Date: Thu, 8 Jan 1998 08:43:44 -0700
From: Charlie Ford <cford@mindspring.com>
To: type2@bigkitty.azaccess.com
Subject: Back into the Hills and Down to Georgia

On this past Friday I pulled out of Charlotte and headed north west toward
Roan Mountain, Tennessee.  The Great State of Tennessee, especially East
Tennessee, has always been one of my favorite places to be.  I lived in
Cleveland for five years and went to Lee College.  I didn't learn much in
college except how to drink beer and get up early without my Ma's help, but
I learned to love the Appalachain's in east Tennessee.  I looked forward to
the trip.

Ric Jablonski, a listserv member had invited me to come up and visit with
him and his family.  Ric and his wife Pam are Veterinarians in this small
mountain community.  He said in his post that he would take a look at Gus
for me, I welcomed that opportunity, plus it would be nice to meet yet
another listy that loved VW's and respected the spirituality that seems to
go with them.  I have met so many on this trip.

I left Charlotte on I-85 south.  When I got just south of Cherryville
turned north and eased through town.  I looked in my rear view mirror and
saw a split window bus two cars behind me.  I stuck my hand out the window
to give that required "hearty VW wave" and they waved back.

I pulled over to the curb and this tall lanky short haired fella steps out
saying "Man, I'd know the Mothership anywhere".  I laughed and asked him
how.  He explained that he was also on the list and had in fact sent me an
e mail the night before to invite me to lunch with he and his wife.

Matt Mauney is one heck of a nice guy.  He is a cop in Cherryville and he
drives a really nice split window bus.  It, like most others around the
country I have seen needs a bit of work, but it is definitely a keeper.
Imagine that, getting stopped by a cop in a VW bus.  I guess that means
that he was performing a slow speed chase, just like the one that happened
with O.J..  Except I don't have a wife to be accused of killing.

We moved from the street down to a friend of his place.  we all stood
around and talked for a while and just like anyone else I meet they wanted
to hear a bit about the trip.  I was obliged to tell them about it.

We scanned over each others busses and talked a bit more.  I got some
better directions from them on how I needed to proceed toward Roan
Mountain.  He and his buddy told me the best way to go and I eased on.
Hopefully one of these days we will be able to sit around and talk a little
longer.

Immediately after leaving Cherryville, I was thrust into the solitude of
the foothills and farm country of North Carolina.  I will have to say that
this State is one of the prettiest in the country.  The skies really do
appear bluer here, and the people are plain and simple without very much
complication at all.  I drove along and wondered how the Mothership would
do in the mountains this time.  The points were fine and the oil was at the
right level, so things should be alright.  I drove on.

I eventually came to Hwy. 18, then Hwy. 181, then Hwy. 19.  the grade kept
growing stronger and the panorama outside my window told me I was in the
Appalachians.  The Pisgah National Forest to be exact.

The Mothership climbed the hills with no problem.  Ran most of them in
third gear, half throttle and 45 mph.  I didn't listen to the radio at all.
I listened to her hum along the highway and not break stride.  I just can't
brag on her enough.  (Thanks for the dependable bus to do this trip with
Zack.)

I finally made it to Roan Mountain in the early evening just before dark.
I found the animal hospital just has Ric had described.  It is a three
bedroom farm size house looking building sitting down in a low field right
on the side of the road.

The one thing that makes you know it is not a house and is a business, is
the fact that it has a bright green roof and red out walls.  It is a fine
structure in any case.  He rents it for nigh nothing and has a good set of
patients to boot.

Ric told me the building was an old General store, but to me it looks like
it was at one time a house as well.  Man I love the south.  Folks who make
everything from anything, simply because it will work, and it's there.  To
top it off, it looks good when their done.  Neat.

I went inside and introduced myself to the first nurse/attendant that
walked by.  Then Ric came out and we exchanged niceties.  Now Ric is a Vet.
and since Pet ownership has taken on a more serious face in recent years,
he is a busy man, a fast busy man.  He was moving through and taking care
of patients and at the same time talking about VW's and the list.  He would
order out and antibiotic scrub and turn to me and ask how many busses had I
seen.

Pet ownership as I mentioned has become a serious movement in the country.
Animal rights activist sort of helped this "awareness" to come about
although I can't say much for most of their beliefs.  In my opinion man
needs to be a bit more conscious about his animal brothers and the reaping
there-of, but I certainly don't think hunting needs to become a crime.

Research has been done to show that pets can help a person mental well
being, and can offer companionship when the person suffers the feeling of
"lonely", as compared to "alone".  I personally think pets are beneficial,
I have had some of the greatest animals in my life and I believe they
helped me.

