sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thanks a lot Kathy 
Story Aunt Gus & Little Bear's Great Adventure Book 1 (Complete)
- Thread starter Kathy in FL
- Start date
Oct 16 – 17: Hot Springs, AR >> Memphis, TN
Driving Route:
October 16th - Graceland
Graceland. No, I’m not joking. Grandma Barry loved Elvis. And to be honest so do I. No, I didn’t go totally gleek, but Graceland was a place that Grandma Barry had always said we’d go to when I got older. Well I’m “older” and I wanted to do it … even if it was in her memory. It wasn’t cheap but the Gold Star family benefits helped out with some of the price. Benny’s child ticket was comp’d and my ticket was 6% off. We also got a voucher for a meal at one of the Graceland restaurants.
Our package ticket included the Mansion tour, plus exploring other exhibits showcasing Elvis' career, his automobiles, his wardrobe, his gold records, his custom jets, and much more from the Graceland Archives.
The first thing we did was go to Graceland which is across the street from the main part of the museum because it is still used, at least a few times of years, by Elvis’ descendants and family members. We got there by getting onto a shuttle that takes us from the one part to the other. They handed out these tablet type audio-video guides that get us through the estate without having to have a person-type guide. You start at the famous gates and then go up to the house itself and walk through at your own pace. Benny was excited because I was excited but he didn’t really get it except for the music part since he’d been hearing it since he was born. I would say even before then except that Penny thought my taste in music was bizarre. The tour of the mansion included the living room, his parents’ bedroom, the kitchen, TV room, pool room, the famous Jungle Room, his father’s office, the Trophy Building, the Racquetball Building, and Meditation Garden.
From the house, which actually isn’t really all that big to be honest, we went to tour Elvis' Custom Jets. Back in 1975 when he bought the planes it was really unusual. He purchased a 1958 Convair 880 and named it Lisa Marie after his daughter. He spent more than $800,000 having the jet remodeled. When we walked through I could only imagine what it must have been like back then, in Elvis’ heyday. The jet had a living room, conference room, sitting room, and private bedroom, as well as gold-plated seat belts, suede chairs, leather covered tables, 24-karat gold-flecked sinks and that is just the stuff I noticed. There was also a s smaller Lockheed Jet Star, with a yellow and green interior that was primarily used for taking Elvis’ manager and his staff from city to city on his concert tours.
That would have been wow enough but our tickets next took into the Elvis Presley Entertainment Complex - A state-of-the-art entertainment and exhibit complex of over 200,000-square-feet in size. It was set up so that you started at the beginning of Elvis’ life and followed him through to the end.
There were stores galore of course but the main focus was definitely on the museums and exhibit halls. The ones I remember the most and enjoyed the most, in no particular order, include the self-guided tour of Presley Motors Automobile Museum. Holy smokes, some of the cars were really neat. There was his iconic Pink Cadillac, his Stutz Blackhawk, the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado, his Dino Ferrari, a Mercedes Benz limousine, a Rolls Royce sedans, some golf cart funny looking things, and even more.
Another self-guided tour was of The Entertainer Career Museum. It was set up so that you immersed yourself in Elvis’ career through hundreds of artifacts and photos from significant events in his life. There were an amazing collection of gold and platinum records, his tour costumes including the stunning and iconic jumpsuits. There was movie memorabilia – all of which I’d seen thanks to Grandma Barry – and ton of other stuff. It got overwhelming a few times. It is a place you could go to multiple times and still find something new each time.
There were smaller exhibits that covered Elvis’ hobbies and things like that. You just wandered from building to building, winding in and out of themed halls. There was the motorcycle exhibit, Icons that influenced Elvis, the Tupelo Exhibit about the home and area that he was born in and how that influenced him, the “Hollywood backlot” that had some quotes and costumes from his costars, and cool exhibits that reveal his private life including one that showcased his daughter’s life and career.
The place where Benny had the most fun was the immersive, state-of-the-art, virtual experiences. Benny and I killed it on the Eras of Elvis Game. Via an interactive quiz told you which Elvis were you … the 50s, 60s, or 70s version. You get an downloadable photo as a keepsake. Another one was where you could “Elvis Yourself” by choosing a dynamic carousel of 3D versions of Elvis’ greatest outfits and then virtually dress yourself in the outfits. You could even strike a pose and again, you could get a downloadable photo. Benny was hilarious. I never knew the turkey could or even would do such a thing. I got the giggles so bad we had to take a break and admire our photos.
You could do other things as well like be part of famous Elvis album covers and movie posters. There was an interactive LED Dance Floor Quiz. Another fun one was the Elvis movie match game. You could sing on the set of a virtual Blue Hawaii movie set. Er … drew a bit of an audience on that one. My singing voice carries as much as my conversational voice. Thank goodness I didn’t mess it up and I even managed to get some applause.
The Elvis: Front Row - An Immersive Concert Experience – was really neat. It was like sitting in an Elvis concert. Very cool. I sat through the entire thing three times before knowing I needed to get us moving.
We ate at Vernon’s Smokehouse. Yum. It was a bit of a struggle to pick something though I had to keep the gluten-free stuff to the top of the list. There was authentic Memphis BBQ … pork ribs, chicken and beef brisket. There were also things like meatloaf, catfish, and BBQ spaghetti, burgers, and something I had to deny the temptation to get … a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
Benny was Elvis’d out and on overload. The BBQ sauce might have had something red in it for coloring. Stupid of me not to think about the possibility. He wasn’t awful but he was definitely topped off and starting to be bothered by the crowds. He got upset over something, I think he thought I was leaving because he wasn’t behaving or something like that.
“Are you kidding Little Bear?! You were great. I mean I know this place probably doesn’t mean the same to you as it does to me but you were still willing to go for me. I want you to know that really means a lot to me.” That chirked him up and I added, “But it is time we get back to things we need to do. We both need new hikers so I’m thinking we can go to this place not too far from here called the Bass Pro Shop. It is in a pyramid.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Really.” And it was. And the way things were on sale was real bizarre until I found out the store was prepping for a major renovation right before Christmas season. In addition to new hikers I sunk some money into other things: Elk, Wild Boar, and Venison sausages, Jack Link’s bacon jerky, Uncle Buck’s gluten free fish batter, and Steak strips jerky. I also got a some old-fashioned candies that I’d been jonesing for and I tucked it away for “that time” and for stress eating at night after Benny is asleep.
After the Bass Pro Shop overload, I took a chance and went to Beale Street. Yeah. I know. Not exactly the most kid-friendly area of the city but this might be our only chance to do something like this. We stated late enough to eat at BB King’s restaurant and listen to some live music. I even got Benny and I up to dance much to his laughing embarrassment, but we did it and it was fun. We also hit up some of the souvenir shops like Boulevard Souvenirs, Schwab’s Dry Goods Store (“if you can’t find it here, you’re probably better off without it”), and this place called Feelin’ Memphis that looked like the business end of a street trolley. I let Benny get something from each but the only thing he really wanted after the first store was a “hound dog.” It was almost an exact replica of one that I couldn’t afford at Graceland for a quarter of the price. Yeah. Elvis the Hound Dog is now an official member of the Stuffie Crew.
Once the “adults” started coming out in droves we lit out of there. It was still daytime and people were already getting a little crazy. Can’t imagine what it must get like when the sun goes down. Not to mention it was time for six-year-old boys to start calming down and getting secure.
Tonight we are overnight at the Memphis KOA. A brick wall surrounds the place and there is a King Kong gate with musical notes on it but other than feeling like we were driving into a really odd prison . . . what's not to love? The location is just 15 minutes from Beale Street so was easy to find. The vintage neon sign pointing you in didn’t make it any harder either. After we made it through the rigorous guard shack, we pulled through into a shaded big-rig site with free cable TV, free Wi-Fi, a pancake breakfast, a pool (closed for the season), giant chess and checker sets, and a playground. The playground was next to their Kamp K9 for dogs.
Benny had been so good it was an easy give to take him to the playground. I was helping Benny learn the proper way to do chin ups when it sounded like a heard of buffalo were running up behind us. Nope. Not buffaloes. There were three Newfoundland dogs. Big. Black. Giant. Freaking. Dogs. I probably broke some kind of record climbing to the top of the monkey bars and pulling Benny with me.
“Oh, I am soooo sorry. I think they thought your boy was one of my grandsons.”
Now I know I occasionally slay some people with my Southern Accent … and do it on purpose when I’m in the mood … but that little old lady must have stepped right out of some antebellum mansion in the last day or so. Wow. I used to know a man that lived on the Suwannee that would have beaten her in that department, but it would have been close.
“They don’t bite Dea-ah. Not unless I tell them to. Just come on down and let ‘em sniff you.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “When is the last time they ate?”
It was her turn to laugh. “Oh, ‘bout an hour ago. They’ll get a snack before bed, but I try to keep it small.”
I slowly got down but it was obvious the dogs had no interest in me. They were waiting for Benny. I looked at the three dogs and said, “No jumping. He’s big for his age but you three would still squish him.”
When Benny saw that I wasn’t scared he decided he wasn’t either.
“Oh my Lord. I hope he hasn’t had his bath yet ‘cause he’s gonna need another one,” the woman said shaking her head at the antics of her dogs who had decided that Benny needed some loving on.
I smiled, “Either way I think he’d consider it worth it.”
The two of us talked up until the mosquitos started coming out while Benny and … Huebert, Louise, and Dartangen … Huey, Louie, and Dewey … kept each other entertained. She and her twin brother – now widow and widower as both had lost their spouses over the last five years – travel around the country going to dog shows. She gave me some great tips and had a lot to say about Florida which is where they normally “winter over” but they would be staying with another sister in South Carolina this year until their property was fully repaired. She was amazed at how well-mannered Benny was and offered to take him off my hands. It was a joke, and I know it was a compliment, but it still made me uncomfortable. I’m glad we are heading out in the morning. And yes, Benny required a real scrub down to get all the dog slobber off.
“I’m glad the Crew was resting. They might not have understood how to behave. Or the dogs might have thought they were the wrong kind of toys.”
“When you’re right, you’re right. Ears cleaned?”
“Squeaky.”
“Well then I guess you can finish that documentary if you want to.”
“Can I just have an audio book?”
“If that’s what you want. You tired?”
He shrugged. “I just want to use the earphones. Please?”
“Of course. Just promise …”
“My eyes hurt.”
“Let me see.”
“On the inside. That smoke from the kitchen.”
“Ah. Tell you what, you can listen to a story if you let me put some compresses on your eyes.”
I think he is now asleep. His eyes didn’t look irritated, he may have just been tired. I’m not sure but I’ll keep an eye on him. I hope not but it is possible he needs glasses. I wore prism glasses for about a year at his age to realign where my eyes focused. Sigh. One step forward, two steps back.
I better get him more comfortable and get to bed myself.
Driving Route:
October 16th - Graceland
Graceland. No, I’m not joking. Grandma Barry loved Elvis. And to be honest so do I. No, I didn’t go totally gleek, but Graceland was a place that Grandma Barry had always said we’d go to when I got older. Well I’m “older” and I wanted to do it … even if it was in her memory. It wasn’t cheap but the Gold Star family benefits helped out with some of the price. Benny’s child ticket was comp’d and my ticket was 6% off. We also got a voucher for a meal at one of the Graceland restaurants.
Our package ticket included the Mansion tour, plus exploring other exhibits showcasing Elvis' career, his automobiles, his wardrobe, his gold records, his custom jets, and much more from the Graceland Archives.
The first thing we did was go to Graceland which is across the street from the main part of the museum because it is still used, at least a few times of years, by Elvis’ descendants and family members. We got there by getting onto a shuttle that takes us from the one part to the other. They handed out these tablet type audio-video guides that get us through the estate without having to have a person-type guide. You start at the famous gates and then go up to the house itself and walk through at your own pace. Benny was excited because I was excited but he didn’t really get it except for the music part since he’d been hearing it since he was born. I would say even before then except that Penny thought my taste in music was bizarre. The tour of the mansion included the living room, his parents’ bedroom, the kitchen, TV room, pool room, the famous Jungle Room, his father’s office, the Trophy Building, the Racquetball Building, and Meditation Garden.
From the house, which actually isn’t really all that big to be honest, we went to tour Elvis' Custom Jets. Back in 1975 when he bought the planes it was really unusual. He purchased a 1958 Convair 880 and named it Lisa Marie after his daughter. He spent more than $800,000 having the jet remodeled. When we walked through I could only imagine what it must have been like back then, in Elvis’ heyday. The jet had a living room, conference room, sitting room, and private bedroom, as well as gold-plated seat belts, suede chairs, leather covered tables, 24-karat gold-flecked sinks and that is just the stuff I noticed. There was also a s smaller Lockheed Jet Star, with a yellow and green interior that was primarily used for taking Elvis’ manager and his staff from city to city on his concert tours.
That would have been wow enough but our tickets next took into the Elvis Presley Entertainment Complex - A state-of-the-art entertainment and exhibit complex of over 200,000-square-feet in size. It was set up so that you started at the beginning of Elvis’ life and followed him through to the end.
There were stores galore of course but the main focus was definitely on the museums and exhibit halls. The ones I remember the most and enjoyed the most, in no particular order, include the self-guided tour of Presley Motors Automobile Museum. Holy smokes, some of the cars were really neat. There was his iconic Pink Cadillac, his Stutz Blackhawk, the 1956 Cadillac Eldorado, his Dino Ferrari, a Mercedes Benz limousine, a Rolls Royce sedans, some golf cart funny looking things, and even more.
Another self-guided tour was of The Entertainer Career Museum. It was set up so that you immersed yourself in Elvis’ career through hundreds of artifacts and photos from significant events in his life. There were an amazing collection of gold and platinum records, his tour costumes including the stunning and iconic jumpsuits. There was movie memorabilia – all of which I’d seen thanks to Grandma Barry – and ton of other stuff. It got overwhelming a few times. It is a place you could go to multiple times and still find something new each time.
There were smaller exhibits that covered Elvis’ hobbies and things like that. You just wandered from building to building, winding in and out of themed halls. There was the motorcycle exhibit, Icons that influenced Elvis, the Tupelo Exhibit about the home and area that he was born in and how that influenced him, the “Hollywood backlot” that had some quotes and costumes from his costars, and cool exhibits that reveal his private life including one that showcased his daughter’s life and career.
The place where Benny had the most fun was the immersive, state-of-the-art, virtual experiences. Benny and I killed it on the Eras of Elvis Game. Via an interactive quiz told you which Elvis were you … the 50s, 60s, or 70s version. You get an downloadable photo as a keepsake. Another one was where you could “Elvis Yourself” by choosing a dynamic carousel of 3D versions of Elvis’ greatest outfits and then virtually dress yourself in the outfits. You could even strike a pose and again, you could get a downloadable photo. Benny was hilarious. I never knew the turkey could or even would do such a thing. I got the giggles so bad we had to take a break and admire our photos.
You could do other things as well like be part of famous Elvis album covers and movie posters. There was an interactive LED Dance Floor Quiz. Another fun one was the Elvis movie match game. You could sing on the set of a virtual Blue Hawaii movie set. Er … drew a bit of an audience on that one. My singing voice carries as much as my conversational voice. Thank goodness I didn’t mess it up and I even managed to get some applause.
The Elvis: Front Row - An Immersive Concert Experience – was really neat. It was like sitting in an Elvis concert. Very cool. I sat through the entire thing three times before knowing I needed to get us moving.
We ate at Vernon’s Smokehouse. Yum. It was a bit of a struggle to pick something though I had to keep the gluten-free stuff to the top of the list. There was authentic Memphis BBQ … pork ribs, chicken and beef brisket. There were also things like meatloaf, catfish, and BBQ spaghetti, burgers, and something I had to deny the temptation to get … a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
Benny was Elvis’d out and on overload. The BBQ sauce might have had something red in it for coloring. Stupid of me not to think about the possibility. He wasn’t awful but he was definitely topped off and starting to be bothered by the crowds. He got upset over something, I think he thought I was leaving because he wasn’t behaving or something like that.
“Are you kidding Little Bear?! You were great. I mean I know this place probably doesn’t mean the same to you as it does to me but you were still willing to go for me. I want you to know that really means a lot to me.” That chirked him up and I added, “But it is time we get back to things we need to do. We both need new hikers so I’m thinking we can go to this place not too far from here called the Bass Pro Shop. It is in a pyramid.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Really.” And it was. And the way things were on sale was real bizarre until I found out the store was prepping for a major renovation right before Christmas season. In addition to new hikers I sunk some money into other things: Elk, Wild Boar, and Venison sausages, Jack Link’s bacon jerky, Uncle Buck’s gluten free fish batter, and Steak strips jerky. I also got a some old-fashioned candies that I’d been jonesing for and I tucked it away for “that time” and for stress eating at night after Benny is asleep.
After the Bass Pro Shop overload, I took a chance and went to Beale Street. Yeah. I know. Not exactly the most kid-friendly area of the city but this might be our only chance to do something like this. We stated late enough to eat at BB King’s restaurant and listen to some live music. I even got Benny and I up to dance much to his laughing embarrassment, but we did it and it was fun. We also hit up some of the souvenir shops like Boulevard Souvenirs, Schwab’s Dry Goods Store (“if you can’t find it here, you’re probably better off without it”), and this place called Feelin’ Memphis that looked like the business end of a street trolley. I let Benny get something from each but the only thing he really wanted after the first store was a “hound dog.” It was almost an exact replica of one that I couldn’t afford at Graceland for a quarter of the price. Yeah. Elvis the Hound Dog is now an official member of the Stuffie Crew.
Once the “adults” started coming out in droves we lit out of there. It was still daytime and people were already getting a little crazy. Can’t imagine what it must get like when the sun goes down. Not to mention it was time for six-year-old boys to start calming down and getting secure.
Tonight we are overnight at the Memphis KOA. A brick wall surrounds the place and there is a King Kong gate with musical notes on it but other than feeling like we were driving into a really odd prison . . . what's not to love? The location is just 15 minutes from Beale Street so was easy to find. The vintage neon sign pointing you in didn’t make it any harder either. After we made it through the rigorous guard shack, we pulled through into a shaded big-rig site with free cable TV, free Wi-Fi, a pancake breakfast, a pool (closed for the season), giant chess and checker sets, and a playground. The playground was next to their Kamp K9 for dogs.
Benny had been so good it was an easy give to take him to the playground. I was helping Benny learn the proper way to do chin ups when it sounded like a heard of buffalo were running up behind us. Nope. Not buffaloes. There were three Newfoundland dogs. Big. Black. Giant. Freaking. Dogs. I probably broke some kind of record climbing to the top of the monkey bars and pulling Benny with me.
“Oh, I am soooo sorry. I think they thought your boy was one of my grandsons.”
Now I know I occasionally slay some people with my Southern Accent … and do it on purpose when I’m in the mood … but that little old lady must have stepped right out of some antebellum mansion in the last day or so. Wow. I used to know a man that lived on the Suwannee that would have beaten her in that department, but it would have been close.
“They don’t bite Dea-ah. Not unless I tell them to. Just come on down and let ‘em sniff you.”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. “When is the last time they ate?”
It was her turn to laugh. “Oh, ‘bout an hour ago. They’ll get a snack before bed, but I try to keep it small.”
I slowly got down but it was obvious the dogs had no interest in me. They were waiting for Benny. I looked at the three dogs and said, “No jumping. He’s big for his age but you three would still squish him.”
When Benny saw that I wasn’t scared he decided he wasn’t either.
“Oh my Lord. I hope he hasn’t had his bath yet ‘cause he’s gonna need another one,” the woman said shaking her head at the antics of her dogs who had decided that Benny needed some loving on.
I smiled, “Either way I think he’d consider it worth it.”
The two of us talked up until the mosquitos started coming out while Benny and … Huebert, Louise, and Dartangen … Huey, Louie, and Dewey … kept each other entertained. She and her twin brother – now widow and widower as both had lost their spouses over the last five years – travel around the country going to dog shows. She gave me some great tips and had a lot to say about Florida which is where they normally “winter over” but they would be staying with another sister in South Carolina this year until their property was fully repaired. She was amazed at how well-mannered Benny was and offered to take him off my hands. It was a joke, and I know it was a compliment, but it still made me uncomfortable. I’m glad we are heading out in the morning. And yes, Benny required a real scrub down to get all the dog slobber off.
“I’m glad the Crew was resting. They might not have understood how to behave. Or the dogs might have thought they were the wrong kind of toys.”
“When you’re right, you’re right. Ears cleaned?”
“Squeaky.”
“Well then I guess you can finish that documentary if you want to.”
“Can I just have an audio book?”
“If that’s what you want. You tired?”
He shrugged. “I just want to use the earphones. Please?”
“Of course. Just promise …”
“My eyes hurt.”
“Let me see.”
“On the inside. That smoke from the kitchen.”
“Ah. Tell you what, you can listen to a story if you let me put some compresses on your eyes.”
I think he is now asleep. His eyes didn’t look irritated, he may have just been tired. I’m not sure but I’ll keep an eye on him. I hope not but it is possible he needs glasses. I wore prism glasses for about a year at his age to realign where my eyes focused. Sigh. One step forward, two steps back.
I better get him more comfortable and get to bed myself.
October 17th – Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge
The Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge is only 15 miles northwest of Memphis. And while it isn’t a national park, it is still “national.” It is operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Its main claim to fame, besides how close it is to Memphis, is that it is a stopover for migrating birds.
The hiking wasn’t quite what I expected. There were only three and they were all very short. The Rail Trail was the longest and it was only 1.59 miles long. The other two was the Banding Site Trail at 0.15 miles in length and the Fishing Pier that I didn’t even think qualified as a trail as it was less than a tenth of a mile long. Nevertheless we made use of our time and did some photography (with and without The Crew), and some wildlife watching. An observation platform was located on the east side of Wapanocca Lake where we looked for Bald eagles, great blue herons, great egrets and anhingas nests. The refuge has over 260 species of birds, 22 mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians can be seen here.
About a half day covered it as far as I am concerned, from there we headed back to Memphis as we were staying another night at the KOA. We drove by Sun Records where Elvis got his start but I didn’t stop. Benny had been a good sport yesterday but even I was on Elvis overload.
We went to the Greenbelt Park and I let him just run around for a while. We hit a bunch of little parks after that … Ashburn-Coppock Park, Butler Park, the Big River Crossing, Chickasaw Heritage Park, Martyrs Park, Tom Lee Park, and Vance Park. Lastly we did the Mud Island Park and the Mississippi River Museum.
We were still on the hook for needing to find some things to do to fill our time. I thought about the zoo and other stuff but then decided just to go back to the KOA. The van really needed some housekeeping and I needed to see if there had been any replies to me job applications. Housekeeping accomplished and it was time to fix the squirt some dinner. Grits, biscuits and gravy, and smoked sausage, all done in my gluten free style. Yum, yum.
Benny was crashing early which was fine by me. Wasn’t anything wrong with him getting some extra sleep for the upcoming park. And I’d put off looking at my job applications long enough. I had a few nice “sorry, nothing available” and fewer than I expected, a couple asked for more information, but mostly it was a big ol’ zilch. I’m going to have to just land on something and then apply from there I guess. But I’m gonna put that off a little more. Benny and I both need for this adventure to end well and no way will that happen if I’m so stressed out that I can barely breathe. Speaking of … I’m gonna finish off that half-bottle of caffeine water I hid in the back of the frig. I have got to sleep. Only two parks left … Mammoth and Great Smoky Mountains. You can do this Gus. Really. You can.
Resources:
The Home of Elvis Presley | Graceland
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vO1yZW4Qw8
The Wapanocca National Wildlife Refuge is only 15 miles northwest of Memphis. And while it isn’t a national park, it is still “national.” It is operated by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Its main claim to fame, besides how close it is to Memphis, is that it is a stopover for migrating birds.
The hiking wasn’t quite what I expected. There were only three and they were all very short. The Rail Trail was the longest and it was only 1.59 miles long. The other two was the Banding Site Trail at 0.15 miles in length and the Fishing Pier that I didn’t even think qualified as a trail as it was less than a tenth of a mile long. Nevertheless we made use of our time and did some photography (with and without The Crew), and some wildlife watching. An observation platform was located on the east side of Wapanocca Lake where we looked for Bald eagles, great blue herons, great egrets and anhingas nests. The refuge has over 260 species of birds, 22 mammals, fish, reptiles, and amphibians can be seen here.
About a half day covered it as far as I am concerned, from there we headed back to Memphis as we were staying another night at the KOA. We drove by Sun Records where Elvis got his start but I didn’t stop. Benny had been a good sport yesterday but even I was on Elvis overload.
We went to the Greenbelt Park and I let him just run around for a while. We hit a bunch of little parks after that … Ashburn-Coppock Park, Butler Park, the Big River Crossing, Chickasaw Heritage Park, Martyrs Park, Tom Lee Park, and Vance Park. Lastly we did the Mud Island Park and the Mississippi River Museum.
We were still on the hook for needing to find some things to do to fill our time. I thought about the zoo and other stuff but then decided just to go back to the KOA. The van really needed some housekeeping and I needed to see if there had been any replies to me job applications. Housekeeping accomplished and it was time to fix the squirt some dinner. Grits, biscuits and gravy, and smoked sausage, all done in my gluten free style. Yum, yum.
Benny was crashing early which was fine by me. Wasn’t anything wrong with him getting some extra sleep for the upcoming park. And I’d put off looking at my job applications long enough. I had a few nice “sorry, nothing available” and fewer than I expected, a couple asked for more information, but mostly it was a big ol’ zilch. I’m going to have to just land on something and then apply from there I guess. But I’m gonna put that off a little more. Benny and I both need for this adventure to end well and no way will that happen if I’m so stressed out that I can barely breathe. Speaking of … I’m gonna finish off that half-bottle of caffeine water I hid in the back of the frig. I have got to sleep. Only two parks left … Mammoth and Great Smoky Mountains. You can do this Gus. Really. You can.
Resources:
The Home of Elvis Presley | Graceland
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you bunches.
Almost at the end of the parks, huh? Are we gettin' close to halfway through the story yet?
this one is a multi “book” series.
Oct 18 – 21: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
Weather: 58/45 (18th), 67/58 (19th), 75/56 (20th), 82/56 (21st)
Driving Route:
October 18th – River Styx Tour
Didn’t relish driving through Nashville again but it was the quickest route and interstate nearly all the way. We were out of Memphis by 5 AM. I know that was early, but I just couldn’t stand having Benny in Mogadishu 2.0. That first day was really nice but then to come back in last night to find out about the scheduled rioting – yeah, I said they scheduled the doggone stuff so everyone could be sure to have it on their calendar - and then the shooting that started up right when night truly fell and people wanted to get some sleep? Uh uh. Get-us-out-of-there time. I wasn’t the only one. A couple of spots looked like people had even pulled out overnight. And then to just miss that horrible mess in Nashville where protestors were blocking the interstate and some of them tried to run out in front of a semi to cause it to jackknife? You would have thought they would have learned from the failure of that technique back in August but apparently not.
From the radio I learned that the backups from it are in excess of ten miles long in all directions and they had to bring in fire hoses to clean up the smears the protestors left. Of course that isn’t quite how the news media described it, but that’s the factual description. And security cam and smart phone footage is already out on the internet though social media is trying to block it as soon as it goes up.
Just like in August, a few protestors took it into their heads to run out into traffic. But with the added factor of a light rain having fallen in the early morning hours. Yep, trucker slams on breaks. Yep, truck starts to jackknife. However here’s where karma comes in. The original domestic terrorists are absolutely plowed down by the truck, disappearing into nothing but a biological spray of fluids. Then the trailer swings around and takes out no one knows how many more protestors … you can guess why they don’t know. A lot of the bodies look like bugs on a windshield where they were mashed between the tractor trailer and the cement barriers.
I am not making light of it. How horrible. At the same time? My Lord there doesn’t seem to be an end to the complete and total stupidity of some people. Did they really expect to be able to stop a tractor trailer on a dime? Or did they know there would be a mess and accident, but just thought they would escape unscathed? The group that organized the protest were specifically denied a permit due to the location and number of people they planned to have at the rally. I mean after what happened last time what city in their right minds would give such an activity a permit in such a location? Cops had already turned them back the previous night. Their organization was served notice NOT to protest in that area because it was dangerous. They were offered an alternative location but obviously turned it down because it was the location of some other incident they were still bellyaching about. And yes, I know how that sounds. I hate to say it, but consequences came home to roost. Unfortunately for some, those consequences were terminal. And going further, there may be state-level criminal charges brought against the organizers because they were protesting on the Interstate highways.
Being able to leave early enough to have avoided the truckolyptic disaster 2.0, we got into Mammoth Cave National Park near 10:30 am, early for our cave tour which I had scheduled for 1 o’clock. What I did instead was go sign in and get our site number at the Mammoth Cave Campground. Nice, treed location, but there are no hook ups for RVs. I’m about as prepped as I can be for that. They do have hot showers and a laundry facility so that will help. I still use the lavario for socks, underclothes, and t-shirts but our clothes are really starting to show some wear and tear. We don’t look homeless, but I’ve gotten better at repairs and maintenance of our clothes out of necessity, not because I like it.
And I was told the showers were really hot which should help tremendously as a cold front came through, making everything damp and cold. The high today was only 58F and the low tonight 45F. It should warm up from here but still a shock to the system after TX and Memphis. Maybe the cooler weather will knock people’s motivation for causing a ruckus down. Geez, don’t I sound like a cranky old woman. But it’s true.
I reserved four days here because it was available and to adjust for when our next camping locations would be available, but I’m hoping we have enough to do for a four-day stay. The cave isn’t the only thing there is to do in the park but to be on the safe side I picked up some info on the surrounding area from the Lodge. There are seven nearby communities: Bowling Green, Brownsville, Cave City, Glasgow, Horse Cave, and Munford. There are also a bunch of national sites: Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace, Big South Fork Rec Area, Camp Nelson National Monument, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Millsprings Battlefield National Monument, Trail of Tears National Trail. Gives me a lot to think about and work with. Wish I had thought of this sooner in other places as well.
