town called Aberdeen. We needed some supplies and there were all kinds of shopping right there near the interstate. All the big chain-stores were well represented in this squeaky-clean business district, but we really hoped to find a mom and pop place. We didn’t have any luck, but we did manage to find one small supermarket with an unfamiliar name. And after parking the big rig in the far corner of the lot, we went in to buy groceries, beer, wine, and ice. The ice was a must since the fridge hadn’t been plugged in yet and would take hours to get cold after we hooked up at a campground.
Surprisingly, the store had a fairly good selection of ball caps in one of its aisles. Believing that hats just might add another small degree of anonymity to our appearance, we each bought one. Elaina and I had to search for a few minutes, but we managed to find a couple that didn’t have corporate or team logos on them. We wouldn’t have cared if the store was giving them away, neither of us would ever allow ourselves to become walking billboards for some corporation, or a billionaire-owned sports team.
As soon as we got back to the camper, we removed the tags from our new caps, and put them on immediately. Elaina looked adorable the way she tipped the bill up on her burgundy one, and I told her exactly that. With a contented smile still on those full lips of hers, she said I looked real outdoorsy in my brown version. No matter how good, bad or indifferent they may have looked, we made a pact right there and then. Neither of us would ever take them off in public.
We spent that night in our camper parked in the back of a Cracker Barrel restaurant. Being new RVers, we hadn’t a clue that most campgrounds as far north as we were had already closed for the winter. Nevertheless, after storing all the food and ice and having a couple of drinks and dinner, we cuddled up in the back bedroom and slept like two sleep-deprived infants. The next morning, feeling all rested, chipper and cozy in our new home, we decided not to shoot straight to Florida. There certainly was no reason to rush. Neither of us had ever seen the Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina, and now that we had the opportunity, we figured why not. It was still autumn and maybe not too late to see the leaves turning up there.
Benign as our reasons were, the decision to go to the Smokies would soon turn out to be an unfathomable mistake.
Chapter 6
The morning of November 2 nd was the fifth time we had woken up in the Winnebago. We were having a ball in it, and Elaina had the tiny kitchen all set up just the just way she wanted. It was our second day in the Asheville area, and the weather forecast promised another unseasonably-mild autumn day. Sitting at a picnic table outside the camper at first light, we were already working on our second cup of coffee. As the new dawn greeted the forest around us, illuminating a spectacle of scarlet and gold leaves, Elaina whispered so as not to disturb the other campers.
“Honey, what do you say we drive up to the Blue Ridge Parkway this morning? Everyone is saying that it’s utterly gorgeous.”
“Sure,” I said, admiring the natural beauty all around us, “I guess it’s safe.”
“What’s safe, Tom? We don’t know how safe we are sitting right here. We can’t just lie down and die. We’re going to go right on enjoying ourselves. Yeah … sure, we still have to be vigilant, but that’s it.”
I pulled a Carlton from my pack, tapped the end of it on the wooden picnic table. You’re right, honey, freak it, we’re going to have an experience we’ll never forget. By the way, we’re going to have to buy one of those little cameras. What do they call them…digital?”
“Yesss,” she said raising her brows in an exaggerated fashion, going popeyed on me. “And guess who’s going to end up figuring how to work the thing.”
“All right, all right, quit picking on me. So what if
Surprisingly, the store had a fairly good selection of ball caps in one of its aisles. Believing that hats just might add another small degree of anonymity to our appearance, we each bought one. Elaina and I had to search for a few minutes, but we managed to find a couple that didn’t have corporate or team logos on them. We wouldn’t have cared if the store was giving them away, neither of us would ever allow ourselves to become walking billboards for some corporation, or a billionaire-owned sports team.
As soon as we got back to the camper, we removed the tags from our new caps, and put them on immediately. Elaina looked adorable the way she tipped the bill up on her burgundy one, and I told her exactly that. With a contented smile still on those full lips of hers, she said I looked real outdoorsy in my brown version. No matter how good, bad or indifferent they may have looked, we made a pact right there and then. Neither of us would ever take them off in public.
We spent that night in our camper parked in the back of a Cracker Barrel restaurant. Being new RVers, we hadn’t a clue that most campgrounds as far north as we were had already closed for the winter. Nevertheless, after storing all the food and ice and having a couple of drinks and dinner, we cuddled up in the back bedroom and slept like two sleep-deprived infants. The next morning, feeling all rested, chipper and cozy in our new home, we decided not to shoot straight to Florida. There certainly was no reason to rush. Neither of us had ever seen the Great Smoky Mountains in Western North Carolina, and now that we had the opportunity, we figured why not. It was still autumn and maybe not too late to see the leaves turning up there.
Benign as our reasons were, the decision to go to the Smokies would soon turn out to be an unfathomable mistake.
Chapter 6
The morning of November 2 nd was the fifth time we had woken up in the Winnebago. We were having a ball in it, and Elaina had the tiny kitchen all set up just the just way she wanted. It was our second day in the Asheville area, and the weather forecast promised another unseasonably-mild autumn day. Sitting at a picnic table outside the camper at first light, we were already working on our second cup of coffee. As the new dawn greeted the forest around us, illuminating a spectacle of scarlet and gold leaves, Elaina whispered so as not to disturb the other campers.
“Honey, what do you say we drive up to the Blue Ridge Parkway this morning? Everyone is saying that it’s utterly gorgeous.”
“Sure,” I said, admiring the natural beauty all around us, “I guess it’s safe.”
“What’s safe, Tom? We don’t know how safe we are sitting right here. We can’t just lie down and die. We’re going to go right on enjoying ourselves. Yeah … sure, we still have to be vigilant, but that’s it.”
I pulled a Carlton from my pack, tapped the end of it on the wooden picnic table. You’re right, honey, freak it, we’re going to have an experience we’ll never forget. By the way, we’re going to have to buy one of those little cameras. What do they call them…digital?”
“Yesss,” she said raising her brows in an exaggerated fashion, going popeyed on me. “And guess who’s going to end up figuring how to work the thing.”
“All right, all right, quit picking on me. So what if
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