June 6, Sunday A week ago today was the Indy 500 – there is no blog! Tom had a very bad URI that put him under for 2 weeks, and left him weak for another week! I got it just before our annual trip to the race track, and I was too sick to go. Tom went with Micah, Caleb and Halie – and that is all I’m going to say about that! We are both still feeling the aftermath of what-ever-it-was that we had, but nothing bad enough to keep us from our rendezvous with a nine-day trip to Tennessee and Kentucky! In fact, we were so anxious to go that we woke up this morning and decided to leave a day early! As always, Pippa Joy was ready for a road trip! In preparation this morning, I made a cherry/rhubarb pie, Tom mowed the lawn, and we ate a quick lunch and left at 11:30. Our destination was East Fork State Park in Cincinnati where we usually manage to spend time with Micah. But Micah headed out this morning for a speaking engagement in Las Vegas and was not available for a visit! We skipped right past the turn-off to his house in Amelia, and 6 miles later landed at East Fork State where there were plenty of last-minute open spots on a Sunday night. Campsite #91 was at the very end of a loop and at 2:30 (as we arrived) the sun was already behind the trees in our site. With shade (at 85 degrees) we were able to open all the windows and let the fresh air blow through. Tom jumped in a chair for the INDY race on Belle Isle, a road course in Detroit, and I tuned into an audio book. Pippa took the cue and settled down for an afternoon nap. Immediately after the race, we headed out for a little shopping excursion to Jungle Jim’s! We didn’t need anything – it is always fun to look and we found lots of stuff to buy! Back by 7:00, we cooked Kielbasa, onions and peppers with corn on the cob and watermelon. . . . strawberry/rhubarb pie for dessert! An evening walk was in order for all of us, and by 8:30 we were all settled in camp chairs and enjoying the nice evening. June 6, Monday We were on the road by 8:00 with beautiful driving weather and only 315 miles to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountain’s National Park. We think it has been several years since we have stayed at Cades Cove; as usually we have been staying at Elkmont or Smokemont. Cades Cove is on the “quiet side” of the Smokies, but in the past few years it has not been that peaceful. There are often traffic jams the last few miles to drive the 11-mile Cades Cove loop road, and the cars around the cove are often bumper to bumper. Campsite B23 was perfect with a full cement pad and plenty of shade all day . . . no hook-ups. It is infinitely nicer than the commercial campgrounds 12 miles away in Townsend. We were set up by 2:30, and proceeded to enjoy the afternoon hanging in the campsite, with a few walks around the campground. A couple in an Airstream a row over strolled by and remembered us from the “Wake Up Downtown” rally in Logan, OH three weekends ago . . . small world! Supper was chicken and home-style potatoes/onions (washed down with our favorite Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill!) -- followed by a drive around the Cades Cove loop road! The traffic was light, the temperature was perfect, the mountains were blue/grey and everything else was bright green! As always, we counted deer with an end-count of 26; some were up close and many were out in the fields. At the half-way point it started to sprinkle lightly. Night comes on earlier in the deep woods, and by the time we were back at the Silvermine at 8:30 it was almost dark in the campsite. June 7, Tuesday It rained all night – mostly lightly, but with a few periods of strong wind and thunder; the wind blew high above the tree canopy and we could hear it – but not feel it! All the windows were wide open making sleeping a delight. Tom delayed breakfast until I got up at 8:00, and then made eggs and hash. We drove into Townsend, shopped a few stores and then came back to the campsite for a light lunch. While I listened to a book Tom went on an hour excursion around the picnic area and horse stables. Halfway around the loop road is the “Old Cades Cove Road” which goes over Rich Mountain to Townsend. It is a narrow, one-way, unpaved, winding, mountain road for the first 10 miles out of the cove, and then turns into two-way with a sprinkling of homes and cabins leading down into Townsend. It is always an adventure to take this back road! The little Church down in the valley is a favorite photo-op from the top of Rich Mountain and is a popular postcard in the area. Dinner was steak and fried potatoes, followed by a part-way drive around the cove. Tom wanted to gauge the distance for a hike he had planned: from the campsite, to the entrance of the cove, across Spark’s Lane, out the cove exit, and back to the campground . . . 4.2 miles. June 8, Wednesday First on the agenda this morning – showers. Second on the agenda – sausage/egg sandwiches. These two events got us prepped for a drive into Maryville to see siblings. Sister Beccie is selling her mountain-top home and moving into a villa in the Shandondale retirement community in Maryville. To suit her needs some walls needed to be added . . . and some removed. She is several weeks from moving in, and we were glad to have a preview of her home as the work is nearing completion. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of her new home . . . or sister Beccie! Brother Richard had bunion surgery a few weeks ago and is only allowed to have his foot in the down/dangle position for 15 minutes every hour. His apartment in the downtown Maryville Broadway Towers is small and wonderfully suits his needs. We took Subway lunch in to eat with him in his apartment and had a nice visit. Again – I forgot to take pictures! Heading back to the mountains it was raining, but stopped shortly after we arrived; the afternoon was partially sunny and a nice 74 degrees. There was no drive around the Cades Cove loop road in the evening as it was closed for bicycle use only on Wednesday. But, we did enjoy a walk, a campfire, and a close encounter with a Woodpecker. We lazed away the afternoon doing plenty of not much! Tom made wonderful “smash burgers” for dinner. I listened to a book, and Tom watched a movie on his Ipad. June 9, Thursday I didn’t wake up until 8:00 – and Tom was gone! He walked to the exit-end of the Cades Cove loop road and walked it wrong way (to face traffic) back to Sparks Lane – then cut across to the other side of the loop and hiked out to the entrance – 4.8 miles! By 8:30 I was in the truck heading for the loop road hoping to meet up with him; as I went past the parking lot to the camp store I heard his familiar shout-out: “HEY!” I missed the whole walk, but did get a picture of him as he finished his walk. Our jaunt for the day was back through Townsend to drive the east end of the Foothills Parkway that was completed a few years ago. It is a beautiful drive high up above and paralleling Wear’s Valley, before coming back down about five miles before Pigeon Forge. This is only the third time we have driven it, although the drive through Pigeon Forge and then on to Gatlinburg was very familiar! It was lightly raining in Gatlinburg, and we went to our favorite outdoor supply store – Tom carried Pippa in her little basket, and only one person in the store noticed her. As seems to be the trend lately – we bought nothing! We were back at the campsite in time for hot grilled corned beef sandwiches and another lazy afternoon and evening with perfect weather, and Pippa got a good combing! June 10, Friday Tom enjoyed his walk in the Cove so much, that he repeated it again – this time getting pictures. He saw some lovely mist filling in the low spots of the valley, followed by some mist rising above the Cove trees . . . and finally flawless mountains in a pure-blue sky. He also was greeted by an owl who swooped in and landed in a nearby tree. Back from his hike at 8:15, I was up (just) and we had pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Our final outing in the Smokeys was one we have wanted to do for many years. At the back-end/half-way point of the Cades Cove loop road is the Parson’s Branch Road – a gravel, one-lane, road that goes across the mountains to Chilhowee Lake. We have wanted to do it for many years, but hesitated because of road/rain conditions and the fact that the road is closed in the winter. We were surprised to see several other cars/jeeps/motorcycles on the road – we always pulled over wherever possible for them to pass us; we wanted to take our time! The road was mostly smooth gravel, with occasional rough ruts. There were many places that water came up over the road, but it was always very manageable. I suppose that in times of heavy rains those passages would have been a bit tricky. The first 3 miles of the drive was two-way traffic, and the last 8 miles was one-way and very narrow. At the rate of 10 mph it was slow going. We saw lots of lovely, thick forest and rushing streams. We went so slowly that I spotted a long, skinny black snake and was able to stop for a picture! The road brought us out smack-dab in the middle of the infamous and most notorious part of the “Tail of the Dragon.” From Chilhowee Lake to Fontana Dam, this road is home to thrill-seeker motorcyclists because of the “318 tight curves in 11 miles.” Several photography businesses set up tents on the tight twists and photograph motorcycles, sports-cars, and any-other vehicle as they bend into the curves -- you can stop and pay for on-line access to your picture! We usually note the Harley/Hog type motorcycles on this road, but today there seemed to be an equal number of smaller-sized bikes. When we hit Chilhowee Lake we found the Foothills Parkway closed for paving, and took the long way back into Maryville, through Walland and Townsend, and back along Laurel River to Cades Cove. All of this was accomplished by 2:00! Several years ago we saw a beautiful show of synchronous fireflies in Cades Dave in mid-June. It was a bit early for the display, but we took our chairs up and set them at the edge of the campground and waited for dark . . . just in case! We saw some winking and blinking, but no obvious synchronized display. June 11, Saturday With our five days in Cades Cove completed, we hooked up and headed out by 9:00, with only 225 miles to travel. Carr Lake State Park appears to be in a depressed part of Kentucky. We went through numerous little towns strung out along the road and merging into each other, as if none of them could make it on their own. The State Park was also a bit run-down; many cars and vehicles parked the campsites giving a very crowded feel. The