No more time for reconfiguring as it was time to queue for our Cave Tour. Since I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to do more than one cave tour, I went big straight off the bat and chose the River Styx Tour. It covered several of the available tours into one package that took 2.5 hours to cover 2.5 miles. And with our Access Pass it was half price. We went through tunnels that humans have supposedly used for thousands of years, not only exploring the huge rooms that give Mammoth Cave its name, but descending to much tighter places as well, covering hundreds of stairs, approximately 600 of them though I wasn’t counting so much as trying not to trip on the lady in front of me that had the oddest gate I’d ever seen. Her footsteps were never the same length or timing, but we always seemed to get behind her. Her husband refused to walk with her … which she complained about incessantly. And we also went down to the underground river level. We had to be careful down there. We got wet and muddy, and the trail was slick. And yes, the woman complained more. I had finally had enough and moved Benny and I towards the front hoping no one thought I was being rude. Not long afterwards I heard someone ask the woman to knock it off and then the ranger got involved and asked everyone to hold their comments until we got topside. That settled everything for the last hour and a half.
And it is a good thing because we needed our concentration. I held onto Benny’s hand tightly. The tour route wound next to the “river” and other underground bodies of water, some of which were very deep. The lighting was also a little on the spooky since there were only old-time electric lanterns rather than the modern lighting that has been installed in the higher reaches.
We were back topside and walking around by 4 o’clock. I asked Benny how his wiggles felt. He laughed and said, “Ready to hike. But … no more stairs?”
“I’m with you. Even my gluteus maximus is whining.” Benny knew I meant my backside and laughed.
We did the half mile Heritage Trail near the Mammoth Cave Hotel. The other trails from the hotel were Amphitheater Trail (0.2 mile), the Cabins Trail (0.2 mile), and Engine No.4 Trail (0.2 mile), Heritage Loop Trail (0.8 mile); hardly any distance at all. Then we went back to the van and drove into the campground to set up and let Benny work on his Junior Ranger pages while I fixed dinner.
Gluten Free Chicken Fried Steak[1] is something I hadn’t made in a while but the recent stop at Cracker Barrel had reminded me and I started craving it. For dessert I made a batch of Gluten Free Carrot-Zucchini-Pineapple-Pecan Bar[2]. We had a bar after the meal and I wrapped the remainder to take on our hikes in the next few days.
Benny is now asleep and I’m sitting here trying to not worry and think too hard. It isn’t just what happened in Nashville though there is some of that in there. The end of October is going to be here before we know it and that is going to be the end of our national park adventure. I know I keep saying that but it is only getting truer as each day passes. I’m not going to be twenty-one and though that issue is going to be closer over, it is still part of what I’m facing. I am no closer to having us a permanent place to live. I have no idea what I am going to do for a job. I don’t even know what we are going to do for a location to wind up in. And all this chaos that keeps trying to pop up despite the weather changing.
Forget it. I am not going to have a pity party or act out. I did that too much in Little Rock. It was destructive behavior and that is not something I can afford, not with Benny my responsibility. He’s my Little Bear for only so long in this life and while I have him I have to set a good example. So saying that, I’m going to put out some more applications and maybe see if Pei or any of my other friends are on line. Can’t hurt and it might help. I need to do something with this anxiety before the damn hamster decides to take a hand and make everything worse.
[1] Easy Gluten Free Chicken Fried Steak - Recipe | Cooks.com
[2] Gluten Free Carrot, Zucchini, Pineapple, Pecan Bar - Recipe | Cooks.com
Weather: 58/45 (18th), 67/58 (19th), 75/56 (20th), 82/56 (21st)
Driving Route:
October 18th – River Styx Tour
Didn’t relish driving through Nashville again but it was the quickest route and interstate nearly all the way. We were out of Memphis by 5 AM. I know that was early, but I just couldn’t stand having Benny in Mogadishu 2.0. That first day was really nice but then to come back in last night to find out about the scheduled rioting – yeah, I said they scheduled the doggone stuff so everyone could be sure to have it on their calendar - and then the shooting that started up right when night truly fell and people wanted to get some sleep? Uh uh. Get-us-out-of-there time. I wasn’t the only one. A couple of spots looked like people had even pulled out overnight. And then to just miss that horrible mess in Nashville where protestors were blocking the interstate and some of them tried to run out in front of a semi to cause it to jackknife? You would have thought they would have learned from the failure of that technique back in August but apparently not.
From the radio I learned that the backups from it are in excess of ten miles long in all directions and they had to bring in fire hoses to clean up the smears the protestors left. Of course that isn’t quite how the news media described it, but that’s the factual description. And security cam and smart phone footage is already out on the internet though social media is trying to block it as soon as it goes up.
Just like in August, a few protestors took it into their heads to run out into traffic. But with the added factor of a light rain having fallen in the early morning hours. Yep, trucker slams on breaks. Yep, truck starts to jackknife. However here’s where karma comes in. The original domestic terrorists are absolutely plowed down by the truck, disappearing into nothing but a biological spray of fluids. Then the trailer swings around and takes out no one knows how many more protestors … you can guess why they don’t know. A lot of the bodies look like bugs on a windshield where they were mashed between the tractor trailer and the cement barriers.
I am not making light of it. How horrible. At the same time? My Lord there doesn’t seem to be an end to the complete and total stupidity of some people. Did they really expect to be able to stop a tractor trailer on a dime? Or did they know there would be a mess and accident, but just thought they would escape unscathed? The group that organized the protest were specifically denied a permit due to the location and number of people they planned to have at the rally. I mean after what happened last time what city in their right minds would give such an activity a permit in such a location? Cops had already turned them back the previous night. Their organization was served notice NOT to protest in that area because it was dangerous. They were offered an alternative location but obviously turned it down because it was the location of some other incident they were still bellyaching about. And yes, I know how that sounds. I hate to say it, but consequences came home to roost. Unfortunately for some, those consequences were terminal. And going further, there may be state-level criminal charges brought against the organizers because they were protesting on the Interstate highways.
Being able to leave early enough to have avoided the truckolyptic disaster 2.0, we got into Mammoth Cave National Park near 10:30 am, early for our cave tour which I had scheduled for 1 o’clock. What I did instead was go sign in and get our site number at the Mammoth Cave Campground. Nice, treed location, but there are no hook ups for RVs. I’m about as prepped as I can be for that. They do have hot showers and a laundry facility so that will help. I still use the lavario for socks, underclothes, and t-shirts but our clothes are really starting to show some wear and tear. We don’t look homeless, but I’ve gotten better at repairs and maintenance of our clothes out of necessity, not because I like it.
And I was told the showers were really hot which should help tremendously as a cold front came through, making everything damp and cold. The high today was only 58F and the low tonight 45F. It should warm up from here but still a shock to the system after TX and Memphis. Maybe the cooler weather will knock people’s motivation for causing a ruckus down. Geez, don’t I sound like a cranky old woman. But it’s true.
I reserved four days here because it was available and to adjust for when our next camping locations would be available, but I’m hoping we have enough to do for a four-day stay. The cave isn’t the only thing there is to do in the park but to be on the safe side I picked up some info on the surrounding area from the Lodge. There are seven nearby communities: Bowling Green, Brownsville, Cave City, Glasgow, Horse Cave, and Munford. There are also a bunch of national sites: Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace, Big South Fork Rec Area, Camp Nelson National Monument, Cumberland Gap National Historic Park, Fort Donelson National Battlefield, Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail, Millsprings Battlefield National Monument, Trail of Tears National Trail. Gives me a lot to think about and work with. Wish I had thought of this sooner in other places as well.
No more time for reconfiguring as it was time to queue for our Cave Tour. Since I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to do more than one cave tour, I went big straight off the bat and chose the River Styx Tour. It covered several of the available tours into one package that took 2.5 hours to cover 2.5 miles. And with our Access Pass it was half price. We went through tunnels that humans have supposedly used for thousands of years, not only exploring the huge rooms that give Mammoth Cave its name, but descending to much tighter places as well, covering hundreds of stairs, approximately 600 of them though I wasn’t counting so much as trying not to trip on the lady in front of me that had the oddest gate I’d ever seen. Her footsteps were never the same length or timing, but we always seemed to get behind her. Her husband refused to walk with her … which she complained about incessantly. And we also went down to the underground river level. We had to be careful down there. We got wet and muddy, and the trail was slick. And yes, the woman complained more. I had finally had enough and moved Benny and I towards the front hoping no one thought I was being rude. Not long afterwards I heard someone ask the woman to knock it off and then the ranger got involved and asked everyone to hold their comments until we got topside. That settled everything for the last hour and a half.
And it is a good thing because we needed our concentration. I held onto Benny’s hand tightly. The tour route wound next to the “river” and other underground bodies of water, some of which were very deep. The lighting was also a little on the spooky since there were only old-time electric lanterns rather than the modern lighting that has been installed in the higher reaches.
We were back topside and walking around by 4 o’clock. I asked Benny how his wiggles felt. He laughed and said, “Ready to hike. But … no more stairs?”
“I’m with you. Even my gluteus maximus is whining.” Benny knew I meant my backside and laughed.
We did the half mile Heritage Trail near the Mammoth Cave Hotel. The other trails from the hotel were Amphitheater Trail (0.2 mile), the Cabins Trail (0.2 mile), and Engine No.4 Trail (0.2 mile), Heritage Loop Trail (0.8 mile); hardly any distance at all. Then we went back to the van and drove into the campground to set up and let Benny work on his Junior Ranger pages while I fixed dinner.
Gluten Free Chicken Fried Steak[1] is something I hadn’t made in a while but the recent stop at Cracker Barrel had reminded me and I started craving it. For dessert I made a batch of Gluten Free Carrot-Zucchini-Pineapple-Pecan Bar[2]. We had a bar after the meal and I wrapped the remainder to take on our hikes in the next few days.
Benny is now asleep and I’m sitting here trying to not worry and think too hard. It isn’t just what happened in Nashville though there is some of that in there. The end of October is going to be here before we know it and that is going to be the end of our national park adventure. I know I keep saying that but it is only getting truer as each day passes. I’m not going to be twenty-one and though that issue is going to be closer over, it is still part of what I’m facing. I am no closer to having us a permanent place to live. I have no idea what I am going to do for a job. I don’t even know what we are going to do for a location to wind up in. And all this chaos that keeps trying to pop up despite the weather changing.
Forget it. I am not going to have a pity party or act out. I did that too much in Little Rock. It was destructive behavior and that is not something I can afford, not with Benny my responsibility. He’s my Little Bear for only so long in this life and while I have him I have to set a good example. So saying that, I’m going to put out some more applications and maybe see if Pei or any of my other friends are on line. Can’t hurt and it might help. I need to do something with this anxiety before the damn hamster decides to take a hand and make everything worse.
[1] Easy Gluten Free Chicken Fried Steak - Recipe | Cooks.com
[2] Gluten Free Carrot, Zucchini, Pineapple, Pecan Bar - Recipe | Cooks.com
October 19th – Caves, Caves, and more Caves
Physical activity is good for the soul. Or at least it is good for my soul, and my mental health. Keep the hamster busy and it doesn’t have time to ruin my day.
On tap were a lot of short hikes in the national park:
It is at this point that we started up with all the caves. Sand Cave Trail is a 0.3 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail. During the Spring and early Summer it is also good for wildflowers if the postcards are any indication.
After Sand Cave we were just going to take a little drive but Benny spotted a sign for a local tourist attraction; Great Onyx Cave. I figured it couldn’t be worse than an alligator farm in Florida and it was kinda neat to be honest. For about fifteen bucks Benny and I took a thirty-minute guided tour of a cave with some distinctive features … “cave bacon,” “coral,” columns, and drapery. Impressive considering it was just a little hole in the wall type place.
We took the scenic highway back into the park but before I even got to the park, I spotted another cave. I pull over and look at Benny and he at me, and I could see him getting excited.
“Let me look it up first. I don’t see a lot of cars.”
Diamond Caverns has been in business over 160 years according to what I read. It was near the war of 1812, when salt peter mines were so important, that the cave was discovered. However, because the first owner and those early explorers of the cave were so careful, the cave has remained near pristine except for the stairs that were built so people wouldn’t have to descend by ropes and ladders. The cave was opened to tourists in 1859 and the first guests were a bride and groom who got married in the “Bridal Chamber” where weddings continued to be performed until the 1990’s. The cave is the country’s 4th oldest show cave still in operation.
Grand Caverns opened in 1806
Mammoth Cave National Park opened in 1816
Howe Caverns in NY in 1843
Diamond Caverns opened in 1859
Because the cave was bigger, the tour twice was long and the tickets were twice as expensive, but I tossed caution to the wind and I paid the entrance fee. It was worth it. There was some really neat formations … flows, columns, reflecting pools, cave bacon, calcite fishtails, drapery, etc. There were also 350 steps on the tour which, while not as bad as our Mammoth Cave’s 600, still reminded me that I’m not in the same shape I was in high school. Isn’t that an awful thought to have? I’m not even twenty-one and I’m talking about the good ol’ days when my knees didn’t creak and my butt could keep up with the rest of me. Geez. Pick another thought pattern while the Capsicum Cream works the kinks out. LOL.
Some fun facts about caves in the US courtesy of a dock-mentary that Benny and I watched:
We were the last tour of the day and sunset was supposed to be at 6 pm with last light gone by 6:30 so we headed back to camp rather than try another hike. Plus, it was time to feed the eating machine – Benny is going through yet another growth spurt I think – and prepare for the amphitheater show. For dinner tonight I made shrimp and grits and then we popped a bag of microwave popcorn to take to the amphitheater.
Benny’s survival skill today was cleaning shrimp and the safety issues surrounding cave exploration.
After the show and before we headed back to the van I asked the ranger what the river conditions were.
“What is your experience?”
“Very. From sea kayaking to swamp to river. We’ve kayaked all over the US at this point, but it has been a few weeks and I’m not looking to get dunked, just a calm ride.”
He nodded in understanding and answered, “Then you’ll want Green River. You would probably be all right on the Nolin but somebody upstream keeps jumping the gun on water release from the Dam and people get caught off guard. There’s a lot of snags from some spring storms we had as well.”
So the Green River it is going to be. When Benny heard he was ecstatic. It has been a while, even pools have been closing along our route, and we were both missing water. Back in camp we both took showers before they closed and then it was back to the van. Benny went straight to bed after the cave documentary and I’ve been adulting and corresponding. Pei fell over laughing about me being sore since I used to rag her about it when we were in school. Townzen wanted to know how my connections have been as people are complaining really bad in Florida because of the infrastructure damage from the storms affecting the grid and everything else in the state, even in areas with little to no direct damage. He made a couple of suggestions, but I have neither the time or the money for them right now. It might be my imagination, but it feels like Groucho and Stella might be pulling away … or trying to keep me from trying to climb back in the nest. Don’t know, just something feels different. Or maybe it is me, but I don’t think so.
I’ve also been listening to the news with my earbuds in but I’m turning it off for the night. People are losing their frelling minds. I’m leaning more towards returning to Florida. At least there the insanity is somewhat familiar. I’m going to start enquiring about long term lot rental in an RV park. I have to find one that isn’t age restricted. I’m hoping that once my boots are actually on the ground and I can prove in person what I’m willing to do, that I’ll find something. It is an idea anyway.
Physical activity is good for the soul. Or at least it is good for my soul, and my mental health. Keep the hamster busy and it doesn’t have time to ruin my day.
On tap were a lot of short hikes in the national park:
- Cedar Sink Trail was a 1.8-mile out and back trail. In the Spring there are lovely wildflowers but the fall isn’t too shabby either with all of the Autumn colors on display.
- Dixon Cave Trail was a 1.5-mile loop trail that featured a river. There were a few dogs on the trail but the ones we saw were well behaved even if they were a little frisky.
- Sinkhole Trail was a 2.4-mile out and back trail that featured a cave. That became a running theme for the day.
- Echo River Spring Trail was a 2.2-mile out and back trail that had another river as one of its features.
- Turnhole Bend Nature Trail, a 0.5-mile lightly trafficked loop trail that features a river and is also popular for birding when the dogs that are allowed there on a leash don’t run the birdies off.
It is at this point that we started up with all the caves. Sand Cave Trail is a 0.3 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail. During the Spring and early Summer it is also good for wildflowers if the postcards are any indication.
After Sand Cave we were just going to take a little drive but Benny spotted a sign for a local tourist attraction; Great Onyx Cave. I figured it couldn’t be worse than an alligator farm in Florida and it was kinda neat to be honest. For about fifteen bucks Benny and I took a thirty-minute guided tour of a cave with some distinctive features … “cave bacon,” “coral,” columns, and drapery. Impressive considering it was just a little hole in the wall type place.
We took the scenic highway back into the park but before I even got to the park, I spotted another cave. I pull over and look at Benny and he at me, and I could see him getting excited.
“Let me look it up first. I don’t see a lot of cars.”
Diamond Caverns has been in business over 160 years according to what I read. It was near the war of 1812, when salt peter mines were so important, that the cave was discovered. However, because the first owner and those early explorers of the cave were so careful, the cave has remained near pristine except for the stairs that were built so people wouldn’t have to descend by ropes and ladders. The cave was opened to tourists in 1859 and the first guests were a bride and groom who got married in the “Bridal Chamber” where weddings continued to be performed until the 1990’s. The cave is the country’s 4th oldest show cave still in operation.
Grand Caverns opened in 1806
Mammoth Cave National Park opened in 1816
Howe Caverns in NY in 1843
Diamond Caverns opened in 1859
Because the cave was bigger, the tour twice was long and the tickets were twice as expensive, but I tossed caution to the wind and I paid the entrance fee. It was worth it. There was some really neat formations … flows, columns, reflecting pools, cave bacon, calcite fishtails, drapery, etc. There were also 350 steps on the tour which, while not as bad as our Mammoth Cave’s 600, still reminded me that I’m not in the same shape I was in high school. Isn’t that an awful thought to have? I’m not even twenty-one and I’m talking about the good ol’ days when my knees didn’t creak and my butt could keep up with the rest of me. Geez. Pick another thought pattern while the Capsicum Cream works the kinks out. LOL.
Some fun facts about caves in the US courtesy of a dock-mentary that Benny and I watched:
- More than 20,000 caves dot the United States, according to the National Speleological Society, which also offers up these underground superlatives:
- Total number of miles mapped: Nearly 5,000
- Longest Cave: Mammoth Cave, Mammoth Cave, Ky., 390 miles
- Deepest Limestone Cave: Lechuguilla Cave, Eddy County, N.M., 1,604 feet
- Largest underground chamber: Carlsbad Caverns’ Big Room, Carlsbad Caverns, N.M., 33,210 square meters
- Longest sea cave: Painted Cave, Santa Cruz Island, Calif., 1,227 feet
- Longest underwater cave: Wakulla-Leon Sinks Cave System, Leon and Wakulla counties, Fla., 32 miles
- Longest Gypsum Cave: D.C. Jester Cave System, Greer County, Okla., 6 miles
We were the last tour of the day and sunset was supposed to be at 6 pm with last light gone by 6:30 so we headed back to camp rather than try another hike. Plus, it was time to feed the eating machine – Benny is going through yet another growth spurt I think – and prepare for the amphitheater show. For dinner tonight I made shrimp and grits and then we popped a bag of microwave popcorn to take to the amphitheater.
Benny’s survival skill today was cleaning shrimp and the safety issues surrounding cave exploration.
After the show and before we headed back to the van I asked the ranger what the river conditions were.
“What is your experience?”
“Very. From sea kayaking to swamp to river. We’ve kayaked all over the US at this point, but it has been a few weeks and I’m not looking to get dunked, just a calm ride.”
He nodded in understanding and answered, “Then you’ll want Green River. You would probably be all right on the Nolin but somebody upstream keeps jumping the gun on water release from the Dam and people get caught off guard. There’s a lot of snags from some spring storms we had as well.”
So the Green River it is going to be. When Benny heard he was ecstatic. It has been a while, even pools have been closing along our route, and we were both missing water. Back in camp we both took showers before they closed and then it was back to the van. Benny went straight to bed after the cave documentary and I’ve been adulting and corresponding. Pei fell over laughing about me being sore since I used to rag her about it when we were in school. Townzen wanted to know how my connections have been as people are complaining really bad in Florida because of the infrastructure damage from the storms affecting the grid and everything else in the state, even in areas with little to no direct damage. He made a couple of suggestions, but I have neither the time or the money for them right now. It might be my imagination, but it feels like Groucho and Stella might be pulling away … or trying to keep me from trying to climb back in the nest. Don’t know, just something feels different. Or maybe it is me, but I don’t think so.
I’ve also been listening to the news with my earbuds in but I’m turning it off for the night. People are losing their frelling minds. I’m leaning more towards returning to Florida. At least there the insanity is somewhat familiar. I’m going to start enquiring about long term lot rental in an RV park. I have to find one that isn’t age restricted. I’m hoping that once my boots are actually on the ground and I can prove in person what I’m willing to do, that I’ll find something. It is an idea anyway.
Jeepcats27
Senior Member
I really like your pictures! Thank you!
October 20th – Green River and Dinosaurs
Don’t know what those kids were thinking. The water is the last place you want to drink and screw around. And geez don’t I sound like an cranky old lady. But it is true. Geez, the stupidity was beyond crazy to witness.
The Green River is a big creepy crawly river as my Little Bear described it. It is slow and wide and, if you appreciate the erosion of a large river like we have on the north Florida rivers, it is a stretch of carved beauty.
The put-in is at a road that runs into the water where a ferry runs. There is plenty of grassy staging area to prepare and then you walk your boat down the left side of the road to the water where there is an easy shove off in calf deep water. I was told if you put in at Dennison Ferry, it is a much steeper and difficult put in. There is a wooden staircase going down from the circular gravel parking lot (the road is gravel and bumpy, not recommended for low cars).
The river is wide and the paddling is a slog; you aren’t going to move far with paddling. There are actually green mile markers just like an interstate each mile on river so you can count down the 12 miles (20 from Dennison Ferry) of paddling and you quickly will learn to appreciate how far a river mile is on flat water. Some of the signs are obscured, but they are all there.
There is a current, but we didn’t notice it much due to the width of the river. The water looks dirty, but it is just a large river and has lots of floating debris and is actually relatively clear, but deep. There’s a bit of tannin to the color but not nearly as much as in Florida.
This river is not for everyone; if you don't like to work for it by paddling or are the slightest bit queasy at the site of a dirty stick in your river, then you won't want to go there. If you stick to the shading from the shore and appreciate the forest for the trees and the cliff erosion of lime and sandstone, then you can find much peace here which is all I was after. I needed some of my old to help quiet my brain so I could deal with the new in front of us.
Occasionally we paddled by fishermen in low hp boats and there are some commercial canoe and kayak rental operations, but there is plenty of room for everyone on this big river and people are friendly and considerate, something else I was in need of.
I had no intention of paddling twenty miles though once we started and I got the rhythm it felt possible. It was nice for about two hours. I was thinking about finding a place to pull over and tie off so Benny could play in the water when we went around a bend and saw some kids that were a little “worse for wear”. They’d either been drinking all night and decided to get into the water before heading to bed or they started pretty dang early. They were younger than me but not by much, but I still consider them “kids” because of their stupidity and immaturity.
The idiots had paddled themselves into a real snag. A lot of the tree rode above the water and one of the idiots decided to climb out of the canoe and onto the tree like a monkey to get a loose. The snap of a good-sized branch sounded like a shot gun and he went down … but it took him long enough to come up that me and a couple of fisherman on the river started paddling over.
Suddenly two of his friends who had jumped into the water pulled him up by his hair. I could see he had a gash on his hairline, but he was sputtering and dragging in air. All three were now sober but they still had a drunk’s coordination. It took all four of us … yes Benny helped by keep our kayak balanced … to get the three to the embankment.
One of the fishermen said, “I know that one’s daddy. Looks like we got signal so I’ll give ‘em a call. All the noise likely done run off the fish anyway.”
I left them to it, and I wouldn’t have even wanted to be a fly on the wall when the father(s) got there if the looks on their faces meant anything. Whew. And speaking of flies, their breath could have knocked a few out of the sky.
I turned around and headed back the way we’d come. There was no more problems but I also wondered what the rivers – my old haunts – were looking like in Florida. Storms have probably dropped a bunch of debris in the rivers making them dangerous. I thought about all that off and on all the way back to the van, loading up, and getting us fed. Then when I realized the hamster was trying to depress me I gave it a good swift kick in the tail and told Benny I had a surprise for him this afternoon.
I told him it was for completing his Junior Ranger activities. We went to Dinosaur World. A lady that had seen Benny’s bracelet last night came by early this morning and brought me several passes.
“Oh!” I responded, very unsure how to act.
“Don’t worry it to death Sugar. Mostly they’re for the boy … Benny? Anyway, I work in social services in Hopkinsville, Ky and I had some stuff in my files in the trunk. Everything is age appropriate. If you don’t use them, just pass them along to another Gold Star family.”
She hurried off so quickly I barely got to say thank you. After kayaking I told Benny we had another adventure. Good grief by the time we got there he was wearing a hole in the sit he was bouncing around so much.
Dinosaur World wasn’t a difficult place to get to from the park, it was in Cave City. And I was shocked to find out that the tickets the woman gave me included the Fossil Dig (a bag of three fossils), a bag for the gem excavation, a geode to crack open, and discounts on the larger bags for the excavation … fossil and coprolite bucket and amethyst & citrine bucket.
Today’s survival skills included the incident on the river and review of rules for dealing with wildlife. I treated it as a funny using the various dinosaurs, from the smallest to the largest. Benny got a kick out of that one and actually came up with some good reasons for how he would react to each based on all the sign-thingies.
There was a homeschool group fieldtrip there so Benny wasn’t the only kid. And shock of all shocks I discovered the blog had been featured in the State’s homeschool newsletter. When they found out who we were they were so gracious and included Benny in their playtime in the Bone Yard where the kids got to uncover a 27-foot “skeleton” under the sand in the play area.
It was a bit overwhelming to not only hear that the blog was getting so widely read but to experience the attention it could bring. They even told me that my line in the sand, pictures of Benny, is what attracts many readers and it also led to a long discussion of should their group have a rule specific to social media. Their issue is that they have a long history of the parents using their website as a way to provide proof of various activities.
“Then list the activities but put the names and pictures behind a password wall,” I suggested. “At least this way you will be able to say you were doing due diligence just in case an issue comes up. The passwords can be issued by whoever operates your website and then they can be tracked … not actively, just have the information available through the software.”
I got some ideas from them as well. A few of the parents use “lap books” for activities. A lapbook is an educational tool used to compliment a study of any topic or subject for any age. The base of a lap book is a file folder. You attach “mini books” and other things like timelines, pictures, etc. as learning aids or to reinforce learned concepts. The technique never would have worked for me as a kid, I didn’t tolerate “arts and crafts” or other busy work … or at least very little of it unless there was a specific reason for it. Benny on the other hand loves art, drawing, coloring, and all that. We don’t have the space for it at the moment, but I can see how this could work along with the unit study approach I am leaning towards for his schoolwork, assuming I can find a way to home school him.
The four main benefits as I see them would be review of the lesson or topic, organizing the project results, individualization so Benny takes “ownership” of his work, and presentation. On top of that it would be a way to have a portfolio that included examples of his work (as required by State of Florida laws on home education) and it would also save some space since I wouldn’t have to keep every resource used in a subject or study.
A couple of other ideas that I gleaned from that conversation is making board games from what you learn, trivia cards, and homemade puzzles. One parent says that she gives out a puzzle piece at the successful completion of an assignment or chore or behavioral situation. When they complete a puzzle there is an additional prize. The puzzles she uses are homemade and when completed can slide into a plastic page protector and she stores them in a notebook. That’s busy work I don’t know as the “teacher” that I could handle preparing but it is an idea. The homeschooling plan needs to work for both of us.
All this stuff sounds neat but is both a time commitment on my part and a space commitment with an area for storage of craft supplies which also means money. Sure, it is cheaper than buying a full-year curriculum – something Lawrence had a few things to say about when he took over managing that kind of stuff – but it still isn’t free.
Tonight I made sure to include the homeschool group in my thank you’s for the day’s activities. I am also going to start a page for myself listing educational resources, preferably free ones, that I can find online. I was warned that if I find a free digital resource that I liked, I should print it out as I find it, or at least copy it to my own digital file and save it, because so many sites are going down as the economy is making it more difficult for people to devote money to keep a website up if it isn’t generating any money. I hear that, but for now the blog is holding its own.
It was great to see Benny socializing with his peer group … or a peer group anyway … but he didn’t complain when it was time for them to leave and it just be us again finishing up a few activities.
“Did you enjoy being with the other kids?”
“They make a lot of noise. They woulda scared off all the dinosaurs if there were any real ones.”
That made me laugh. “Think of them as a type of bear bell.”
That made Benny laugh and then he asked, “Did you like playing with the grown ups?”
“I believe I did. But my brain is full for now. How about we fill our stomach with a snack?”
Well he was all over that. I’d brought his favorite trail bars and surprised him by buying a Benny Blue sports drink from the Snack Shack and we had an impromptu picnic with a brontosaurus and a couple of triceratops.
I let Benny go back to a couple of the dinos that were his favorites and we got pictures without other kids in the way. Then we headed back to camp for showers with good hair/head scrubbing to get the last of the river off of us. It was cool and I didn’t think. It meant missing the ranger program at the amphitheater but Benny didn’t seem to miss it and played with the Crew by filling them in on his day and watching a documentary while I job-searched.
I might have a few lines on possibilities but they aren’t taking applications online. They don’t want people from out of state and most are even specifying they want people invested in the community in some way. A couple definitely responded to let them know when I got in town. It isn’t much but it is something and something is better than nothing. I hope that just keeps the hamster quiet so I can sleep without a caffeine aid.
Don’t know what those kids were thinking. The water is the last place you want to drink and screw around. And geez don’t I sound like an cranky old lady. But it is true. Geez, the stupidity was beyond crazy to witness.
The Green River is a big creepy crawly river as my Little Bear described it. It is slow and wide and, if you appreciate the erosion of a large river like we have on the north Florida rivers, it is a stretch of carved beauty.
