<< Back 5/15/02 Essay describes what’s good about the Smokies By Brandon Temples Editor’s note: Brandon Temples is a sixth-grade student at Community Christian School in LaBelle, Fla. He wrote the following essay about Western North Carolina for the Tropicana Speech Competition, in which he won first place. He is 12 old, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gregg Gunter. At this point, his main interests are reading, writing, and baseball. Judge Barbara Oehlbeck, who sent the article to us, had this to say about Brandon’s speech: “Brandon’s delivery was exceptional. He held no notes, had good eye contact with the audience, good articulation as well as facial expression. It is a delight to see someone of Brandon’s age who is willing to take the time and energy to perfect a presentation as he did. What is your vacation dream? It is probably a warm sunny tropical retreat in the Florida Keys, Hawaii, or California. My vacation fantasy is the exact opposite. I enjoy getting away from the heat in the cool highlands of the Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. I’ve gotten to live my dream every year since as far back as I remember. My great grandfather built a cabin there in Andrews, North Carolina, when my dad was just a child. At first there was no plumbing, so they had to use an outhouse if they ever had “to go”. Since then, we’ve added a few rooms, a bathroom, and my grandpa has added more space on the deck. There are many fun things to do in North Carolina. Things such as river rafting, hiking, or you can pick blackberries. One time, I took a friend to North Carolina. We had some serious fun. We were picking blackberries in places I didn’t even know were there. Sometimes, if you bring back enough blackberries, and your mother has all the ingredients you can get blackberry cobbler. But in our case, we did not bring back enough blackberries and ended up with what we called “Blackberry Something.” Believe me, it was something! The food in North Carolina is exceptional. There is one restaurant called Reila’s Garden (the nearest town to Reila’s Garden is Bryson City) which featurres blackened catfish that is seasoned to perfection. There is also another restaurant called the Nantahala Outdoor Center where you can eat over the river. The food isn’t as good, but how often do you get to eat over the river? We have a tradition in North Carolina. Every year we always eat spaghetti at least once while we are there. I have made an important decision after all this. I prefer to stay cool, and beat the heat, rather than burning up on the beach. For your next vacation I recommend a place where you can chill out. Remember the spaghetti rule: The Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. It’s a pretty cool place to be. Pretty soon you’ll be saying “ROAD TRIP.”