Making Memories
Paul O'Rear -- Friday, June 8, 2007, 7:48 AM (No Comments)Categories: Childhood, Memories
Tags: Bears, Charley the Squirrel, Churches of Christ, Dirty T-Shirts, Frio River, Great Smoky Mountains, Leakey Texas, Pecan Grove Campground, River Bend Campground, Texas Hill Country
Someone once said, “In the race to be better or best, don’t miss the joy of being.”
When I was a boy growing up in South Texas, my family would take off for about two weeks every summer and go camping. The first camping trips I remember were to the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee.
Smoky Mountains and "Dirty T-Shirts"
I remember taking family pictures in our “Dirty T-Shirts” in front of the park’s entrance sign.
I remember walking up the inclined ramp to the top of Clingman’s Dome, thinking, “Are we ever going to get to the top?”
I remember the awe that I felt seeing real live black bears up close and personal, not trapped behind bars at a zoo. And I also remember being a little bit frightened (OK, maybe more than just a little bit) hearing the bears dig through the garbage cans right outside our tent at night.
I remember vividly the time that I went exploring and got lost. I sat down on a log by the side of the road and began crying my eyes out. After what seemed like hours (but I’m sure was only a few minutes), my Dad came walking up whistling, carrying one of my brothers on his shoulders, and took me safely back to our campsite.
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