The put-in is at a road that runs into the water where a ferry runs. There is plenty of grassy staging area to prepare and then you walk your boat down the left side of the road to the water where there is an easy shove off in calf deep water. I was told if you put in at Dennison Ferry, it is a much steeper and difficult put in. There is a wooden staircase going down from the circular gravel parking lot (the road is gravel and bumpy, not recommended for low cars).
The river is wide and the paddling is a slog; you aren’t going to move far with paddling. There are actually green mile markers just like an interstate each mile on river so you can count down the 12 miles (20 from Dennison Ferry) of paddling and you quickly will learn to appreciate how far a river mile is on flat water. Some of the signs are obscured, but they are all there.
There is a current, but we didn’t notice it much due to the width of the river. The water looks dirty, but it is just a large river and has lots of floating debris and is actually relatively clear, but deep. There’s a bit of tannin to the color but not nearly as much as in Florida.
This river is not for everyone; if you don't like to work for it by paddling or are the slightest bit queasy at the site of a dirty stick in your river, then you won't want to go there. If you stick to the shading from the shore and appreciate the forest for the trees and the cliff erosion of lime and sandstone, then you can find much peace here which is all I was after. I needed some of my old to help quiet my brain so I could deal with the new in front of us.
Occasionally we paddled by fishermen in low hp boats and there are some commercial canoe and kayak rental operations, but there is plenty of room for everyone on this big river and people are friendly and considerate, something else I was in need of.
I had no intention of paddling twenty miles though once we started and I got the rhythm it felt possible. It was nice for about two hours. I was thinking about finding a place to pull over and tie off so Benny could play in the water when we went around a bend and saw some kids that were a little “worse for wear”. They’d either been drinking all night and decided to get into the water before heading to bed or they started pretty dang early. They were younger than me but not by much, but I still consider them “kids” because of their stupidity and immaturity.
The idiots had paddled themselves into a real snag. A lot of the tree rode above the water and one of the idiots decided to climb out of the canoe and onto the tree like a monkey to get a loose. The snap of a good-sized branch sounded like a shot gun and he went down … but it took him long enough to come up that me and a couple of fisherman on the river started paddling over.
Suddenly two of his friends who had jumped into the water pulled him up by his hair. I could see he had a gash on his hairline, but he was sputtering and dragging in air. All three were now sober but they still had a drunk’s coordination. It took all four of us … yes Benny helped by keep our kayak balanced … to get the three to the embankment.
One of the fishermen said, “I know that one’s daddy. Looks like we got signal so I’ll give ‘em a call. All the noise likely done run off the fish anyway.”
I left them to it, and I wouldn’t have even wanted to be a fly on the wall when the father(s) got there if the looks on their faces meant anything. Whew. And speaking of flies, their breath could have knocked a few out of the sky.
I turned around and headed back the way we’d come. There was no more problems but I also wondered what the rivers – my old haunts – were looking like in Florida. Storms have probably dropped a bunch of debris in the rivers making them dangerous. I thought about all that off and on all the way back to the van, loading up, and getting us fed. Then when I realized the hamster was trying to depress me I gave it a good swift kick in the tail and told Benny I had a surprise for him this afternoon.
I told him it was for completing his Junior Ranger activities. We went to Dinosaur World. A lady that had seen Benny’s bracelet last night came by early this morning and brought me several passes.
“Oh!” I responded, very unsure how to act.
“Don’t worry it to death Sugar. Mostly they’re for the boy … Benny? Anyway, I work in social services in Hopkinsville, Ky and I had some stuff in my files in the trunk. Everything is age appropriate. If you don’t use them, just pass them along to another Gold Star family.”
She hurried off so quickly I barely got to say thank you. After kayaking I told Benny we had another adventure. Good grief by the time we got there he was wearing a hole in the sit he was bouncing around so much.
Dinosaur World wasn’t a difficult place to get to from the park, it was in Cave City. And I was shocked to find out that the tickets the woman gave me included the Fossil Dig (a bag of three fossils), a bag for the gem excavation, a geode to crack open, and discounts on the larger bags for the excavation … fossil and coprolite bucket and amethyst & citrine bucket.
Today’s survival skills included the incident on the river and review of rules for dealing with wildlife. I treated it as a funny using the various dinosaurs, from the smallest to the largest. Benny got a kick out of that one and actually came up with some good reasons for how he would react to each based on all the sign-thingies.
There was a homeschool group fieldtrip there so Benny wasn’t the only kid. And shock of all shocks I discovered the blog had been featured in the State’s homeschool newsletter. When they found out who we were they were so gracious and included Benny in their playtime in the Bone Yard where the kids got to uncover a 27-foot “skeleton” under the sand in the play area.
It was a bit overwhelming to not only hear that the blog was getting so widely read but to experience the attention it could bring. They even told me that my line in the sand, pictures of Benny, is what attracts many readers and it also led to a long discussion of should their group have a rule specific to social media. Their issue is that they have a long history of the parents using their website as a way to provide proof of various activities.
“Then list the activities but put the names and pictures behind a password wall,” I suggested. “At least this way you will be able to say you were doing due diligence just in case an issue comes up. The passwords can be issued by whoever operates your website and then they can be tracked … not actively, just have the information available through the software.”
I got some ideas from them as well. A few of the parents use “lap books” for activities. A lapbook is an educational tool used to compliment a study of any topic or subject for any age. The base of a lap book is a file folder. You attach “mini books” and other things like timelines, pictures, etc. as learning aids or to reinforce learned concepts. The technique never would have worked for me as a kid, I didn’t tolerate “arts and crafts” or other busy work … or at least very little of it unless there was a specific reason for it. Benny on the other hand loves art, drawing, coloring, and all that. We don’t have the space for it at the moment, but I can see how this could work along with the unit study approach I am leaning towards for his schoolwork, assuming I can find a way to home school him.
The four main benefits as I see them would be review of the lesson or topic, organizing the project results, individualization so Benny takes “ownership” of his work, and presentation. On top of that it would be a way to have a portfolio that included examples of his work (as required by State of Florida laws on home education) and it would also save some space since I wouldn’t have to keep every resource used in a subject or study.
A couple of other ideas that I gleaned from that conversation is making board games from what you learn, trivia cards, and homemade puzzles. One parent says that she gives out a puzzle piece at the successful completion of an assignment or chore or behavioral situation. When they complete a puzzle there is an additional prize. The puzzles she uses are homemade and when completed can slide into a plastic page protector and she stores them in a notebook. That’s busy work I don’t know as the “teacher” that I could handle preparing but it is an idea. The homeschooling plan needs to work for both of us.
All this stuff sounds neat but is both a time commitment on my part and a space commitment with an area for storage of craft supplies which also means money. Sure, it is cheaper than buying a full-year curriculum – something Lawrence had a few things to say about when he took over managing that kind of stuff – but it still isn’t free.
Tonight I made sure to include the homeschool group in my thank you’s for the day’s activities. I am also going to start a page for myself listing educational resources, preferably free ones, that I can find online. I was warned that if I find a free digital resource that I liked, I should print it out as I find it, or at least copy it to my own digital file and save it, because so many sites are going down as the economy is making it more difficult for people to devote money to keep a website up if it isn’t generating any money. I hear that, but for now the blog is holding its own.
It was great to see Benny socializing with his peer group … or a peer group anyway … but he didn’t complain when it was time for them to leave and it just be us again finishing up a few activities.
“Did you enjoy being with the other kids?”
“They make a lot of noise. They woulda scared off all the dinosaurs if there were any real ones.”
That made me laugh. “Think of them as a type of bear bell.”
That made Benny laugh and then he asked, “Did you like playing with the grown ups?”
“I believe I did. But my brain is full for now. How about we fill our stomach with a snack?”
Well he was all over that. I’d brought his favorite trail bars and surprised him by buying a Benny Blue sports drink from the Snack Shack and we had an impromptu picnic with a brontosaurus and a couple of triceratops.
I let Benny go back to a couple of the dinos that were his favorites and we got pictures without other kids in the way. Then we headed back to camp for showers with good hair/head scrubbing to get the last of the river off of us. It was cool and I didn’t think. It meant missing the ranger program at the amphitheater but Benny didn’t seem to miss it and played with the Crew by filling them in on his day and watching a documentary while I job-searched.
I might have a few lines on possibilities but they aren’t taking applications online. They don’t want people from out of state and most are even specifying they want people invested in the community in some way. A couple definitely responded to let them know when I got in town. It isn’t much but it is something and something is better than nothing. I hope that just keeps the hamster quiet so I can sleep without a caffeine aid.
October 21st – Catch Up Day
I decided today would be a day of “catch up.” Benny was easy to get onboard, but I admit that it has been a little strange for me as well. We can’t “vacation” every day for the remainder of our lives. I don’t know what I/we will be doing in the not-too-distant future, but I’m trying to keep the anxiety to a minimum. Sometimes I look at Benny and wonder what my day will be like when he starts school full time. Will we home school, or will he have to go to public school so I can be available to work a job? Gotta admit that I’m struggling. I don’t know if I should figure out some way to home school him or not because I’m still trying to figure out if it would be for his benefit or for mine. I’m beginning to suspect that Benny may not be the only one with separation anxiety.
First task of the day; I’ve been cutting both of our hair since Key West but Benny’s was starting to look like a bowl so I asked him if he wanted a trim by a barber instead and he just shrugged. Not a lot of help but he’s just six so I decided for him. While we were there (it was actually a beauty parlor, but I called it a barber for Benny’s sake) I let them straighten up the rat’s nest on my head as well. I don’t remember my hair having all these ridiculous waves when it was longer. And when we left the barber I gotta say it felt weird to have my hair down instead of in the braids I’ve been keeping it in now that the mullet has finally grown out.
I had those coupons and one of them was for the Kentucky Zoo Down Under[1] which is a combination of cave tour and zoo on the surface. It was a few hours well spent because I knew that Benny was going to get kinda bored while I did what had to be done next … van maintenance. I’ve got some really funny pictures of him with the animals … lories, kangaroos, emus, sheep, the pigs, llamas, dingoes, foxes, etc. He must have smelled interesting or something because they all seemed to come to him before anyone else. The lories were more interested in Benny’s ears than the food he was holding out. The look on his face is so classic.
After we had done everything we could, and some of it twice, I said it was time to go and we went to a local auto supply store and picked up everything I needed. I also paid the manager $50 to let me change the oil at the back of the shop. He was amazingly cool with it when he didn’t have to be, but it was a little local place and not a franchise. The men there, and some of the customers, seemed to get a kick out of me changing the oil and stuff and watching Benny “help” me.
After that I was filthy despite putting a pad on the ground while I was crawling around under the van. The entire engine compartment needs to be cleaned. That is going to have to wait until I can ask Groucho if it is practical or if I’m “being a girl” or OCD about the whole thing. I prefer to keep things ship shape and tidy. I still iron our clothes and spot clean shoes and jackets where it is practical. Yes, I like clean. My OCD is part of my personality, but I’m every bit as invested in exhibiting some commonsense. If Groucho says I’m being excessive I will let it go even if it does make me itch.
When I was first starting out, I had a Chief that used to poke at me a lot trying to get a reaction because I was a girl and he thought Naval Cadets should only be a male organization. He did manage to run a fair number of girls off, but I refused to play his game. He would intentionally get me dirty – either by assigning me certain tasks or just being a jerk – because he knew that I would spend however long it took that night to get clean and clean my uniform. That is he did it until Lawrence showed up one day with a mixed gender group and Chief Pain in my Butt really found out what getting a knot jerked in your tail felt like.
Geez. The memories. There are days I miss Lawrence, Dad, and my grandparents so bad I almost can’t breathe. They raised me to be able to face and handle life, but when they were here, I always knew I had back up if I needed it. In the military you should be able to have confidence in your superior officers that they have your back and won’t lead you into trouble, will guide you as you grow in experience and rank. I feel like I’m fresh out of basic and someone is expecting me to sit in for the President’s Chief of Staff without any experience.
And I guess you can tell, since I’m writing this so late, that I’m having a hard time sleeping. There’s places all over that are going nuts. Active shooter here. Riot over there. Protestors in another place taking up all the air in the room for things that don’t make sense for the rest of us. Politicians who spend more money on hair and makeup than a lot of people earn in a year and don’t do a dang thing to earn it yet seem to get exponentially richer with each term they serve. And all I want to find is a port in the storm for Benny and I for just long enough that I can figure out a more permanent solution that doesn’t separate us.
I guess I better hit the hay. We pull out on our way to Great Smoky Mountain National Park in the morning. That’s it, the last park … or next to last park depending on if the weather allows me to swing up into West Virginia or not. It’ll be nice to see the Fall colors that I’ve heard about my entire life but never really seen. Dad would sometimes bring me interesting leaves back from his long-haul jobs, but he tried not to run too many of those because it always meant leaving me with the grandparental units for longer than he was comfortable with. He sometimes got it coming and going. I loved Grandfather Barry, but he could be a real curmudgeon and hard taskmaster. He was always trying to get Dad to move in with them … in the Old House and fix it up if he just had to have his own roof over his head … but Dad couldn’t seem to relinquish the house that he and Mom had lived in together.
I guess the entire issue is moot. Lawrence had to sell the house to pay off the last of the mortgage and provide for me. After Lawrence didn’t come home, I looked over all the paperwork and lo and behold he put it all in a Trust for me. All he did was make sure Dad’s funeral and stuff was paid for. There was some big blow up with Uncle Daniel over Grandfather Barry’s estate, but I don’t know. Now it sounds like maybe Lawrence and Uncle Daniel had started the process of straightening things out but who knows how far they got. And I’m not too interested in opening that back up. I need to focus on Benny … and me.
So, focusing on Benny and me I say it is time to go to sleep. Hopefully this cup of chamomile tea will help me relax enough I can turn the brain hamster off.
Resources:
Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center Area Map copy (nps.gov)
How to Make a Lapbook - Homeschool Share
[1] www.kentuckydownunder.com
I decided today would be a day of “catch up.” Benny was easy to get onboard, but I admit that it has been a little strange for me as well. We can’t “vacation” every day for the remainder of our lives. I don’t know what I/we will be doing in the not-too-distant future, but I’m trying to keep the anxiety to a minimum. Sometimes I look at Benny and wonder what my day will be like when he starts school full time. Will we home school, or will he have to go to public school so I can be available to work a job? Gotta admit that I’m struggling. I don’t know if I should figure out some way to home school him or not because I’m still trying to figure out if it would be for his benefit or for mine. I’m beginning to suspect that Benny may not be the only one with separation anxiety.
First task of the day; I’ve been cutting both of our hair since Key West but Benny’s was starting to look like a bowl so I asked him if he wanted a trim by a barber instead and he just shrugged. Not a lot of help but he’s just six so I decided for him. While we were there (it was actually a beauty parlor, but I called it a barber for Benny’s sake) I let them straighten up the rat’s nest on my head as well. I don’t remember my hair having all these ridiculous waves when it was longer. And when we left the barber I gotta say it felt weird to have my hair down instead of in the braids I’ve been keeping it in now that the mullet has finally grown out.
I had those coupons and one of them was for the Kentucky Zoo Down Under[1] which is a combination of cave tour and zoo on the surface. It was a few hours well spent because I knew that Benny was going to get kinda bored while I did what had to be done next … van maintenance. I’ve got some really funny pictures of him with the animals … lories, kangaroos, emus, sheep, the pigs, llamas, dingoes, foxes, etc. He must have smelled interesting or something because they all seemed to come to him before anyone else. The lories were more interested in Benny’s ears than the food he was holding out. The look on his face is so classic.
After we had done everything we could, and some of it twice, I said it was time to go and we went to a local auto supply store and picked up everything I needed. I also paid the manager $50 to let me change the oil at the back of the shop. He was amazingly cool with it when he didn’t have to be, but it was a little local place and not a franchise. The men there, and some of the customers, seemed to get a kick out of me changing the oil and stuff and watching Benny “help” me.
After that I was filthy despite putting a pad on the ground while I was crawling around under the van. The entire engine compartment needs to be cleaned. That is going to have to wait until I can ask Groucho if it is practical or if I’m “being a girl” or OCD about the whole thing. I prefer to keep things ship shape and tidy. I still iron our clothes and spot clean shoes and jackets where it is practical. Yes, I like clean. My OCD is part of my personality, but I’m every bit as invested in exhibiting some commonsense. If Groucho says I’m being excessive I will let it go even if it does make me itch.
When I was first starting out, I had a Chief that used to poke at me a lot trying to get a reaction because I was a girl and he thought Naval Cadets should only be a male organization. He did manage to run a fair number of girls off, but I refused to play his game. He would intentionally get me dirty – either by assigning me certain tasks or just being a jerk – because he knew that I would spend however long it took that night to get clean and clean my uniform. That is he did it until Lawrence showed up one day with a mixed gender group and Chief Pain in my Butt really found out what getting a knot jerked in your tail felt like.
Geez. The memories. There are days I miss Lawrence, Dad, and my grandparents so bad I almost can’t breathe. They raised me to be able to face and handle life, but when they were here, I always knew I had back up if I needed it. In the military you should be able to have confidence in your superior officers that they have your back and won’t lead you into trouble, will guide you as you grow in experience and rank. I feel like I’m fresh out of basic and someone is expecting me to sit in for the President’s Chief of Staff without any experience.
And I guess you can tell, since I’m writing this so late, that I’m having a hard time sleeping. There’s places all over that are going nuts. Active shooter here. Riot over there. Protestors in another place taking up all the air in the room for things that don’t make sense for the rest of us. Politicians who spend more money on hair and makeup than a lot of people earn in a year and don’t do a dang thing to earn it yet seem to get exponentially richer with each term they serve. And all I want to find is a port in the storm for Benny and I for just long enough that I can figure out a more permanent solution that doesn’t separate us.
I guess I better hit the hay. We pull out on our way to Great Smoky Mountain National Park in the morning. That’s it, the last park … or next to last park depending on if the weather allows me to swing up into West Virginia or not. It’ll be nice to see the Fall colors that I’ve heard about my entire life but never really seen. Dad would sometimes bring me interesting leaves back from his long-haul jobs, but he tried not to run too many of those because it always meant leaving me with the grandparental units for longer than he was comfortable with. He sometimes got it coming and going. I loved Grandfather Barry, but he could be a real curmudgeon and hard taskmaster. He was always trying to get Dad to move in with them … in the Old House and fix it up if he just had to have his own roof over his head … but Dad couldn’t seem to relinquish the house that he and Mom had lived in together.
I guess the entire issue is moot. Lawrence had to sell the house to pay off the last of the mortgage and provide for me. After Lawrence didn’t come home, I looked over all the paperwork and lo and behold he put it all in a Trust for me. All he did was make sure Dad’s funeral and stuff was paid for. There was some big blow up with Uncle Daniel over Grandfather Barry’s estate, but I don’t know. Now it sounds like maybe Lawrence and Uncle Daniel had started the process of straightening things out but who knows how far they got. And I’m not too interested in opening that back up. I need to focus on Benny … and me.
So, focusing on Benny and me I say it is time to go to sleep. Hopefully this cup of chamomile tea will help me relax enough I can turn the brain hamster off.
Resources:
Mammoth Cave National Park Visitor Center Area Map copy (nps.gov)
How to Make a Lapbook - Homeschool Share
[1] www.kentuckydownunder.com
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Again thank you .
.beaglemama
Contributing Member
Thank you, Kathy!
Oct 22 – 29: Pigeon Forge, TN >>> Great Smoky Mountain National Park, TN
Driving Route:
October 22nd – Colors and Crowds
Wow. I mean wow. The colors. Listening to people I was worried we were going to miss the fall colors but … wow. Benny just looked and looked. When we stopped, he would pick up leaves and just look at them. The colors. I mean sure there were still some that were green but there were also yellows, oranges, and even some fire engine reds. Wow. Only flowers are that color in Florida.
We were on the road by 5:30 am this morning. I had stopped at a dump site yesterday, not that we’d been using the black or gray tanks much, so didn’t need to stop on our way out. Five hours with stopping to get to Sevierville, TN to find all the hotels booked up. I suppose I could have kept going into the park, but I was still shy a day from our reservations. We had a KOA spot reserved in Pigeon Forge, TN but I had been thinking about maybe getting a room for the night but should have figured there would be no vacancies given the crowds. I’ve been trying to find Harvest Host locations but lately I haven’t found anything that is in the area I was looking for. I got my money out of the membership, but I won’t renew when the year is up. I also looked for a boondock location and had the same problem, anything available was too far out of the way.
Let me tell you I really hadn’t expected the crowds we saw today. I had expected some cooler weather, but the high today was 81F and it is only going to get down to 52F. Feels like winter in Florida. Plenty of people complaining about it while others loved it. My understanding from listening to the weather broadcast is that this has been a strange year weather-wise and now this is something called Indian Summer. It will be cooler in the park but I’m not sure how much cooler.
I almost drove to Gatlinburg today but since it is on tomorrow’s schedule, I decided to just let it ride. Not to mention people said the traffic is awful and I’m going to have to find someplace outside of the main drag to park the van. So we did Pigeon Forge today after parking in the campground and using the Trolley System they have instead of fighting the ever-loving traffic. I didn’t drive that kind of nonsense in Jacksonville during rush hour. Oh my Lord. I’m serious. Benny didn’t care for all the people either. I had given serious consideration to going to Dollywood but what a disaster that would have been for him. There were more than a few times we both were getting topped off and I had to find a corner to “hide” in until we could reorient ourselves.
Someone at KOA recommended we get an All-Day Pass … for three bucks … and just use the trolley rather than deal with traffic and playing parking lot wars to find someplace to park. I’m told that the Pigeon Forge trolley system is the second largest rural public transit system in the US. Not sure who number one is and not sure I want to know. I’m very grateful they took the time to share that bit of wisdom. Have I mentioned the crowds?
Mostly what Benny and I did was walk around and people watch. There were a few shops we went into but again it was all for looking at and in. Benny was often ready to get out of someplace before I was. The only exception to this was when I got tickets for The Titanic exhibit. I worried for a bit afterwards if it was going to make him afraid of the water but surprisingly no.
“We always wear our life jackets Aunt Gus. Those are the rules.”
“You got that right Little Bear. Did you learn anything else?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes bad things happen even if you follow the rules. It’s sad, but bad things don’t always happen.”
“No they don’t. Sometimes good things happen.”
He looked at me and smiled as he ate a candy apple and said, “They sure do.”
Boy did I pay for that candy apple. My own fault because I wanted one and couldn’t have one if Benny didn’t. We split one but that didn’t make it much better. Between the red dye and the sugar, it was like being tied to a whirlwind until he wound down. At one point he was goofing off and spinning like a top and wouldn’t stop even when I gave him the “or else” talk. I finally grabbed him up, tossed him over my shoulder, found a bench, and we had a five-minute time out where he had to sit but could tap his toes or whatever, he just couldn’t dance around like a monkey.
An older gentleman spotted what I was forced to do but he was really nice and gave me kudos for not losing my temper or punishing Benny for something that wasn’t really his fault. He explained that he was a retired pediatrician and gave me a couple of red dye substitutes to try. For savory things I can take three beets and boil them and strain the liquid off and use that. For sweet stuff I can do the same thing except with cranberries or pomegranates. I had never even thought of such a thing. None of the dieticians or doctors had ever suggested it either. I am definitely looking it up online and I hope the man wasn’t pulling my leg.
Some of the other places we went to but in no particular order were:
I offered to take him into any of the Wonder Works or Ripley’s locations, but he definitely didn’t want to go. None of the restaurants appealed to him either so we ate the snacks I’d brought along but did get a takeout from one of the “diners” along the parkway to bring back for dinner. The crowds were getting to both of us, so I asked if he just wanted to go back to camp and relax. That was a definite yes though we took the time to walk in Patriot Park before heading back for the night. I’m a little concerned, but it could have just been a little bit of sensory overload like it was in San Antonio. I’ll keep an eye on it. The APD doesn’t help when all your brain will “hear” is a bunch of white noise. And the sugar overload I participated in didn’t help any either. I was close to having a headache myself trying to stay situationally aware despite all the noise.
There were a couple of groups that felt “off” while we walked around. There were adult groups – no children – and they just seemed out of place and angry. Could have been the crowds as they were kind of bad. Could have been the weather as it got kinda warm. Could have been the expense as nothing was cheap, not even items on the clearance racks. Could have been a lot of things. Unfortunately, I recognized another such group here in the KOA. It started out with them having these big ol’ guard dogs inside their RV and then tying them up outside despite not having a pet-approved RV site. The dogs would growl and lunge at anyone going by and the two couples never even told them to settle down. I watched this happen a couple of times then after dinner, when it was shower time, I took my telescoping baton and flicked it open and then walked down the road.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” one of the men growled at me.
“Making sure that whatever the hell you think you are doing by letting those dogs growl and snap at people doesn’t get out of hand. You don’t like it then you can control those mutts a little better than you are doing.”
I got called a series of rude names but ignored it and kept on walking, making sure I was between Benny and the dogs.
When we finished and were walking back it was to find out that they’d packed up and left in a hurry. Apparently they’d been accused of tampering with someone else’s vehicle and it had been caught on the RV’s exterior security cameras. The cops were called, and they left in a hurry.
That’s when I heard the murmurs.
“They’re Travelers.”
“We’re all traveling.”
“Not tourists … Travelers. We call them Irish Travelers.”
There was a pause. “You mean like those people in the newspapers? The ones that are like grifters?”
“I don’t know if all Irish Travelers are grifters but the only ones I’ve been around are definitely into questionable business dealings. Every year they migrate; they work up North in the Summer and down South in the Winter.”
“Why do you think they were … whoever you said they were.”
“They were speaking Shelta … or it sounded like it.”
“They were speaking what?”
“It’s their language, a dialect of gaelic.”
“The only thing I heard them speaking was English.”
“I only heard them speaking a few Shelta words. It was after that young woman went by with her kid. She didn’t back down. I was positive they were going to mess with her. They’re the type.”
“Maybe we should warn her.”
“She doesn’t look the type that needs to be warned. Would you want to come up agin’ her? If it wasn’t for the neck up I’m not sure I could honestly say she was female.”
“You sure she is?”
“Wife said she is. Saw her in the shower. She’s modest but wife says … she ain’t plastic. And ain’t got an adam’s apple.”
“Shame these young women nowadays dress that way. You shouldn’t have to guess whether you’re dealing with a guy or not.”
“And the damn strangest names. My wife said the boy called her Gus … Aunt Gus.”
“I had a Great Aunt Gussie.”
The other man sighed. “And I have one granddaughter they call Charlie and another they call Sam … Charlene and Samantha. M’ wife isn’t a fan. Every time it comes up our daughter in law gets riled up and its weeks before we hear from our son. We stopped bringing it up when daughter in law would get bent out of shape so bad. Now she is the one constantly poking the bear … the bear being m’ wife. And how in the hell did I get on this subject? Either way it seems it’s a good thing them people took off. Anyone who would lock their dogs in a hot RV all day then complain they came back to find they’d made a mess don’t have good sense.”
“We don’t even lock our cats up like that and I can’t stand them two evil furballs.”
The two men walked away and I could finally come out of the van without busting out laughing my butt off. I swear some people are so nosey they don’t even know what boundaries are. And they call women gossipy ol’ hens. Crazier? The guys in my ship didn’t stare as hard as a couple of those women in the showers had. I knew something was up but geez. What I am or am not really isn’t anyone’s business … or at least not until I put it out there to make it anyone’s business by bothering their business.
Once Benny got settled in the van with him and “the crew” watching a documentary on this family with kids hiking the Appalachian Trail, I decided to take inventory since I had the chance and needed to have a good plan for using up what we had left in our pantry. I set up the dehydrator and put all the near to going over fruits and veggies on the trays. I made up a canister of GORP with the tail end of stuff to put it to best use. And I preplanned as many meals as I could. I think I have it worked out that I can get us through all Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as a couple of odd meals afterwards.
I’m going to have to see what plans develop after GSMNP. I am trying not to worry here at the end of our adventure. I am going to try very hard to just stay flexible and deal with whatever comes. I want Benny to have good memories in case the crap starts hitting the fan again. And I pray I am doing the right thing.
[1] Gluten Free Moon Pies | Gluten-Free on a Shoestring (glutenfreeonashoestring.com)
Driving Route:
October 22nd – Colors and Crowds
Wow. I mean wow. The colors. Listening to people I was worried we were going to miss the fall colors but … wow. Benny just looked and looked. When we stopped, he would pick up leaves and just look at them. The colors. I mean sure there were still some that were green but there were also yellows, oranges, and even some fire engine reds. Wow. Only flowers are that color in Florida.
We were on the road by 5:30 am this morning. I had stopped at a dump site yesterday, not that we’d been using the black or gray tanks much, so didn’t need to stop on our way out. Five hours with stopping to get to Sevierville, TN to find all the hotels booked up. I suppose I could have kept going into the park, but I was still shy a day from our reservations. We had a KOA spot reserved in Pigeon Forge, TN but I had been thinking about maybe getting a room for the night but should have figured there would be no vacancies given the crowds. I’ve been trying to find Harvest Host locations but lately I haven’t found anything that is in the area I was looking for. I got my money out of the membership, but I won’t renew when the year is up. I also looked for a boondock location and had the same problem, anything available was too far out of the way.
Let me tell you I really hadn’t expected the crowds we saw today. I had expected some cooler weather, but the high today was 81F and it is only going to get down to 52F. Feels like winter in Florida. Plenty of people complaining about it while others loved it. My understanding from listening to the weather broadcast is that this has been a strange year weather-wise and now this is something called Indian Summer. It will be cooler in the park but I’m not sure how much cooler.
I almost drove to Gatlinburg today but since it is on tomorrow’s schedule, I decided to just let it ride. Not to mention people said the traffic is awful and I’m going to have to find someplace outside of the main drag to park the van. So we did Pigeon Forge today after parking in the campground and using the Trolley System they have instead of fighting the ever-loving traffic. I didn’t drive that kind of nonsense in Jacksonville during rush hour. Oh my Lord. I’m serious. Benny didn’t care for all the people either. I had given serious consideration to going to Dollywood but what a disaster that would have been for him. There were more than a few times we both were getting topped off and I had to find a corner to “hide” in until we could reorient ourselves.
