SMOKY MOUNTAINS

Feckless(FP):Say Oddvark, did you have a good time up in the Smokies last week?

Oddvark(OC): Oh yeah! The Kamakazee Cocktails were flowing like Talulah Falls.

FP: That's true, but I want to know how you liked Clingman's Dome and Cade's Cove?

OC: Oh, they were cool man. Cade's Cove is beautiful and I really enjoyed seeing those old homesteads. It's hard to believe that people lived so simply back then.

FP: I know, they had to be almost completely self-sufficient because their commerce with the outside world was so limited. How about that climb up Clingman's Dome?

OC: Hell, I probably wouldn't have made it if Mountain Man Tom and The Pater Familias hadn't been with us. They almost had to carry me the last hundred yards.

FP: Yeah, it was almost straight up and down. That trail is pretty darn steep. With the thinner air, it really give the cardiovascular system a workout.

OC: Don't I know it. But the view from the top was worth it. I couldn't believe how far we could see. Top of the world!

FP: Well, top of North Carolina. That Arboretum in Asheville was also pretty nice.

OC: Yeah those Bonzai were fantastic!

FP: That decorative quilt collection and those nature photos were pretty impressive.

OC: The quilt garden was also beautiful. The Smoky Mountains are definitely our kind of place. Similar to Oregon in many ways, but a lot closer to home.

FP: Yeah, even Mountain Man Tom was impressed and he's a dyed in the wool Cascade man.

OC: I still enjoyed the extended cocktail hour at the end of the day. I also enjoyed that homestyle cooking.

FP: Uh, doggie, that Moose Cafe in Asheville was the best. What a value, the food was great and plentiful; the prices extremely reasonable.

OC: Yeah, a good time was had by all. The Pater Familias was mixing his patented Kamakazi Cocktails and the Captain Morgan chasers were going down smooth.

FP: Nothing like taking a soak in the jacuzzi, overlooking the mountain vistas, while sipping Captain Mo to relax a body.

OC: We are the relaxation champions of the world.

FP: We've definitely raised relaxation to an art form.

OC: Yeah, we're the Kamakazi School of Art.