Hot Springs | Tusen Takk II

We rented an auto in Savannah and drove up to Asheville, NC to see our long-time cruising friends Hunter & Devi who live near Mars Hill, North Carolina. They appear to have adjusted very well, thank you, to being CLODs (Cruisers Living on Dirt). Gorgeous and commodious house, and Hunter has the beginnings of a first-rate woodworking shop on the property. They have obviously integrated extremely well into the community; there was a lot of buzz about social events upcoming after our departure. Barb and Devi took a number of walks in the area. Hunter and I, less so. I developed sore ankles after the first hike and declined additional opportunities. Hunter is still rehabilitating after a hip replacement and hiking is temporarily off his activity list. We all had some interesting drives in the neighborhood, including a visit to Hot Springs where we soaked in a hot tub filled with naturally warm/hot water. Barb and Devi attended a yoga session one evening at an establishment where Devi sometimes instructs. And we had a great meal at the Rhubarb Restaurant in Asheville. When the visit was over, the Sharps drove us back to Asheville where we rented another one-way vehicle and drove to Atlanta, stopping along the way to visit the folks who got us interested in trawlers: Ed & Gwen Flinn, formerly of Savannah, GA, but now living in a lovely cabin near Brevard. Fun to reminisce about the old days when we anchored together behind the verdant barrier islands of Georgia. And fun to see a bit of Gwen’s art. Back in our storage room in Savannah we still have some of Gwen’s prints and one lovely original. Dag nammit! We were so busy visiting we forgot to take photos.

Alas, we had promises to keep, so too soon we continued our drive to Atlanta, where we traded yet another one-way vehicle for a local one and made our way to visit family and friends. But an account of that visit must await the next episode of “The Travels of Chuck & Barb”.

: Meditator in balcony above bike shop i

: Sharp’s home on left — Hunter’s shop w/ green roof on right

: Barb took this pic on an early wet walk

: Helping Hunter with a project …

: ,,,testing whether their on-order camper can navigate their steep driveway

: Devi on another wet walk

: Barb & Devi making us some lunch by the Ivy Creek

: Fisherman in Ivy Creek

: Kayakers in the river

: Soaking in a spa at Hot Springs

: Photo by Devi

: Dinner in Asheville, photo provided by Devi

: Cedar Waxwing in Sharp’s cedar tree

When it looked like it might rain on us during the night on the evening of August 19, we decided to check into a motel. Next morning, we visited the Mammoth Site, a museum and paleontological site near Hot Springs, South Dakota. It contains the remains of fauna and flora preserved by entrapment in a karst sinkhole during the Pleistocene era 26,000 years ago, including Columbian & woolly mammoths, camels, wolves and giant bears.

In 1974, a construction worker, George Hanson, unearthed unusual bones while the area was being prepared for a new subdivision. His son recognized one of the finds as a mammoth tooth. The landowner agreed to further investigation, and a complete skull and tusk were found in 1974. Donations, some made by local citizens, along with the work performed by amateur and professional excavators, led to its status as a museum.

The site has been totally enclosed and is still being actively (but slowly and carefully) excavated by trained volunteers supervised by scientists. An adjoining exhibit hall displays full-sized replicas of mammoths, a giant short-faced bear and a walk-in mammoth bone shelter. When Barb and Jeff finally pulled me away — I enjoy reading ALL of the text at ALL of the displays — we drove up to Wind Cave National Park. Stay tuned for that account.