Someone at KOA recommended we get an All-Day Pass … for three bucks … and just use the trolley rather than deal with traffic and playing parking lot wars to find someplace to park. I’m told that the Pigeon Forge trolley system is the second largest rural public transit system in the US. Not sure who number one is and not sure I want to know. I’m very grateful they took the time to share that bit of wisdom. Have I mentioned the crowds?
Mostly what Benny and I did was walk around and people watch. There were a few shops we went into but again it was all for looking at and in. Benny was often ready to get out of someplace before I was. The only exception to this was when I got tickets for The Titanic exhibit. I worried for a bit afterwards if it was going to make him afraid of the water but surprisingly no.
“We always wear our life jackets Aunt Gus. Those are the rules.”
“You got that right Little Bear. Did you learn anything else?”
He shrugged. “Sometimes bad things happen even if you follow the rules. It’s sad, but bad things don’t always happen.”
“No they don’t. Sometimes good things happen.”
He looked at me and smiled as he ate a candy apple and said, “They sure do.”
Boy did I pay for that candy apple. My own fault because I wanted one and couldn’t have one if Benny didn’t. We split one but that didn’t make it much better. Between the red dye and the sugar, it was like being tied to a whirlwind until he wound down. At one point he was goofing off and spinning like a top and wouldn’t stop even when I gave him the “or else” talk. I finally grabbed him up, tossed him over my shoulder, found a bench, and we had a five-minute time out where he had to sit but could tap his toes or whatever, he just couldn’t dance around like a monkey.
An older gentleman spotted what I was forced to do but he was really nice and gave me kudos for not losing my temper or punishing Benny for something that wasn’t really his fault. He explained that he was a retired pediatrician and gave me a couple of red dye substitutes to try. For savory things I can take three beets and boil them and strain the liquid off and use that. For sweet stuff I can do the same thing except with cranberries or pomegranates. I had never even thought of such a thing. None of the dieticians or doctors had ever suggested it either. I am definitely looking it up online and I hope the man wasn’t pulling my leg.
Some of the other places we went to but in no particular order were:
- Three Bears General Store – got an icy here that lasted better than the ice cream a lot of people were getting. Little Bear had a blue mouth for about an hour afterwards. That was more sugar, but it kept him from crashing after he got over the candy apple. I’ll admit to picking up a couple of other touristy things including post cards and a t-shirt for Benny. The t-shirt was clearance, and he is outgrowing some of his other shirts anyway so it served a purpose. Plus, it had bears on it which really floated his boat.
- Moon Pie General Store and Book Warehouse – I grew up thinking Moon Pies were the best treat and snack there was. Moon Pies and RC Colas. Moving to Jacksonville was like going through withdrawals when I found they didn’t sell them in any of the grocery stores near where we lived. But, they don’t make gluten free moon pies so I was terribly sad. LOL. That is until I found a gluten-free moon pie recipe[1] thanks to a girl in the store who is also GS. The bookstore section of the store was also very interesting. As was the area where they sold every flavor of Nehi soda there is, a few I didn’t know about … grape, orange, peach, wild cherry, black cherry, and a few others. The Yummy Bear area tickled Benny and I let him pick a few pieces of old-fashioned candy out of the candy barrels … but absolutely no red ones. And this place had a bargain basement that was really a basement. I found a couple of interesting recipe books down there and Benny found another stuffie for his crew, this one a cardinal.
- We walked by a lot of the dinner show places but decided against any of them even though they did offer gluten free options. Benny just didn’t like the crowds. Not to mention none of them were exactly easy on the budget.
- The Christmas Place – I’ve gotten a few Christmas ornaments along the way and this place was just crazy big and all things Christmas. Benny asked if that was where all the fake Santas lived when it wasn’t Christmas every place else. I told him it was above my paygrade to know but that it sounded plausible. He laughed at my answer which was about all I was going for. I’ve never lied to him about Santa but at the same time I’ve never made the effort to turn the magic off either. He’ll learn when it is time and I’ll leave it at that.
- There were some outfitters and clothing stores like Uncle Lelm’s and Duncan’s that I went into for possible clearance rack items. I found Benny one pair of cargo shorts that had some growing room that would be good if we go back to Florida. I found me one sports bra but it is a crazy florescent pink so what I can wear it under may be limited.
- Picked up a few hygiene items in the Dollar General.
- We walked around the “Old Mill” area and went into some of the stores, the candy store, and in general played at being Lookie Lews without actually spending any money.
I offered to take him into any of the Wonder Works or Ripley’s locations, but he definitely didn’t want to go. None of the restaurants appealed to him either so we ate the snacks I’d brought along but did get a takeout from one of the “diners” along the parkway to bring back for dinner. The crowds were getting to both of us, so I asked if he just wanted to go back to camp and relax. That was a definite yes though we took the time to walk in Patriot Park before heading back for the night. I’m a little concerned, but it could have just been a little bit of sensory overload like it was in San Antonio. I’ll keep an eye on it. The APD doesn’t help when all your brain will “hear” is a bunch of white noise. And the sugar overload I participated in didn’t help any either. I was close to having a headache myself trying to stay situationally aware despite all the noise.
There were a couple of groups that felt “off” while we walked around. There were adult groups – no children – and they just seemed out of place and angry. Could have been the crowds as they were kind of bad. Could have been the weather as it got kinda warm. Could have been the expense as nothing was cheap, not even items on the clearance racks. Could have been a lot of things. Unfortunately, I recognized another such group here in the KOA. It started out with them having these big ol’ guard dogs inside their RV and then tying them up outside despite not having a pet-approved RV site. The dogs would growl and lunge at anyone going by and the two couples never even told them to settle down. I watched this happen a couple of times then after dinner, when it was shower time, I took my telescoping baton and flicked it open and then walked down the road.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” one of the men growled at me.
“Making sure that whatever the hell you think you are doing by letting those dogs growl and snap at people doesn’t get out of hand. You don’t like it then you can control those mutts a little better than you are doing.”
I got called a series of rude names but ignored it and kept on walking, making sure I was between Benny and the dogs.
When we finished and were walking back it was to find out that they’d packed up and left in a hurry. Apparently they’d been accused of tampering with someone else’s vehicle and it had been caught on the RV’s exterior security cameras. The cops were called, and they left in a hurry.
That’s when I heard the murmurs.
“They’re Travelers.”
“We’re all traveling.”
“Not tourists … Travelers. We call them Irish Travelers.”
There was a pause. “You mean like those people in the newspapers? The ones that are like grifters?”
“I don’t know if all Irish Travelers are grifters but the only ones I’ve been around are definitely into questionable business dealings. Every year they migrate; they work up North in the Summer and down South in the Winter.”
“Why do you think they were … whoever you said they were.”
“They were speaking Shelta … or it sounded like it.”
“They were speaking what?”
“It’s their language, a dialect of gaelic.”
“The only thing I heard them speaking was English.”
“I only heard them speaking a few Shelta words. It was after that young woman went by with her kid. She didn’t back down. I was positive they were going to mess with her. They’re the type.”
“Maybe we should warn her.”
“She doesn’t look the type that needs to be warned. Would you want to come up agin’ her? If it wasn’t for the neck up I’m not sure I could honestly say she was female.”
“You sure she is?”
“Wife said she is. Saw her in the shower. She’s modest but wife says … she ain’t plastic. And ain’t got an adam’s apple.”
“Shame these young women nowadays dress that way. You shouldn’t have to guess whether you’re dealing with a guy or not.”
“And the damn strangest names. My wife said the boy called her Gus … Aunt Gus.”
“I had a Great Aunt Gussie.”
The other man sighed. “And I have one granddaughter they call Charlie and another they call Sam … Charlene and Samantha. M’ wife isn’t a fan. Every time it comes up our daughter in law gets riled up and its weeks before we hear from our son. We stopped bringing it up when daughter in law would get bent out of shape so bad. Now she is the one constantly poking the bear … the bear being m’ wife. And how in the hell did I get on this subject? Either way it seems it’s a good thing them people took off. Anyone who would lock their dogs in a hot RV all day then complain they came back to find they’d made a mess don’t have good sense.”
“We don’t even lock our cats up like that and I can’t stand them two evil furballs.”
The two men walked away and I could finally come out of the van without busting out laughing my butt off. I swear some people are so nosey they don’t even know what boundaries are. And they call women gossipy ol’ hens. Crazier? The guys in my ship didn’t stare as hard as a couple of those women in the showers had. I knew something was up but geez. What I am or am not really isn’t anyone’s business … or at least not until I put it out there to make it anyone’s business by bothering their business.
Once Benny got settled in the van with him and “the crew” watching a documentary on this family with kids hiking the Appalachian Trail, I decided to take inventory since I had the chance and needed to have a good plan for using up what we had left in our pantry. I set up the dehydrator and put all the near to going over fruits and veggies on the trays. I made up a canister of GORP with the tail end of stuff to put it to best use. And I preplanned as many meals as I could. I think I have it worked out that I can get us through all Great Smoky Mountain National Park as well as a couple of odd meals afterwards.
I’m going to have to see what plans develop after GSMNP. I am trying not to worry here at the end of our adventure. I am going to try very hard to just stay flexible and deal with whatever comes. I want Benny to have good memories in case the crap starts hitting the fan again. And I pray I am doing the right thing.
[1] Gluten Free Moon Pies | Gluten-Free on a Shoestring (glutenfreeonashoestring.com)
October 23rd – Gatlinburg
Weather: 68F/45F
Oh my Lord! And I’m not being sacrilegious. If I thought the crowds were bad yesterday, they were gawd awful today. I’m glad we got to Gatlinburg as early as we did. It gave us a little bit of time without massive crowds. But by lunch time the town was uncomfortably packed with people. Why I am surprised I don’t know. All the blogs warned me. The park material warned me. People in Pigeon Forge warned me. Even my commonsense tried to warn me. But … the … people. Oh … my … word.
I decided to get as much done in town as I could the first part of the day and that is why we got there early. We were so early that we had no problem finding free parking (even for something like the van). So early a lot of stuff wasn’t open but that was okay, first pass on either side of the road we were just “window shopping” anyway. Right at 10 am on the dot we stepped onto the first aerial tram to Ober Gatlinburg. I’d gotten Benny and I armbands that covered most of the activities at the top of the eleven-thousand-foot summit. It was touristy stuff, as expected, but Benny and I had fun. I wasn’t sure when or if we’d have a chance to do something like this again, so I just went with it. The tramway, wildlife encounter, mountain coaster, ice skating, ice bumper cars, carousel, scenic chairlift, alpine slide, mini golf, rock wall, kiddie rides, and all the rest. We were a few hours up there and when we came down it was like the town was swollen with people.
I couldn’t take even a few steps without people trying to get me to come into one of the moonshine “distilleries” that blanketed both sides of the street. It was embarrassing having to keep telling people I wasn’t legal drinking age. Finally, I just got rude and ignored them. We walked in this area called the Village Shops but even there the crowds were nearly suffocating. I almost took Benny to the aquarium and the indoor water park … until I saw the crowds. Where the heck did all these people come from?! The Ripley’s were very cool to look at … from outside. There were lines to get inside.
Benny was getting wound up and not in a good way. I was getting full up with the crowds as well and decided to do something that I had planned on doing tomorrow. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a 6-mile, one-way, road with multiple stops along its length. Large RVs weren’t recommended but our van did okay so long as we took some of the curves slowly.
Stop 1 was Noah “Bud” Ogle’s Self-Guiding Nature Trail. It is before you reach the one-way, motor nature trail. We parked and got out and explored a bit. The Noah “Bud” Ogle Place is a historic site with a short nature trail that leads you through an authentic farmstead. There was a streamside tub mill and the Ogle’s handcrafted wooden flume plumbing system! I also told Benny about the old Barrymore place that still existed up front of the house Grandfather Barry had built. He was enthralled and I was glad to see finally shedding the stress of the crowds in the town.
Stop 2 was Rainbow Falls Trail. Just past the Ogle farmstead, you’ll find the trailhead for Rainbow Falls. This popular waterfall hike is 5.4 miles roundtrip and takes you to an 80-foot waterfall. On sunny afternoons, you can see a rainbow that’s formed from the mist of the falls. Along the hike to the waterfall, the trail gains about 1,500 feet in elevation. If you plan to hike the Rainbow Falls Trail before your scenic drive, keep in mind it takes about 3 to 5 hours to hike to the waterfall and back.
Stop 3 was a Scenic Overlook. After we passed the Rainbow Falls Trailhead, we got on the one-way part of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The first things we saw along the road were a couple scenic overlooks. The first overlook faced northwest back towards Gatlinburg. The second overlook offered a different view of the landscape.
Stop 4 was Trillium Gap Trailhead, it was the parking area for the hike to Grotto Falls. It is the only major waterfall located along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The roundtrip hike to Grotto Falls is about 2.6 miles and with every step it helped us to walk off the stress of town. Though I will admit that the road wasn’t exactly uncrowded itself. However, most people only got out for a few minutes to say they made a stop and took a picture to prove it. Parking wasn’t grand either. Grotto Falls is a 25-foot-high waterfall, and the trail actually runs behind it making the hike a little cool temperature-wise.
Stop 5 was the Cascades. As we drove it was cool but not cold so I had the windows down to enjoy it and the fresh air. We heard the water before we reached the stop and the nature trail that was there. Lucky for us there were several paved parking areas and finding a spot for the van wasn’t a problem. We got out, took some photos, and enjoyed the sound of the rushing water. Nothing like it to ease the stress and worries that kept trying to ride me. Benny enjoyed it as well.
Stop 6 was Jim Bales Place. It is a collection of log structures, including a small home and a barn sitting in a large, open field. Sign-thingies explained that Jim Bales and his older brother, Ephraim, spent most of their lives on the Roaring Fork. Jim married Emma Ogle, a young woman from a neighboring homestead.
Stop 7 was the Ephraim Bales Cabin. Ephraim was Jim Bales’ brother. The cabin is easy to miss, and several people just drove right on passed it. According to the sign-thingie posted there Ephraim lived here with his wife and 9 children. I can’t even imagine though family history says that the Barrymore clan used to be full of families like that. Most of that came to an end during WW1 and the Spanish Flu Pandemic of the same era. Maybe I should write this stuff down for Benny but in all honesty I’m not sure how much of it matters any longer. The Bales homestead is actually two cabins placed side by side, with a common roof connecting them together. The larger cabin served as the living area, while the other was the kitchen. I suppose they just stuck the kids anywhere they would fit.
Stop 8 was the Alfred Reagan Place & Tub Mill. Next, on the right side of the road, was a long wooden aqueduct that led to the small Tub Mill beside the creek along with the white Alfred Reagan Place. This is the only historic home on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail that’s been painted! The white really stands out.
Stop 9 was called the Place of a Thousand Drips. It is a seasonal waterfall that is visible from your vehicle. I’m glad I didn’t have to find a place to park the van because there really wasn’t any. Traffic bunched up on top of that. And the drop off on Benny’s side of the road. Uh uh. Nope. There was a pull out where you can park and walk back to see it but things were to chaotic. The flow of the water splits into numerous small channels around the rocks, creating “a thousand drips.” I managed to get both a couple of pics and some vids from my window as we went by. But it was at that point that people seemed to be getting a little impatient to be done with the road and you kinda had to go with the flow of traffic or get honked at.
The last stop is #10 and called Ely’s Mill. Shortly after you pass The Place of a Thousand Drips, two-way traffic resumed. Ely’s Mill was worth the stop though less than half the people did. It is a locally owned attraction that includes a small shop with arts and crafts from local artisans. We got a bottle of old fashioned pop to share and stretched our legs.
The fall colors along the motor nature trail were beautiful. I let Benny collect a few leaves and we are pressing them. I hope they keep their colors. I’ve taken some nice photos with my phone, and I think I’m going to try and make a collage.
Between the hikes and the later start it was getting dark and I looked at Benny and asked, “Town or camp?”
“Camp. Please.”
“Great minds think alike,” I said with a little silliness.
Getting to Elkmont was a little challenging, taking longer than I expected. It took 30 minutes on a winding road to go about 8 miles. But I tell you it was nice when we pulled in despite it being the largest and busiest campground in the park. We don’t have any hookups but that isn’t terrible. What we do have is a nice campfire ring with a grate. I bought a couple of bundles of wood and right now we are here, sitting by a fire. I made Yellow Rice and Chicken with Black Beans on the side and for dessert with had a Banana Boat to get rid of the one super-ripe banana we had left in the fruit basket. I have some freeze dried bananas left so we’ll have to see if they find its way into something.
One thing that did bother me was a story I heard about a woman and her three-year-old daughter. They were tent campers here about a week ago and a bear got into their tent in the middle of the night. Don’t know if the bear was after food or was just curious. They didn’t have any food in the tent with them but there could have been crumbs or something on their clothes. Either way mother was injured, though not the little girl. The story goes that the mother is okay and out of the hospital but the little girl is traumatized.
For that reason I scalded everything I had cooked with and ate on with boiling water. All trash and wannabe trash has been taken to the bear-proof trash can. And everything is back in the van and put away. We went to the Ranger Program which is where I heard the story about the bear. And Benny picked up his Junior Ranger booklet as well. It is about time for us to pick these chairs up and hit the hay because tomorrow we are going to Cades Cove and I expect us to be over there most of the day. Last park, and I’m going to make the most of it. I have one week left to pick a destination and land on it. Still praying that something comes of the applications that I’ve turned in. And I don’t want to think about that right now, not when I am trying to relax so I can sleep peacefully.
Weather: 68F/45F
Oh my Lord! And I’m not being sacrilegious. If I thought the crowds were bad yesterday, they were gawd awful today. I’m glad we got to Gatlinburg as early as we did. It gave us a little bit of time without massive crowds. But by lunch time the town was uncomfortably packed with people. Why I am surprised I don’t know. All the blogs warned me. The park material warned me. People in Pigeon Forge warned me. Even my commonsense tried to warn me. But … the … people. Oh … my … word.
I decided to get as much done in town as I could the first part of the day and that is why we got there early. We were so early that we had no problem finding free parking (even for something like the van). So early a lot of stuff wasn’t open but that was okay, first pass on either side of the road we were just “window shopping” anyway. Right at 10 am on the dot we stepped onto the first aerial tram to Ober Gatlinburg. I’d gotten Benny and I armbands that covered most of the activities at the top of the eleven-thousand-foot summit. It was touristy stuff, as expected, but Benny and I had fun. I wasn’t sure when or if we’d have a chance to do something like this again, so I just went with it. The tramway, wildlife encounter, mountain coaster, ice skating, ice bumper cars, carousel, scenic chairlift, alpine slide, mini golf, rock wall, kiddie rides, and all the rest. We were a few hours up there and when we came down it was like the town was swollen with people.
I couldn’t take even a few steps without people trying to get me to come into one of the moonshine “distilleries” that blanketed both sides of the street. It was embarrassing having to keep telling people I wasn’t legal drinking age. Finally, I just got rude and ignored them. We walked in this area called the Village Shops but even there the crowds were nearly suffocating. I almost took Benny to the aquarium and the indoor water park … until I saw the crowds. Where the heck did all these people come from?! The Ripley’s were very cool to look at … from outside. There were lines to get inside.
Benny was getting wound up and not in a good way. I was getting full up with the crowds as well and decided to do something that I had planned on doing tomorrow. The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a 6-mile, one-way, road with multiple stops along its length. Large RVs weren’t recommended but our van did okay so long as we took some of the curves slowly.
Stop 1 was Noah “Bud” Ogle’s Self-Guiding Nature Trail. It is before you reach the one-way, motor nature trail. We parked and got out and explored a bit. The Noah “Bud” Ogle Place is a historic site with a short nature trail that leads you through an authentic farmstead. There was a streamside tub mill and the Ogle’s handcrafted wooden flume plumbing system! I also told Benny about the old Barrymore place that still existed up front of the house Grandfather Barry had built. He was enthralled and I was glad to see finally shedding the stress of the crowds in the town.
Stop 2 was Rainbow Falls Trail. Just past the Ogle farmstead, you’ll find the trailhead for Rainbow Falls. This popular waterfall hike is 5.4 miles roundtrip and takes you to an 80-foot waterfall. On sunny afternoons, you can see a rainbow that’s formed from the mist of the falls. Along the hike to the waterfall, the trail gains about 1,500 feet in elevation. If you plan to hike the Rainbow Falls Trail before your scenic drive, keep in mind it takes about 3 to 5 hours to hike to the waterfall and back.
Stop 3 was a Scenic Overlook. After we passed the Rainbow Falls Trailhead, we got on the one-way part of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The first things we saw along the road were a couple scenic overlooks. The first overlook faced northwest back towards Gatlinburg. The second overlook offered a different view of the landscape.
Stop 4 was Trillium Gap Trailhead, it was the parking area for the hike to Grotto Falls. It is the only major waterfall located along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail. The roundtrip hike to Grotto Falls is about 2.6 miles and with every step it helped us to walk off the stress of town. Though I will admit that the road wasn’t exactly uncrowded itself. However, most people only got out for a few minutes to say they made a stop and took a picture to prove it. Parking wasn’t grand either. Grotto Falls is a 25-foot-high waterfall, and the trail actually runs behind it making the hike a little cool temperature-wise.
Stop 5 was the Cascades. As we drove it was cool but not cold so I had the windows down to enjoy it and the fresh air. We heard the water before we reached the stop and the nature trail that was there. Lucky for us there were several paved parking areas and finding a spot for the van wasn’t a problem. We got out, took some photos, and enjoyed the sound of the rushing water. Nothing like it to ease the stress and worries that kept trying to ride me. Benny enjoyed it as well.
Stop 6 was Jim Bales Place. It is a collection of log structures, including a small home and a barn sitting in a large, open field. Sign-thingies explained that Jim Bales and his older brother, Ephraim, spent most of their lives on the Roaring Fork. Jim married Emma Ogle, a young woman from a neighboring homestead.
Stop 7 was the Ephraim Bales Cabin. Ephraim was Jim Bales’ brother. The cabin is easy to miss, and several people just drove right on passed it. According to the sign-thingie posted there Ephraim lived here with his wife and 9 children. I can’t even imagine though family history says that the Barrymore clan used to be full of families like that. Most of that came to an end during WW1 and the Spanish Flu Pandemic of the same era. Maybe I should write this stuff down for Benny but in all honesty I’m not sure how much of it matters any longer. The Bales homestead is actually two cabins placed side by side, with a common roof connecting them together. The larger cabin served as the living area, while the other was the kitchen. I suppose they just stuck the kids anywhere they would fit.
Stop 8 was the Alfred Reagan Place & Tub Mill. Next, on the right side of the road, was a long wooden aqueduct that led to the small Tub Mill beside the creek along with the white Alfred Reagan Place. This is the only historic home on the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail that’s been painted! The white really stands out.
Stop 9 was called the Place of a Thousand Drips. It is a seasonal waterfall that is visible from your vehicle. I’m glad I didn’t have to find a place to park the van because there really wasn’t any. Traffic bunched up on top of that. And the drop off on Benny’s side of the road. Uh uh. Nope. There was a pull out where you can park and walk back to see it but things were to chaotic. The flow of the water splits into numerous small channels around the rocks, creating “a thousand drips.” I managed to get both a couple of pics and some vids from my window as we went by. But it was at that point that people seemed to be getting a little impatient to be done with the road and you kinda had to go with the flow of traffic or get honked at.
The last stop is #10 and called Ely’s Mill. Shortly after you pass The Place of a Thousand Drips, two-way traffic resumed. Ely’s Mill was worth the stop though less than half the people did. It is a locally owned attraction that includes a small shop with arts and crafts from local artisans. We got a bottle of old fashioned pop to share and stretched our legs.
The fall colors along the motor nature trail were beautiful. I let Benny collect a few leaves and we are pressing them. I hope they keep their colors. I’ve taken some nice photos with my phone, and I think I’m going to try and make a collage.
Between the hikes and the later start it was getting dark and I looked at Benny and asked, “Town or camp?”
“Camp. Please.”
“Great minds think alike,” I said with a little silliness.
Getting to Elkmont was a little challenging, taking longer than I expected. It took 30 minutes on a winding road to go about 8 miles. But I tell you it was nice when we pulled in despite it being the largest and busiest campground in the park. We don’t have any hookups but that isn’t terrible. What we do have is a nice campfire ring with a grate. I bought a couple of bundles of wood and right now we are here, sitting by a fire. I made Yellow Rice and Chicken with Black Beans on the side and for dessert with had a Banana Boat to get rid of the one super-ripe banana we had left in the fruit basket. I have some freeze dried bananas left so we’ll have to see if they find its way into something.
One thing that did bother me was a story I heard about a woman and her three-year-old daughter. They were tent campers here about a week ago and a bear got into their tent in the middle of the night. Don’t know if the bear was after food or was just curious. They didn’t have any food in the tent with them but there could have been crumbs or something on their clothes. Either way mother was injured, though not the little girl. The story goes that the mother is okay and out of the hospital but the little girl is traumatized.
For that reason I scalded everything I had cooked with and ate on with boiling water. All trash and wannabe trash has been taken to the bear-proof trash can. And everything is back in the van and put away. We went to the Ranger Program which is where I heard the story about the bear. And Benny picked up his Junior Ranger booklet as well. It is about time for us to pick these chairs up and hit the hay because tomorrow we are going to Cades Cove and I expect us to be over there most of the day. Last park, and I’m going to make the most of it. I have one week left to pick a destination and land on it. Still praying that something comes of the applications that I’ve turned in. And I don’t want to think about that right now, not when I am trying to relax so I can sleep peacefully.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Thank you, I really loved finding more story tonight.
October 24th – Cades Cove
It was more than just a little chilly when we got up this morning as it was in the low 40s. Brr. But a jacket took care of it. Plus I made breakfast in the van so we wouldn’t have so much cleaning to do before we could pull out. We were off to Cades Cove.
The area called Cades Cove was a hunting ground for the Cherokee Indians dating back hundreds of years, however, there are no signs that the cove was ever a major settlement for them. That’s not true of the white settlers who lived there. The Europeans first begin settling Cades Cove between 1818 and 1821. BY the year 1830, the population had grown to 271 and they left a lot of historical buildings and sites as a result. An 11-mile loop road runs the perimeter of the cove which is used by bicyclists, walkers, and motorists. This time of year it is a busy place and they only allow so many people into the area at any given time. Benny and I got in line for the road to open over an hour early but we certainly weren’t the first ones. Thankfully we were able to get a ticket in the first group they were letting in. I heard while we were waiting that as busy as it looked to be, it still barely half of the crowds from the summer and the first half of October. Yowzer.
First stop on the loop road was the Oliver Cabin. It is simply easier for me to write out what was on some of the sign-thingies at each stop as I don’t want to forget the history: The first of the settlers in Cades Cove were John and Lauany Oliver. The Oliver’s were typical of the pioneers that settled in the Smokies. Hearty and ready to start a new life together, they were fully aware that they were moving into areas where no Indian treaties existed to allow for their settlement. This practice was generally a point of contention between the newly arriving settlers and the Native American population. However, in this case the Native Americans were open and helpful to the couple. The intervention of the Cherokees helped the Oliver’s survive the first winter. Within a year of the Oliver’s move into the cove, the Calhoun Treaty gave white settlers there, thus alleviating some of their initial concerns. In 1826, the Oliver’s purchased their land beginning the settlement. The original Oliver cabin stood about fifty yards behind the cabin that is now identified as their cabins. In reality the structure that is identified as the Oliver cabin is actually the honeymoon house which was built for their son to use when he married. However, the cabin that sits in the cove today is an excellent example of the living conditions of those early settlers.
Let me tell you, it is a nice enough cabin as such things go but not what I would want to have to raise Benny in. Found out from a ranger walking around that the Oliver cabin stayed in the family for over a hundred years before it was donated to the national park. Wow.
The next stop was more “modern” than the cabin, or at least the building itself was. The Primitive Baptist Church reminded me a little of the church I grew up in. Our church had a secondary building called the Fellowship Hall but where the services were held looks very similar. We sometimes went to the First Baptist Church in Welborn or the one in Live Oak, but most of the time we went to the little church that sat on a piece of land that was high and dry but not much good for anything else as the highway skipped it. Just like that church this one had a cemetery attached to it. Though the church was established in 1827, the building we saw wasn’t the original one. An interesting tid bit is that the congregation halted worship in the church during the Civil War when their minister was forced to flee the area. They picked right up where they left off when the war ceased.
There were two more churches along the road right after that one. The Methodist church was built in 1820 and the Missionary Baptist Church from a slightly later era. You wouldn’t think such a small area would have three separate churches, but just like in modern times, it didn’t take much to cause a schism in the church and a group would split and go off to worship God how they thought was best. Not a few times the splits were over which Bible to use. Didn’t that bring back a memory or three when people couldn’t agree which one to use in our church. I was too little to understand what was going on but I can remember the bickering … KJV, NKJV, NIV, NLT, NASB … one of the worst bits of trouble I got into in church was when someone or other was up at the front and listing out all the different translations and I sang out, “T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z now we know our ABC’s next time won’t you sing with me.” I remember Lawrence simply picked me up out of the pew, tossed me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and carted me outside. The whole time I’m crying and saying, “I finally know one of them songs and now you won’t let me sing it?! That’s not fair!” Gawd I was such a handful.
I skipped the next stop that was called Cooper Road Trail. It was named for Joe Cooper, a settler credited with mass improvements to the wagon road, but we didn’t have time for the 10.9-mile hike. Maybe if we ever come back.
Then next stop was the Elijah Oliver Place. A ranger there keeping an eye on the crowds explained that Elijah was John Oliver’s son from the first stop we made. It was cool to look around but I wanted to get us to the next stop before things got too crowded.
