The views from the Parkway are fabulous looking out over clouds at first like being in an aircraft and later unfolding to endless green mountains as the mist burnt off. Asheville was a pleasant surprise. A very artsy and hippy town full of 1930 Art Deco buildings and into organic foods and espresso style coffee which we gulped down. Asheville is also famous for Biltmore Estate and F Scott Fitzgerald of Great Gatsby fame – he had a holiday house here.

Biltmore Estate is the largest private home in the USA and the most visited. It was built in 1895 for railroad heir George Washington Vanderbilt and is a massive 250 room castle with 43 bathrooms 65 fire places and sits on 250 acres. Compare this to Graceland’s 30 room house on 14 acres. Apparently it was inspired by Versailles near Paris and the Vanderbilts wanted to outdo it here in the USA. It is still privately owned and costs $60 per person to visit – no thanks. We had another 140 miles to go to our next hotel so we decided to use the highway that runs many miles below the Parkway on the valley floor and straddles it the whole way in order to win back some time.

After a short Wal-Mart stop in Statesville NORTH CAROLINA we arrived into the sleepy town of Hillsdale just over the border in VIRGINIA and back on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hillsville looked dead when I ran through it but Thelma and Louise returned from a drive through town later on and informed us that a vintage car show and live bands were getting together later that evening. That night sleepy Hillsville turned out to be one of the best experiences of our journey to date. The gleaming vintage American muscle cars and utes belonged to Hillbillies from this and surrounding towns. Bubba Gump had found their opportunity – several interviews with the local Hillbillies (on film) revealed that

the “Classic Car Cruise-In” is an annual Spring event to raise money for underprivileged kids in the area and Virginia. The Hillbillies loved us. They gathered around eager to tell their story and give us tastings of their famous “moonshine” which we filmed – delicious – it was almost like a strawberry margarita. They even gave us an honorary badge that they sell that bears the name of their charity. What an experience standing around in the setting sun, in front of the local courthouse with a street fall of extreme accent Virginian Hillbillies drinking moonshine and admiring

American cars of yesteryear… At close to sunset it was a short stroll to the car park to hear a fabulous Black American, all-singing, all-dancing band called “The Tams” playing their own music from Blues to Jazz to Rock & Roll to Country. They were amazing. All the locals danced with their kids and we joined in. All this and not a drop of booze – Virginia is a “dry state” and does not allow the public sale of alcohol in bars, restaurants or other venues – just from the liquor store or supermarket for consumption only at home. So much for the moonshine – it was actually being offered to us illegally but they assured us in their thick southern accents: “don’t go worrying, y’hear… the Sheriff is our good friend”. We had a blast. This s

urprise event left us in such a good mood and so thirsty that we enjoyed some of our own wines in our room before Bubba Gump capped of a great day in the superb hotel hot tub at midnight. The next day (9 June) brought even more unplanned surprises. The day was thick with fog, even though we were just off the Parkway at only 2000ft (610m), so we decided to stick with the highway to the side of the Parkway since we would not be able to see anything on the Parkway itself. I then discovered that we were only 150 miles (241km) away from Appomattox where the American Civil War had officially ended.

We all agreed to give up the Parkway to see this since this would complete our first hand encounter with the American Civil War – we had already been to the place it started. To get there we passed some extraordinarily beautiful Virginian farmland – both rich and poor. Some large double-storey farm houses with classic red American barn in the back and the ram-shackle decaying wooden homes of the Hillbillies. The countryside drive was like England or Wales - gently rolling hills, some forest, and roads next to running creeks. Finally we reached a highway and arrived at the famous “Appomattox Court House National Historical Park”

approx. 18 miles (29km) east of Lynchburg and 92 miles (148km) west of Virginia in VIRGINIA. The US Historical Society has refurbished and recreated the key dwellings of the town of “Appomattox Court House” including the “McLean House” where “the surrender” took place. It did not take place in a court house but the house of Wilmer McLean, a local sugar speculator who bought the house in 1862. “The Surrender” was the formal exchange of countersigned documents by Major General Robert E Lee (commander of the Confederate or Southern Forces)

who surrendered to Lieutenant General  Ulysses S Grant (commander of the Union or Northern forces) on 9 April 1865, exactly 4 years after the Civil War had started with the first shot over Fort Sumter. Present at the signing was Captain Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of President Abraham Lincoln, also representing him for this critical event. We were amazed at how small the actual parlour room was at the front of the MacLean House where this momentous historical event took place. It looks huge in photos. After walking around and listening to various society people dressed in period costumes recounting the actual event we found out that after the surrender

30,000 “passes” or vouchers were printed on-site to enable Confederate soldiers to return to their homes without being arrested. The terms of surrender where also favourable since both Generals felt that focus should be given to reunification rather than revenge or punishment – for example - Confederates were allowed to keep their supplies and horses. The actual original surrender document produced by Grant for Lee is at Stratford Hall in Virginia. The letter of acceptance produced by Lee is at the National Archives in Washington DC and wait for it – no one knows exactly where.

Some people believe that this is what they say to keep it safe – others are not surprised since the National Archives looks like the Vatican store room in a scene out of Raiders of the lost ark!!! We finished off our last encounter with the American Civil War with a light lunch in the park just outside McLean House and tried to picture that event happening before our very eyes... Forgot to mention that we visit Wal-Mart almost every day to stock up on wine, cheese, dill spears, stuffed olives, smoked almonds for pre-dinner entertainment and yogurt and oatmeal for breakie.

Not to mention the latest craze in America – an electronic ball (size of a navel Orange) that can guess any object you think of by asking you questions about it. It is amazing. Its hit rate is high. We have been stocking up on these as souvenirs for family and friends and we have been using Bubba’s ball to pass the time in the car on long drives. Thelma and Louie have also been stocking on $5 Revlon lipsticks – cheap as chips I am told. Gump looks at which cities we will pass on the map, Bubba finds the address on his internet phone & Thelma programs it into Savannah (TomTom) – real team work. We may as well be called “The Wal-Marts”!

Over the last few days we decided to do the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia this afternoon instead of all day on 10 June and add that day to Chicago. An early arrival plus plenty of sun in Waynesboro VIRGINIA made this an achievable plan. Bubba Gump set off whilst Thelma and Louise opted for the hot tub and some laundry. We drove 74 (124km) of the 105 miles (169km) of the famous Skyline Drive which starts at the end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and runs from Waynesboro to Front Royal in Virginia. Skyline rises from 1,900ft (579m) at the gate

to a peak of 3,680ft (1,122m) at the 65 mile mark. It is an engaging drive through lush ferns, bush and mountain tunnels. There are peaks everywhere and in the distance the broad valley floor of farmland, towns and freeway. The highest peak is Hawksbill at 4,051ft (1,235m). Skyline Drive was not as twisty, high or rugged as the start of Blue Ridge Parkway with the latter having many more walking trails. We stopped by many “overpasses” or what we call “lookout points” to photograph and enjoy the surrounding peaks and distant scenery. The origin of “Shenandoah” is not agreed and always debated. Everyone agrees that it is of Indigenous American origin. The most popular being that it is derived from the Anglicization of the indigenous “Schin-han-dowi”, meaning "River Through the Spruces". In any case it was an excellent idea to drive Shenandoah in today’s sunny afternoon since the following day was grey and raining. A brief mention must be made of the terrific lamb cutlets, porterhouse steak dinner and Francis Ford Coppola Cab Sav we enjoyed at the Outback Steakhouse next door to our hotel to celebrate our Mustang turning 10,000 – kilometres that is!!!