Our trip to Waynesville, NC turned out to be a wet one. It pretty much rained from the moment we left to the moment we got home. Going over Fancy Gap...always a place prone to weather...was particularly harrowing. The rain was hard and the cloud thick to the point where I could barely see the road. Add to this the fact that I was going down a long, steep grade with tractor trailers on my tail, and it's no wonder my neck was stiff by the end of our first hour's travel.
Despite the weather, we had a nice time...visiting our friends and seeing the town's main street. I also took the opportunity to ride over to Nantahala Village. This is where my family spent many summer vacations in the 1960s. As you might expect, I barely recognized the grounds. It's much larger with many new buildings. The one thing I remembered vividly over the years was a general store across the highway that I would walk to unsupervised...a big deal at the time. It had souvenirs, snacks, and a nifty soda cooler. I was happy to see the structure was still in tact. Of course, now it's a gift shop/restaurant. I had a strange feeling as I stood at the door...knowing I was at that same door some forty years ago. It as a bit sad to see the place had moved on. Nothing stays the same...including me.
