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Issue #223, Epic Road Trip, July 16, 2018, Asheville, North Carolina and Nashville KOA, Tennessee




July 16, 2018 We are at the Nashville KOA. I am scratching my ankles and lower legs because there are a bunch of mosquitoes here. Still, it’s great to sit outside under the awning, writing and playing guitar. We were all short with each other once we got here, as tensions with the long drive (over 400 miles from Asheville) brought stuff to the surface, but Orion washed the dishes and contributed by making the beginnings of dinner, sautéing mushrooms and zucchini.



We sat in the Cricket while it rained, trying to figure out the best course of action today here in Nashville, as we have a day tomorrow to explore. Paige came up with the idea of doing one of the bus tours that will take us around to all the major highlights of the city, allowing us to stop and get off when we want. That is fine, but it’s also expensive.



I am starting to feel like we have way overspent on this trip, deleting our savings as we chug through the countryside, filling up the Volvo tank every 230 miles and reserving somewhat expensive KOAs like this one ($98/night, which is the most we’ve paid to ‘hook up’).

Phoenix has started to read Steven King’s novel, ‘It’, which apparently is quite scary; but it’s a diversion from the games on the tablet. Orion has been watching youTube videos non-stop, usually about technical subjects he’s interested in.



Yesterday when I asked what he was watching, he said it was how to power a parachute with a fan. He’s also been watching a lot of ‘America’s Got Talent’. I have been somewhat concerned with the non-stop video watching, but at least it’s with subjects that pique his curiosity. With long road trip mileages like this, we can hardly complain.



Back to Asheville and our final time with Suz, Ev, and the dogs - the kids took Nigel and Kikosan on one last walk and we sat around talking, then packed up the Cricket while neighbors walking by expressed admiration for our rig. I had to wrap my yellow backpack in several garbage bags because the grease for the ball and hitch got all over it when I was pulling stuff out of the back of the car.



Paige and I took an evening walk through this gigantic KOA after dinner, walking past numerous monolithic RV’s. There are no bathrooms over by this ‘deluxe’ section, since it is just assumed that every RV of deluxe stature has it’s own self-contained toilet. Every rig has it’s sewage tubes on display, which snake into the ground via colorful supports that progressively diminish in size. We talked about where we might go next summer - possibly north, to national parks, for longer stays of time.




solo/group kukai
drawing/writing/photography
jonathan machen