Day 4: Inspiration and Luxury

Rhythm&RaeRay awoke with a wonder of what the next two days might bring. They planned to join Ray’s niece Deidra for morning worship at her church, known simply as 2/42. They had feasted each morning on fried eggs, muffins, crullers and fruit. Little Rhythm was learning to eat whatever his mom and granddad did, with the addition of a few jars of blended meats and vegetables. After a good night’s sleep, the trio was able to eat and get ready for a 10 a.m. church service. The service was in a small strip mall on the outskirts of Conover. Smiling faces were there to greet Rhythm&RaeRay, including Deidra’s. Rae mused that most of the faces worshipping there were bright, smiling islanders that resembled the aloha spirit of her many friends made over the last three years living in Hawaii. It was a reception she never expected to find in the foothills of North Carolina. Rhythm&RaeRay were welcomed just the same, and the day’s lesson from the Gospel of John was inspiring. Lead pastor Miles Yang and the worship leader both commented on Alabama football after hearing Rhythm&RaeRay’s story. After lunch again at Aunt Jane’s, it was time for Rhythm&RaeRay to continue their journey. They intended to catch up with a friend in Asheville and meet her new hedgehog, Doylee. They weren’t sure where they might end up as darkness fell on the mountains. The drive to Asheville gave them a chance to explore the internet and see what loomed ahead. Alas, among the least expensive rooms along the way was Harrah’s Casino Resort in Cherokee. They booked a room for $110, and knowing their destination gave them a chance to relax as they traveled. They found their friend Johnna at a home converted into four apartments in a cozy West Asheville neighborhood. It was just around the corner from a building with one wall depicting The Grateful Dead. She had been celebrating her birthday all weekend, so Rhythm&RaeRay only visited about an hour before again heading out. The trail from Maggie Valley to Cherokee was a snake that never ended. In one of the wooded curves, cars began flashing lights and traffic stalled to a snail’s pace. A giant creature with the rear end of a mule and the face of a llama meandered back and forth through the traffic. Rae opened the sunroof to snap a few pictures as they inched past. It was obviously a young elk. After the animals became almost extinct in the area during the 1800s, the National Park Service reintroduced them to the Smokies in 2001. This one seemed to be right at home along U.S. Highway 19. Less than an hour later, Rhythm&RaeRay were attempting to settle into their room at Harrah’s. The first desk clerk couldn’t find their reservation, and after a while they diverted the trio to the resort’s Cherokee Tower, still on the property, but a few blocks away. They found their car on Level 4 and repacked for a new challenge. The move was not as difficult as they had expected, and Rhythm&RaeRay settled into the lap of luxury on the fourth floor. They left Room 410 to get dinner at a bowling alley next to the casino. They could take the elevator one floor down to an indoor walkway that led completely through the resort. There were restaurants, shops, spas and, of course, any type of gambling you might want. After dinner, Ray walked back to the casino to donate $28 to the Cherokee nation’s slot machines. Rhythm&Rae were asleep when he arrived back in the room.

Day 3: A Marriage of Friends and Family (The Wedding Crashers)

Hickory, N.C., is Ray’s hometown. In the 1940s and 1950s, the town’s 10th Street SE was a cluster of families, and Ray’s had its little commune there. R.A. Kaylor was a carpenter, and he built himself a two-story home and a similar house next door for extra income. In his later years, he was wheelchair-bound because of a fall down the elevator shaft while working on Hickory’s 1920s City Hall Building. Crawling on hands and knees, he helped his son, C.L Kaylor, build his own house across 10th Street from the family home and two others as rentals a few doors down. Rhythm&RaeRay toured the street on this visit and took snapshots of Ray standing before his own homeplace and the two rentals his father built. The original 2-story houses have been long torn down. Their next stop was at Ray's old elementary school, where the cornerstone shows Ray's grandfather as an alderman. Rhythm&RaeRay are staying with Aunt Jane, Ray’s sister, a few miles away at a home she and her husband built in the 1970s. There Rhythm had a chance to meet cousins and his great aunt for the first time. Aunt Jane’s house would be home base for two nights as Rhythm&RaeRay fulfilled their mission for the trip – attending the wedding of Cousin Callie. Callie’s dad, Pete, and Ray were born two days apart and almost inseparable until the time they entered grade school. Their daughters had always felt that closeness. Callie’s wedding was at a rustic venue in the Granite Falls area, and it didn’t allow minors because of North Carolina’s alcohol regulations. For that reason, Rhythm&RaeRay expected to have to keep little Rhythm in the car as they took turns enjoying the merriment of the celebration. The parking attendant found them a shaded spot from which they could watch the outdoor ceremony, so Rhythm&RaeRay were set for the festivities. Even better, once the wedding party met Rhythm, they couldn’t deny him entrance into the reception and dinner dancing. Callie’s mom Lisa even danced with him while Rae and Ray filled their plates. They all ate barbecued chicken, pork and potatoes. Rhythm also enjoyed his first dance to The Village People and “YMCA.” Rhythm&RaeRay headed back toward Aunt Jane’s house, but Ray had one more mission to accomplish. His long-ago best friend Jim Williams lived along the route home. A surprise phone call and a surprise visit gave Ray a chance to show off his newest grandson to some of his oldest friends. It was the perfect ending to the perfect day.