Yorgo was a German Shepherd Schutzhund III.  He was a working dog by nature
and by training.  Ranger was a Field Trial Lab that could hunt any bird
that flies, and retrieve them with equal passion, damn he loved to swim.
My best dog by far was Ben, a mixed breed between a Shepherd and an Irish
Setter, he looked a Golden retriever, but was about three and one half feet
tall.  Man that dog was smart, I never even had to housebreak him, he just
naturally preferred the great outdoors.  I can now see what he means after
this year on the road.  : )

Here a while back when I was up in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania spending
time with Ron and Evon Salmon, they treated Gus to a Vet visit.  Gus was
having something of a "problem" that Ron saw, and he said he wanted to do
that for him.  I knew that I didn't have the money at the time and welcomed
the gift.  Gus deserved it simply because he is a good dog, and if I let
him remain sick, my conscience would kill me.

Anyway, while Ron and I were there an emergency came in, this one being the
ruthless killing of a dog.  Anyway....The Vet left our room and went to see
what the problem was.  The owners had come in sort of a frantic state.

Ron and I sat in our room and listened through the wall.  Now I don't mean
that we were standing there with glasses to the walls, and our ears against
the glasses, but we could hear well enough without doing that.  The walls
were thin.  I will have to admit though that I moved a little closer and
quieted Gus down, 'Inquiring minds want to know".

We picked up that an animal was in diar need of some medical attention, and
that the situation was Stat.  Things quieted after a few and the Vet came
back in our room.  He explained that the ladies dog had been shot and that
it was a hopeless case.

He told further that someone had just walked up to her fenced in yard and
shot the dog right in the face.  He said it looked pretty much like a 22
bullet sized hole and that the animal didn't make it.

Now this little fellow was not a big bad dog.  It was a small terrier, kind
of like your Grandmother might have.  He said the lady had told him that
the animal had been complained about by the neighbors as of late.  She said
that the dog barked a lot, but had been quieter as of late.  Someone had
just killed the dog, and that was that, walked right up to her fence,
reached over and shot it through the head.  She no longer had the pup she
had raised.

Now to be honest with you, this pissed me off.  I am not a violent person
by nature, but I will have to admit that there are those things that get my
dander up.  Killing a defenseless little dog because it barks too much is
just one of those "things".

Now admittedly, the lady that owned the dog was some to blame here, she
needed to make sure the dog was not a nucance, but the guy that shot the
dog ain't got the sense to pour piss out of a boot, with the directions on
the heel.  I would kick his ass for general purposes.  He just needs it!

In the south you have a lot of dogs.  Most of the country dogs are working
dogs.  They earn their keep by hunting, tracking, and providing security
from what I don't exactly know.  Most of those dogs are rewarded even
further by becoming the family pet in the waning years.  I know several old
men that have a dog that goes with them everywhere.  That dog is king and
if you mess with the dog you mess with the old man.  Those old guys will
kick your butt in a heartbeat, never count them out.  You guys should have
known my grandfather if you don't believe me.

The hunting dogs are my favorite.  The camaraderie between the "good
(conscientious) hunter", and the "good (well trained) dog" is an amazing
thing too see.  My grandfather loved bird hunting and his bird dogs.  He
loved to see his dog break into a solid point and then at his command,
flush the birds and drive them so as to create a good shot.  He would brag
on the number of birds old "Champ" flushed or how well the young dog did
today.  It made him proud to see his dogs work well.

One of the most flattering for him was when people asked to borrow his dog
for a hunt.  He seldom turned his buddies down and was just icing on the
cake if they came back with good reports, some even offered to buy the dogs
from him.  Eventually he got rid of all of the bred dogs, but we had a
couple still around.  Mostly the mutts that wandered up and needed a place
to crash.

The best dogs I have ever met, are the ones that have been taught to think
and learn.  Its a tough road, but if you wanna have a great pet that
everybody loves, train them.  Ya'll pray for me, I am trying now to train
Gus a bit more.  Housebroken so far, but still a tough row to hoe.  : )

While I was visiting Ric he had a small Pomeranian come in that had been
mauled by a big bad dog.  The larger animal had torn away and ripped the
skin covering the back of the dog.  You could see right into the cavity and
rib cage in a place or two.  The little fella had broken his jaw trying to
fend for himself, but he had taken the whipping.  Blood all over his body,
all of it his.

In both the bad cases I have encountered I couldn't help think about how
badly some human needed there ass whipped as well.  The fact is that we
have to be responsible masters for our animals.  We have to take the
responsibility for teaching our animals discipline.

Children are being mauled because people and their insecurities breed and
teach animals to be bad, so they, the owner, can appear bad.  The "badder
the dog, the badder I am" attitude.  So many of us think that if we have a
mean dog, that makes us mean.  Bullshit....get the hell outa the damn truck
you sniveling stupid jerk.  Your dog will get a kick out of it when I kick
your ever-lovin ass.  Bad indeed.  : )

Sorry, got on a tangent there.  : )))  Whats new?

Yeah........ I know, the south is full of those guys that drive around in
the four wheel drives with a snarling pit hanging over the side.  The dog
is probably stoked up with feedings of gun powder which screws up the
nervous system and makes him psychotic as hell.  At home the dog is tied to
a three foot chain attached to a log.  No shelter except a piece of tin
laying over the log.  But that is why I am so passionate about it.  It's
wrong and my folks do it the worse.  Gotta admit the dirt in my own house
first.  I can assure you, Gus will never be treated like that.

The Rule:  BE GOOD TO YOUR PETS!  THAT, OR GIVE THEM TO SOMEONE WHO WILL!

Ric and I on Friday eventually went to his house.  The big snow had hit the
Carolina's and the roads were still icy.  I drove along behind him up the
mountain road that his house is on.

We came to the gate that leads up to his place and the road was covered in
snow and ice and was a fir little grade.  I eased The Mothership in first
and got a running start.  She once again climbed like the Mother she is,
not slipping once on the cold hard surface.

I met Ric's family including his wife Pam, and their four girls.  Let's
see, there was Alice, Tootsie, Teddy, and the oldest one who is about 14 :
), hmmm I can't remember her name right off.  hahahaha, Ric please email
her name to me so I can make sure I have it for the future edit.  ; )

These girls are something to see in action.  Alice, the Gymnast of the
bunch did cartwheels in the living room, Tootsie played on the computer,
and Teddy just sort of worked her way amongst them both, periodically
dropping by to converse with the adults on the issues that confront a 6
year old girl.  She is funny and cute all rolled into one.  We all sat and
enjoyed some shrimp and conversation.

On Saturday, Ric and I took out on a tour of the area.  We drove up to the
top of one of the mountains and stood right on the North Carolina and
Tennessee State Line.  Once again, for The Motherhsip the grades were
child's play and we saw some spectacular scenery.  The mountains are fine
places to be.

The Appalachians do not carry the panoramic beauty that the Rockies do, but
they carry a lot more mystique I believe.  They are tree covered and thick.
Every turn you are likely to see a cloud floating in the air beside you.
You will be in total sunshine and then in a cloud of misty rain.

Laurel and Rhododendron grow everywhere along the road and on the steep
banks.  Where Ric and I drove to was close to where the largest
Rhododendron garden in the world is.  It is natural, not man planted, or
woman planted for that matter.

This blooming plant burst out in the spring and looks pretty damn good the
remainder of the year as well.  It adds to the mystery of the forest.

After seeing that the road Ric wanted to take me on was closed, we headed
back down to do some serious VW scouting.  I had seen one parked at a house
as I came up Hwy. 181, so we headed back down there to see whether it might
be a find or not.

We finally found it and no one was home.  It was a nice type 2, but nothing
special.  We eased over to Linville Tennessee to see if the one Ric had
seen a few weeks earlier was still there.  He had also heard of another one
for sale in the area.  We found one bus, but no one was at home there
either.  We then found a nice little 60's bug for sale.  Ric got the number.

After leaving Linville we eased back across the mountain to Roan Mountain.
We stopped at a grocery store to pick up some things for the evening meal.
Ric cooked us up a grand setting of ciche and artichoke hearts.  Good stuff
it was.  Sean Bartnik who was in Johnson City, Tenn. at the time came down
and visited that evening.  We all ganged up on diagnosing the probelm with
Ric's 1600 engine in one of his splits.  Had it fixed in no time.

Before I pulled out on Sunday Ric gave Gus a good going over.  he checked
his blood and all appeared well with it.  the south has a big problem with
heartworms in dogs, so he supplied me with some monthly treatment tablets.
I would hate for Gus to get that little sickness.

Ric and Pam also presented me with a shirt commemorating the "Search for
the Beginning of Wind" Tour.  The dark blue sweat has an embroidered
splitty surrounded by the words.  Nice gift indeed.  I told Ric that they
should market these out to the list with the individual names of busses.  I
also told him that if there is by slim chance a "book", then he gets the
rights to sell the T-shirts.

When I left Roan Mountain I took the funky route that www.mapquest.com had
supplied for me.  I went south on 19, picked up 221, followed it to 108,
found I-85, took it to US 29 and followed it south to Hartwell, Georgia
where David Martin and James Smythe lives.

Crossing the border into Georgia was an emotional thing to do.  I have some
thinking to do about that.  I will include it in the next post.  There are
only a couple more trip reports left then I will write a closure, ya'll
bare with me, I'm just about through.

Thanks for tolerating the ramblings.

Charlie Ford


"79" Transporter, dressed for the road
The Mothership

 The"Turning 40 Nostalgic VW Service Tour, and
Search for the Beginning of Wind".

http://www.slurpee.net/~keen/charlie/charlie.html

"Wider still and wider.....shall thy bounds be set"



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