Monday, April 9, 2018
Crashing early last night around eleven after multiple long days of working on the RV it was easy to stop and pass out. During the night I awakened to the soft sounds of popping corn as it had started to rain lightly. I have always loved the sound of rain fall on a camper or RV as it gives a soothing feeling of calmness.
I rolled over and fell back asleep and woke up about seven to go outside for a short walk across the river. The sounds of the water cascading off the rocks were ever present during the night as the river is just a few yards away from the RV. No one in the campground is awake, a sleepy little village made up of about twenty campers. The rain had stopped, only misting now and the clouds hung low over the mountain just past the treetops here.
It’s time to make coffee and relax a bit before breaking camp and heading into Cherokee to visit the Indian museum. Coffee pot, check, thermos, check, coffee cup, check, coffee filters . . . now where did those get packed? Pull out water from the refrigerator . . . it’s frozen, not a good start for morning coffee. Digging through things while the coffee water boiled I cannot find the filters anywhere so I do not let it dampen things and move on to plan B, use a napkin to strain the coffee grounds. It worked but the edges of the napkin wicked the fluid and it dripped on the counter top. Easy cleanup on aisle 1.
Finally fresh coffee to drink as I ponder where the filters are, it’s always those little things to work out when you start a new adventure that makes you crazy. Planning for the food, the cleaning supplies, the clothing for all kinds of weather conditions on a trip like this there is always something to forget or you did not think of. I planned well and things are here in the RV it’s just which nook or cranny is it placed until I learn the location of things. Things under benches you do not want to have to dig through everyday so placing things that you use for easy access and cold weather jackets in the not used much areas is the way to do it.
Anyway, that’s how the morning went but with coffee and a bowl of cereal it is off to a damp but great start to this new dawn. More later today . . . !
Cherokee, North Carolina – Museum of Cherokee Indians
The first stop on this journey is in the town of Cherokee, North Carolina. It is on the reservation home of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. At Oconaluftee Indian Village, the 18th-century Cherokee lifestyle is preserved via live demonstrations in the summertime at the outdoor Mountainside Theater, the drama "Unto These Hills" tells the tribal story. Cherokee is the southern gateway to the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park features campgrounds and Appalachian hiking trails. It is also the southern start (or end) of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
After a stop at the Cherokee Veterans Park it was time for a visit to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian which was really informative about the history of the seven clans which make up the Cherokee nation. They are: Long Hair, Blue, Wolf, Wild Potato, Deer, Bird, and Paint.
There were displays on basket weaving, pottery, wood carving and bead work. The information about the “Trail of Tears” was informative and heart breaking seeing the visuals in this museum of how this tribe was forced westward from their native lands.