Shortly after passing the Elijah Oliver Place was the trailhead of Abrams Falls Trail. It is one of the most popular trails in the entire Smoky Mountains and leads to a 20-foot waterfall that is unmatched anywhere else in the park. The trail is approximately five miles roundtrip and traveled by approximately a thousand people every day. The trail was well-marked but can still be tricky because it can be rocky and/or muddy in places. And when the number of people going both ways gets up there, like it did as we were coming back, you’ll be very glad if you do this early in the morning.
There are also a bunch of log bridges on the trail making it even more interesting when the crowds reach their peak. Definitely a one-way stretch and sometimes people don’t want to use their patience bone and wait their turn.
Once we reach the actual falls area, we were greeted with a sign warning that many people have drowned at Abrams Falls and to be careful. Yeah, I looked at Benny and he knew he better follow the rules. From this point, we could see the falls from a higher perspective but apparently we weren’t there quite yet. We continued hiking down the trail despite it seeming that we were going away from the falls. Instead, we would going around by way of a bridge that loops back so that we could get to the base of the falls. A perfect place for lunch and we weren’t the only ones to think so. What a picnic that was. The water flowing over the fall was something else.
Now here is where I take exception to some of our fellow hikers. First off I’ve never seen so many flip flops and sandals on a trail the likes of which we were on. There were a lot of blisters, stubbed toes, and scraped knees that they could have been used as a first aid training event. And if that wasn’t enough there were people swimming at the base of the falls. Have you any idea how freakin’ cold that water was?! As much as I love water there was no way that I was getting Benny and I anywhere near it. After our picnic was over I was actually ready to go because the nutcases were starting to stress me out. Thankfully the hike out, even though there were more people on the trail, lowered my stress level and a good thing too considering what happened at our next stop.
We had finally made it about half-way along the 11-mile loop road which meant it was time to stop at the Cades Cove Visitor Center area. It is generally called the Cable Mill area in most of the tourist books. The historic buildings there include barns, homes, a smokehouse, a blacksmith shop, a molasses furnace, and a grist mill. A grist mill is just what it sounds like. That’s a mill where they grind corn and wheat into flour and meal. It was built in the 1860s and is still run almost daily. The visitor center sold bags of the stuff and just about everything else you could imagine as well that might be found in such a place. One of the biggest attracts however were the modern restrooms and boy were they backed up. Benny is getting too old to be taken into the women’s bathroom but there was no freakin’ way that I was going to let him go into the men’s side on his own. We could have used the head in the van but there aren’t any dump stations in the park so I need to be careful of over-filling the tanks.
Now comes the part that had me coming unglued. Benny wandered away from me at the mill. O.M.G. My heart was slamming in my chest so hard I’m surprised other people couldn’t hear it. I nearly couldn’t breathe. Fifteen seconds. That’s all it was but … I nearly puked. I know it was a panic attack of sorts. I know it was his APD affecting his perceptions of his location. I know I might have over-reacted a wee bit. But for that fifteen seconds it was a nightmare. I mean my chest hurt afterwards. I couldn’t blame that on him, but it did mean that I made him hold onto my belt loop for the remainder of our time in the crowds.
I tried really hard to get over it. I didn’t yell at him or anything, but he most definitely understood he’d made a mistake, a mistake enough that he’d scared his Aunt Gus. That upset him more than realizing he’d been lost after the fact. Today’s survival skill? Do not get separated from your buddy. Period. And when you are in a crowd it is even more important to pay attention to what is going on around you, not just what is in front of you, no matter how interesting it might be.
Okay, enough said. The acid still wants to climb the back of my throat when I think about it too much.
After leaving the visitor center area our next stop was the Henry Whitehead Place. It had an interesting history. First off it is the only house in the park that remains of its architectural style … both log and frame construction. Next is the history of the family that built in. Separation and divorce were uncommon in early Cades Cove, but Matilda ‘Aunt Tildy’ Shields’ first husband abandoned her. Matilda and her kid were left homeless, so the community rallied around her and built her a shabby, but much-needed cabin.
According to the sign-thingies, even though Aunt Tildy’s first marriage did not work out, she fared considerably better the second time around. Matilda met Henry Whitehead, a carpenter who was devoted to his instant family. Henry promised Matilda the best home in Cades Cove before they married, and he did not disappoint. The house looks like it is a modern frame built home due to the high quality Henry’s carpentry. Close examination of the corners, however, reveals that this is a sawn log home. The sturdy timber walls are four inches thick and are designed to give insulation against the weather. The home also as a real brick chimney with bricks Henry produced on site, rather than the typical rubble or stone chimney.
The considerably smaller, shabbily constructed hut behind the main house is a tribute to Matilda’s romantic struggle. Matilda and her young son were sheltered by the rough logs and rubble chimney until she remarried to Henry Whitehead. When Henry Whitehead built the main house, he placed it right in front of the small cabin and connected the two roofs to create a covered walkway between the two. A bit of a side note is that Josiah ‘Joe Banty,’ Matilda’s son from her first marriage, became a famous moonshiner during prohibition, providing the ‘white lightning’ for Cades Cove.
The next stop was the Cades Cove Nature Trail, a nice 2-mile loop trail. I was surprised that there weren’t very many people on the trail until I looked at the time and realized a lot of people had probably finished for the day and were heading on to other spots. Oh well, too sad for them. Benny and I got to see some deer and a bear butt. Not a bare butt but a bear butt. A black bear had its head stuck in a log and was likely scooping out some tasty grubs or similar. Not like we stopped to ask or anything and it was a way off into the surrounding trees but we did let a ranger know who was in the parking lot talking to someone that had a flat tire. Apparently their donut tire was also flat. I traded a can of fix-a-flat for the ranger’s signature on one of Benny’s required activities. I also plugged the hole in the tired with the handy dandy kit I carried in the van. They guy just kinda stood there with his mouth hanging open. After they pulled out – the girlfriend obviously ragging on him a bit - I put my tools away and was about to tell Benny it was time to head ‘em up and move ‘em out when the ranger says, “Thanks Aunt Gus.”
I gave a quick glance at Benny to see him shake his head. He hadn’t told.
“Er … you’re welcome?”
The guy chuckles. “I was pretty sure that was who you were. We’ve been wondering if you would make it to our park before the snow flew.”
“Definitely. I’m a Florida girl. The idea of driving in snow doesn’t do a whole lot for me,” I said trying to be friendly and not act like I’d been showing off.
The man was nice and just offered some friendly advice on some of the trails. I thanked him and we were on our way. It still kinda blows me away … not always in a good way … to be caught off guard like that. It hasn’t happened a ton of times but it’s happened enough. And I still haven’t forgotten the Big Bend incidence. Ugh. I suppose it isn’t horrible, but I definitely need to be careful.
There were three other stops before we finished the loop. The Dan Lawson Place, the Tipton Place, and the Carter Shields Cabin. Carter Shields was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the Civil War. His full name was George Washington “Carter” Shields and he only lived in the home for 11 years after returning home from Kansas following the war.
There was still too much daylight left to go back to camp so we did some hiking to work Benny’s wiggles off:
We were both glad to get back to camp at that point and rather than anything complicated I made skillet nachos and bean burritos. While Benny fell asleep over his Junior Ranger book, I prepped our food for tomorrow. We have several hikes planned but only two of them major, and of those two only one of them is over four miles long. I need to remember to refill the potable water tank somehow as well. We have enough for tomorrow, but by tomorrow night I need to address the issue.
It was more than just a little chilly when we got up this morning as it was in the low 40s. Brr. But a jacket took care of it. Plus I made breakfast in the van so we wouldn’t have so much cleaning to do before we could pull out. We were off to Cades Cove.
The area called Cades Cove was a hunting ground for the Cherokee Indians dating back hundreds of years, however, there are no signs that the cove was ever a major settlement for them. That’s not true of the white settlers who lived there. The Europeans first begin settling Cades Cove between 1818 and 1821. BY the year 1830, the population had grown to 271 and they left a lot of historical buildings and sites as a result. An 11-mile loop road runs the perimeter of the cove which is used by bicyclists, walkers, and motorists. This time of year it is a busy place and they only allow so many people into the area at any given time. Benny and I got in line for the road to open over an hour early but we certainly weren’t the first ones. Thankfully we were able to get a ticket in the first group they were letting in. I heard while we were waiting that as busy as it looked to be, it still barely half of the crowds from the summer and the first half of October. Yowzer.
First stop on the loop road was the Oliver Cabin. It is simply easier for me to write out what was on some of the sign-thingies at each stop as I don’t want to forget the history: The first of the settlers in Cades Cove were John and Lauany Oliver. The Oliver’s were typical of the pioneers that settled in the Smokies. Hearty and ready to start a new life together, they were fully aware that they were moving into areas where no Indian treaties existed to allow for their settlement. This practice was generally a point of contention between the newly arriving settlers and the Native American population. However, in this case the Native Americans were open and helpful to the couple. The intervention of the Cherokees helped the Oliver’s survive the first winter. Within a year of the Oliver’s move into the cove, the Calhoun Treaty gave white settlers there, thus alleviating some of their initial concerns. In 1826, the Oliver’s purchased their land beginning the settlement. The original Oliver cabin stood about fifty yards behind the cabin that is now identified as their cabins. In reality the structure that is identified as the Oliver cabin is actually the honeymoon house which was built for their son to use when he married. However, the cabin that sits in the cove today is an excellent example of the living conditions of those early settlers.
Let me tell you, it is a nice enough cabin as such things go but not what I would want to have to raise Benny in. Found out from a ranger walking around that the Oliver cabin stayed in the family for over a hundred years before it was donated to the national park. Wow.
The next stop was more “modern” than the cabin, or at least the building itself was. The Primitive Baptist Church reminded me a little of the church I grew up in. Our church had a secondary building called the Fellowship Hall but where the services were held looks very similar. We sometimes went to the First Baptist Church in Welborn or the one in Live Oak, but most of the time we went to the little church that sat on a piece of land that was high and dry but not much good for anything else as the highway skipped it. Just like that church this one had a cemetery attached to it. Though the church was established in 1827, the building we saw wasn’t the original one. An interesting tid bit is that the congregation halted worship in the church during the Civil War when their minister was forced to flee the area. They picked right up where they left off when the war ceased.
There were two more churches along the road right after that one. The Methodist church was built in 1820 and the Missionary Baptist Church from a slightly later era. You wouldn’t think such a small area would have three separate churches, but just like in modern times, it didn’t take much to cause a schism in the church and a group would split and go off to worship God how they thought was best. Not a few times the splits were over which Bible to use. Didn’t that bring back a memory or three when people couldn’t agree which one to use in our church. I was too little to understand what was going on but I can remember the bickering … KJV, NKJV, NIV, NLT, NASB … one of the worst bits of trouble I got into in church was when someone or other was up at the front and listing out all the different translations and I sang out, “T, U, V, W, X, Y, and Z now we know our ABC’s next time won’t you sing with me.” I remember Lawrence simply picked me up out of the pew, tossed me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and carted me outside. The whole time I’m crying and saying, “I finally know one of them songs and now you won’t let me sing it?! That’s not fair!” Gawd I was such a handful.
I skipped the next stop that was called Cooper Road Trail. It was named for Joe Cooper, a settler credited with mass improvements to the wagon road, but we didn’t have time for the 10.9-mile hike. Maybe if we ever come back.
Then next stop was the Elijah Oliver Place. A ranger there keeping an eye on the crowds explained that Elijah was John Oliver’s son from the first stop we made. It was cool to look around but I wanted to get us to the next stop before things got too crowded.
Shortly after passing the Elijah Oliver Place was the trailhead of Abrams Falls Trail. It is one of the most popular trails in the entire Smoky Mountains and leads to a 20-foot waterfall that is unmatched anywhere else in the park. The trail is approximately five miles roundtrip and traveled by approximately a thousand people every day. The trail was well-marked but can still be tricky because it can be rocky and/or muddy in places. And when the number of people going both ways gets up there, like it did as we were coming back, you’ll be very glad if you do this early in the morning.
There are also a bunch of log bridges on the trail making it even more interesting when the crowds reach their peak. Definitely a one-way stretch and sometimes people don’t want to use their patience bone and wait their turn.
Once we reach the actual falls area, we were greeted with a sign warning that many people have drowned at Abrams Falls and to be careful. Yeah, I looked at Benny and he knew he better follow the rules. From this point, we could see the falls from a higher perspective but apparently we weren’t there quite yet. We continued hiking down the trail despite it seeming that we were going away from the falls. Instead, we would going around by way of a bridge that loops back so that we could get to the base of the falls. A perfect place for lunch and we weren’t the only ones to think so. What a picnic that was. The water flowing over the fall was something else.
Now here is where I take exception to some of our fellow hikers. First off I’ve never seen so many flip flops and sandals on a trail the likes of which we were on. There were a lot of blisters, stubbed toes, and scraped knees that they could have been used as a first aid training event. And if that wasn’t enough there were people swimming at the base of the falls. Have you any idea how freakin’ cold that water was?! As much as I love water there was no way that I was getting Benny and I anywhere near it. After our picnic was over I was actually ready to go because the nutcases were starting to stress me out. Thankfully the hike out, even though there were more people on the trail, lowered my stress level and a good thing too considering what happened at our next stop.
We had finally made it about half-way along the 11-mile loop road which meant it was time to stop at the Cades Cove Visitor Center area. It is generally called the Cable Mill area in most of the tourist books. The historic buildings there include barns, homes, a smokehouse, a blacksmith shop, a molasses furnace, and a grist mill. A grist mill is just what it sounds like. That’s a mill where they grind corn and wheat into flour and meal. It was built in the 1860s and is still run almost daily. The visitor center sold bags of the stuff and just about everything else you could imagine as well that might be found in such a place. One of the biggest attracts however were the modern restrooms and boy were they backed up. Benny is getting too old to be taken into the women’s bathroom but there was no freakin’ way that I was going to let him go into the men’s side on his own. We could have used the head in the van but there aren’t any dump stations in the park so I need to be careful of over-filling the tanks.
Now comes the part that had me coming unglued. Benny wandered away from me at the mill. O.M.G. My heart was slamming in my chest so hard I’m surprised other people couldn’t hear it. I nearly couldn’t breathe. Fifteen seconds. That’s all it was but … I nearly puked. I know it was a panic attack of sorts. I know it was his APD affecting his perceptions of his location. I know I might have over-reacted a wee bit. But for that fifteen seconds it was a nightmare. I mean my chest hurt afterwards. I couldn’t blame that on him, but it did mean that I made him hold onto my belt loop for the remainder of our time in the crowds.
I tried really hard to get over it. I didn’t yell at him or anything, but he most definitely understood he’d made a mistake, a mistake enough that he’d scared his Aunt Gus. That upset him more than realizing he’d been lost after the fact. Today’s survival skill? Do not get separated from your buddy. Period. And when you are in a crowd it is even more important to pay attention to what is going on around you, not just what is in front of you, no matter how interesting it might be.
Okay, enough said. The acid still wants to climb the back of my throat when I think about it too much.
After leaving the visitor center area our next stop was the Henry Whitehead Place. It had an interesting history. First off it is the only house in the park that remains of its architectural style … both log and frame construction. Next is the history of the family that built in. Separation and divorce were uncommon in early Cades Cove, but Matilda ‘Aunt Tildy’ Shields’ first husband abandoned her. Matilda and her kid were left homeless, so the community rallied around her and built her a shabby, but much-needed cabin.
According to the sign-thingies, even though Aunt Tildy’s first marriage did not work out, she fared considerably better the second time around. Matilda met Henry Whitehead, a carpenter who was devoted to his instant family. Henry promised Matilda the best home in Cades Cove before they married, and he did not disappoint. The house looks like it is a modern frame built home due to the high quality Henry’s carpentry. Close examination of the corners, however, reveals that this is a sawn log home. The sturdy timber walls are four inches thick and are designed to give insulation against the weather. The home also as a real brick chimney with bricks Henry produced on site, rather than the typical rubble or stone chimney.
The considerably smaller, shabbily constructed hut behind the main house is a tribute to Matilda’s romantic struggle. Matilda and her young son were sheltered by the rough logs and rubble chimney until she remarried to Henry Whitehead. When Henry Whitehead built the main house, he placed it right in front of the small cabin and connected the two roofs to create a covered walkway between the two. A bit of a side note is that Josiah ‘Joe Banty,’ Matilda’s son from her first marriage, became a famous moonshiner during prohibition, providing the ‘white lightning’ for Cades Cove.
The next stop was the Cades Cove Nature Trail, a nice 2-mile loop trail. I was surprised that there weren’t very many people on the trail until I looked at the time and realized a lot of people had probably finished for the day and were heading on to other spots. Oh well, too sad for them. Benny and I got to see some deer and a bear butt. Not a bare butt but a bear butt. A black bear had its head stuck in a log and was likely scooping out some tasty grubs or similar. Not like we stopped to ask or anything and it was a way off into the surrounding trees but we did let a ranger know who was in the parking lot talking to someone that had a flat tire. Apparently their donut tire was also flat. I traded a can of fix-a-flat for the ranger’s signature on one of Benny’s required activities. I also plugged the hole in the tired with the handy dandy kit I carried in the van. They guy just kinda stood there with his mouth hanging open. After they pulled out – the girlfriend obviously ragging on him a bit - I put my tools away and was about to tell Benny it was time to head ‘em up and move ‘em out when the ranger says, “Thanks Aunt Gus.”
I gave a quick glance at Benny to see him shake his head. He hadn’t told.
“Er … you’re welcome?”
The guy chuckles. “I was pretty sure that was who you were. We’ve been wondering if you would make it to our park before the snow flew.”
“Definitely. I’m a Florida girl. The idea of driving in snow doesn’t do a whole lot for me,” I said trying to be friendly and not act like I’d been showing off.
The man was nice and just offered some friendly advice on some of the trails. I thanked him and we were on our way. It still kinda blows me away … not always in a good way … to be caught off guard like that. It hasn’t happened a ton of times but it’s happened enough. And I still haven’t forgotten the Big Bend incidence. Ugh. I suppose it isn’t horrible, but I definitely need to be careful.
There were three other stops before we finished the loop. The Dan Lawson Place, the Tipton Place, and the Carter Shields Cabin. Carter Shields was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the Civil War. His full name was George Washington “Carter” Shields and he only lived in the home for 11 years after returning home from Kansas following the war.
There was still too much daylight left to go back to camp so we did some hiking to work Benny’s wiggles off:
- Pine Oak Nature Trail was a 0.8 mile loop trail located near Townsend, Tennessee. It is not a good hike for winter but was nice this time of year. It took us about 30 minutes to complete it.
- Walker Sisters Home via Little Brier Gap Trail (includes the Metcalf Bottoms trail) was a 4 mile out and back trail. It took a little longer than I expected at an hour and a half but it was still a nice hike.
- Almost didn’t do the last hike but gave it a shot. Jakes Creek Trail to Avent Cabin was a 2.7 mile stupid busy trail. The crowds on the trail is what made it take an hour and a half to hike it.
We were both glad to get back to camp at that point and rather than anything complicated I made skillet nachos and bean burritos. While Benny fell asleep over his Junior Ranger book, I prepped our food for tomorrow. We have several hikes planned but only two of them major, and of those two only one of them is over four miles long. I need to remember to refill the potable water tank somehow as well. We have enough for tomorrow, but by tomorrow night I need to address the issue.
Jeepcats27
Senior Member
Nice chapter to wake up to!
October 25th – Laurel Falls and Chimney Tops
Cold and damp today. Hiking kept us warm but between our work outs I made sure that we were both wearing our jackets and earmuffs. We also wore our fingerless gloves. That might have seemed a little silly, but it made it easier to use our walking sticks. On the other hand, I saw a bunch of people in shorts and tank tops. Where do these people live? The North Freaking Pole?
Benny was a much calmer boy today than he has been the last two days. He wasn’t bad yesterday but the crowds in Cades Cove had him fairly bouncy. When he wandered away from me at the mill is the only time I was really upset about it. I get that he was distracted with the crowds, that the APD also caught him sideways, and he is only six for Pete’s sake and it was my responsibility to watch him, but not even in Key West on a cruise ship in port day was I ever freaked out quite so bad. It is obvious that he is trying so I’m going to let it go but I’m going to have to be more on top of things when we are in a crowd. And to be honest, Benny isn’t the only one that is out of practice with people.
We did several hikes today. I don’t think I am recording them in order but I’m trying not to be so anal about that sort of thing. I am trying not to let the hamster control every aspect of my life. I mean it does, but I want to be the Captain of my ship and the hamster only a minor crew member. Rereading what I just wrote makes me sound a little crazy I admit. But personifying that evil little furball is the only way I have found to really manage my personal issues. It has worked since Dad made a joke about needing to find a hamster wheel for me when I would get wound up. I just remember thinking that I had a hamster in my head and it has grown from that.
Laurel Falls was a really nice hike. We started on the Laurel Falls Walkway - a 0.4-mile loop trail – because we had to park at the farthest lot so that the Ark would fit. Then it was on to the Laurel Falls Trail itself - a 2.4-mile busy out and back trail to a waterfall. (1 hour 15 minutes)
From the trailhead the path winds its way along the mountainside. We passed through what seemed like a forest of rhododendrons that crowded the trail so much you have to push them out of the way to follow the trail. And if it wasn’t plants it was people. Even early in the morning this trail was really crowded.
Nearly everyone on the trail made it to the creeks unless the mud freaks them out. Then comes the falls which have two parts. A bridge crosses between them and you get a very close-up waterfall experience. You can hike beyond the waterfall to the Cove Mountain Fire Tower but we had other things to do. Coming down from the from the falls the pavement was more of a factor that going up; it is pretty rough in places and can be slippery where it is wet. A sign-thingie at the trail told us that the trail was originally paved in the 1930s for a project that aimed to pave routes all the way to the summit of Cove Mountain to provide access in the case of a fire. The project was never completed but they keep it paved due to the number of hikers that use it.
We did three really short hikes today as well:
We stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center to do a couple of activities for Benny’s junior ranger work. Nice place, just busy. We utilized the bathrooms there and filled up a few of our water containers because despite the cool weather we were drinking a lot of water. We also did the Sugarlands Vally Nature trail while we were there.
Another waterfall trail we took was Cataract Falls - a 1.1-mile freakin’ busy out and back trail to a waterfall. (30 minutes) The trailhead, which was directly to the left of the visitor center started off paved but quickly turned to gravel. We walked beside the calm Fighting Creek nearly the entire way. There was also dense vegetation and a beautiful canopy of trees overhead. Benny loved loved the bridges that crossed the creek in several places. I appreciated that the bridges had good rails. Prior to reaching the waterfall, the trail went under a bridge and up a small set of stairs. The waterfall is comprised of two low-flow streams totaling a 25-foot drop into a small pool below. A safety note: Some people don’t listen to commonsense and park rules. You are not supposed climb on or around the falls in the park. Every couple of years someone tries their luck and loses. Last year some chick decided she needed a money shot for her blog and slipped on the rocks and fell 30′. She lived but there was enough damage that she’s got paralysis and facial scarring that is going to last a lifetime. One of today’s survival skills included that particular lesson. Yes, the story was harsh but I’d rather him learn a lesson from someone else’s mistake than one he has made himself.
One of the last hikes of the day was Chimney Tops Trail - a 4.1-mile heavily trafficked (understatement) out and back trail. It is rated as difficult, but I think more for the crowds than the terrain though I did see a couple of people give up and turn around before getting to the top. (1 hr 45 minutes)
The trail began at a low rock wall bordering the parking lot area. It descends to a bridge across the Walker Camp Prong of the Little Pigeon River. The trail then crossed several bridges along the mile it took to reach Beech Flats. The second and third bridge both crossed the Road Prong and got us to Beech Flats Cove. That is the halfway mark of the trail. At Beech Flats, the Chimney Tops Trail crossed the Road Prong Trail that in turn leads to the Appalachian Trail at Indian Gap, 2.3 miles away. We were going to Chimney Tops so stayed on the main trail that veered right into a creek valley on the north side of Sugarland Mountain.
Nice trail and great views but the crowds honestly made it less than as enjoyable as it could have been. Part of the problem was that a sight-seeing bus had dumped a lot of people onto the trail right before we got to it. I made Benny hold my belt in a few places where people were not using best hiking etiquette. Kinda hard to enjoy the scenery when you have people insisting on talking at the top of their lungs and stopping all of a sudden to take a selfie.
At that point we turned around and headed back to camp where we did the Elkmont Nature Trail which wasn’t even a mile long. It seems like a lot hiking for the day, but all but Chimney Tops were short hikes. I could have done without the traffic on the roads that built up later in the day, but my understanding is that it is just that way in this park. All those freaking switchbacks on the road didn’t do anything for me either. Some great pullouts however that made for views that are indescribable.
Didn’t really feel like cooking though since I’m the adult it was a chore I couldn’t ignore. We had to eat even if my stomach was full of acid from thoughts I'm not going to record. Dinner wound up being a throw together where I used up a couple of cans and some meat out of the freezer. We went to the evening ranger program and then came back to camp and roasted marshmallows before I put the coals out in the fire ring.
Tonight is our last night in Elkmont. I told myself that I wasn’t going to worry. But every benchmark on our timeline brings the end closer. And with that it brings the unknown closer. Ugh. Shut off brain hamster and get some sleep.
Cold and damp today. Hiking kept us warm but between our work outs I made sure that we were both wearing our jackets and earmuffs. We also wore our fingerless gloves. That might have seemed a little silly, but it made it easier to use our walking sticks. On the other hand, I saw a bunch of people in shorts and tank tops. Where do these people live? The North Freaking Pole?
Benny was a much calmer boy today than he has been the last two days. He wasn’t bad yesterday but the crowds in Cades Cove had him fairly bouncy. When he wandered away from me at the mill is the only time I was really upset about it. I get that he was distracted with the crowds, that the APD also caught him sideways, and he is only six for Pete’s sake and it was my responsibility to watch him, but not even in Key West on a cruise ship in port day was I ever freaked out quite so bad. It is obvious that he is trying so I’m going to let it go but I’m going to have to be more on top of things when we are in a crowd. And to be honest, Benny isn’t the only one that is out of practice with people.
We did several hikes today. I don’t think I am recording them in order but I’m trying not to be so anal about that sort of thing. I am trying not to let the hamster control every aspect of my life. I mean it does, but I want to be the Captain of my ship and the hamster only a minor crew member. Rereading what I just wrote makes me sound a little crazy I admit. But personifying that evil little furball is the only way I have found to really manage my personal issues. It has worked since Dad made a joke about needing to find a hamster wheel for me when I would get wound up. I just remember thinking that I had a hamster in my head and it has grown from that.
Laurel Falls was a really nice hike. We started on the Laurel Falls Walkway - a 0.4-mile loop trail – because we had to park at the farthest lot so that the Ark would fit. Then it was on to the Laurel Falls Trail itself - a 2.4-mile busy out and back trail to a waterfall. (1 hour 15 minutes)
From the trailhead the path winds its way along the mountainside. We passed through what seemed like a forest of rhododendrons that crowded the trail so much you have to push them out of the way to follow the trail. And if it wasn’t plants it was people. Even early in the morning this trail was really crowded.
Nearly everyone on the trail made it to the creeks unless the mud freaks them out. Then comes the falls which have two parts. A bridge crosses between them and you get a very close-up waterfall experience. You can hike beyond the waterfall to the Cove Mountain Fire Tower but we had other things to do. Coming down from the from the falls the pavement was more of a factor that going up; it is pretty rough in places and can be slippery where it is wet. A sign-thingie at the trail told us that the trail was originally paved in the 1930s for a project that aimed to pave routes all the way to the summit of Cove Mountain to provide access in the case of a fire. The project was never completed but they keep it paved due to the number of hikers that use it.
We did three really short hikes today as well:
- Hickory Flats Quiet Walkway: a 0.7-mile lightly trafficked out and back trail. (20 minutes)
- Riverview Quiet Walkway: a 0.9-mile lightly trafficked loop trail along a river. (30 minutes)
- Cove Hardwoods Nature Trail: a 0.8-mile loop trail. One of the nature trails listed in the junior ranger materials as part of a scavenger hunt. (30 minutes)
We stopped at the Sugarlands Visitor Center to do a couple of activities for Benny’s junior ranger work. Nice place, just busy. We utilized the bathrooms there and filled up a few of our water containers because despite the cool weather we were drinking a lot of water. We also did the Sugarlands Vally Nature trail while we were there.
Another waterfall trail we took was Cataract Falls - a 1.1-mile freakin’ busy out and back trail to a waterfall. (30 minutes) The trailhead, which was directly to the left of the visitor center started off paved but quickly turned to gravel. We walked beside the calm Fighting Creek nearly the entire way. There was also dense vegetation and a beautiful canopy of trees overhead. Benny loved loved the bridges that crossed the creek in several places. I appreciated that the bridges had good rails. Prior to reaching the waterfall, the trail went under a bridge and up a small set of stairs. The waterfall is comprised of two low-flow streams totaling a 25-foot drop into a small pool below. A safety note: Some people don’t listen to commonsense and park rules. You are not supposed climb on or around the falls in the park. Every couple of years someone tries their luck and loses. Last year some chick decided she needed a money shot for her blog and slipped on the rocks and fell 30′. She lived but there was enough damage that she’s got paralysis and facial scarring that is going to last a lifetime. One of today’s survival skills included that particular lesson. Yes, the story was harsh but I’d rather him learn a lesson from someone else’s mistake than one he has made himself.
One of the last hikes of the day was Chimney Tops Trail - a 4.1-mile heavily trafficked (understatement) out and back trail. It is rated as difficult, but I think more for the crowds than the terrain though I did see a couple of people give up and turn around before getting to the top. (1 hr 45 minutes)
The trail began at a low rock wall bordering the parking lot area. It descends to a bridge across the Walker Camp Prong of the Little Pigeon River. The trail then crossed several bridges along the mile it took to reach Beech Flats. The second and third bridge both crossed the Road Prong and got us to Beech Flats Cove. That is the halfway mark of the trail. At Beech Flats, the Chimney Tops Trail crossed the Road Prong Trail that in turn leads to the Appalachian Trail at Indian Gap, 2.3 miles away. We were going to Chimney Tops so stayed on the main trail that veered right into a creek valley on the north side of Sugarland Mountain.
