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If you had to move away to any state in the country, which one would it be? Many years ago, my wife and I had a
However... (Yes, this sounds like a big BUTT.) But should I have to move out of state, there is only one place for me: western North Carolina. My job brought me all over this country. I have spent time in every state other than the Dakotas and Oregon, (Not organ). This area of the Southeast is truly a jewel of the country.
I set up a machine in Hayesville, NC. It’s right on Lake Chatuge. I’ve spent much time there, but it was so long ago I can hardly remember. Only until this storm did news of the area bring me back. Listening to all of you, it sounds like the apocalyptic book One Second After, which takes place in Asheville and Black Mountain. It reminded me of this region.
Monroe was a manager in the company that hired me. He was a prominent figure in town. He also had a camp and a party boat on the lake. The shine was far smoother than I ever thought it could be. It could kill a northern boy like me very easily… hmmm. The lake has about 1,000 miles of shoreline. Daily I would drive around that huge lake. The company was at 2:00, the awesome sandwich shop was at 9:00, and the Ridges Resort on the lake was at 6:00. It wasn’t a short drive, but it was a nice drive.
I was a regular at Ridges Resort. I would playfully flirt with the bartender Sabrina Dolphin Helen. She was much younger, but we helped each other pass the time. Her name was Sabrina. She had a dolphin tramp stamp, and she told me she once drove her F150 from Helen to Hiwassee in thirty minutes. I just said, "Woohoo!" It turns out flirting with people wasn’t a good idea.
(I sat at the bar talking with anyone who would listen. I was speaking with a woman about the same age as me. We were just chatting about everything for about an hour. Then she tried to step it up a notch. I said, no, no, it’s not like that. At the time I had put on a few pounds and my wedding ring didn’t fit. She started screaming at me speaking something southern and said it was false advertising. I wasn’t advertising anything. Why did she start by blessing my heart? I just don't understand. Jeez.)
Back to the story...
Helen, Georgia is about twenty miles south of the lake. It’s a picturesque little German town. Well, that’s their theme. I would go there when I had an hour or two to waste.
Normally, I flew into Atlanta and drove north. I avoided the highways and found the best little racetrack over the Appalachian Mountains, right through Helen. Route 75 has hairpin turns, and death on both sides if you mess up. Also, on one of my trips, I found a side dirt road that went to Helen. Boy, my rental car was beat when I brought it back. There was one spot on that road with a sign over a little brook. It said, “This is the beginning of the Chattahoochee River.” I sense some would argue over that. I really don’t care. I just remember it and thought it was cool.
Years later I drove my daughter from Fort Jackson to Fort Benning for her AIT. My wife and other daughter were with me. I wanted to drive that road one more time with my Mustang. I’m chugging along, after stopping in Helen, only to notice a line of Mustangs behind me. So, I stepped on it. They followed. When we got to the top where the Appalachian Trail crosses the road. I pulled over. They all pulled over, too. We had a good laugh. I randomly led a Mustang club.
Later on in that trip, we stopped at the house of some friends in Tennessee, ate at my favorite place in Roanoke, and stopped at Gettysburg on the way home. That was a great road trip.
Again, I love that area of North Carolina. I’m sorry for what all of you are going through, along with the rest of the Southeast. Stay safe, yah’all. (I tried)
Discussion (41)
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If I had to move out of Michigan, chances are that Michigan would stay right where it is. Allowing for a bit of tectonic drift, of course.
I could probably grow attached to just about any place other than the Red River valley of North Dakota, which is way too flat. But it takes time to form an attachment, and time is growing scarcer for me. I'd also like my wife to come along wherever I'd go, and that imposes additional constraints.
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So, which is quicker, continental drift, or displacement? I understand "too flat". I would drive from Denver to Sidney, Nebraska. That was too flat. I felt like I was at sea. Note: The best stake house in the country is Dudes in Sidney. It looks like a dive bar but has original old western saloon doors. The steak was simply the best. That was Cabela's hometown.
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I want to move out of NY, but the wife doesn't want to be too far from family. So if we do move it'll be PA, OH, maybe WV.
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I've driven in that country, too. Those are rugged mountains in comparison to the Red River valley of the North, especially the valley on the west side of the river well north of Fargo and closer to Grand Forks.
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We love where we are in NH, despite the increasing liberal muck. Our dogs would hate to leave our little bit of forest and big field here and they have a voice, if not a vote. We decided to stay when retirement was official because we do love it and it’s really hot in the south a lot longer than it’s cold in NH. We do miss a lot of the routine but lovely goings on with our son’s posse and those routine things are often the best parts. They will stay in NC when he retires in another enlistment or one and a half, so it will be safe to pick a pretty spot closer to them in NC but close to SC probably. We figure those years will go by in a flash, like the past 14 have. I’d hate to move alone.
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