Asheville Part 2: Old Fort

We have been calling this chapter Asheville but we were staying in Old Fort, NC for the month, about 30 minutes away, and that was a great decision. The population in Old Fort is about 1000. I know now that my purpose for being in Old Fort was much more than just a campground and it’s proximity to Asheville. Being a one month resident of Old Fort showed me a slice of America I hadn’t spent enough time in.
Old Fort is named for the original “old fort” that was established there prior to the Revolutionary War, called “Davidson’s Fort.” The mountain ridge between Old Fort and Black Mountain was at that time the boundary between land available for immigrant settlement to the east and Cherokee territory to the west. After the war, during which the Cherokee sided with their British trading partners, the land west of that divide was opened to settlement. Old Fort is one of fifteen NC Mountain Heritage Trout Cities and is known for its pre-Revolutionary War era history, mountain biking, hiking and waterfall trails.

The owner of SkyIsland RV park, Debbie, and I immediately hit it off (I think it was Mollie). We both knew, however, we had many differences in our overall view of the world. We handled all of those differences without any animosity between us ever. And, I was once again reminded how we have many more things in common than we ever think we do with our “opposites”. Truth is, everyone just wants their voice heard and the space to freely use it. I’m not sure if it’s as important to be right as it is to be heard…without judgement. I had a lot to learn in this new mountain environment. My biggest learning came while I was hiking one day with Megan on Catawba Falls. I started feeling the pride these folks feel about their mountains and their animals and their farms. Things like fresh eggs, corn, tomatoes, melons, blackberries, peaches, beans, yellow eyed peas and muscadines were the important things. Sharing meals and cold beer together, as different as we all are, showed the true meaning of our connection and the sense of community.
Old Fort could remind you of some old TV shows you would watch in the 1960’s. No matter what anyone believed on any topic in the whole world, it was just ok and won’t be held against you. I really wanted to experience this chapter in more ways than just driving into Asheville and visiting restaurants and breweries. So while Kimberly traveled, I made new friends and learned new things.

The cast of characters in our chapter in Old Fort was quite a diverse segment of the population. We, in campsite 4, could view most of the campground from our front porch. Behind us was a field of horses that we heard daily and in the distance was the chicken coop which was opened every morning and closed every evening. It was not rare to see multiple chickens roaming around Yolo and teaching Mollie what a chicken looked like. Unfortunately, Mollie took a liking to chicken shit and loved to roll in it. A totally new experience for her and I.
The office/brothel/Sunday brunch spot was directly adjacent to site 4 and Mollie evidently thought she worked there. She visited Debbie multiple times a day. The porch was where campers could find their mail and packages and get the best WiFi connection. Therefore, many great porch conversations happened throughout the month.

In the campsite next to us was an actor who Kimberly and I just loved. Although we know he’s an actor, to us he’s the philosopher and peacemaker at SkyIsland that always knew the right words to bring the conversation back to the greater “we”. Dave was a gift and a surprise for me. I didn’t expect Dave to appear in the chapter in the mountains, but there he was with his side kick Norman always ready to visit.

Al was our front neighbor and was the kind of man that would do anything for you. When I told Al I had never held or shot a gun before, he set up the old campground gun range to teach me. Turned out it was me and a handful of guys out on the side of a mountain shooting cans. OMG! All the guys; Dave, Al, and Fred, we’re teaching me safety and skill. With Al’s careful instruction and Dave’s safety instructions, I hit a Mountain Dew can on my first shot with a revolver! So, I shot a few different weapons and it was a ton of fun. Now I’m not wanting to join the gun club or head to the shooting range anytime soon but that was pure fun and I will never forget it.

When you live on the road like we do, things like haircuts and groomers become a thing. So I hadn’t had a haircut in quite a while. My friend Kevin had taken me to this amazing laundromat in Black Mountain again when I casually asked out loud about where to get a haircut. A great old guy came out of his workspace to tell me about “this guy named Joe that washes his towels here”. About that time, another employee says Joe owns the haircut place behind the “Dripulator” called the “Cutting Crew”. Well that’s all I needed to hear. I called Joe and he said he’d call if he had an opening. And he called. Joe IS the cutting crew and the shop can not be found without looking behind the dripulator! My 20 minutes with Joe was priceless. We had so much fun that he refused to charge me for my haircut. I slipped him a $20 and knew I had to write about my experience at the “Cutting Crew”. And, btw, the crew was Joe. 26 years of cutting hair in Black Mountain, NC behind the Dripulator.

It was great to have Megan for a long weekend in a cabin up here. We spent a FULL day doing Asheville followed by the next day for Mother/Daughter twirling through the mountain breweries. We ate amazing food (great dim sum), drank delicious beer, and walked many miles. And, we went to the infamous Asheville drum circle.

It was kind of hard leaving Old Fort. Debbie threw a little party on Friday night before our early Sunday departure for Virginia. Kevin and I tended the fire and smoked the ribs for many many hours before finishing them off for an hour with glaze on the blackstone. Debbie supplied the ribs and Terry, the camp, manager delivered them… “heard you were the cook”. Life around the campgrounds would not have been the same without Terry. He was everywhere, all the time. We happily donated our Hammock chair to Terry’s front porch to encourage him to rest a little more. My dear old friend from Atlanta, Kevin and I hung out a lot. We fixed things and kept the fire burning. And I can’t thank him enough for his company this month. He and Mollie became fast friends and I just liked having a friend close by; especially when Kimberly was traveling.

I will let the pictures fill in the blanks. We have just landed in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. The beauty is breathtaking. We are only here a week and Kimberly’s travel plans were canceled due to weather. More to come!