Nice trail and great views but the crowds honestly made it less than as enjoyable as it could have been. Part of the problem was that a sight-seeing bus had dumped a lot of people onto the trail right before we got to it. I made Benny hold my belt in a few places where people were not using best hiking etiquette. Kinda hard to enjoy the scenery when you have people insisting on talking at the top of their lungs and stopping all of a sudden to take a selfie.
At that point we turned around and headed back to camp where we did the Elkmont Nature Trail which wasn’t even a mile long. It seems like a lot hiking for the day, but all but Chimney Tops were short hikes. I could have done without the traffic on the roads that built up later in the day, but my understanding is that it is just that way in this park. All those freaking switchbacks on the road didn’t do anything for me either. Some great pullouts however that made for views that are indescribable.
Didn’t really feel like cooking though since I’m the adult it was a chore I couldn’t ignore. We had to eat even if my stomach was full of acid from thoughts I'm not going to record. Dinner wound up being a throw together where I used up a couple of cans and some meat out of the freezer. We went to the evening ranger program and then came back to camp and roasted marshmallows before I put the coals out in the fire ring.
Tonight is our last night in Elkmont. I told myself that I wasn’t going to worry. But every benchmark on our timeline brings the end closer. And with that it brings the unknown closer. Ugh. Shut off brain hamster and get some sleep.
sssarawolf
Has No Life - Lives on TB
Great read this morning, thank you.
October 26th – Alum Cave, Clingman’s Dome, and Appalachian Trail
Not quite so cold today but still cool. And it was and is still damp. They say there is rain in the forecast but I’m not sure what that is going to mean for us. Seems like a stormfront is moving through left over from a late season tropical storm that came out of the Gulf. Like Florida needed more rain at this point.
Did some good hiking today and it helped keep my mind occupied for a while. First hike was Alum Cave Trail (5 mile, there and back trail). The trail started out fairly easy and gradual, running parallel to Alum Cave Creek for about a mile. It then switched on to Styx Branch, eventually leading to Arch Rock. Benny informed me that Arch Rock was formed by the freezing and thawing of water, causing the softer rock under the arch to be eroded away.
“Oh really.”
“It said so in the visitor center. I had to study some ja-logical stuff to earn my badge.”
Benny is outgrowing the cute mispronunciations of words stage, but he still makes a few and I want to record them for my memories. Geez he is growing up so fast. How do I hold onto him without suffocating him? Is this how real mothers feel?
We made our way across the bridge and up the steps that go through the arch. The first mile or so leading up to Arch Rock passes through a large number of rhododendrons. We also heard some people had seen a black bear in the area yesterday but bear butts, or bare butts, today. We did see a peregrine falcon and what I think was its mate which thrilled Benny to no end as he was able to mark it on the bingo game in his Junior Ranger booklet.
We continued on the trail for less than a mile reaching Inspiration Point, which boasts amazing views of Little Duck Hawk Ridge to the west, and Myrtle Point on Mt. LeConte towards the northeast. On a nice day, you can see The Eye of the Needle, a hole atop Little Duck Hawk Ridge, but today was not one of those days.
Going a little further we reached Alum Cave, for which the trail is named. Alum Cave is actually not a cave, but a bluff named after the Alum deposits found on the walls of the "cave." The ground there was fairly loose and slippery. Another hiker told us that in winter you have to be cautious of falling icicles from the top of the bluff. I can’t imagine hiking that trail in winter to begin with much less when there is ice up there.
We decided to follow along the walls of the bluff and continue up the trail for a little while further. We managed to reach a spot called Gracie's Pulpit, I have no idea why, which marked the halfway point of the trail. Another hiker encouraged us to keep going a little further and I’m glad we did though the ledges with cable hand holds was a little freaky. The last ledge passed just under Cliff Top, and the trail ends at Rainbow Falls Trail. Supposedly that spot offers the best views at sunset in the park but I wasn’t staying up there until dark. Nope and nope so it was time to head back down.
Next stop? New Found Gap pull out. Holy frijoles. No joke, that is an amazing view. The road to get to it managed to instigate an ulcer but it was worth it. I plan on going back up there tomorrow. Gonna hike on the Appalachian Trail which cuts right through the Gap.
We also stopped at the nearby Clingman’s Dome where I had to wait for a parking spot. Luckily I got one vacated by a camper top truck so I knew we’d fit.
Benny and I are in shape but even we had to take breaks along the trail to get to the observation tower. The paved trail was only 0.5 miles but felt longer. It departed from the west end of the parking lot, but not until after we’d used the restrooms to off load some of the water we’ve been drinking and for a glance inside the visitor center to get oriented and learn about the flora and fauna, and natural and cultural history of the area. Benny marked a few things for his junior ranger booklet and then we were off.
The trail is wide and paved and goes what feels like straight up as it winds through a spruce and fir forest. No picture I took really shows how it feels to walk that incline. Whew. There are occasional glimpses of the surrounding views but most of it is blocked by the trees on that side of the trail. Eventually it reaches the observation tower. Often compared to a flying saucer, the observation tower itself is very cool. A sign-thingie up there explained that at 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is also the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Only Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) and Mt. Craig (6,647), both located in Mt. Mitchell State Park in western North Carolina, rise higher. It was also a good fifteen degrees cooler up there than it had been in the parking lot. I’m glad we kept our jackets on and had our earmuffs and gloves in the pockets.
I was grateful to give my calves and glutes a break after we made our way down. We ate a few snacks and then it was off to our next hike. Kephart Shelter via Kephart Prong Trail was a 3.9-mile, busy, out and back trail that mostly goes through forest. Surprised me that it took us two hours to complete it. The trailhead wasn’t far from Newfound Gap and the traffic was awful.
One the trail we crossed the Oconaluftee River several times as we followed the old Champion Fiber Company logging road to the shelter. Still plenty of evidence of it along the path. For example, after 0.2 of a mile, we saw the remains of a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, also called a CCC camp, that was there from 1933-1942. The remains of the CCC include old walls, chimneys, and other artifacts from the camp that housed over 200 members of the CCC during the Great Depression when the government tried to keep people from starving to death by creating public works projects that were supposed to benefit the entire country in one way or another.
After we passed the remains of the camp, the trail continued uphill, crossing the river 4 more times until we reached the shelter. The four river crossings are all log footbridges, which made for easy work. I wouldn’t want to do it in icy conditions but that’s nothing I had to worry about this time of year.
Once we reached the Kephart Prong Shelter at 2.1 miles, there were several options detailed on the sign-thingies at the shelter. You can take the Grassy Branch Trail that climbs to the Dry Sluice Gap Trail, and then onto the Appalachian Trail. Another possibility is to take the Sweat Heifer Creek Trail up to the Appalachian Trail, and then back to Newfound Gap where you can either try to hitch a ride back to your car or have another car parked there so you can get back to your car at the trailhead. Both of those options were more strenuous as they are entirely uphill and not what I had planned on doing.
We headed back to the car for a much shorter hike before heading to check into our campsite. Collins Creek was a 1-mile out and back trail that featured yet another waterfall. It took us 30 minutes only because we were lollygagging.
Check in at Smokemont was a lot faster and easier than Elkmont had been. Because of this it wasn’t quite dinner time yet and all we needed to do was heat some leftovers. We decided to go ahead and do the Smokemont Self-Guided Nature Trail which was only 0.6 of a mile. We must have gotten there at a good time because hardly anyone was on it.
Thirty minutes later we walked back into camp, fed our faces, then headed on to the evening ranger program. Benny is technically finished with his junior ranger booklet but he insists on trying to finish every single activity instead of just the number he needs for the badge. I’m living in overachiever central. No biggie but I need to remember to stop so he can get what he earned, maybe at Oconaluftee visitor center.
I did my adulting for the night, put Benny to bed, and I’ve been sitting here thinking. Got a few more responses to my applications and they were all “thanks but the position is no longer available” or I didn’t have the experience they required. I’m trying not to “be a girl” and cry but this is really tough. I feel like I did when Lawrence didn’t come home and Penny’s mental health started spiraling out of control. I’m grateful for the assistance that Groucho gave me back then but I’m passed that point. I need to figure this out for myself. I can’t keep leaning on people.
Not quite so cold today but still cool. And it was and is still damp. They say there is rain in the forecast but I’m not sure what that is going to mean for us. Seems like a stormfront is moving through left over from a late season tropical storm that came out of the Gulf. Like Florida needed more rain at this point.
Did some good hiking today and it helped keep my mind occupied for a while. First hike was Alum Cave Trail (5 mile, there and back trail). The trail started out fairly easy and gradual, running parallel to Alum Cave Creek for about a mile. It then switched on to Styx Branch, eventually leading to Arch Rock. Benny informed me that Arch Rock was formed by the freezing and thawing of water, causing the softer rock under the arch to be eroded away.
“Oh really.”
“It said so in the visitor center. I had to study some ja-logical stuff to earn my badge.”
Benny is outgrowing the cute mispronunciations of words stage, but he still makes a few and I want to record them for my memories. Geez he is growing up so fast. How do I hold onto him without suffocating him? Is this how real mothers feel?
We made our way across the bridge and up the steps that go through the arch. The first mile or so leading up to Arch Rock passes through a large number of rhododendrons. We also heard some people had seen a black bear in the area yesterday but bear butts, or bare butts, today. We did see a peregrine falcon and what I think was its mate which thrilled Benny to no end as he was able to mark it on the bingo game in his Junior Ranger booklet.
We continued on the trail for less than a mile reaching Inspiration Point, which boasts amazing views of Little Duck Hawk Ridge to the west, and Myrtle Point on Mt. LeConte towards the northeast. On a nice day, you can see The Eye of the Needle, a hole atop Little Duck Hawk Ridge, but today was not one of those days.
Going a little further we reached Alum Cave, for which the trail is named. Alum Cave is actually not a cave, but a bluff named after the Alum deposits found on the walls of the "cave." The ground there was fairly loose and slippery. Another hiker told us that in winter you have to be cautious of falling icicles from the top of the bluff. I can’t imagine hiking that trail in winter to begin with much less when there is ice up there.
We decided to follow along the walls of the bluff and continue up the trail for a little while further. We managed to reach a spot called Gracie's Pulpit, I have no idea why, which marked the halfway point of the trail. Another hiker encouraged us to keep going a little further and I’m glad we did though the ledges with cable hand holds was a little freaky. The last ledge passed just under Cliff Top, and the trail ends at Rainbow Falls Trail. Supposedly that spot offers the best views at sunset in the park but I wasn’t staying up there until dark. Nope and nope so it was time to head back down.
Next stop? New Found Gap pull out. Holy frijoles. No joke, that is an amazing view. The road to get to it managed to instigate an ulcer but it was worth it. I plan on going back up there tomorrow. Gonna hike on the Appalachian Trail which cuts right through the Gap.
We also stopped at the nearby Clingman’s Dome where I had to wait for a parking spot. Luckily I got one vacated by a camper top truck so I knew we’d fit.
Benny and I are in shape but even we had to take breaks along the trail to get to the observation tower. The paved trail was only 0.5 miles but felt longer. It departed from the west end of the parking lot, but not until after we’d used the restrooms to off load some of the water we’ve been drinking and for a glance inside the visitor center to get oriented and learn about the flora and fauna, and natural and cultural history of the area. Benny marked a few things for his junior ranger booklet and then we were off.
The trail is wide and paved and goes what feels like straight up as it winds through a spruce and fir forest. No picture I took really shows how it feels to walk that incline. Whew. There are occasional glimpses of the surrounding views but most of it is blocked by the trees on that side of the trail. Eventually it reaches the observation tower. Often compared to a flying saucer, the observation tower itself is very cool. A sign-thingie up there explained that at 6,643 feet, Clingmans Dome is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is also the highest point in Tennessee, and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. Only Mt. Mitchell (6,684 feet) and Mt. Craig (6,647), both located in Mt. Mitchell State Park in western North Carolina, rise higher. It was also a good fifteen degrees cooler up there than it had been in the parking lot. I’m glad we kept our jackets on and had our earmuffs and gloves in the pockets.
I was grateful to give my calves and glutes a break after we made our way down. We ate a few snacks and then it was off to our next hike. Kephart Shelter via Kephart Prong Trail was a 3.9-mile, busy, out and back trail that mostly goes through forest. Surprised me that it took us two hours to complete it. The trailhead wasn’t far from Newfound Gap and the traffic was awful.
One the trail we crossed the Oconaluftee River several times as we followed the old Champion Fiber Company logging road to the shelter. Still plenty of evidence of it along the path. For example, after 0.2 of a mile, we saw the remains of a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp, also called a CCC camp, that was there from 1933-1942. The remains of the CCC include old walls, chimneys, and other artifacts from the camp that housed over 200 members of the CCC during the Great Depression when the government tried to keep people from starving to death by creating public works projects that were supposed to benefit the entire country in one way or another.
After we passed the remains of the camp, the trail continued uphill, crossing the river 4 more times until we reached the shelter. The four river crossings are all log footbridges, which made for easy work. I wouldn’t want to do it in icy conditions but that’s nothing I had to worry about this time of year.
Once we reached the Kephart Prong Shelter at 2.1 miles, there were several options detailed on the sign-thingies at the shelter. You can take the Grassy Branch Trail that climbs to the Dry Sluice Gap Trail, and then onto the Appalachian Trail. Another possibility is to take the Sweat Heifer Creek Trail up to the Appalachian Trail, and then back to Newfound Gap where you can either try to hitch a ride back to your car or have another car parked there so you can get back to your car at the trailhead. Both of those options were more strenuous as they are entirely uphill and not what I had planned on doing.
We headed back to the car for a much shorter hike before heading to check into our campsite. Collins Creek was a 1-mile out and back trail that featured yet another waterfall. It took us 30 minutes only because we were lollygagging.
Check in at Smokemont was a lot faster and easier than Elkmont had been. Because of this it wasn’t quite dinner time yet and all we needed to do was heat some leftovers. We decided to go ahead and do the Smokemont Self-Guided Nature Trail which was only 0.6 of a mile. We must have gotten there at a good time because hardly anyone was on it.
Thirty minutes later we walked back into camp, fed our faces, then headed on to the evening ranger program. Benny is technically finished with his junior ranger booklet but he insists on trying to finish every single activity instead of just the number he needs for the badge. I’m living in overachiever central. No biggie but I need to remember to stop so he can get what he earned, maybe at Oconaluftee visitor center.
I did my adulting for the night, put Benny to bed, and I’ve been sitting here thinking. Got a few more responses to my applications and they were all “thanks but the position is no longer available” or I didn’t have the experience they required. I’m trying not to “be a girl” and cry but this is really tough. I feel like I did when Lawrence didn’t come home and Penny’s mental health started spiraling out of control. I’m grateful for the assistance that Groucho gave me back then but I’m passed that point. I need to figure this out for myself. I can’t keep leaning on people.
October 27th – Charlies Bunion
Today I did something I had always wanted to do, hiked some of the Appalachian Trail. Would love to hike the entire thing one of these days. However that is a trip months in the planning and months in the execution. I don’t know if it will ever happen but who knows, maybe Benny will do it for me when I am gone just like I’m doing some of this adventure for Dad.
We hiked to Charlies Bunion. It was four miles one way which made it an 8-mile hike but what the heck, it isn’t every day you get to do something like that.
The trail begins climbing from Newfound Gap through a cool and shady forest. Within a half mile, most of the people that just want to claim they hiked the AT have turned around and returned to their cars more than halving the number of people we had to compete with for space on the trail. The Fraser firs in this section of the trail have either been killed by some creep crawlie thing called the balsam woolly adelgid, or by strong winds that tore through the area in 1995 from a leftover hurricane. The forest is recovering, it is just taking decades rather than just years.
Through the canopy of trees, we got brief views of the surrounding mountains. At 0.7 mile, one of the views was of the southern slope of Mt. LeConte. At 1.5 miles, we saw evidence of wild hog damage in the area. Wild hogs turn up the ground looking for food and damage the native plants. We were warmed that of we saw some traps off in the woods to leave them alone, they were set by hunters with permits to try and control the feral hogs. Those pigs do the same thing back home and probably do the same thing wherever they are. Wild hog is good eating but a pain in the butt to control as they breed fast. When I was little and before family trouble caused the rift, I remember that Dad and Uncle Daniel would go pig hunting together. Grandfather Barry went with them on occasion but mostly he insisted they take a third or fourth person with them. For whatever reason, he did like Dad and my uncle to go off hunting by themselves.
The Sweat Heifer Creek Trail joins the Appalachian Trail (AT) at a gap around 1.7 miles into the trail. You can head out that direction a little bit to get views of the NC side of the Smokies, and we did but not far.
The trail continues to climb, more steeply now, to the top of Mount Ambler. At mile 2.7, we meet the Boulevard Trail on the left, a trail to the summit of Mount LeConte. Our trail took us off to the right for another .3 mile where Icewater Spring and shelter provide a great place for a break and snack. You can reserve it if you are staying overnight while hiking the AT but it is popular and often books up.
The trail then began to descend through a gully created by the rain that this area receives and the foot traffic along the Appalachian Trail (AT). We passed a pipe with spring water (Icewater Spring) pouring out onto the trail. It is drinkable so long as you treat it. We had extra water in my pack so I avoided it. While I was sure that I could make it potable for me, I wasn’t so sure about Benny. Not long after that the trail leveled out at a spot called Masa Knob and then swung around Mt. Kephart and we got a spectacular view of the destination, Charlies Bunion.
If you're looking for sweeping views of the Great Smoky Mountains, few places will reward you the way that Charlies Bunion did us. Some people get scared off by the name, that’s all it is. The route and name was the result of a hike shared by early park proponents Horace Kephart and Charlie Conner. When the pair reached the summit, Charlie removed his shoes and socks to reveal a feature that looked remarkably like the outcrop that the men were sitting on. I’m not joking. The spot was named after some guy’s foot issue. Made a game with Benny out of pretending to name other spots on the trail: Benny’s Stinking Feet, Gus’ Little Toe Spur Trail, Ingrown Toenail Pass, Flatfoot Gap, and Broken Shoelace Overlook. He got a fit of the giggles over it.
A little way further on at mile 4.0, a narrow foot trail leads out to the craggy face of Charlies Bunion. It's a great place to explore, enjoy views of the Smokies and surrounding area, and take a break before turning around.
There was a guide up there with a group of Scouts and by listening we learned that this part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) was built in the fall of 1932. The work was done by a crew using pickaxes and shovels between the months of September 5 and October 6. And aside from the silly name we learned that in the 1920s, the area was heavily logged, and the lumber companies left piles of brush scattered all over the area. A massive forest fire in 1925 blazed up Kephart Prong and crossed the Sawteeth Mountains into TN. The fire was so hot that it rendered the soil sterile, making it so nothing would grow. When a torrential rainstorm hit in 1929, it washed away a lot of the soil, leaving behind the geologic formation that would be known as Charlie's Bunion.
The wind was picking up and felt really wet. In Florida I knew that meant rain and I had no desire to be caught out near a bunch of cliffs if that was going to start up. As we hiked back and got to the Boulevard Trail, the wind had let up so we took a short side trip to a place called the Jump Off. The way is only one mile, but it provided freakin’ gorgeous views from the rock outcrop. I felt a few sprinkles and got us going back down.
Got back to Newfound Gap just in time as the very light sprinkles turned into real rain. Going down that road was not fun, but I just put it in low gear and kept to the speed limit. Gotta admit though I was more than happy to get down to the flatter areas.
It is still raining. That is going to make for wet and muddy conditions tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll be able to go hiking. I need to. My nerves are trying to turn into panic. To try and address it I took care of some adulting and now wish I hadn’t. It almost ruined the entire day.
Groucho point blank just told me that … okay, I’m trying not to get angry. I wasn’t even thinking of trying to dump us on them. I definitely felt like being nasty, but I bit it back after Stella got on the phone. She was trying to be diplomatic but that didn’t help my feelings.
“Geez Stella, like I would just ever make that kind of assumption. Benny is my responsibility, not you alls. I don’t get it, have I ever made out like I expected Groucho or you to fix my problems?”
“Now Gus …”
“Seriously. I was trying to be responsible and keep Groucho in the loop. I mean sure, he was good to Penny with little to no payback for that. And he gave me a hand getting started when he didn’t have to. But I don’t expect him to wipe my butt the entire way. Just he was Penny’s big brother and a nice guy.”
“Gus. I get it. Okay? And Groucho does as well. He’s just a little stressed right now. He just found out Denise ...”
“Who?”
“His first wife.”
“Er …”
“She has cancer and is down to days and … well she was trying to tie up loose ends. Good for her I guess, but it opened up some old wounds for Groucho if you know what I mean.”
“Sorry. I mean okay. Still …”
“Honey like I said I get it. But between you and me? I think he has about reached max contact on this. Instead of calling maybe you should just text or email … unless it is something big. At least for a while, until you can tell him you’ve got your next gig or something.”
I know a brush off when I get one but I also heard that she herself sounded a little stressed and trying not to share it. “Sure. Just make sure you tell him that I’m not looking for a crutch, hand out, or anything else.”
“Of course Honey. And you take care.”
Ugh. I never did plan to live … never mind. I kinda get it but Benny is Groucho’s nephew. How the heck am I supposed to explain to him that his uncle doesn’t want him in his life? This. Sucks.
Today I did something I had always wanted to do, hiked some of the Appalachian Trail. Would love to hike the entire thing one of these days. However that is a trip months in the planning and months in the execution. I don’t know if it will ever happen but who knows, maybe Benny will do it for me when I am gone just like I’m doing some of this adventure for Dad.
We hiked to Charlies Bunion. It was four miles one way which made it an 8-mile hike but what the heck, it isn’t every day you get to do something like that.
The trail begins climbing from Newfound Gap through a cool and shady forest. Within a half mile, most of the people that just want to claim they hiked the AT have turned around and returned to their cars more than halving the number of people we had to compete with for space on the trail. The Fraser firs in this section of the trail have either been killed by some creep crawlie thing called the balsam woolly adelgid, or by strong winds that tore through the area in 1995 from a leftover hurricane. The forest is recovering, it is just taking decades rather than just years.
Through the canopy of trees, we got brief views of the surrounding mountains. At 0.7 mile, one of the views was of the southern slope of Mt. LeConte. At 1.5 miles, we saw evidence of wild hog damage in the area. Wild hogs turn up the ground looking for food and damage the native plants. We were warmed that of we saw some traps off in the woods to leave them alone, they were set by hunters with permits to try and control the feral hogs. Those pigs do the same thing back home and probably do the same thing wherever they are. Wild hog is good eating but a pain in the butt to control as they breed fast. When I was little and before family trouble caused the rift, I remember that Dad and Uncle Daniel would go pig hunting together. Grandfather Barry went with them on occasion but mostly he insisted they take a third or fourth person with them. For whatever reason, he did like Dad and my uncle to go off hunting by themselves.
The Sweat Heifer Creek Trail joins the Appalachian Trail (AT) at a gap around 1.7 miles into the trail. You can head out that direction a little bit to get views of the NC side of the Smokies, and we did but not far.
The trail continues to climb, more steeply now, to the top of Mount Ambler. At mile 2.7, we meet the Boulevard Trail on the left, a trail to the summit of Mount LeConte. Our trail took us off to the right for another .3 mile where Icewater Spring and shelter provide a great place for a break and snack. You can reserve it if you are staying overnight while hiking the AT but it is popular and often books up.
The trail then began to descend through a gully created by the rain that this area receives and the foot traffic along the Appalachian Trail (AT). We passed a pipe with spring water (Icewater Spring) pouring out onto the trail. It is drinkable so long as you treat it. We had extra water in my pack so I avoided it. While I was sure that I could make it potable for me, I wasn’t so sure about Benny. Not long after that the trail leveled out at a spot called Masa Knob and then swung around Mt. Kephart and we got a spectacular view of the destination, Charlies Bunion.
If you're looking for sweeping views of the Great Smoky Mountains, few places will reward you the way that Charlies Bunion did us. Some people get scared off by the name, that’s all it is. The route and name was the result of a hike shared by early park proponents Horace Kephart and Charlie Conner. When the pair reached the summit, Charlie removed his shoes and socks to reveal a feature that looked remarkably like the outcrop that the men were sitting on. I’m not joking. The spot was named after some guy’s foot issue. Made a game with Benny out of pretending to name other spots on the trail: Benny’s Stinking Feet, Gus’ Little Toe Spur Trail, Ingrown Toenail Pass, Flatfoot Gap, and Broken Shoelace Overlook. He got a fit of the giggles over it.
A little way further on at mile 4.0, a narrow foot trail leads out to the craggy face of Charlies Bunion. It's a great place to explore, enjoy views of the Smokies and surrounding area, and take a break before turning around.
There was a guide up there with a group of Scouts and by listening we learned that this part of the Appalachian Trail (AT) was built in the fall of 1932. The work was done by a crew using pickaxes and shovels between the months of September 5 and October 6. And aside from the silly name we learned that in the 1920s, the area was heavily logged, and the lumber companies left piles of brush scattered all over the area. A massive forest fire in 1925 blazed up Kephart Prong and crossed the Sawteeth Mountains into TN. The fire was so hot that it rendered the soil sterile, making it so nothing would grow. When a torrential rainstorm hit in 1929, it washed away a lot of the soil, leaving behind the geologic formation that would be known as Charlie's Bunion.
The wind was picking up and felt really wet. In Florida I knew that meant rain and I had no desire to be caught out near a bunch of cliffs if that was going to start up. As we hiked back and got to the Boulevard Trail, the wind had let up so we took a short side trip to a place called the Jump Off. The way is only one mile, but it provided freakin’ gorgeous views from the rock outcrop. I felt a few sprinkles and got us going back down.Got back to Newfound Gap just in time as the very light sprinkles turned into real rain. Going down that road was not fun, but I just put it in low gear and kept to the speed limit. Gotta admit though I was more than happy to get down to the flatter areas.
It is still raining. That is going to make for wet and muddy conditions tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll be able to go hiking. I need to. My nerves are trying to turn into panic. To try and address it I took care of some adulting and now wish I hadn’t. It almost ruined the entire day.
Groucho point blank just told me that … okay, I’m trying not to get angry. I wasn’t even thinking of trying to dump us on them. I definitely felt like being nasty, but I bit it back after Stella got on the phone. She was trying to be diplomatic but that didn’t help my feelings.
“Geez Stella, like I would just ever make that kind of assumption. Benny is my responsibility, not you alls. I don’t get it, have I ever made out like I expected Groucho or you to fix my problems?”
“Now Gus …”
“Seriously. I was trying to be responsible and keep Groucho in the loop. I mean sure, he was good to Penny with little to no payback for that. And he gave me a hand getting started when he didn’t have to. But I don’t expect him to wipe my butt the entire way. Just he was Penny’s big brother and a nice guy.”
“Gus. I get it. Okay? And Groucho does as well. He’s just a little stressed right now. He just found out Denise ...”
“Who?”
“His first wife.”
“Er …”
“She has cancer and is down to days and … well she was trying to tie up loose ends. Good for her I guess, but it opened up some old wounds for Groucho if you know what I mean.”
“Sorry. I mean okay. Still …”
“Honey like I said I get it. But between you and me? I think he has about reached max contact on this. Instead of calling maybe you should just text or email … unless it is something big. At least for a while, until you can tell him you’ve got your next gig or something.”
I know a brush off when I get one but I also heard that she herself sounded a little stressed and trying not to share it. “Sure. Just make sure you tell him that I’m not looking for a crutch, hand out, or anything else.”
“Of course Honey. And you take care.”
Ugh. I never did plan to live … never mind. I kinda get it but Benny is Groucho’s nephew. How the heck am I supposed to explain to him that his uncle doesn’t want him in his life? This. Sucks.
October 28th – Bradley Fork Trail and Rain
Last day in the park. Weather suits my mood. Raining again. Couldn’t really hike the trails I wanted so didn’t have any way to really work off my emotions like I needed to. A story I heard tonight didn’t help either.
At least we got one hike in before the bottom dropped out - Bradley Fork Trail – and didn’t even have to drive there which was a relief. I’d forgotten to check the fuel level on the Ark and on top of everything else I realized I was below a quarter of a tank. Good thing that I have those extra fuel cans (with fuel in them) or we’d be in some serious trouble. Not smart Gus, not smart at all. Just because you have dual fuel tanks doesn’t mean you should get stupid and complacent.
What Groucho said last night and the way he said it still weighs on me today. Even if I had thought about stopping at their place on the way to Jacksonville, there’s no way I would do it now. I just wanted to say hello and thank you in person. I’m glad I never mentioned it to Benny as a possibility. You don’t have to unsay something you never said in the first place.
The trailhead for Bradley Fork started at the far end of the D Loop in Smokemont Campground. It is an easy trail that follows a mountain stream. The first 4+ miles of the trail climbed gently along the Bradley Fork of the Oconaluftee River before it started climbing steeply to the junction with the Hughes Ridge Trail. The rain had water found flowing across, along and down the middle of the trail as it makes its way into the river, but the path was still passable if muddy. We wound up with wet feet which tells me I need to waterproof our hikers again but I’ve got to get them clean first.
The trail rises and falls for the first half mile as it works through the woods and is wide and gravely for the first several miles, making it easy to navigate. In all honesty it looks like an old road. At mile 1.1, the trail crossed a side creek via a wooden bridge and then reached the junction of Chasteen Creek Trail at mile 1.2. Once we passed the trail sign for Campsite #50, the trail continued along the river until we reached the Smokemont Loop Trail, which led back to Smokemont Campground.
We weren’t going back to the campgrounds yet so followed a different path and crossed a couple of creeks via log bridges. When the trail reached 4 miles, Cabin Flats Trail led to Campsite #49 while the Bradley Fork Trail made a right turn and started climbing more steeply. The trail then moved through a creek valley where the Taywa Creek makes its way downhill. Two wooden bridges crossed the creek and at mile 6.0, the trail became steeper and narrower. At 7.3 miles, the trail ends at the junction with Hughes Ridge Trail. At this point, there are several options for continuing your journey. You can return via the trail that you just climbed, or you can go left 2.2 miles to the Appalachian Trail (AT). If you go to the right, the trail leads 8.1 miles back to Smokemont Campground via the Hughes Ridge Trail followed by the Chasteen Creek Trail.
