Pisgah National Forest

Right now I'm taking a break from writing by...writing. Hmmm. Well, I'm writing today about Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina, south of the Smokies. In the book I co-wrote with Jeff Bradley, Moon Handbooks: Smoky Mountains, I emphasize that most of what a lot of folks come to the Smokies for can be found in several of the much-less-crowded National Forest Lands, including Nantahala and Pisgah.

Did you know that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the busiest National Park in the system. The reason? Mainly because it's located within a day's drive of over half of the American population.

Here's another scary fact: of all those millions of visitors each year, only a relative handful ever venture more than 50 yards from their car. Even those that camp usually camp right beside their SUVs.

Which brings me to my point--and this can be true of other national forest land near, say, Mount Lassen or Yellowstone or even Yosemite. For many visitors, the Smokies is really just "the mountains." They're coming (and this is no criticism) to set up the tents or trailer, cook over a propane stove and roast marshmallows around the fire. And that's totally fine, particularly if you're traveling with very small, aged, or disabled folks who can't really make it up to the top of Half Dome anyway. But if that's what you're coming for, then you don't need to go to an overcrowded National Park.... The facilities at the state parks are usually no more spartan than the Nationals, and sometimes they even have hot showers. And then you can always hop in the car and daytrip to see the famous sites inside the National Park...and, I suppose, just to be able to say you've been.

My Poor Kids

Does anybody else sit at the kitchen table, entertaining his/her kids by reading them the colorful history of New Bern, NC? I did that today, although my oldest liked it, or at least, the first 20 minutes of it.

South Carolina Handbook, compared to other Travel Handbooks

These stats come courtesy of Amazon.com. I was very happy to see I used shorter words than most. (That's how I get my word counts up....) However, I think--if I read the last section correctly--I use longer sentences than some, which is something I want to improve upon, as it is confusing for readers when they have to try to follow along with the logic of a single--though greatly qualified--thought, no matter how many single-syllable words I use.

Complexity
Complex Words: 28% have fewer, 72% have more
Syllables per Word: 24% have fewer, 76% have more
Words per Sentence: 56% have fewer, 44% have more

Number of Characters
Characters 75% fewer, 25% more (hey, I’m trying to be comprehensive)
Words 75% fewer, 25% more
Sentences 70% fewer, 30% more

My average sentence is 17.6 words, and my average word is 1.6 syllables.

Again, the comparisons above are versus other travel guidebooks. Versus all books carried on Amazon.com, only 6% of them have more words.

Wow. No wonder it took a year to write the first edition.

You're in the Deep South Now

Mike Sigalas here, author of Moon Travel Handbooks to South Carolina, North Carolina, Coastal Carolinas, Charleston and Savannah and the Georgia Coast, and The Great Smoky Mountains (w/Jeff Bradley). I've also written travel for Microsoft Trip Planner, Away.com, and Home and Abroad.com.

This blog will serve two functions--to allow me to update the printed versions of the books as changes happen, and my readers and internet travelers a place to discuss the past, present, and future of South Carolina in particular, and the American South in general.