June 19th An Avalanche of Leaves

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

River behind my campsite for two nights

One of two small lakes at the campground

A wine colored sunset at my campsite