I hadn’t meant to be out as long as we were, and it is a good thing I brought the heavier rain gear and not just the lightweight ponchos. Benny wasn’t thrilled about me making him put his rain pants on but thems was the rules and he gave in without a fuss though I could tell his little boy heart wasn’t into it. By the time we got back to camp however he was grateful for the extra coverage. The rain was coming down harder and it was cold.
I made him one of his favorite foods, Chicken Tortilla Soup using my own jiggered up recipe and gluten-free tortillas. I hope it helps with an potential cold the two of us might get though I deserve one … or would accept it if I had someplace I could keep Benny safe. For his part he ate two bowls and the last bit of my first bowl when I couldn’t finish it. He wanted to know why I wasn’t eating, and I fibbed and said I’d drank too much water. He shrugged and gobbled it up. The fibbing makes me feel as bad as the other stuff going on in my head. As a matter of moral policy I try really hard not to lie to my Little Bear. This time I just couldn’t be honest with him.
I won’t cry. I won’t. Dumb thing to do and a waste of water and energy. I just feel so damn alone. I couldn’t even tell Pei about it though she figured out something was going on and wanted to know if she could help. How am I supposed to explain that CPO Gus Barrymore, the one voted most likely to succeed out of the entire crew, is a failure? I was supposed to conquer my personal issues, not have them slap me around the head for eternity. God, I don’t know what I am going to do.
To make me feel even worse, heard a little girl was killed in Elkmont Campground when a tree came down during the middle of the night on her family’s tent. I can’t imagine. I know it would be the death of me if that happened to Benny. He’s my only reason for having made it this far in life, my only reason to keep trying no matter how bad things get.
Please, please, please God. I know I was an awful kid, I know I haven’t exactly been the greatest since then either. I know I’ve strayed from the path you keep trying to put me on, or taking paths you don’t want me to. But please, I need some help because whatever I was supposed to figure out is still leaving me blind and confused as to which way to go. I feel like I’m in a storm and both my rudder and mast is gone, the bilge pump isn’t working, and the galley is nearly underwater. I’m going down if someone doesn’t throw me a lifeline. And I’m such an idiot I’m taking Benny with me.
Last day in the park. Weather suits my mood. Raining again. Couldn’t really hike the trails I wanted so didn’t have any way to really work off my emotions like I needed to. A story I heard tonight didn’t help either.
At least we got one hike in before the bottom dropped out - Bradley Fork Trail – and didn’t even have to drive there which was a relief. I’d forgotten to check the fuel level on the Ark and on top of everything else I realized I was below a quarter of a tank. Good thing that I have those extra fuel cans (with fuel in them) or we’d be in some serious trouble. Not smart Gus, not smart at all. Just because you have dual fuel tanks doesn’t mean you should get stupid and complacent.
What Groucho said last night and the way he said it still weighs on me today. Even if I had thought about stopping at their place on the way to Jacksonville, there’s no way I would do it now. I just wanted to say hello and thank you in person. I’m glad I never mentioned it to Benny as a possibility. You don’t have to unsay something you never said in the first place.
The trailhead for Bradley Fork started at the far end of the D Loop in Smokemont Campground. It is an easy trail that follows a mountain stream. The first 4+ miles of the trail climbed gently along the Bradley Fork of the Oconaluftee River before it started climbing steeply to the junction with the Hughes Ridge Trail. The rain had water found flowing across, along and down the middle of the trail as it makes its way into the river, but the path was still passable if muddy. We wound up with wet feet which tells me I need to waterproof our hikers again but I’ve got to get them clean first.
The trail rises and falls for the first half mile as it works through the woods and is wide and gravely for the first several miles, making it easy to navigate. In all honesty it looks like an old road. At mile 1.1, the trail crossed a side creek via a wooden bridge and then reached the junction of Chasteen Creek Trail at mile 1.2. Once we passed the trail sign for Campsite #50, the trail continued along the river until we reached the Smokemont Loop Trail, which led back to Smokemont Campground.
We weren’t going back to the campgrounds yet so followed a different path and crossed a couple of creeks via log bridges. When the trail reached 4 miles, Cabin Flats Trail led to Campsite #49 while the Bradley Fork Trail made a right turn and started climbing more steeply. The trail then moved through a creek valley where the Taywa Creek makes its way downhill. Two wooden bridges crossed the creek and at mile 6.0, the trail became steeper and narrower. At 7.3 miles, the trail ends at the junction with Hughes Ridge Trail. At this point, there are several options for continuing your journey. You can return via the trail that you just climbed, or you can go left 2.2 miles to the Appalachian Trail (AT). If you go to the right, the trail leads 8.1 miles back to Smokemont Campground via the Hughes Ridge Trail followed by the Chasteen Creek Trail.
I hadn’t meant to be out as long as we were, and it is a good thing I brought the heavier rain gear and not just the lightweight ponchos. Benny wasn’t thrilled about me making him put his rain pants on but thems was the rules and he gave in without a fuss though I could tell his little boy heart wasn’t into it. By the time we got back to camp however he was grateful for the extra coverage. The rain was coming down harder and it was cold.
I made him one of his favorite foods, Chicken Tortilla Soup using my own jiggered up recipe and gluten-free tortillas. I hope it helps with an potential cold the two of us might get though I deserve one … or would accept it if I had someplace I could keep Benny safe. For his part he ate two bowls and the last bit of my first bowl when I couldn’t finish it. He wanted to know why I wasn’t eating, and I fibbed and said I’d drank too much water. He shrugged and gobbled it up. The fibbing makes me feel as bad as the other stuff going on in my head. As a matter of moral policy I try really hard not to lie to my Little Bear. This time I just couldn’t be honest with him.
I won’t cry. I won’t. Dumb thing to do and a waste of water and energy. I just feel so damn alone. I couldn’t even tell Pei about it though she figured out something was going on and wanted to know if she could help. How am I supposed to explain that CPO Gus Barrymore, the one voted most likely to succeed out of the entire crew, is a failure? I was supposed to conquer my personal issues, not have them slap me around the head for eternity. God, I don’t know what I am going to do.
To make me feel even worse, heard a little girl was killed in Elkmont Campground when a tree came down during the middle of the night on her family’s tent. I can’t imagine. I know it would be the death of me if that happened to Benny. He’s my only reason for having made it this far in life, my only reason to keep trying no matter how bad things get.
Please, please, please God. I know I was an awful kid, I know I haven’t exactly been the greatest since then either. I know I’ve strayed from the path you keep trying to put me on, or taking paths you don’t want me to. But please, I need some help because whatever I was supposed to figure out is still leaving me blind and confused as to which way to go. I feel like I’m in a storm and both my rudder and mast is gone, the bilge pump isn’t working, and the galley is nearly underwater. I’m going down if someone doesn’t throw me a lifeline. And I’m such an idiot I’m taking Benny with me.
October 29th – Cherokee, NC (Part 1)
Oh my God. I try not to say that very often because Grandma Barry really didn’t approve and said it was sacrilegious and rude to our Creator but that’s not how I mean it. I’m not just casually saying it but just about fell on my knees in relief. Oh my God as in how totally awesome and all the rest of it.
Rick of all people. Rick from Mackinac Island. Rick the Ranger. He’s been following the blog this entire time. I mean I knew he was because as admin I can see who hits the thumbs up or leaves an anonymous comment. He’s left a few comments, not many. More thumbs up but I didn’t think too much about it. As far as I know he isn’t subscribed to get notices. He did have a thing or three to say about the mishap in Mt. Rainer but then again, a lot of people have. He was actually supportive and pointing out that I carried the woman correctly for rescue purposes and that it wasn’t my fault that nature decided to happen when it did. He did say I should have allowed the rangers to help me but understood why I wanted to get Benny down as soon as possible after making sure that the older couple were being taken care of by professionals.
Anyway …
To keep myself from going all ga-ga I am going to tell the day like it happened. We packed up and left Smokemont this morning. I’ve been trying to keep my cool and not let Benny see that I’m worried. I answer his questions about the future when they come up as honestly as I could without giving into a lot of the drama that could be. But I admit, it’s been difficult to stay calm on the outside when on the inside I’ve really be wigging out.
First I drove back and got to Mingus Mill right before it opened. We walked around and then practically had the mill to ourselves because it was till raining a little bit. This mill was bigger than the Cable Mill in Cades Cove. I bought some grits and cornmeal after the miller said they hadn’t done wheat there the entire season. That relieved my worry that there might be gluten contamination. He said he understood and said his wife was gluten sensitive. Seems there are a lot more people like Benny out there than you would think.
Next we went to Oconaluftee Visitor Center and the as luck would have it, the rain was keeping visitors down there too, though since it was basically the end of the high season for tourists that could be another reason. We saw a bear that seemed happy to have all of the hullabaloo over with as well. I thought it was dead at first but the ranger said no, that he was a known bear and just in general a lazy specimen of his species. Benny absolutely loved it and on top of that have the Ranger be really happy to meet “Aunt Gus and Little Bear” and introduce us around made his day as well, especially when they made such a production out of him earning his Junior Ranger badge at “their” visitor center.
Despite the rain we had a ranger as our personal guide through the Oconaluftee Farm Museum since the re-enactors had all left for the season. We learned about all the historic structures. We also learned about the beginning of the national park.
When the government created Great Smoky Mountain National Park they forcibly relocated some 1,200 people living withing the park’s boundaries, most of them descendents of the pioneer settlers and many of them still living as their ancestors had lived, practicing an Appalachian lifestyle.
Rather than lose the local mountain culture to the past, the park service set aside land inside the park where farm homes, barns, meat houses, and other remnants of the farm life could live on. The Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum was born. The buildings were moved from their original locations throughout the Smoky Mountains and brought together in one place. There are no reproductions these days, as the few that there used to be have all been replaced by donated antiques. About the only thing that might be called a reproduction are the rail fences and even those are made out of wood brought in from other fences from properties reclaimed for more modern living.
The Davis House is an original building. Built by John E. Davis with his own hands, this log home is a great example of the building techniques used in the mountains at the time. After nearly two years of construction, the family moved in around 1902. Three of the seven Davis children were born in the house. The meat house, chicken house, apple house, corn crib, gear shed, barn, blacksmith shop, and springhouse, are all original structures. The barn is the only structure original to this site. The woodshed and “beegum” (beehive) used to be reproductions but have been replaced with “real” ones now.
We finally said goodbye to the park but not before having to wait out a traffic jam … not of cars but of elk. A couple just decided to plunk themselves in the road for some reason – probably because they could, and to irritate or over excite the tourists – and it was a good fifteen minutes before they got up with a smug snort and headed off to prove their superiority to the stupid humans someplace else.
I was getting shaky and I knew I needed a distraction before I had a meltdown. I had a reservation for the Cherokee KOA but it was still a long while before we could check in. I threw caution to the wind and spent more money that I should have but turns out … never mind, I’m getting ahead of myself.
First stop we made after the park was to go to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. I got a combo ticket called the ᎬᎮ Gv-He Bobcat Package that included the museum and a ticket for the Oconaluftee Indian Village. The museum was great but some of it was way over Benny’s head. There was a lot of history, but there was a lot of social commentary as well.
The Oconaluftee Indian Village was better for his age in my opinion. It was more experiential and made it easier for him to learn about the Cherokees and other Native Americans that called the Appalachians their homeland. It is simply easier for me to describe by quoting their poster: As you enter the soft trails of the village, it’s no longer the 21st century; you’re immediately transported to the 1760s. The faint tang of wood smoke wafts by as you are led by a Cherokee cultural expert on an interactive journey through Cherokee lifestyle and history. Your guide will show you the way through the winding paths, flanked with traditional Cherokee dwellings, work areas, and sacred ritual sites. Delight in cultural dances amid the swaying oaks and sycamores. As you wander, interact with villagers as they hull canoes, sculpt pottery and masks, weave baskets, and fashion beadwork. Watch as a village prepares for war. Be amazed by a blowgun demonstration. Oconaluftee Indian Village is much more than just a place; it’s living history.
Okay, boiled down to a single statement is that the village is a living history museum, and I could not have been happier at how nice the men treated Benny, especially after he was so respectful and honestly interested in what they were doing. I stood back and let him shine just being himself, my Little Bear. I could have wished for it to be a little longer to tell the truth but there was another group waiting on our space so we left, but we were given directions to the Cherokee Rapids where we could do some kayaking.
It was perfect. The water was a little rougher than normal due to the extra water from the rain. Only a few locals were on the river and they were in tubes rather than kayaks. We scooped one kid up that had overturned and returned him to his grandfather on the bank of the river, all of us laughing. It was only a two-mile stretch, but it had I and II level rapids that meant I had to work at least a little, especially going back up the river but that’s what I needed. We also did a couple of hikes.
There was Soco Falls. They are located just a short walk off the main road, and sit right in between Maggie Valley and the Cherokee Indian Reservation. The trail begins at the break in the guardrail. The short, steep trail ends at a viewing deck overlooking the falls. For a closer view, continue down a steep trail from the deck to the base of the waterfalls. Be careful, this section has some ropes to help with balance and can be very slippery.
We also went to Mingo Falls which is approximately 120 feet tall and one of the tallest waterfalls in southern Appalachia. The waterfall cascades down nearly 200 feet of rock face and boulders. The trail to see the falls is short, but intense. The hike is a quarter mile and includes 161 steep steps to a wooden viewing bridge that crosses Mingo Creek directly in front of the falls. A sign-thingie warned at the top that the steps can be slippery if it has recently rained so take your time. Yeppers. Of course, that made the falls to be even larger and more exciting than usual.
From there we headed towards camp until I saw the Smoky Mountain Gold and Ruby Mine. What the heck I thought, it was the last day of our adventure and it could be one of Benny’s last hurrahs. Boy did he have a blast. Due to the weather we were the only ones there and I think the kid gave Benny one of the better buckets just because of that. Benny got a little muddy but I wasn’t caring as the KOA was advertised to have hot showers and a laundry room.
After Benny said goodbye after talking the poor kid’s ears off asking a gazillion and one questions, we headed back to camp. I was a little sad and trying not to show it. I needed to sit down a work out a driving route back to Florida and look at creating some kind of interim budget. Not to mention I was reaching the point where I needed some alone time to try and keep my façade under control. I even considered hiding in the head with the “door” closed just to get away, it was that bad. Dinner was leftovers to clean out the frig and get the mess managed.
Oh my God. I try not to say that very often because Grandma Barry really didn’t approve and said it was sacrilegious and rude to our Creator but that’s not how I mean it. I’m not just casually saying it but just about fell on my knees in relief. Oh my God as in how totally awesome and all the rest of it.
Rick of all people. Rick from Mackinac Island. Rick the Ranger. He’s been following the blog this entire time. I mean I knew he was because as admin I can see who hits the thumbs up or leaves an anonymous comment. He’s left a few comments, not many. More thumbs up but I didn’t think too much about it. As far as I know he isn’t subscribed to get notices. He did have a thing or three to say about the mishap in Mt. Rainer but then again, a lot of people have. He was actually supportive and pointing out that I carried the woman correctly for rescue purposes and that it wasn’t my fault that nature decided to happen when it did. He did say I should have allowed the rangers to help me but understood why I wanted to get Benny down as soon as possible after making sure that the older couple were being taken care of by professionals.
Anyway …
To keep myself from going all ga-ga I am going to tell the day like it happened. We packed up and left Smokemont this morning. I’ve been trying to keep my cool and not let Benny see that I’m worried. I answer his questions about the future when they come up as honestly as I could without giving into a lot of the drama that could be. But I admit, it’s been difficult to stay calm on the outside when on the inside I’ve really be wigging out.
First I drove back and got to Mingus Mill right before it opened. We walked around and then practically had the mill to ourselves because it was till raining a little bit. This mill was bigger than the Cable Mill in Cades Cove. I bought some grits and cornmeal after the miller said they hadn’t done wheat there the entire season. That relieved my worry that there might be gluten contamination. He said he understood and said his wife was gluten sensitive. Seems there are a lot more people like Benny out there than you would think.
Next we went to Oconaluftee Visitor Center and the as luck would have it, the rain was keeping visitors down there too, though since it was basically the end of the high season for tourists that could be another reason. We saw a bear that seemed happy to have all of the hullabaloo over with as well. I thought it was dead at first but the ranger said no, that he was a known bear and just in general a lazy specimen of his species. Benny absolutely loved it and on top of that have the Ranger be really happy to meet “Aunt Gus and Little Bear” and introduce us around made his day as well, especially when they made such a production out of him earning his Junior Ranger badge at “their” visitor center.
Despite the rain we had a ranger as our personal guide through the Oconaluftee Farm Museum since the re-enactors had all left for the season. We learned about all the historic structures. We also learned about the beginning of the national park.
When the government created Great Smoky Mountain National Park they forcibly relocated some 1,200 people living withing the park’s boundaries, most of them descendents of the pioneer settlers and many of them still living as their ancestors had lived, practicing an Appalachian lifestyle.
Rather than lose the local mountain culture to the past, the park service set aside land inside the park where farm homes, barns, meat houses, and other remnants of the farm life could live on. The Oconaluftee Mountain Farm Museum was born. The buildings were moved from their original locations throughout the Smoky Mountains and brought together in one place. There are no reproductions these days, as the few that there used to be have all been replaced by donated antiques. About the only thing that might be called a reproduction are the rail fences and even those are made out of wood brought in from other fences from properties reclaimed for more modern living.
The Davis House is an original building. Built by John E. Davis with his own hands, this log home is a great example of the building techniques used in the mountains at the time. After nearly two years of construction, the family moved in around 1902. Three of the seven Davis children were born in the house. The meat house, chicken house, apple house, corn crib, gear shed, barn, blacksmith shop, and springhouse, are all original structures. The barn is the only structure original to this site. The woodshed and “beegum” (beehive) used to be reproductions but have been replaced with “real” ones now.
We finally said goodbye to the park but not before having to wait out a traffic jam … not of cars but of elk. A couple just decided to plunk themselves in the road for some reason – probably because they could, and to irritate or over excite the tourists – and it was a good fifteen minutes before they got up with a smug snort and headed off to prove their superiority to the stupid humans someplace else.
I was getting shaky and I knew I needed a distraction before I had a meltdown. I had a reservation for the Cherokee KOA but it was still a long while before we could check in. I threw caution to the wind and spent more money that I should have but turns out … never mind, I’m getting ahead of myself.
First stop we made after the park was to go to the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. I got a combo ticket called the ᎬᎮ Gv-He Bobcat Package that included the museum and a ticket for the Oconaluftee Indian Village. The museum was great but some of it was way over Benny’s head. There was a lot of history, but there was a lot of social commentary as well.
The Oconaluftee Indian Village was better for his age in my opinion. It was more experiential and made it easier for him to learn about the Cherokees and other Native Americans that called the Appalachians their homeland. It is simply easier for me to describe by quoting their poster: As you enter the soft trails of the village, it’s no longer the 21st century; you’re immediately transported to the 1760s. The faint tang of wood smoke wafts by as you are led by a Cherokee cultural expert on an interactive journey through Cherokee lifestyle and history. Your guide will show you the way through the winding paths, flanked with traditional Cherokee dwellings, work areas, and sacred ritual sites. Delight in cultural dances amid the swaying oaks and sycamores. As you wander, interact with villagers as they hull canoes, sculpt pottery and masks, weave baskets, and fashion beadwork. Watch as a village prepares for war. Be amazed by a blowgun demonstration. Oconaluftee Indian Village is much more than just a place; it’s living history.
Okay, boiled down to a single statement is that the village is a living history museum, and I could not have been happier at how nice the men treated Benny, especially after he was so respectful and honestly interested in what they were doing. I stood back and let him shine just being himself, my Little Bear. I could have wished for it to be a little longer to tell the truth but there was another group waiting on our space so we left, but we were given directions to the Cherokee Rapids where we could do some kayaking.
It was perfect. The water was a little rougher than normal due to the extra water from the rain. Only a few locals were on the river and they were in tubes rather than kayaks. We scooped one kid up that had overturned and returned him to his grandfather on the bank of the river, all of us laughing. It was only a two-mile stretch, but it had I and II level rapids that meant I had to work at least a little, especially going back up the river but that’s what I needed. We also did a couple of hikes.
There was Soco Falls. They are located just a short walk off the main road, and sit right in between Maggie Valley and the Cherokee Indian Reservation. The trail begins at the break in the guardrail. The short, steep trail ends at a viewing deck overlooking the falls. For a closer view, continue down a steep trail from the deck to the base of the waterfalls. Be careful, this section has some ropes to help with balance and can be very slippery.
We also went to Mingo Falls which is approximately 120 feet tall and one of the tallest waterfalls in southern Appalachia. The waterfall cascades down nearly 200 feet of rock face and boulders. The trail to see the falls is short, but intense. The hike is a quarter mile and includes 161 steep steps to a wooden viewing bridge that crosses Mingo Creek directly in front of the falls. A sign-thingie warned at the top that the steps can be slippery if it has recently rained so take your time. Yeppers. Of course, that made the falls to be even larger and more exciting than usual.
From there we headed towards camp until I saw the Smoky Mountain Gold and Ruby Mine. What the heck I thought, it was the last day of our adventure and it could be one of Benny’s last hurrahs. Boy did he have a blast. Due to the weather we were the only ones there and I think the kid gave Benny one of the better buckets just because of that. Benny got a little muddy but I wasn’t caring as the KOA was advertised to have hot showers and a laundry room.
After Benny said goodbye after talking the poor kid’s ears off asking a gazillion and one questions, we headed back to camp. I was a little sad and trying not to show it. I needed to sit down a work out a driving route back to Florida and look at creating some kind of interim budget. Not to mention I was reaching the point where I needed some alone time to try and keep my façade under control. I even considered hiding in the head with the “door” closed just to get away, it was that bad. Dinner was leftovers to clean out the frig and get the mess managed.
October 29th (Part 2)
It was at that point that I casually checked my emails and then the blog and then had to do a double take. Rick. He’d messaged me. Not too strange. As I said, he’d made some few and far between comments but he’d put URGENT and IMPORTANT in the heading so I popped it open wondering what in the heck. Well, what in the heck?! And yes, another Oh My God is due. As in Thank You Creator!
Rick perhaps understood in a way I hadn’t realized I was revealing. Or maybe … oh I don’t know. Maybe it is providential and I’m trying too hard to understand the timing. Whatever.
The long and the short of it is that a couple of months ago Rick had brought up in a meeting with his people in Florida that it would be a good idea to get the Florida state parks some better advertising, that attendance was dropping at some of the parks, others had amenities that were being underutilized to the point that it was possible they would be on the chopping block in the near future. Developers were looking for land anyplace they could find it and Park administration was worried that the new governor’s plan for turning some public lands over to private interests or public housing would only see the land sold to developers or turned into casinos or entertainment venues that would destroy what the park system currently protected. It was happening in other locations where the states need money to close gaps in their budgets or they are desperate to appear they are doing something about the cost of housing and homelessness.
Rick apparently didn’t realize anyone had been listening. And with the numerous hurricanes this year damaging some of the usual destinations – many of the Orlando venues including the Disney theme parks still don’t have a firm reopen date – the State is looking at a lot of lost tax and tourist revenue.
Enter the concessionaire that handles the State’s park system campgrounds. They also handle a lot of the advertising. Rick’s boss’ boss forwarded his idea to them and then the idea handlers came back down the communication line and wanted Rick to explain his “intriguing” idea in more detail. He gave me (and Benny) as an example. He mentioned that he’d met me towards the beginning of our road trip and had been “following me” since out of curiosity. That he thought something similar would work better than just getting local news people to do a ten-minute clip for the 11 o’clock news when everyone had gone to bed, or the noon show when everyone was at work. The next day they asked if Rick could act as go between. They didn't worry about the time that I phoned in because it was a hi-pri project that if it works, they can replicate in other contracts they hold.
Well, the proposal is … is … oh my gawd, with all sincerest apologies to Grandma Barry and the Creator.
I am going to do something very similar to what I am doing now only it is going to be for Florida parks and possibly some local attractions as well. No big theme parks, but perhaps some additional affiliate dollars will come in for using products and that sort of thing. Details are still being worked out, but they want me to start as soon as possible. The corporate headquarters for the concessionaire company is in West Virginia and I’ll need to go there to sign the contract and meet the people that are going to be paying me. They want to look me over and make sure I’m legit is my best guess. But yeehaw it gives me a concrete reason for the Bluestone National Scenic River and New River Gorge National Park.
Now for the “perks” of the job … besides actually having a job which has got the hamster passed out in its wheel from nearly having a heart attack. Whoa, I’m really shaking. This is unbelievable. First off, they are picking up all the camping nights if I camp in a Florida State Park. If we have to stay outside of the state park system – and there will be some of that – if it is a camp of their choice they’ll either arranged to get it comp’d or get a deep discount. If the camp is my choice, I may be on the hook for it depending on the reason. There are fifty-seven parks that currently have camping available. Some of them are primitive camping-only so Benny and I might be doing a little bit of that without the van. I’m not sure, those details are still being worked out. There is also at least one campsite that can only be accessed by boat. That’s another that will have to be addressed as we go. I told who I was speaking with that I was fine with that but that there would likely be a few times that I would need to camp outside of the system because I would either need to access facilities a nearby park didn’t have (e.g., emptying the black and gray water tanks as an example) or I would need a location I could do general and regular maintenance on the van.
“You do that yourself?” I was asked.
“With only a few exceptions, yes Sir. But I’m certain you don’t want people thinking they can just change the oil on their RV, car, or whatever inside a state park. The optics would suck. But I will keep it to a minimum as much as possible. I am due for a thorough going over but I can do most of that myself after all the practice I’ve had this summer. What park will we be starting in?”
That’s another topic and I haven’t finished about the perks yet. They are going to charge the State a flat fee as part of a grant the State is sponsoring to get women and children back into the out of doors after so many were driven to STEM type careers and activities that keep them indoors, in labs, and office spaces. I will get paid a per diem to cover fuel and other daily travel expenses. I will also receive a lump sum per month for groceries. And speaking of sponsors, I may get some products to use and/or try out which will be ours to keep. I told them that I’m strict about what Benny and I eat because he is gluten-sensitive and I wouldn’t be experimenting on him with new products.
“Even better,” a woman told me. “I’m already in contact with some of the companies that produce a few of the products you’ve had on your blog and vids. They are tentatively interested. One particularly so when they saw you gave their trail mix bars high marks for nutrition and taste. Do you need cash, or would you accept products?”
I answered her question with my own. “Will I be allowed to keep my affiliate links on my blog?”
“Good question. I need to ask the lawyers. Is it a non-negotiable?”
“Not necessarily. Currently I make about $600 - $700 a month from my affiliate links. It doesn’t pay all the bills, not even most of them, but what it does do is save me from having to use all our savings for basic monthly expenses which also includes the blog and the traffic it generates. I’m not looking to get rich. This is a good gig from what I can tell, but it is not designed to last forever. When this is over, I still need to have a way to support my nephew. If I must give up the affiliate links, I’d like to try and find a way to replace that income but I’m at a loss as to what will be allowable and what won’t.”
A man who was obviously the bean counter of the group said, “Keep your affiliate links. What would you charge to include adverts for parks?”
“Nothing. I consider it part of the job. Assuming we get this contract worked out. Use one of my other blog entries as an example but you can see that at the bottom and on one of the sidebars, I have resource links. I have general resources on the front page and specific resources on each blog page. If you have something specific to a particular park, we’ll work it into the resource section. Otherwise, there is a general resource page. I suppose I can also break down the general resource page into sub-pages or have a new page for each park which might be an even better way to do it. Right now I’m just talking off the top of my head. I’m flexible, I just need parameters to work with and to make sure that I have enough space purchased on the server that holds the blog.”
We continued on but basically our nights in state parks will be covered, state park entrance fees will be covered, if it is a special entrance fee for a non-state park location they’ll try and get it comp’d and/or sponsored, some food will likely be covered, most fuel will be covered, most (possibly all) activities in the park will be covered (i.e., ranger-led activities, swimming, kayaking, etc), and there will be sponsored t-shirts, as well as some other sponsor-provided items. The bean counter is going to get with the lawyers and they’ll come up with a number based on the grant amount and what I’m providing in services and my own contribution (e.g., I’m providing the van and website). Any pictures and vids will be cross-linked between my blog and the state websites. As long as I can keep my own affiliate links, I’ll be making bank. LOL. It is what Dad used to call some of his trucking contracts that paid the bills with money left over from savings.
I’m so relieved, I’m giddy. No matter how you cut it we are amazingly better off than we were yesterday. It might be a different kind of job, but it is still a job and that was what was running out right here soon. And now it’s not and I think I’ll actually be able to sleep tonight instead of dreaming that the kayak had flipped in a storm, and I couldn’t keep Benny afloat in the crashing waves and worrying about what was swimming directly below us.
I tried to call Stella and talk to her, after all this was something big. She didn’t exactly shut me down, and she did give the phone to Groucho, but all he did was say that it was about time that I figured things out. That hurt a little but at the same time it isn’t like it wasn’t the truth. I’d been getting a sense that our roads were parting but I also think it could be handled differently than what they were throwing off. I think he may also be dealing with other stuff that made him gruff. There was the “Denise” thing but it seems more than that. Stella said her son was doing well and dating a nice woman. Maybe she is pissed that I didn’t take that bait. I don’t. Seems a little fast to be … aw, shut up Gus. Like you know anything about romance and cupid crap. Maybe I have been using Groucho as a “big brother” or some type of authority figure. Maybe I am being unfair to him by trying to do that. I don’t know. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe he and Stella have moved on to their next human project … Garrett. I’m not sure it matters or is even my business. Aunt Gus is needing to grow up and be the real captain of the ship, not just a wannabe captain.
