The Dream, The Challenge, The People
by Bob Kranich
(Excerpt 30)
You may wonder why the first half of the book is about my many adventures throughout the USA. Well, this first part explains just why my interests changed from hot rodding cars to backpacking. How the idea of a lodge came about, and just how the lodge came to be in North Carolina and next to the Smoky Mountain National Park, Deep Campground to be exact.
Now we’re off to England, Wales, and Scotland with my good army buddy, Ed Clement.
England, Wales, and Scotland
That evening, since it was time to stop for the night, we suddenly came upon a bed and breakfast sign along the road. We turned in and parked next to a very old and quaint stone house and barn. We got out and heard some sounds. We went over to a solid stone fenced enclosure, looked over, and there to our pleasant surprise, were three puppies and a mother. They were Welsh Border Collies, just like we had seen herding the sheep with the horsemen. So cute! After we got our full of looking, we went over to the house, and knocked on the door.
A very short, old lady came to the door. She had very pretty white hair and an apron over a homespun dress.
“What can I do fer ye young persons?” she asked.
“Ma’am, we saw your bed and breakfast sign, and we are touring the English Isles.We need a place to stay for the evening. Do you have any vacancies?”
“Oh you are Americans, United States, I bet cha?”she said with a chuckle. “I’d be happy to accommodate you for the evening. Let me show you to your room, and them you can bring your things in.”
“Thank you ma’am,” we both replied.
She led us through the house and up some stairs. It was a very tidy and clean old house. In fact, I felt like I was walking through a museum. I’m sure that this house may have been at least two or three hundred years old. Inside, the stone walls were plaster. She showed us the room.
“Do you have a time ye wish to wake up? I could give ye a knock on the door.”
“Oh, I guess eight would be ok,” Irene answered.
She gave us the key, and it looked like an old skeleton key I had seen as a youngster many years before. We brought in our suitcases, looked over some brochures we had picked up along the way, and decided to take baths. We didn’t have to worry about a TV because there was none. There are two things that I remember about the bathroom. One, the large claw foot tub’s fill was on the side in the center. The other was that the scale measured in stones! I forget just how many stones I had weighed.
The next morning at eight, we heard a knock at our door. “Breakfast will be served in thirty minutes young people,” the older lady chimed.
We hurriedly dressed, freshened up, and went down. She was serving us on her formal dining room table. We sat down, and she started bringing in the food. First, we had sliced ham, eggs, orange juice, and milk. Then, before we could say thank you, here she came with a stack of pancakes. Hotcakes she called them. We looked at each other, put some butter and syrup on them, and started eating again. She came in and said, “Could I get ye any thing else, coffee, biscuits?”
We had to say, “Ma’am, thank you. The breakfast...the food is so delicious, but we are filled to the top! Thank you very much.”
We paid her, and it was very reasonable. What a wonderful experience! We gathered up our things, and loaded them up in the Mini. We took one last look at the Border Collies and were back on the road. As we drove along, we talked about the experience. One thing that was strange was that we saw or heard no one else. Was she there all by herself?
Thinking back, I know that this experience was the catalyst for my former wife wanting to build the Folkestone Lodge.
From The Author:
This is a new book. It is about the Lodge I built in the Smoky Mountains, near Bryson City, and Deep Creek campground, North Carolina. Having been from Florida, I know that a lot of Floridians love to visit the Smoky Mountains National Park. Therefore hopefully you will enjoy my story of the building of “A Lodge Called Folkestone”
