New Heights for Me by elfin14doaks
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Description
Ok, a lot of you know I am terrified of heights. This was taken while we were coming out of the Smokies on our way to South Carolina to visit my family. I took the photo through the windshield. Terror was pulsing though my veins as I realized the Mountains in front of us were a lot higher then the ones that I was so relieved to be exiting. Behold the Blue Ridge Mountains. This was only the second time I had be down to visit these guys and the last time , we flew. I didn't realize that Greenville is in the mountains! Dave drove down. It was a 12.5 hour drive. First it was raining, but the rain quickly turned to snow. He maintained the 70 mph speed limit most of the way, except when the people in front hit their brakes, as in the photo. He was trapped in the car the whole time with just me and his mother. We stayed in Greenville 4 days. Dave drove us another 11.5 hours to Pine Island in Florida for the rest of our vacation. What a trooper he is, but it is always all or nothing with him. I'm not sure he will ever volunteer to take his mom and I on a trip like that again though. I wouldn't trade him for all the tea in China, and I love tea!
Ok the story behind why this was only the second time. My mother and father have not been together since I was six months old. My mom, to punish my dad for not obeying her every command, had changed my last name. She also married a Marine, so we moved a lot. Every time my dad tried to catch up it was to late, as we had moved. He eventually gave up.
Because I was so little, it was really easy to hide the truth from me. I knew I didn't look like my half sisters and brother, they are Italian and the darker complected German. Being part Irish and Lithuanian Strawberry blond hair and blue eyes, because I look like my dad, and a teenager with a vivid imagination, I started to wonder if I had been adopted. I had nothing in common with these people, not even my personality , which I found out is also much like my dads.
Eight years ago my mother had a heart attack. Believing she was dying, she spilled the beans kind of.She gave me his name and a region, the Carolinas. With the magic of the internet, I quickly found an address.
It took me a month to write the letter. My step mother, opened it thinking it was a bill for something and read it. She gave it to my older brother to investigate. Yes I said older brother. It turned out my parents had had an affair, both of them. The brother was the first to call me, and had me email some pictures down of my dad and of me. He called back with the rest of the family, excluding my dad, to welcome me to the family. They gave my dad the letter the next day, Fathers Day. He called, it was the first time I'd ever heard his voice and we talked for two hours.
Sorry I hope I didn't bore you with this, once in a while I just go on and on.
Thank you for looking and all the comments you have left on my previous posts, they really mean the world to me.
Friends Always,
Cheri
Comments (21)
goodoleboy
A stunning photo, and an equally stunning revelation, Cheri! And I just met you, which really gives it emphasis. Terrific POV and graduated colors as the road and mountains recede into the distance.
pops
Wow what a heart wrenching story with such a wonderful ending, It brought a tear to my eye. How could these mountains bother you and a plane doesn't. The worst is going up the side of a mountain with a drop on one side that falls thousands of feet. Going up passes doesn't bother me at all
SerenityBlue
We often vacation in the mountains. Excellent view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have never been there. Most often we travel to the Sierra Nevadas in California. I was interested in your story. I have friends with some similar stories. It is strange to read that you got in touch with your dad after so long of a time. My friends are still looking for theirs. Wishing you a wonderful relationship with your dad, now, and the rest of the family, too.
elfin12u
tennesseecowgirl Is the only person I know here, who is familiar with these roads, and can verify that, while the sights are incredibly stunning, there are a whole lot of places along the route, that one can see waaaay down. My mom and I kept telling Cheri to check it out, maybe grab a spectacular shot of one of the many deep valleys. To take a trip like this with only three others in the vehicle is unadvised to any male when all of the rest are female. We had a GPS, which my mom had named Hilda, who constantly advised me of where I should turn, and then at times have hissy fits if I didn't completely follow her directions. I swear that there was more than one occasions where I was referred to as a dumb $#1& during one of my detours, although I cannot prove it because the other two women in the vehicle weren't listening,....as usual. I've learned a number of things from this adventure. #1, make sure someone else is along, who's willing to drive. #2, have a GPS with a male voice ( they probably won't care what you do. ) #3, never drive through or ever anywhere within a 300 mile radius of Atlanta. I love Cheri's other family!! They are a whole lot more like her, which is pretty cool!
Fantazee
I'm so glad there is a happy ending to your story. Beautiful area.
Rainastorm
Awesome snap shot...wow your family sounds like it is a confusing bunch like mine...this one married that one but got the other pregnant by them...lol
GBCalls
An awesome looking place to travel. Looks like my kind of world. Glad you got to travel and happy for you to be able to find your family as well.
tryky5carla
Excellent capture, gorgeous scene !!!!!!!!
annie5
You don't bother me at all..I was interested with your story and glad for you to find your family! Great scene Cheri..well captured :)
auntietk
Thank you so much for sharing your story. It's not boring at all. I love riding through the mountains, looking at everything. The only thing that bothers me is if it's a fairly tight curve and it feels like we're going too fast. I just close my eyes. :) You and Dave crack me up. It's so nice to have met you both!
bmac62
I don't think I've ever been on this road but I am a Low Country, South Carolinian once removed having lived in Charleston and gone to The Citadel for four years.
adrie
Absolutely a very beautiful capture my friend, and i also glad that the story ends well.....love it.
stick
Great photo. Great story with a super ending. You must of been very excited with the discovery of family.
beatoangelico
SUPER SCENE AND GREAT CAPTURE..!!!
greensleeves81
That was a touching story.
elfin14doaks
Hey auntietk that's what Dave said he was doing on the hair pin curves.....and he was driving. I don't think the driver is supposed to do that. Thank you all for the nice comments and not being bored. Sometimes I get carried away and just go on and on. I thought a bit of an explanation was behind the whole trip and why it was only the second time down there.
Miska7
Very nice scene! Great shot.
MagikUnicorn
On the raod again... ;-) Nice Shot
moochagoo
I was intrested too in your story. A classical view.
tennesseecowgirl
I am very familiar with these roads. And I am going that way tomorrow if this rain ever stops. Next time you are out this way let me know... I will help drive LOL
Chipka
Fantastic shot. I haven't been in the mountains very much--at least not in an automobile, and I'd love the experience. I have a long list of experiences that I'd like to go through and mountain-driving is one of them. Right up there with riding the trans-Siberian railway and sleeping in a yurt...but I digress. There's a kind of howling moodiness to this shot, and the story you convey is quite interesting and full of all of the human drama that makes life so interesting. Families are odd...there's always something hidden or willfully obscured, or just messed up by lazy record keepers, and unraveling one mystery or another is always an intriguing thing.