On The Road: Lake Santeela

The view from the patio of the cabin

As I mentioned earlier, this past weekend my wife’s and my friends joined forces to rent a mountain cabin a few miles outside of the Smoky Mountain National Forrest on Lake Santeela at the Blue Boar Inn in Robbinsville, NC.

The inn was located near a stretch of road called "The Tail of the Dragon." Drivers who had made the drive are known locally as "Dragon Slayers."

Originally this was set up as a means to see those who have moved out of Atlanta, but with the sudden decision to move back to Texas, this was also once last chance to see them before moving to Dallas, and to give everyone an opportunity to say goodbye.

We planned a simple weekend of eating, drinking, and farting around, and that was pretty much the case with the exception of the group’s medical doctor, Dr. Dan, who was busy working on a paper for a fair amount of time. 

Yes, that's Yoda on his apron.

There were plenty of grilled meats and good wine and beer. Personally, I purchased a mixed case of ales from the Highland Brewing Co. located in Asheville, NC, while others brought Stella Artois, New Belgium Fat Tire and their Trippel.

While I had planned to do reviews of these beers, I got wrapped up in the social aspect of drinking, and failed to take down notes (but I did take some beer porn to share with you!)

When we get together, there is, as usually the case, often an opportunity for the men and women to split up and do as that gender is to do with its own. And what we, the men of this tribe do, is drink copious amounts of cheap beer, and play video games.

Dr Cee Dubb had his son strapped in the back, and his real baby strapped in the front.

One means to make mass consumption less jock and more nerd like, is to play the drinking game “Wizard’s Staff” or “Wisest Wizard” by constructing cans into a staff by means of duct tape being applied to the bottom of an untapped can and affixing all previous empties to the bottom.

Yes, we are nerds. Nerds are good people.

Now, due to a misconception of available cans, my staff did end out less than spectacular, at only a level 7, not my strongest showing, but I did begin after 4 or 5 pre-dinner ales.

Despite the number of hurdles that this weekend presented, the muddy, steep cliffs, and the frequent rain, I would be hard pressed to think of a better way to spend my last days with these friends.

Pope Crisco