Day 2: Rolling Like a River

Rhythm&RaeRay’s bunkhouse was perfect for little Rhythm’s first camping excursion. Rhythm&Rae slept in one bed and used the one above it for storage of baby wipes, diapers and other essentials. Ray was across the room with his top bunk covered with cords and computer supplies for the 20-year-old Dell laptop running a 2003 version of Microsoft Word. He also had a USB accessory to plug in and enable the old Dell to access the internet. After Rhythm&Rae went to sleep, Ray worked until nearly midnight recording the day’s experiences. He finally closed his eyes, and daylight awakened him about 5:30 a.m. Day 2 was one for sightseeing. Ray showered in the bathhouse and followed his morning rituals while Rhythm&Rae slept. After they awoke, Rhythm&RaeRay hiked up a steep trail along a meandering stream to see a waterfall that flowed through a thicket of downed pine trees. It was a soothing show of nature and physical exercise that readied them for the rest of the day. Back at the bunkhouse, they cooked a half-dozen eggs on the Coleman cooktop and toasted three slices of bread. Ray had already used their $2 kettle to heat water for Folger crystals. The coffee was hot, but without much flavor. After breakfast, they packed the car and headed down the winding 10-mile route to the base of Nantahala gorge, where coffee shops, restaurants, outfitter stores and a general store surround a busy beach nestled on either side of the whitewater. There, Rhythm&RaeRay enjoyed latte and homemade doughnuts while watching kayakers and rafts filled with thrill seekers land on the beaches. They enjoyed that atmosphere for about an hour before driving on. Asheville was about an hour and a half away, and they planned to stop there for lunch. It was an uneventful trip, and they landed in the River Arts District shortly before 2 p.m. They found the White Duck Taco Shop and decided to join the long line outside the front door. Rhythm made friends with our fellow diners and entertained them with his various antics. One of them was to crawl into a large planter outside the restaurant. Lunch was very good—a gyro for Ray, mole duck and Tai peanut tacos for Rae. They sat beneath the clouds at a picnic table on the edge of the grounds. Rhythm played in the grass as they waited for the food. Back on the road, Hickory was only 90 minutes over the mountains. They zipped up Black Mountain and down through Old Fort, Marion, Morganton and Valdese before arriving at their destination. Family was waiting to welcome them. They were staying in Hickory with Ray’s sister Jane.

