The Dream, The Challenge, The People
by Bob Kranich
(Excerpt 1)
From the Author:
“The Lodge Called Folkestone”. 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.
If you can imagine...in 1962 there were no smart phones or computers. Therefore, no Google maps. I had to pick up maps at gas stations. There were also no interstates the way I was going. They may have been working on Interstate 75, but it wasn’t open. It wasn’t on the map, and I wasn't aware of it.
It looked like the best way to get out of Tampa and go north was Highway 41. I took it to Lake City, Florida, and then highway 441 out of Lake City to Athens, Georgia. Athens is east of Atlanta. I was grateful for that because I didn’t want to go through that big city. From Tampa to Athens it’s around seven hours, so I must have car camped some place along the way. It is at least eleven hours to the Smoky Mountains National Park by that route.
I pulled into Cherokee around lunch time, bought some ice for my ice chest, and made a sandwich. As I was sitting at a picnic table next to my car, I could look at the waters of the beautiful Oconaluftee River cascading by. I took the opportunity to look over my brochure and the maps in it. I decided that I would go through Cherokee, visit the National Park's Oconaluftee Visitor Center, and make camp tonight at the Smokemont campground. I figured that I would tour the Cherokee demonstration Indian Village and the museum on my return.
On my drive through Cherokee, there were many tourist souvenir Shops. Next to them, there were Indian tepees with full dress braves beating drums and posing for pictures with tourist families. I even saw a caged black bear. There were a couple of water slides. It looked like everyone was enjoying the day.
The visitor center is by the road, and has a nice parking lot. It is a very sturdy constructed historic stone structure with a small museum, books, gift shop, and rangers to answer your questions. Then it is a nice stroll out back, along a field near the river, where the historic log pioneer house, barn, and other structures are located. I didn’t know it then, but ten years later I would be helping an old time mountaineer, Doc Gibby, make sorghum molasses here. We would be a real enactment team working for the park.
This group of buildings have been brought in from around the park, and rearranged to represent just how a bottom land mountain farm would look. By using reenactment people dressed in period clothes, you can experience history. The old house is built from the rare American chestnut wood.
I picked up a few brochures and pamphlets and continued along 441. A short distance up the road I stopped at the Mingus Mill. This structure and its mill run are in the original site. It was built in 1886. Now, that is old! I was in luck because they were operating and grinding cornmeal.
Smokemont is just a good mile farther north and up. It sits at about 2,200 feet. That’s a couple hundred feet higher than the ranger station and visitor center I had just left. I turned right at the Smokemont Campground sign, onto Smokemont Road, crossed the Oconaluftee River, turned left, and continued on the Smokemont Road. There was an old church, The Luftee Baptist Church, and a short distance further, a right turn into the campground. I saw a sign that directed me to the tenting area. There were a few spaces left, and I took my pick. Then the correct thing to do is to report to the ranger’s office and register.
I went back to my campsite and set up my umbrella tent. I put the cook stove and lantern on the table. It was around four o’clock, but it already looked like late evening. In the mountains when the sun is over the ridge, it starts to get dark down in the lower parts early. I cooked up some lunch meat and potatoes, ate, and cleaned up, putting my ice chest back in the 1936 Ford’s trunk.
This was a good move. I found this out later because the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an excellent home for more than a thousand black bears, and Smokemont is a favorite haunt for them. That evening around ten, I started to hear the sounds of campers hollering at the bears, and banging pots and pans to scare them. I guess that didn’t scare the bears very much. They just roamed around tipping over ice chests, and helping themselves to lots of good food. Thank the Good Lord I was spared that experience. It is still scary thinking that the only thing between you and a bear is a very thin tent canvas fabric.
Early next morning I packed up, making sure that my area was clean. According to my map, today I would be crossing the top of the park. I was going up to Newfound Gap. The road ran along the Oconalufte River for the next seven miles. Then the road made a sharp left turn and a sharp right, and continued under the northeast side of Thomas Ridge on up to Newfound Gap. This can be shown on the top map on the opposite page. The next time I came back, the park had built a new road that climbed up and ran along the top of Thomas Ridge. This made it longer, but the reason was to have the many beautiful overlooks both to the north and south.
The old road is not marked on the park brochure or trail map, however, you should still be able to find it. Leave the Oconaluftee River and make the 180 degree sharp turn to the left. After it straightens out, look to the right for a small parking place, and there may be a gate and trail sign. I went back there many years later and walked the old road which is overgrown, but there was a hiking trail. I walked all the way up to and back from Newfound Gap. It was like old times.
According to park history, Newfound Gap was discovered by a Swiss geographer in 1872. Prior to that time, the original road over these mountains went through a gap called Indian Gap, and was about a mile and one half further west. The difference in elevation from where Highway 441 enters the park and Newfound Gap is around 3,000 feet. When a person drives it, or hikes for that matter, they should watch for and notice the many different types of trees. They vary from pine, to hardwood, to the evergreens at the top.
When I got to the top, there was a nice parking area with lots of overlooks. This is also where the Appalachian Trail crosses 441. At this point, one can take the continuation of 441 down through the Tennessee side of the park to Gatlinburg, or the approximate six mile road up to the Clingmans Dome parking lot. The parking lot is at 6,311 feet, and I decided that I would continue down to Gatlinburg, and then go to the Elkmont Campground. It appeared to be the closest and only campground that I would be able to get to tonight. In my opinion, the Tennessee side of the mountains is much steeper. I observed this on the way down to Gatlinburg. I noticed now, and on my way back to Cherokee from Newfound Gap, that once you start down, you don’t need to use the accelerator. In fact, you will be on the brakes continually for around seven miles or so.
