2 PICS

Beyond the Woods

It's been almost 20 years, but it's time to pack the camera gear into the saddlebags on my BMW motorcycle, then travel deep into the back woods of the Blue Ridge, beyond Greasy Creek, NC, to a place where time stands still.

It may not be warm and sunny, and there is certainly no ocean or sandy beaches, but the very back woods of the Blue Ridge, where the gorges run deep beyond Greasy Creek, N.C., is where I need to roam. It is a place where indigenous folks often never leave, choosing to remain isolated from the outside world. I once got to know some of these wonderful people, their simple lives shaped by the bountiful natural resources at their disposal. It is fear of the unknown, that place where the pavement begins, that keeps these small communities thriving, while relying on one another to preserve their special habits and customs. I want to be in this place again, knowing that 200-year's-ago, everything would be the same as it is now. This region is not "Deliverance." It is a place that commands profound respect, where people are self-reliant, hard-working and totally free. There is no recession in Globe, N.C. People have no mortgages, no bills no life pressures. I met a woman who made regionally famous molasses on her family's sugar cane farm. She had never been more than 30 miles from home. But short trips with my Leica were never satisfying enough. I always wanted to stay longer. Poe Crump will remember me and if this dream comes true, I will be at peace, not having to take my teenage daughter to the local mall on a Saturday, where the material world overpowers the natural human condition, which for me, is another artificial encounter. Let me rediscover the meaning of tranquility and I will share it with you all.

Rank: 226

1 Comments

FatherJohn

I am adding my vote to your dream and asking if you are willing to help my dream for Children get back in the top 20 by voting for me. I am so close, but still out. Please help. In any case, may God Bless you and may all your dreams come true.