Rhythm&RaeRay Day 1: Hospitality in the Hills

Rhythm&RaeRay hit the road shortly after 9 a.m. in a car filled with baby food and a folding high chair, a bag stocked with pots and pans to go with a Coleman stove, sleeping bag and blankets, and two guitars. They chose the longest route to Topton, N.C., where they would spend the night at the Nantahala Hideaway Campgrounds & Cabins. They had rented Bunkhouse 1, a one-room cabin with three bunk beds, a two-outlet plug, an overhead light and four windows looking north. The interior walls were unfinished, cheap OSB boards and the floor was concrete. The room had a table with a lamp and four folding chairs. Rhythm& RaeRay figured that if it was unsuitable, they could drive on and forget the $35 it cost for the night. Check-in began at 3 p.m. and the office closed at 5 o’clock. They took the scenic route through Alabama’s DeKalb County – Henagar, Valley Head and Mentone – and northwest Georgia – Menlo, Summerville, Ellijay and Blue Ridge. They stopped for a pork sandwich at Bama Boys BBQ at Henagar Crossroads. As they continued, a downpour followed them to Ellijay, where they decided to take refuge at the Welcome Center and Gilmer Chamber. Chamber of Commerce executives passing through the building seemed a bit miffed at the sight of a 70-year-old man, 31-year-old woman and 9-month-old toddler having a picnic in a corner of the office. The receptionist had welcomed us, although she didn’t realize we would sit in the floor eating sandwiches. She was happy, though, to be photographed with little Rhythm. About 2 hours later, Rhythm&RaeRay arrived at their destination and met Marsha, the owner who was quick to fire out emails, but whose phone was always busy. She explained that the bunkhouse had lights, but no water and was a short walk from the bathhouse and a wi-fi room with comfortable chairs for relaxing and tables for working. A firepit was also just outside the bunkhouse, so Rhythm&RaeRay bought a $5.50 bundle of firewood. We drove up the hill to find our bunkhouse electricity was not working. Back at the office, Marsha agreed to follow to our rental to fix the situation. A few minutes later, her husband Jerry arrived to help. The two bought the campground about a year ago and have been sprucing things up ever since. The bunkhouse was clean, the bathhouse and showers were very presentable, and the brush was well tended. In spite of all that, two yellowjackets stung Ray and Marsha as they walked around the bathhouse. Finally, Jerry discovered that a CFI plug in the bunkhouse had tripped and cut off the power. Moments later, Rhythm&RaeRay were settling in. Dinner was a corn and poblano soup Rae had picked up at Trader Joe’s. It was delicious heated on the Coleman stove in a pot Ray had bought for $3 at a Salvation Army thrift store. They also toasted bread in a frying pan, also $3, with melted butter. They built a fire in the pit with the $5.50 worth of firewood, and played music and sang around it until rain began drizzling down. Oh, well, it was nearly 9 p.m. anyway. Rhythm&RaeRay settled into the bunkhouse listening to the raindrops until the sandman took them away.

RaeRay's Latest Adventure with Rhythm&RaeRay

Life is an ever-expanding adventure, and a journey that began with RaeRay a decade ago continues today with the addition of Rhythm, a 9-month-old of the same bloodline as RaeRay. The three of them, Morgan Rae, Michael Ray and Malakai Rhythm, are heading east from Alabama to enjoy nature’s freshness in the Blue Ridge and Smokie Mountains and celebrate life events with relatives in Ray’s hometown of Hickory, N.C. RaeRay crisscrossed the nation in 2012, celebrated Jazzfest in New Orleans with family in 2013 and explored California’s coastline in 2018 and Hawaii’s mystique in 2020. Malakai was born in August 2021 and this is his first adventure with both his mother and grandfather. This thread will follow them, hopefully, as they travel. The posts will depend on scheduling and the cooperation of old technology and new experiences.

Life on the Mountain

Maui is an island only 26 miles wide and 40 miles long, but driving takes much longer than you would expect. From the airport in Kahului to Morgan’s home in Kula is 16 miles, but at best takes about 30 minutes. Kula is 3,000 feet up the Haleakala volcano, and the property where Morgan lives is slightly higher than that. Owners are Reid and Danielle Emminger, and they first rented a space beneath their home to Morgan, but she recently moved into a separate building on the property. That left the downstairs apartment open, and Reid and Danielle graciously let our family stay there. 

Julian and the Emminger children, Rosie, 5, and Rowan, 2 ½, became immediate friends. In a matter of minutes, Rosie and Julian were best friends. They had two electric cars, which both could drive like adults, and plenty of other wheeled toys that made our boy feel right at home. Morgan described Danielle as “always smiling,” which we discovered to be true. Reid is a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines, but he was home to welcome us. Our extended family had suddenly grown. The mountain property supports hundreds of fruit and flowers, surrounding a chicken pen and vegetable garden. Plans have a milk cow coming in the future so the family can become as nearly as possible self-sustained. Morgan picks lemons for her tea and watches nature for her soul. From her balcony, you can see the ocean on both sides of the island and the North Maui Mountains in between. A steep and twisting lane leads to the property, assuring a certain degree of privacy. About a dozen houses line the road, and Morgan lives in one of the last ones. 

The drive up and down Halelakala is treacherous, even on the main roads. Morgan trained us on a local lane that twisted straight up the hillside and landed only a few blocks from her home. Down the slope, the school where she works is only a few miles away, and a hardware store, drug store and food-truck park not much farther. Our family survived on the food trucks for the first two days. Morgan’s wedding was a few days away, and we all were stressed and busy.