Message In Bottle Sparks Friendship

Vintage photos tell us what John Freeland looked like, but maps and letters left behind give us a sense of his passion for travel. The adventurous globetrotter’s message in a bottle dropped in the water back in 1977 lead the man who found it to John’s son, Phil Freeland of Maggie Valley. In retirement, his dad traveled the globe with wife, Mary. John passed away 17 years ago, but a reminder of him recently resurfaced. They went to 100 countries over a 20 year period, Freeland it was, right