After my big road trip last year with my friend Mike, I had looked forward to a new great adventure this year, whatever it might be. When plans to ride to Sturgis, SD with another friend fell through back in August, I was at a loss about what to do this year, or if I should even try a road trip at all. I still had plenty of time off, so Mike & I planned a short weekend trip together up to Asheville, NC, to visit Freedom Biker Church. He only had a couple of days, so I planned to ride back into North Georgia to tent camp an extra day or two by myself. Sounded like a plan.
We took off Saturday morning and rode out to Athens, then up 441 into NC. Hwy 441 is a beautiful road that I never get tired of riding, leading up into the mountains and beyond. We arrived mid-afternoon at a KOA campground east of Asheville, unloaded, then rode over to the location of the biker church, to ensure we knew where it was. After supper at a 50's style diner, we spent a peaceful evening around a campfire at the KOA with some wonderful people- Kevin & Linda from Hickory, NC, dedicated Christians and youth leaders in their church; and Jeremy & Serena from Greenville, SC, with their two cute little boys. Wonderful conversation for hours, and my first campfire of the fall!
Before turning in for the night, I posted a couple of pictures on Facebook of our trip so far, and within minutes got a message from an old high school friend, David Lunsford, inviting me over to Sevierville, TN for a couple of days. We had reconnected on FB about two years ago, but had not seen or even spoken to each other in the 30+ years since we graduated high school. I called the number he sent me, and he said, "Forget camping, I've got a nice, cozy bed up here in Pokeberry Hollow for ya!" This trip just took a turn into a whole new adventure, I thought to myself.
David and I had been classmates off and on throughout our elementary years, and had been skateboard bros throughout our junior high and early high school years. Our lives diverged in 10th grade, as he sank into drugs and alcohol abuse, and I gave my life to Christ. As I went on to college, seminary, and into marriage and ministry, David's life sank deeper over the years. After multiple rehab and detox stints, and two destroyed marriages, he found himself face down in his cabin on freighter ship he worked on down in Florida, and he surrendered his life to Jesus Christ in 1998. He stood up a new man, he told me, a "new creation" as 2 Corinthians 5:17 proclaims.
So here I was, spending a couple of days with my long-lost (literally) adolescent friend, now brother in Christ as well. He and his wife Donna welcomed me into their home like family- which spiritually we are now! We spent the next 2 1/2 days eating out, seeing sights around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, and helping him with chores around their breathtakingly beautiful homestead in the hills. We even spent an afternoon playing in his creek like two school kids, building dams and catching crawfish. Every morning and evening was spent on their front porch, reminiscing and laughing, talking about Christ, while the sweet smell of his wild cherry pipe smoke floated through the air.
Finally on Tuesday morning, I packed up, we prayed together, and I rode south toward home. Running south on 441 out of Gatlinburg, I rode through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The morning mist was still rising off the mountains, and the sun cast brilliant beams down through the trees as I rode, like a scene in Rivendell from Lord of the Rings. It was captivating, almost holy. I would break out to scenic overlooks periodically, and could see out across the Smokies as the clouds still hung low in the valleys. Nothing quite like riding above the clouds. I rode and worshipped God all the way across the 40+ miles through the park.
Crossing back through a sliver of NC before returning into Georgia, the sun was brilliant and the temps were getting warmer. I finally arrived home around 3:30pm, to an empty house, with Lisa still at work and Kelsey at school. I spent some time unpacking, unwinding, and reflecting on the trip. No regrets, no disappointments. When God closed one door (Sturgis), He opened another (Asheville, Sevierville). And I still got to spend time with two close friends- Mike, one of my current best friends, and David, an old friend and new brother in Christ. God has blessed more than I could have imagined. I am filled, and my cup runneth over. (Psalm 23)