Going to North Carolina
and Ghost Town in the Sky
August, 2007
It's always an adventure when you travel, and the possible
complications and surprises multiply when on the road or
in the sky or going to a Ghost Town in the Sky, located in
the grand old South. Bob is hyper-alert in airports, highly
protective of Laddie, and rightly so. While we had an easy
time of navigating LAX, our hub stop in the Twin Cities was
fraught with unexpected issues. As Bob usually cautions,
"Watch! We'll land at one end of the airport and take off
clear at the other end." In Minneapolis/St. Paul, it proved
to be painfully true. Up and down corridor after corridor after
corridor, we made our way , all the way from the
G concourse to the A concourse. It wasn't safe
having Laddie on the sliding walkways and no electric cart was available to go in our direction to our gate. Walking isn't a bad thing, but the carpeting – most likely meant for the wear and tear of winter boots – was horribly abrasive to a dog's paws. We went at a snail's pace to accommodate Laddie, who gamely trod on despite the uncomfortable experience.
We arrived in Asheville, North Carolina at night and were driven 40 miles into Maggie Valley, surrounded by the Smoky and Blue Ridge mountain ranges. Our home away from home was the Smoky Falls Lodge on Jonathan Creek, a lovely site with plenty of grassy areas for Laddie to take leisurely walks and stretch his legs. Every cabin on one side of the central lobby and restaurant had its own outdoor rocking chair, inviting guests to sit a spell and take in the atmosphere. The lodge owners, Lydia and Eric Freyeisen, made us feel so welcome and were extraordinarily helpful in all situations. Dog lovers, they have two tiny Chihuahuas, who come to work with them every day. The front desk staff, including Joe, and the restaurant staff should also be commended for their hospitality.
Good friend Jon Provost joined us for breakfast the next morning. He had arrived a day early to scout out Ghost Town and relive youthful memories. The park, now under new ownership and management, was once a regular vacation spot for Jon and other young actors. The original owner invited these young teens out during their summer TV show hiatuses to take part in old west skits and scenes. Jon was amazed to be reacquainted with one of the costumed gunfighters who had worked at the park 40 years previous.
Ghost Town lives up to its title; it is indeed in the sky in that it is located at the top of a mountain. Park guests gain admittance one of two ways: either by a two-person chair lift or an incline railway that scales 3370 feet up Buck Mountain. We were driven up a road that is known locally as the steepest mountain road in the area. Not only is it steep, but it goes from one hair-pin turn to another – an E-ticket all by itself! New amusement rides have been added such as a modern roller coaster, while other older delights from the park, as Jon remembered it, are still there such as the carousel.
The heart of the park is Heritage Square, a facsimile western town – somewhat of an anomaly in western North Carolina, which certainly was a frontier at an early point in American history, complete with a rich native American (Cherokee) culture, but never like the wild west of our states on the far side of the Rockies. Nonetheless, a dusty old street sports old-time shops and period costumed actors who engage in an hourly gunfight. This event draws the biggest crowds, poised to cover their ears as the good guys shoot it out with the bad guys. Ghost Town in the Sky offers old-fashioned amusements for local grandparents and grandchildren to while a way a couple of weekend hours.
Jon, Laddie, and Bob were only the second set of special guests to appear at Ghost Town, which has just reopened last month. At this early stage of the park's redevelopment, special appearances seemed to be an extra burden for the untried staff. Focusing on the park's strong points and defining its clientele might be in order before expanding its offerings.
We were most fortunate to have some good friends from the
CCA National make the trip to Ghost Town just to visit with us.
Wanda Timme and her pal Helen really helped us out,
keeping an extra protective eye on Laddie. Lenell Nix was our
hero in all ways, as we will soon describe. New friends
Patricia and Jimmy Thomas stayed with us all day, soaking
up the experience of seeing Jon, Laddie, and Bob in action.
The real highlight of our trip to the South came with a special
dinner invitation extended to us by Lenell and his partner
John Pauwels. They picked up all of us – Laddie too – in the
longest, stretchiest limousine and drove us into Asheville,
through its elite neighborhoods, ultimately stopping at the
incredible Grove Park Inn. This historical resort and spa was
first built early in the last century and has been a local
treasure for almost a hundred years. We ate in the
Blue Ridge Dining Room and were unable to decide
what we enjoyed more: the spectacular buffet laid out in
three separate rooms or the views of the surrounding lush mountains. Laddie was a true gentleman, snoozing next to Bob's chair, somehow ignoring the delectable aromas of the nearby food.
Lenell became Laddie's official knight in shining armor when we finally left North Carolina... or tried to... He drove us to the Asheville airport early Monday morning (who knew that rush hour could be so unrushed!?!). He dropped us off, telling us to call him if we ran into any problems. Oh boy, did we! Our flights had been canceled, and, in order to get to and out of our scheduled hub (Detroit), both legs of the trip would require long layovers. Obviously not a desirable option for us or a realistic option for Laddie, we explored other alternatives. We could get home to Los Angeles by first going to Atlanta or Newark or Memphis. We chose Memphis although it meant having to depart from another local airport. We quickly called Lenell who heroically returned to the Asheville, North Carolina airport and escorted us – with a special time out at a beautiful meadow-like park for Laddie – to the airport in Greenville, South Carolina.
Lenell not only stayed with us, making sure that we got through security and were successfully on board, but he also called ahead to the Memphis airport in Tennessee to determine our arrival gate and how far away our departure gate would be. He knew we didn't want to repeat our Twin Cities trek! Thank goodness for cell phones! We knew that luck was finally with us. The hop to Memphis was a cinch, and the walking distance from gate to gate on smooth tile flooring was another cinch. Laddie snoozed again in first class comfort all the way across the country.
Home again and glad of it, we thank Lenell from the bottom of our hearts and also look forward to our next appearance – local for us in Malibu – this coming Sunday for National Dog Day, where Laddie, Bob, and Jon will charm friends and fans all over again.
Lydia Freyeisen, co-owner of
Smoky Falls Lodge
in Jonathan Creek NC,
poses here with
Laddie and Jon
Laddie enjoys room service at the Smoky Falls Lodge, then takes a well deserved nap!
Just a Part of The Long, Long Limo
Laddie Always Enjoys Limo Service
Welcome to our news archive dated August, 2007
Bob, Laddie, and special guest Jon Provost venture south to visit
a very unique park!
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