FROM KILL DEVIL FALLS TO LOVING CUP

“I’ll be at the waterfall, clearing my head

Soaking up nature and thinking of you”

From “Kill Devil Falls”, by Phish

Last week, Christy and I ditched work for a couple of days to attend the Phish concert in Asheville. It was the band’s first tour in six years, and it was a minor miracle that we were able to go. I defied all the odds in getting tickets, which sold out in three minutes. If you want to read about that drama, go here:

https://www.angelfire.com/trek/fungi/SC/Choose_1.html

We headed up to Asheville on Tuesday morning. We met up with our friend, Jimmy, at the Lazy Otter in West Asheville. We also met Jimmy’s friend, Mike, and our friend Eric joined us a bit later. We started the festivities with some beer and home-made margaritas before heading over to Mike’s place to get ready for the show.

Getting ready for the show mainly involved drinking beer in the shade of Mike’s front porch. It was unusually hot by Asheville standards, and I was actually kind of glad that we had skipped the usual tailgating routine. We’d figured that our tailgating options would be pretty limited on a Tuesday afternoon in downtown Asheville, anyway.

At 3:30, Mike gave us a ride into town. We spent a little time at his restaurant and enjoyed a snack and yet more beer. Then we made the leisurely stroll downtown. Along the way, we were treated to all kinds of unusual scenery. Phish Phans were partying everywhere. As we walked, I explained to Christy that it was actually always like this in Asheville. I think she may have believed me, even if it was a bit of an exaggeration.

A bit of bar hopping followed, before it was time to head into the show. The monster line at the entrance was a bit of a buzz kill, particularly since the heat hadn’t subsided. We finally made it into the building, and quickly discovered that most of the seats were gone. We headed down to the floor, and found a spot to stand in the farthest corner. We didn’t exactly have choice seats, but we didn’t care. In a building the size of the Asheville Civic Center, it just doesn’t matter much. Plus, we were strategically located next to a concession stand operated by one of Jimmy’s friends. This was handy, particularly because they sold high quality beers like Highland Gaelic Ale and Fat Tire for the surprisingly reasonable price of $5. Dorothy, I don’t think we’re in Charlotte anymore! At a concert in the Queen City, you can expect to pay twice that much for a Bud Light.

Phish opened up with a brand new song that I really like, “Kill Devil Falls”. After we returned home, I spent a bit of time on Google trying to find out if the title refers to a real waterfall. Unfortunately, everything I found referred back to the Phish song.

The rest of the first set was great. We couldn’t see much from our location, but we didn’t need to. The band sounded great, and the colorful light show provided plenty of visual stimulation.

The real highlights came later. Before the show, we’d all made a guess at one song we thought Phish would play. Phish plays a different set list every night and they’ve played hundreds of different songs over the years, so it isn’t an easy game to play. I called “Halley’s Comet”, more because it’s one of my favorites than because I really thought they would play it. I was delighted when they went into it midway through the second set.

The encore brought one final highlight. The band covered “Loving Cup”, by the Rolling Stones. This is one of our favorite songs. In fact, Christy and I incorporated the song into our wedding reception. It brought a great conclusion to a wonderful night.

Eventually we all found rides back to Mike’s place, and from there we ended up at the house of another of Jimmy’s friends. Jimmy decided to go out and party some more, but we were done. We’re old enough to know our limits, which we had passed hours earlier. We crashed there, while Eric headed home. He had to fly to Washington, DC, the next morning, so he had restrained himself all evening.

We eventually dragged ourselves out of bed the next morning and made our way to IHOP. Breakfast perked us up, and we decided to delay our return home. Instead, we headed for the Smokies. We rarely get to go there, since we normally bring our dog with us. He was with the dog sitter today though, and we were so close to the Smokies, I couldn’t pass it up.

We drove to the Big Creek campground. The campground is surrounded by a lush forest that was a vibrant green, thanks to all of the recent rain. We parked in the trailhead lot, which was nearly full. Only in the Smokies will you find crowds like that on a Wednesday!

We hiked the Big Creek Trail towards Walnut Bottoms, following an old railroad grade. We passed some nice wildflowers as the trail stayed high above the creek. Eventually we dropped down closer to it, where we could view the many cascades among the massive boulders littering the riverbed. A bit later, we passed by Midnight Hole, which must be one of the finest swimming holes in the Smokies. There were plenty of people there doing just that. It was a little too busy for photography or relaxation, so we continued on.

A bit later, we reached the side path leading to Mouse Creek Falls. Mouse Creek tumbles over a lovely waterfall just before entering Big Creek. We descended a steep path, and then hopped rocks to get out into the middle of Big Creek. This left us at the base of waterfall. Somehow, despite all of the crowds, we had this spot to ourselves.

We lounged for a bit, and I experimented with our new camera. We probably would’ve lingered longer, but a plague of gnats eventually drove us away. We headed back quickly, but got caught by a thunderstorm on our return. Thanks to the rain, we skipped stopping at Midnight Hole on the way back, too. That was ok though, as we needed to get on the road.

We had a fantastic two days in the Asheville area. Aside from the concert and the hiking, I’d had another motive with this trip. I’ve been trying to convince Christy to move to Asheville for a couple of years now. She really hadn’t spent much time in Asheville though. I’m pleased to say that I caught her looking at Asheville area real estate on the internet later that night. Hopefully this brief little trip has set the wheels in motion…

“I’m the man on the mountain

Won’t you come on up?

I’m the plowman in the valley,

With the face full of mud.

Yes, I’m fumbling, and I know my car won’t start.
Yes, I’m stumbling, and I know I play a bad guitar.

Give me little drink, from your loving cup.
Just one drink, and I’ll fall down drunk.

I’m the man who walks the hillside in the sweet summer sun.
I’m the man that brings you roses when you ain’t got none.
Well I can run and jump and fish, but I won’t fight
You if you want to push and pull with me all night.

Give me little drink from you loving cup.
Just one drink and I’ll fall down drunk”.

From “Loving Cup”, by the Rolling Stones (Mick Jagger / Keith Richards)

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