March 29 - “Through the smoke”

Onward and upward. Into the … well, technically I suppose we were heading right into the mouth of the beast. Or at least clipping one of his incisors. The Carl Sandburg National park was right on the outskirts of a massive wildfire racing through North and South Carolina. But we decided to give it a shot. I mean … what’s the worst that could happen?

Well, we made our way through some smoke and haze without too much difficulty. We had to park at a trailhead and hike to the actual site, because the roads had been damaged by the freak Hurricane Helene. We could definitely feel the smoke in the air. At the house itself (anticlimactic, for sure. Couldn’t even go inside), we spent a long time chatting with two of the park rangers. Well, the one with the thick North Carolina accent did most of the talking. They were very interested in what fishing was like on the Gulf Coast in Texas. I got a t-shirt at the gift shop. Do clothes count as souvenirs? It has a Carl Sandburg quote on the front. “I’m an idealist. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m on my way.”  Kinda sums up our approach to road trips. 

Next we went to Asheville to get a Blue Ridge Parkway stamp for “The Book.”  We’ve been on the Parkway before … before we were doing the book. Just got the stamp to validate that experience. No return trip, though. Much of the road was actually closed because of a combination of factors related to the hurricane and the fires. Not to mention we got passed on our way up by a plethora of fire vehicles with lights and sirens blaring. So we jumped back down to the nearest freeway and headed east - away from the fires. 

After another two or three hour drive, our next stop was the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. No smoky air around here. It was the site of a key battle in the Revolutionary War. Because of the victory there, the revolutionaries were able to be victorious at Yorktown. At least that’s what one of the signs said. There were lots of random statues honoring those in the battle. One in particular was a massive guy on an even massiver (not a word, is it?) horse. The most impressive thing about this one? The entire community uses the extensive system of walking trails, well, extensively. 

After a meal at Cracker Barrel and a quick Walmart run to replenish supplies (read here “road snacks”), we settled in at the hotel to wash some clothes and prepare for the next phase of the journey - Kitty Hawk. 

Jeremiah‬ ‭17‬:‭7‬ says, The man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence indeed is the Lord, is blessed.

Father, thank you for the good news regarding Jay’s surgery. Now help him through the recovery process. Amen.