Another View…

Off to see the world…or the lower 48 States, sounds like a plan.  A good one!  Like Deb, I am interested in seeing the country and traveling to new places.  I, however, am finding that the greatest most memorable part of our travels are the people we encounter.

Traveling through the parks and canyons give us beautiful views of scenery. The fall leaves, winding trails and large waterfalls all are enjoyable, but where I discover the most joy is the people we engage.

Take Gerry and Mari, friends we made while camping in Kentucky. A very friendly, outgoing couple we were fortunate enough to cross paths with. They have been full time rving for more than two years. They invited us to spend an evening with them in their motorhome, as the evening was a little cold and wet to spend outdoors.  Gerry shared with me that he grew up in New Jersey and got to play guitar with Bruce Springsteen while in high school….more exciting than that….Gerry and I both liked the same kind of beer, available!  Fortunately he had a refrigerator full of it, and he was a very generous barkeep.  As they were our next door (camper-door) neighbors for almost a week, we were able to enjoy some chitchat around a quiet campfire several evenings.

With Gerry and Mari in Kentucky

On to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Dolly Parton Land;  Well, maybe not Dolly Parton Land but home of Dollywood. We stayed near the park, which fortunately was on the far side of a big tourist area.  It was closer to the Smokey Mountains.  While staying there we had the opportunity to meet John and Marsha, a nice couple we met at Mill Creek Resort.  They were full time RV’ers as well.  Deb joined them to do some local sightseeing one day, while I was able to stay clear of the chaos (win/win).  Then we sat by a campfire that night and played a new game to us, called Mexican train.  Enjoyable!

Well, I am only bright enough to know a dozen or so people by name, so by time we got to Chattanooga TN, I didn’t have enough brain power to learn any more names (crawl space was full).  So although we met and talked with quite a few wonderful people, none are named here.  We, however, did speak with a couple from England who were nice and  shared with us that they had a great cup of coffee on the Southern Belle, docked on the river.  They told us to ask for Jennifer, that she was worth asking for (ok, you caught me, I remembered one more name).  Well the coffee was good, and getting out of the cold weather was nice, and she helped us find several points of interest that added some enjoyment to our day.

We are at Noccalula Falls now, in Alabama.  It is a beautiful campground adjoining a beautiful park.  We have been walking more often since we started our journey and are out walking daily here at the falls.  A few days ago while Deb and I were out stretching our legs, we said hello to Jane, a local resident who was at the park enjoying the day.  We began to chat and she shared with us some local places of interest.  As we talked she told me she had a tendency to get engaged in conversation, a bit of a talker.  I told her, I had that same thing occur to me, once or twice.  As our discussion lengthened, I learned that Jane is not a person that gives up.  Diagnosed with some health issues, she chooses to embrace life and enjoy it; not to be defined by a doctors diagnosis.  Jane is an inspiring woman that we were fortunate enough to share time with during our travels.

While our travels have have brought us some beautiful sights, the real beauty for me has been found in the hearts and words of the people we have met.  Deb and I have had blessed lives, and as our travels continue, so do our blessings.