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”.
“The Lodge Called Folkestone”. 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.
If you can imagine...in 1962 there were no smart phones or computers. Therefore, no Google maps. I had to pick up maps at gas stations. There were also no interstates the way I was going. They may have been working on Interstate 75, but it wasn’t open. It wasn’t on the map, and I wasn't aware of it.
It looked like the best way to get out of Tampa and go north was Highway 41. I took it to Lake City, Florida, and then highway 441 out of Lake City to Athens, Georgia. Athens is east of Atlanta. I was grateful for that because I didn’t want to go through that big city. From Tampa to Athens it’s around seven hours, so I must have car camped some place along the way. It is at least eleven hours to the Smoky Mountains National Park by that route.
I pulled into Cherokee around lunch time, bought some ice for my ice chest, and made a sandwich. As I was sitting at a picnic table next to my car, I could look at the waters of the beautiful Oconaluftee River cascading by. I took the opportunity to look over my brochure and the maps in it. I decided that I would go through Cherokee, visit the National Park's Oconaluftee Visitor Center, and make camp tonight at the Smokemont campground. I figured that I would tour the Cherokee demonstration Indian Village and the museum on my return.
On my drive through Cherokee, there were many tourist souvenir Shops. Next to them, there were Indian tepees with full dress braves beating drums and posing for pictures with tourist families. I even saw a caged black bear. There were a couple of water slides. It looked like everyone was enjoying the day.
The visitor center is by the road, and has a nice parking lot. It is a very sturdy constructed historic stone structure with a small museum, books, gift shop, and rangers to answer your questions. Then it is a nice stroll out back, along a field near the river, where the historic log pioneer house, barn, and other structures are located. I didn’t know it then, but ten years later I would be helping an old time mountaineer, Doc Gibby, make sorghum molasses here. We would be a real enactment team working for the park.
This group of buildings have been brought in from around the park, and rearranged to represent just how a bottom land mountain farm would look. By using reenactment people dressed in period clothes, you can experience history. The old house is built from the rare American chestnut wood.
I picked up a few brochures and pamphlets and continued along 441. A short distance up the road I stopped at the Mingus Mill. This structure and its mill run are in the original site. It was built in 1886. Now, that is old! I was in luck because they were operating and grinding cornmeal.
Smokemont is just a good mile farther north and up. It sits at about 2,200 feet. That’s a couple hundred feet higher than the ranger station and visitor center I had just left. I turned right at the Smokemont Campground sign, onto Smokemont Road, crossed the Oconaluftee River, turned left, and continued on the Smokemont Road. There was an old church, The Luftee Baptist Church, and a short distance further, a right turn into the campground. I saw a sign that directed me to the tenting area. There were a few spaces left, and I took my pick. Then the correct thing to do is to report to the ranger’s office and register.
I went back to my campsite and set up my umbrella tent. I put the cook stove and lantern on the table. It was around four o’clock, but it already looked like late evening. In the mountains when the sun is over the ridge, it starts to get dark down in the lower parts early. I cooked up some lunch meat and potatoes, ate, and cleaned up, putting my ice chest back in the 1936 Ford’s trunk.
This was a good move. I found this out later because the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is an excellent home for more than a thousand black bears, and Smokemont is a favorite haunt for them. That evening around ten, I started to hear the sounds of campers hollering at the bears, and banging pots and pans to scare them. I guess that didn’t scare the bears very much. They just roamed around tipping over ice chests, and helping themselves to lots of good food. Thank the Good Lord I was spared that experience. It is still scary thinking that the only thing between you and a bear is a very thin tent canvas fabric.
Early next morning I packed up, making sure that my area was clean. According to my map, today I would be crossing the top of the park. I was going up to Newfound Gap. The road ran along the Oconalufte River for the next seven miles. Then the road made a sharp left turn and a sharp right, and continued under the northeast side of Thomas Ridge on up to Newfound Gap. This can be shown on the top map on the opposite page. The next time I came back, the park had built a new road that climbed up and ran along the top of Thomas Ridge. This made it longer, but the reason was to have the many beautiful overlooks both to the north and south.
The old road is not marked on the park brochure or trail map, however, you should still be able to find it. Leave the Oconaluftee River and make the 180 degree sharp turn to the left. After it straightens out, look to the right for a small parking place, and there may be a gate and trail sign. I went back there many years later and walked the old road which is overgrown, but there was a hiking trail. I walked all the way up to and back from Newfound Gap. It was like old times.
According to park history, Newfound Gap was discovered by a Swiss geographer in 1872. Prior to that time, the original road over these mountains went through a gap called Indian Gap, and was about a mile and one half further west. The difference in elevation from where Highway 441 enters the park and Newfound Gap is around 3,000 feet. When a person drives it, or hikes for that matter, they should watch for and notice the many different types of trees. They vary from pine, to hardwood, to the evergreens at the top.
When I got to the top, there was a nice parking area with lots of overlooks. This is also where the Appalachian Trail crosses 441. At this point, one can take the continuation of 441 down through the Tennessee side of the park to Gatlinburg, or the approximate six mile road up to the Clingmans Dome parking lot. The parking lot is at 6,311 feet, and I decided that I would continue down to Gatlinburg, and then go to the Elkmont Campground. It appeared to be the closest and only campground that I would be able to get to tonight. In my opinion, the Tennessee side of the mountains is much steeper. I observed this on the way down to Gatlinburg. I noticed now, and on my way back to Cherokee from Newfound Gap, that once you start down, you don’t need to use the accelerator. In fact, you will be on the brakes continually for around seven miles or so.
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