sign said “beach closed,” but there were people swimming. The lake, however was beautiful, long, and deep. We sat in the shade at the back of the camper, then cooked dinner inside the trailer (hot dogs and Cincinnati chili), watched some TV, and enjoyed the inside amenities of the Silvermine. June 12, Sunday We delayed leaving the park as we were less than 80 miles from our destination. Tom fixed a “PaPa Joe” breakfast of pork steak, eggs, and toast. By noon we were on our way, and by 2:00 we were firmly set up in the Middle Fork Campground of the Natural Bridge State Resort Park! Natural Bridge State Resort Park is adjacent to the Daniel Boone National Forest, which DB first passed through in 1767. There are over 200 arches of various sizes nearby, and the most famous is the Natural Bridge. The Red River Gorge recreation area is also in the immediate area. Tom listened to the Indy-Car race in the early afternoon; our campsite was down in a hollow and he had to hold his phone over his head to get reception . . . and he kept drifting off to sleep! After the race we went on a driving tour, to check out locations and hiking trails and to investigate things to do tomorrow. Our first stop was the Hemlock Lodge and Restaurant. On a late Sunday afternoon it was not busy, but the restaurant would be serving at 4:00; the menu showed a nice variety at very reasonable prices. The all-you-can-eat fish dinner was tempting, until Tom found that it was catfish! Leaving from the Lodge are several trails and at some point, most of the trails link up: Balance Rock, Battleship Rock, Rock Garden, Sand Gap, Henson’s Arch, Lakeside, Low Gap, Whittington, and Hood’s Branch trails – a total of 22 miles in the park. Every year about 40 people fall from the cliffs and 2 die from their injuries. On the way back to our campsite we passed La Cabana Mexican Restaurant and decided to return to it for supper after cleaning up a bit! It had the indoor restaurant, but also had a cantina that was open to the outside via a garage door. For a pull-over restaurant on the side of a mountain road – it was very good. They even had some “shots” that were $50 and up. . . we settled for a picture of the bottles! June 13, Monday Today – the heat wave began! It rained for a short time just before dawn, and that brought in the humidity. The temperature quickly went up, and knowing that it was going to reach the 90’s today, we headed out at 9:30 for Natural Bridge. There are several ways to hike to the Natural Bridge – but all of them are UP! Another way to do it is to take the Skylift (really just ski-lift chairs) to the top, and hike down. I voted for option #3 -- a round-trip ticket on the Skylift! The ride up was never very far off the ground, and just sported a close-up view of the green mountainside. At the top there is a nice view back down in the valley, and a trail that leads out to the Natural Bridge. This sandstone arch is 65’ tall and 78’ long. From the top distant ridge tops and lush green valleys can be viewed – it is collectively called “Kentucky’s Land of the Arches.” The walk across the bridge is mostly flat, level and wide. At the end there are some sandstone steps cut into the rock causing careful negotiation approaching the end viewing point. There was also a trail with steep carved steps heading down to a view of the bridge from underneath. I started to go down with Tom, until we came to the “fat-man’s-squeeze” tunnel cut through the tall rock cliff. I quit – Tom went on. I got to see the pictures! The trip back across the Bridge was by now crowded with a lot more people, and we heard some say that by afternoon it would be shoulder to shoulder. We walked past the Skylift landing to a trail leading in the opposite direction for a view of the Bridge across the valley, then back down the skylift. We went back to the Silvermine and Pippa for lunch and a rest. At 2:00 we left for the driving tour of the Red River Gorge Geological Area. From our campsite, it mapped out as a 30-mile loop road trip following KY Route 15 to Route 77 and back to 15 and our campsite. The spectacular entry point of the Gorge is the Nada Tunnel – a 900’ tunnel built by logging railroad during the early 1900s. It is a one-way section of this two-way road and is only 12-foot-wide and 13 feet high. After making sure that nobody was attempting to drive from the other end – we turned on our headlights and carefully negotiated the tunnel in awe of its rough-hewn appearance. The tunnel is on the National Register of Historic Places. Back at the campsite we planned our last evening/meal for this trip. It was 93 degrees outside with high humidity, but Tom sat out with the help of a fan. I stayed inside, where the temperature had climbed to a respectable 77 degrees (set for 70 degrees!) and worked on my blog and read a book. Our last meal was steaks, hashbrowns, and Mexican street corn! I also took a shower to celebrate my last night sleeping in the Silvermine. June 14, Tuesday
With only 300 miles to travel we were home by early afternoon. As always . . . it was good to be home . . . and good to be looking ahead to another trip.
1 Comment
Mike
6/25/2022 10:49:17 am
As always your blog is a highlight of my day - thanks for sharing
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October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |