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| A family of Canada Geese at Swannonoa KOA Campground |
There is so much to see at the Biltmore one could easily
spend all day, a week, a month and probably even a year and not see it all. The
day was hot and humid and the throng of visitors, docents, cars and mini-vans
moving about was all a bit overwhelming. So, I moved with the flow of people
and took lots of photographs that I could study and savor later in the quiet
and comfort of my air conditioned motorhome.
I drove along the graciously curving exit road wishing
the posted speed limit was 10 mph instead of 20 – I didn’t want it to end. As I
moved away from the estate I appreciated the simplicity of Olmsted’s pastoral
landscape. As you exit, the one-way road leads to Antler Hill Village and Winery which is included in the ticket
price. I had no interest in wine tasting and suspected the “village” was a
tacky tourist trap so I kept moving, having no desire to diminish the richness
of the experience I’d just had.
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| 5 ducklings with parents |
Then when I was close to the exit and with a group of
cars I was suddenly enveloped in an avalanche of Liquidamber leaves. With no
warning a massive branch came crashing down on my motorhome. I braked but there
was no avoiding the barrage. Leaves and branches fell onto the hood of the car
and were jammed beneath the chassis. One cracked the windshield.
I got out cautiously checking to make sure nothing would
tumble down upon me. People in the cars behind me were quickly dragging debris
off the road. Then they came to help me first drive off what was jammed beneath
my vehicle and them pull out the remainder. They asked if I was OK. I was fine
physically but in a bit of a daze. Fortunately, one man offered his name and
phone number as an eye witness and also suggested that I return to the entry
guard and file a report.
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| My cracked windshield - on the driver's side ofcourse |
The officers who came to take the report were very gentle
and reassuring. As I waited for officer Previtt to write his report, his
associate Ray chatted with me. When I asked where I might have the windshield
repaired he promptly looked up SafeLite on his cell phone, called them on my
behalf and made all the arrangements for it to be repaired the next day. When
the report was complete Officer Previtt asked, “if there was anything more they
could do for me”. I thought a moment and asked, “where might I stay for the
night?” They recommended a KOA campground in Swannanoa about 12 miles away and
gave me directions. Ray provided the address to SafeLite so they could install
my new windshield right at the campground. It was all rather remarkable in many
ways.
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| Small dent in the roof gutter |
Other than the windshield the damage is minimal. A 4”-5”
crack in the roof of the motorhome, 3 small dents in the hood and several
scratches that I hope will buff out. A third officer drove to where the branch
broke and came over to report that it was about 20’ long and 5”-6” in diameter.
When I arrived at my campsite I was greeted by one of the
nicest, multi-generational families I’ve met on this trip. The grandparents
parked next to me were in a 36’ trailer. Pam admired my little 20-footer
exclaiming, “I could drive that” and that triggered a nice conversation. I told
her my tree story and she offered sympathy and comfort, which was just what I
needed. Pam and her husband were joined by their children and grandchildren who
were camped at a different site. Pam’s son-in-law even offered to patch the
crack in the motorhome with duct tape for me.
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| Small dent in the hood and a boo boo on the grill |
It was a nice campground with lots of facilities and
things for kids to do. My campsite was along a shallow river and there were two
small lakes or maybe big ponds as well as a swimming pool, bikes to rent and
laundry facilities that I made use of while I waited for Safelite to arrive.
The man who did the work was very efficient completing the entire job in just
over one hour – and he washed all my windows!
Before all this happened, I had commented to Dianne how everything
has gone so well on this trip. I’ve had remarkable luck with many things. I
told her, “I know something will go wrong at some point and when it does I’ll
just go with it and not get upset.” And, that’s just what I did.
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| River behind my campsite for two nights |
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| One of two small lakes at the campground |
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| A wine colored sunset at my campsite |