Resources:
https://www.pigeonforge.com/wp-content/uploads/Pigeon-Forge-Trolley-Route.pdf
GRSMmap1.pdf (nps.gov)
Substitute For Red Food Coloring: 5 Easy To Use Alternatives
It was at that point that I casually checked my emails and then the blog and then had to do a double take. Rick. He’d messaged me. Not too strange. As I said, he’d made some few and far between comments but he’d put URGENT and IMPORTANT in the heading so I popped it open wondering what in the heck. Well, what in the heck?! And yes, another Oh My God is due. As in Thank You Creator!
Rick perhaps understood in a way I hadn’t realized I was revealing. Or maybe … oh I don’t know. Maybe it is providential and I’m trying too hard to understand the timing. Whatever.
The long and the short of it is that a couple of months ago Rick had brought up in a meeting with his people in Florida that it would be a good idea to get the Florida state parks some better advertising, that attendance was dropping at some of the parks, others had amenities that were being underutilized to the point that it was possible they would be on the chopping block in the near future. Developers were looking for land anyplace they could find it and Park administration was worried that the new governor’s plan for turning some public lands over to private interests or public housing would only see the land sold to developers or turned into casinos or entertainment venues that would destroy what the park system currently protected. It was happening in other locations where the states need money to close gaps in their budgets or they are desperate to appear they are doing something about the cost of housing and homelessness.
Rick apparently didn’t realize anyone had been listening. And with the numerous hurricanes this year damaging some of the usual destinations – many of the Orlando venues including the Disney theme parks still don’t have a firm reopen date – the State is looking at a lot of lost tax and tourist revenue.
Enter the concessionaire that handles the State’s park system campgrounds. They also handle a lot of the advertising. Rick’s boss’ boss forwarded his idea to them and then the idea handlers came back down the communication line and wanted Rick to explain his “intriguing” idea in more detail. He gave me (and Benny) as an example. He mentioned that he’d met me towards the beginning of our road trip and had been “following me” since out of curiosity. That he thought something similar would work better than just getting local news people to do a ten-minute clip for the 11 o’clock news when everyone had gone to bed, or the noon show when everyone was at work. The next day they asked if Rick could act as go between. They didn't worry about the time that I phoned in because it was a hi-pri project that if it works, they can replicate in other contracts they hold.
Well, the proposal is … is … oh my gawd, with all sincerest apologies to Grandma Barry and the Creator.
I am going to do something very similar to what I am doing now only it is going to be for Florida parks and possibly some local attractions as well. No big theme parks, but perhaps some additional affiliate dollars will come in for using products and that sort of thing. Details are still being worked out, but they want me to start as soon as possible. The corporate headquarters for the concessionaire company is in West Virginia and I’ll need to go there to sign the contract and meet the people that are going to be paying me. They want to look me over and make sure I’m legit is my best guess. But yeehaw it gives me a concrete reason for the Bluestone National Scenic River and New River Gorge National Park.
Now for the “perks” of the job … besides actually having a job which has got the hamster passed out in its wheel from nearly having a heart attack. Whoa, I’m really shaking. This is unbelievable. First off, they are picking up all the camping nights if I camp in a Florida State Park. If we have to stay outside of the state park system – and there will be some of that – if it is a camp of their choice they’ll either arranged to get it comp’d or get a deep discount. If the camp is my choice, I may be on the hook for it depending on the reason. There are fifty-seven parks that currently have camping available. Some of them are primitive camping-only so Benny and I might be doing a little bit of that without the van. I’m not sure, those details are still being worked out. There is also at least one campsite that can only be accessed by boat. That’s another that will have to be addressed as we go. I told who I was speaking with that I was fine with that but that there would likely be a few times that I would need to camp outside of the system because I would either need to access facilities a nearby park didn’t have (e.g., emptying the black and gray water tanks as an example) or I would need a location I could do general and regular maintenance on the van.
“You do that yourself?” I was asked.
“With only a few exceptions, yes Sir. But I’m certain you don’t want people thinking they can just change the oil on their RV, car, or whatever inside a state park. The optics would suck. But I will keep it to a minimum as much as possible. I am due for a thorough going over but I can do most of that myself after all the practice I’ve had this summer. What park will we be starting in?”
That’s another topic and I haven’t finished about the perks yet. They are going to charge the State a flat fee as part of a grant the State is sponsoring to get women and children back into the out of doors after so many were driven to STEM type careers and activities that keep them indoors, in labs, and office spaces. I will get paid a per diem to cover fuel and other daily travel expenses. I will also receive a lump sum per month for groceries. And speaking of sponsors, I may get some products to use and/or try out which will be ours to keep. I told them that I’m strict about what Benny and I eat because he is gluten-sensitive and I wouldn’t be experimenting on him with new products.
“Even better,” a woman told me. “I’m already in contact with some of the companies that produce a few of the products you’ve had on your blog and vids. They are tentatively interested. One particularly so when they saw you gave their trail mix bars high marks for nutrition and taste. Do you need cash, or would you accept products?”
I answered her question with my own. “Will I be allowed to keep my affiliate links on my blog?”
“Good question. I need to ask the lawyers. Is it a non-negotiable?”
“Not necessarily. Currently I make about $600 - $700 a month from my affiliate links. It doesn’t pay all the bills, not even most of them, but what it does do is save me from having to use all our savings for basic monthly expenses which also includes the blog and the traffic it generates. I’m not looking to get rich. This is a good gig from what I can tell, but it is not designed to last forever. When this is over, I still need to have a way to support my nephew. If I must give up the affiliate links, I’d like to try and find a way to replace that income but I’m at a loss as to what will be allowable and what won’t.”
A man who was obviously the bean counter of the group said, “Keep your affiliate links. What would you charge to include adverts for parks?”
“Nothing. I consider it part of the job. Assuming we get this contract worked out. Use one of my other blog entries as an example but you can see that at the bottom and on one of the sidebars, I have resource links. I have general resources on the front page and specific resources on each blog page. If you have something specific to a particular park, we’ll work it into the resource section. Otherwise, there is a general resource page. I suppose I can also break down the general resource page into sub-pages or have a new page for each park which might be an even better way to do it. Right now I’m just talking off the top of my head. I’m flexible, I just need parameters to work with and to make sure that I have enough space purchased on the server that holds the blog.”
We continued on but basically our nights in state parks will be covered, state park entrance fees will be covered, if it is a special entrance fee for a non-state park location they’ll try and get it comp’d and/or sponsored, some food will likely be covered, most fuel will be covered, most (possibly all) activities in the park will be covered (i.e., ranger-led activities, swimming, kayaking, etc), and there will be sponsored t-shirts, as well as some other sponsor-provided items. The bean counter is going to get with the lawyers and they’ll come up with a number based on the grant amount and what I’m providing in services and my own contribution (e.g., I’m providing the van and website). Any pictures and vids will be cross-linked between my blog and the state websites. As long as I can keep my own affiliate links, I’ll be making bank. LOL. It is what Dad used to call some of his trucking contracts that paid the bills with money left over from savings.
I’m so relieved, I’m giddy. No matter how you cut it we are amazingly better off than we were yesterday. It might be a different kind of job, but it is still a job and that was what was running out right here soon. And now it’s not and I think I’ll actually be able to sleep tonight instead of dreaming that the kayak had flipped in a storm, and I couldn’t keep Benny afloat in the crashing waves and worrying about what was swimming directly below us.
I tried to call Stella and talk to her, after all this was something big. She didn’t exactly shut me down, and she did give the phone to Groucho, but all he did was say that it was about time that I figured things out. That hurt a little but at the same time it isn’t like it wasn’t the truth. I’d been getting a sense that our roads were parting but I also think it could be handled differently than what they were throwing off. I think he may also be dealing with other stuff that made him gruff. There was the “Denise” thing but it seems more than that. Stella said her son was doing well and dating a nice woman. Maybe she is pissed that I didn’t take that bait. I don’t. Seems a little fast to be … aw, shut up Gus. Like you know anything about romance and cupid crap. Maybe I have been using Groucho as a “big brother” or some type of authority figure. Maybe I am being unfair to him by trying to do that. I don’t know. Maybe it doesn’t matter. Maybe he and Stella have moved on to their next human project … Garrett. I’m not sure it matters or is even my business. Aunt Gus is needing to grow up and be the real captain of the ship, not just a wannabe captain.
Resources:
https://www.pigeonforge.com/wp-content/uploads/Pigeon-Forge-Trolley-Route.pdf
GRSMmap1.pdf (nps.gov)
Substitute For Red Food Coloring: 5 Easy To Use Alternatives
Old Gray Mare
TB Fanatic
Thank you Mother Hen. You've brought back good memories of building and maintaining cabins along the AT and trail work with the AT Trail Club in younger days.
Jeepcats27
Senior Member
This is turning into a good day. I vacuum a little, comeback and read a chapter, vacuum cools off and vacuum a little more. Come back and read another chapter! Thank you! If only it was cool enough to can!
Oct 30: Cherokee, NC >> Maggie Valley >> Sylva >> Franklin, NC (Part 1)
On October 25, a couple was having a picnic near the Folk Art Center along the Asheville stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway when their unleashed dog began barking at a nearby black bear and ran towards it.
In response, National Park Service officials say, the bear began to attack both the dog and the couple over the following minutes, leading to minor injuries. Ultimately, the pair and their pet were able to escape to the safety of their car and the bear lost interest and left.
A number of park rangers and wildlife biologists are currently working with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to capture the bear.
“A thorough investigation of the scene was conducted and forensic evidence was collected to be used for DNA analysis. If the offending bear is captured and positively identified, officials will humanely euthanize the animal, per park and NCWRC protocol,” according to a National Park Service release.
It’s likely that the unleashed dog’s aggression agitated the bear, which may have sparked the attack; in an interview with ABC, bear researcher Dave Garshelis noted that nearly half of the unprovoked bear attacks that hospitalized people in Minnesota since the 1980s have involved a dog. According to a National Park Service FAQ, while dogs are allowed on the Blue Ridge Parkway, owners are required to keep them on a 6-foot-or-less leash and under physical control at all times.
Temporary closures to a portion of the Mountains to Sea Trail, Folk Art Center, and Nature Loop Trail have been issued in response to the incident. Another casualty: picnics. Outdoor food is currently prohibited between the Asheville Visitor Center and the parking areas between milepost 384 and 380.”
Well that incident in the news didn’t help my plans for the day, then again, I hadn’t really had plans before last night and the providential job offer. Everything seems surreal. I was so shook up I called Pei last night. I was lucky the time difference meant she would still be able to get some sleep before an exam she was scheduled to take today. She was so happy that she let slip that she’d been talking to her parents about whether they knew anyone that had a job for me. If I had had a sister, I would hope she would have been like Pei. One of these days I hope I can do the same for her. I even got up the nerve to tell her so and she laughed, telling me she was paying me back from keeping all the bullies off her back in high school, especially the ones that targeted her just because she was Asian.
Benny woke up just enough to realize that I was sniffling back tears, something I rarely do, and thought there was an emergency or that Pei had gotten hurt.
“Nope. And sorry, didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Then what’s wrong?!”
“Nothing is wrong Little Bear. Just a lot of adulting stuff is finally coming together and finding out that things won’t be as hard as I was concerned they were going to be.”
“But you always say we have to discuss our feelings. How come you didn’t discuss your feelings with me before they made you cry?”
That was a tough one to dig out of. I finally convinced him that I was still learning to adult just like he was learning to get older and that I was worried about dumping stuff on him but that I realized the error of my ways and that it wouldn’t happen again.
“Uh uh. Don’t let it. You look like you’re gonna be sick. You need some of the pink stuff?”
I broke down laughing and we wound up in a tickle battle which was good for both of us.
But again, bears and dogs and humans … they didn’t help me to figure out what we were going to do today. In North Carolina, the typical hibernation season for black bears begins any time between November and January, and the months that precede this time frame involve nonstop eating, or hyperphagia, as bears attempt to put on enough weight to survive the winter. Because of this, visitors often witness heightened bear activity during this time.
In the end I decided to just drive and stop where the fancy hit us. We left Cherokee and the first area was Maggie Valley where we ran into the Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Festival. The tickets to the music and concerts were way too expensive for us but the town was decorated for Autumn and we walked around just long enough for the crowds to push us back out onto the road. We stopped at a few tourist traps like Maggie Mountaineer Crafts, grabbed an early lunch at this place that made both Benny and I have the absolute worst giggles … Pop’s Butts on the Creek … that was worth it even if the food hadn’t been hellaciously good.
I started hearing a weird noise coming from engine compartment and was ready to think the worst. Pulled over in front of this place called The Original Dish Barn ready to puke thinking all my plans were dashed when I popped open hood and … CRAP!!! It was a cat. I mean a real house cat kind of cat. I don’t know who scared who more. It me or me it. Probably it scared me as it shot up out of the engine area and jumped on me and was hanging on for dear life.
“Daaaannnngggg!”
People came running out of the store and some of them were scared for me saying things like rabies and some were laughing at the fact I was dancing around as the awful thing was trying to find a way inside my shirt.
“Aunt Gus? Is it trying to eat you?!”
“Er … no. I think it is just scared. Or … ouch, no claws you little pest … just freaked out or something. Bring me my phone.”
“You need to take a picture? You can just ask one of them people for one.”
He was referring to people that were “helping” by taking pictures with their phones for their social media. Geez.
“Er … nope,” I said as I finally managed to wrap it in the flannel jacket I had been wearing. “Fraidy Cat has a collar and now that it has stopped doing the fandango, I think the collar has some kind of ID on it.”
Yep. And the woman who answered my call nearly split my eardrum and would have busted the speaker on my cellphone had she been a decibel louder. We’d crossed paths at Pop’s Butts. The cat apparently snuck out of a screen window on their camper when they went in to eat. It was cool enough the cat went looking for someplace warm to pop a squat and the rest as they say is history.
The husband and wife were both emotionally grateful. So was Velcro the Cat. No, I’m not kidding. The cat’s name is Velcro. He is only six months old and is the grandson of their other cat that had just passed a couple of months ago from injuries sustained in taking on a bear that had tried to get into their camper … while they were in it. They showed us the scar on Velcro’s side and explained that is why he is so skittish. Uh yeah … bear attack would make anyone skittish I assured them with understanding and they were relieved I understood before taking off. I noted that there was duct tape on one of the camper windows as they pulled out. I doubt they’ll be leaving any of the windows open for a while, and not because the weather is slowly but surely turning cold. I gave Velcro his fifteen minutes of fame on the blog tonight. Made a good human interest story.
I nearly stopped at Publix in Waynesville then just said “what the heck” and went through the drive-thru at Chik-fil-A and got Benny some grilled nuggets and lemonade and me a bucket sized sweet tea. I still felt like celebrating … the bad that I’d been anticipating had not happened and it had actually been something good. We’d rescued a pet that was a comfort to an older couple. Yeehaw and all that.
We stayed on the Andrew Jackson Hwy for a while, stopping at Jenny’s Produce Stand and an indoor flea market selling out a lot of things here at the end of the tourist season. I pulled into the parking lot of the Balsam Antique Market to put stuff away and then decided to just go in. It wound up being the kind of place that Grandma Barry and Meemo would have loved. It was like a maze – a clean maze – of all this old stuff. I got drug in enough of that type a place as a kid that I could tell Balsam was a good example. Not too much of what people call staging that might pretty the vendor’s stall up but doesn’t really mean much otherwise and while it is nice for people to look, if it doesn’t help sell your junk it is a waste of time and space you are paying for. Meemo used to laugh and say she preferred inventory and dust to pretty and empty. Judge Phelps would usually ask if she was talking about the intelligence of all the women he had dated before she came along. She’d then give him this prim look and then they’d both laugh naughtily. Took me forever to figure out what the joke was, and most of it didn’t come until after Grandma Barry had gone to Heaven and I was left with her Daytimers with all her personal notes in them. Judge Phelps had been quite the playboy in his younger days but then when he’d spotted Meemo that was all she wrote apparently, but he had to work long and hard to catch her. And that’s why even though Judge Phelps is older than Grandfather Barry, his kids are all my cousins’ and Lawrence’s age.
I managed to get us out of there after only buying Benny an old book of animal sketches that he became fascinated with. It is not that I don’t find all the stuff like that pretty or neat or whatever but the idea of having to be responsible for it all … and the dusting and cleaning … makes the hamster want to do the macarena.
Stopped at another craft store that Benny had spotted called Mud Dabbers. Their sign has a quote from Picasso that I wrote down to remember on those days my hamster turns into an OCD cleaning lady. “Everything you can imagine is real … the chief enemy of creativity is good sense.” I don’t know that I completely agree but it might be a good way to slap handcuffs on the hamster when it tries to still the joy out of the day just because things might get a little messy.
Sylva, NC was the next town of any size and though I was tempted to stop at a few places like the Food Lion for groceries if nothing else, I only stopped for fuel – geez Louise my wallet was lighter afterwards – and a couple of bottles of cold apple juice for Benny and I. After Sylva came this little place called Dillsboro where we crossed the Tuckasegee River having changed to US441 S, another reminder of home as US441 is something I was quite familiar with before moving to Jacksonville. Something else that reminded me of “home” was that there seemed to be a little church of one sort or another every couple of blocks.
I think I nearly caused Little Bear to wonder if his Aunt Gus had been body-snatched when I made a sudden turn into the parking lot of Rockhouse Ridge Gem Mine. Now this place was not cheap, not at all, but I had seen a military discount on the billboard, and when they found out we were a Gold Star Family an older man came in from out back and personally got Benny a special bucket of sand and gems to use on the sluice.
As I watched over Benny having fun the man got my story from me. I don’t usually just spew it to strangers but there was something about the guy that reminded me of Grandfather Barry. Finally he said, “My grandfather never knew his father; he died during WW1 and his mother died in the Spanish Flu epidemic when he was less than a year old. He was raised in an orphanage, married and not long after they’d had my father my grandfather was drafted and died in the Pacific during WW2. My own father died during the Korean War. I lost a stepbrother in Vietnam. I could never serve,” he said pointing to the boot on his foot that had a heel several inches taller than the other one. “Lost a son in the Middle East to a war that was never named.” He shook his head. “Every one of them gave their lives for the ideal of freedom.”
“Look Aunt Gus! Look! Another one!” Benny told me excitedly.
The man gave a half smile and said, “I know you say you meant to serve this country. Looks like God thought serving this boy was more important. Teach him well. Bring him up right. That’s another type of battle for freedom.”
He turned and walked away like he was a million years old, and it gave me the chills. Not in a bad way, but it wasn’t all good either.
When Benny was ready to go I asked after the old man because I wanted to say good bye and thank you.
“Oh, that’s Old Lawry. He doesn’t work here, just comes down sometimes to hang around when he gets tired of his own cooking.”
“Uh …”
“Let me guess, he told you his life story.”
“Um … is it true?”
“True? Probably didn’t tell you the half of it. Was Chief of the VFD around here, a real hero, and then one night when he was away saving someone else’s house, some druggies burnt his down with his wife and special needs son in it. Son survived and Lawry retired to be his full-time caregiver. Son died a couple years later and … well … Ol’ Lawry just kinda became who he is now. Strange though how he always seems to know when we are going to have a Vet or similar come in. But that’s mountain people for you.”
On October 25, a couple was having a picnic near the Folk Art Center along the Asheville stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway when their unleashed dog began barking at a nearby black bear and ran towards it.
In response, National Park Service officials say, the bear began to attack both the dog and the couple over the following minutes, leading to minor injuries. Ultimately, the pair and their pet were able to escape to the safety of their car and the bear lost interest and left.
A number of park rangers and wildlife biologists are currently working with the NC Wildlife Resources Commission to capture the bear.
“A thorough investigation of the scene was conducted and forensic evidence was collected to be used for DNA analysis. If the offending bear is captured and positively identified, officials will humanely euthanize the animal, per park and NCWRC protocol,” according to a National Park Service release.
It’s likely that the unleashed dog’s aggression agitated the bear, which may have sparked the attack; in an interview with ABC, bear researcher Dave Garshelis noted that nearly half of the unprovoked bear attacks that hospitalized people in Minnesota since the 1980s have involved a dog. According to a National Park Service FAQ, while dogs are allowed on the Blue Ridge Parkway, owners are required to keep them on a 6-foot-or-less leash and under physical control at all times.
Temporary closures to a portion of the Mountains to Sea Trail, Folk Art Center, and Nature Loop Trail have been issued in response to the incident. Another casualty: picnics. Outdoor food is currently prohibited between the Asheville Visitor Center and the parking areas between milepost 384 and 380.”
Well that incident in the news didn’t help my plans for the day, then again, I hadn’t really had plans before last night and the providential job offer. Everything seems surreal. I was so shook up I called Pei last night. I was lucky the time difference meant she would still be able to get some sleep before an exam she was scheduled to take today. She was so happy that she let slip that she’d been talking to her parents about whether they knew anyone that had a job for me. If I had had a sister, I would hope she would have been like Pei. One of these days I hope I can do the same for her. I even got up the nerve to tell her so and she laughed, telling me she was paying me back from keeping all the bullies off her back in high school, especially the ones that targeted her just because she was Asian.
Benny woke up just enough to realize that I was sniffling back tears, something I rarely do, and thought there was an emergency or that Pei had gotten hurt.
“Nope. And sorry, didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Then what’s wrong?!”
“Nothing is wrong Little Bear. Just a lot of adulting stuff is finally coming together and finding out that things won’t be as hard as I was concerned they were going to be.”
“But you always say we have to discuss our feelings. How come you didn’t discuss your feelings with me before they made you cry?”
That was a tough one to dig out of. I finally convinced him that I was still learning to adult just like he was learning to get older and that I was worried about dumping stuff on him but that I realized the error of my ways and that it wouldn’t happen again.
“Uh uh. Don’t let it. You look like you’re gonna be sick. You need some of the pink stuff?”
I broke down laughing and we wound up in a tickle battle which was good for both of us.
But again, bears and dogs and humans … they didn’t help me to figure out what we were going to do today. In North Carolina, the typical hibernation season for black bears begins any time between November and January, and the months that precede this time frame involve nonstop eating, or hyperphagia, as bears attempt to put on enough weight to survive the winter. Because of this, visitors often witness heightened bear activity during this time.
In the end I decided to just drive and stop where the fancy hit us. We left Cherokee and the first area was Maggie Valley where we ran into the Smoky Mountain Bluegrass Festival. The tickets to the music and concerts were way too expensive for us but the town was decorated for Autumn and we walked around just long enough for the crowds to push us back out onto the road. We stopped at a few tourist traps like Maggie Mountaineer Crafts, grabbed an early lunch at this place that made both Benny and I have the absolute worst giggles … Pop’s Butts on the Creek … that was worth it even if the food hadn’t been hellaciously good.
I started hearing a weird noise coming from engine compartment and was ready to think the worst. Pulled over in front of this place called The Original Dish Barn ready to puke thinking all my plans were dashed when I popped open hood and … CRAP!!! It was a cat. I mean a real house cat kind of cat. I don’t know who scared who more. It me or me it. Probably it scared me as it shot up out of the engine area and jumped on me and was hanging on for dear life.
“Daaaannnngggg!”
People came running out of the store and some of them were scared for me saying things like rabies and some were laughing at the fact I was dancing around as the awful thing was trying to find a way inside my shirt.
“Aunt Gus? Is it trying to eat you?!”
“Er … no. I think it is just scared. Or … ouch, no claws you little pest … just freaked out or something. Bring me my phone.”
“You need to take a picture? You can just ask one of them people for one.”
He was referring to people that were “helping” by taking pictures with their phones for their social media. Geez.
“Er … nope,” I said as I finally managed to wrap it in the flannel jacket I had been wearing. “Fraidy Cat has a collar and now that it has stopped doing the fandango, I think the collar has some kind of ID on it.”
Yep. And the woman who answered my call nearly split my eardrum and would have busted the speaker on my cellphone had she been a decibel louder. We’d crossed paths at Pop’s Butts. The cat apparently snuck out of a screen window on their camper when they went in to eat. It was cool enough the cat went looking for someplace warm to pop a squat and the rest as they say is history.
The husband and wife were both emotionally grateful. So was Velcro the Cat. No, I’m not kidding. The cat’s name is Velcro. He is only six months old and is the grandson of their other cat that had just passed a couple of months ago from injuries sustained in taking on a bear that had tried to get into their camper … while they were in it. They showed us the scar on Velcro’s side and explained that is why he is so skittish. Uh yeah … bear attack would make anyone skittish I assured them with understanding and they were relieved I understood before taking off. I noted that there was duct tape on one of the camper windows as they pulled out. I doubt they’ll be leaving any of the windows open for a while, and not because the weather is slowly but surely turning cold. I gave Velcro his fifteen minutes of fame on the blog tonight. Made a good human interest story.
I nearly stopped at Publix in Waynesville then just said “what the heck” and went through the drive-thru at Chik-fil-A and got Benny some grilled nuggets and lemonade and me a bucket sized sweet tea. I still felt like celebrating … the bad that I’d been anticipating had not happened and it had actually been something good. We’d rescued a pet that was a comfort to an older couple. Yeehaw and all that.
We stayed on the Andrew Jackson Hwy for a while, stopping at Jenny’s Produce Stand and an indoor flea market selling out a lot of things here at the end of the tourist season. I pulled into the parking lot of the Balsam Antique Market to put stuff away and then decided to just go in. It wound up being the kind of place that Grandma Barry and Meemo would have loved. It was like a maze – a clean maze – of all this old stuff. I got drug in enough of that type a place as a kid that I could tell Balsam was a good example. Not too much of what people call staging that might pretty the vendor’s stall up but doesn’t really mean much otherwise and while it is nice for people to look, if it doesn’t help sell your junk it is a waste of time and space you are paying for. Meemo used to laugh and say she preferred inventory and dust to pretty and empty. Judge Phelps would usually ask if she was talking about the intelligence of all the women he had dated before she came along. She’d then give him this prim look and then they’d both laugh naughtily. Took me forever to figure out what the joke was, and most of it didn’t come until after Grandma Barry had gone to Heaven and I was left with her Daytimers with all her personal notes in them. Judge Phelps had been quite the playboy in his younger days but then when he’d spotted Meemo that was all she wrote apparently, but he had to work long and hard to catch her. And that’s why even though Judge Phelps is older than Grandfather Barry, his kids are all my cousins’ and Lawrence’s age.
I managed to get us out of there after only buying Benny an old book of animal sketches that he became fascinated with. It is not that I don’t find all the stuff like that pretty or neat or whatever but the idea of having to be responsible for it all … and the dusting and cleaning … makes the hamster want to do the macarena.
Stopped at another craft store that Benny had spotted called Mud Dabbers. Their sign has a quote from Picasso that I wrote down to remember on those days my hamster turns into an OCD cleaning lady. “Everything you can imagine is real … the chief enemy of creativity is good sense.” I don’t know that I completely agree but it might be a good way to slap handcuffs on the hamster when it tries to still the joy out of the day just because things might get a little messy.
Sylva, NC was the next town of any size and though I was tempted to stop at a few places like the Food Lion for groceries if nothing else, I only stopped for fuel – geez Louise my wallet was lighter afterwards – and a couple of bottles of cold apple juice for Benny and I. After Sylva came this little place called Dillsboro where we crossed the Tuckasegee River having changed to US441 S, another reminder of home as US441 is something I was quite familiar with before moving to Jacksonville. Something else that reminded me of “home” was that there seemed to be a little church of one sort or another every couple of blocks.
I think I nearly caused Little Bear to wonder if his Aunt Gus had been body-snatched when I made a sudden turn into the parking lot of Rockhouse Ridge Gem Mine. Now this place was not cheap, not at all, but I had seen a military discount on the billboard, and when they found out we were a Gold Star Family an older man came in from out back and personally got Benny a special bucket of sand and gems to use on the sluice.
As I watched over Benny having fun the man got my story from me. I don’t usually just spew it to strangers but there was something about the guy that reminded me of Grandfather Barry. Finally he said, “My grandfather never knew his father; he died during WW1 and his mother died in the Spanish Flu epidemic when he was less than a year old. He was raised in an orphanage, married and not long after they’d had my father my grandfather was drafted and died in the Pacific during WW2. My own father died during the Korean War. I lost a stepbrother in Vietnam. I could never serve,” he said pointing to the boot on his foot that had a heel several inches taller than the other one. “Lost a son in the Middle East to a war that was never named.” He shook his head. “Every one of them gave their lives for the ideal of freedom.”
“Look Aunt Gus! Look! Another one!” Benny told me excitedly.
The man gave a half smile and said, “I know you say you meant to serve this country. Looks like God thought serving this boy was more important. Teach him well. Bring him up right. That’s another type of battle for freedom.”
He turned and walked away like he was a million years old, and it gave me the chills. Not in a bad way, but it wasn’t all good either.
When Benny was ready to go I asked after the old man because I wanted to say good bye and thank you.
“Oh, that’s Old Lawry. He doesn’t work here, just comes down sometimes to hang around when he gets tired of his own cooking.”
“Uh …”
“Let me guess, he told you his life story.”
“Um … is it true?”
“True? Probably didn’t tell you the half of it. Was Chief of the VFD around here, a real hero, and then one night when he was away saving someone else’s house, some druggies burnt his down with his wife and special needs son in it. Son survived and Lawry retired to be his full-time caregiver. Son died a couple years later and … well … Ol’ Lawry just kinda became who he is now. Strange though how he always seems to know when we are going to have a Vet or similar come in. But that’s mountain people for you.”
October 30 (Part 2)
Okay, I do not like being weirded out. Then again, there was this real ancient that lived upriver from my grandparents who always seemed to know things or be where he was needed when there should have been no expectation of him being there. Locals – even some of the klukkers – all gave him lots of respect even though the guy was dark as a river full of tannin. Grandfather Barry said we were some kind of relation to him though he said not to try and figure it out until I was older. I realized after reading something in Grandma Barry’s Daytimers that the connection was from the “other side of the blanket” as they used to call it. His name was Barry Osceola. One of the few real arguments I heard going on between Dad and Uncle Daniel – usually it was just Uncle Daniel picking on Dad and trying to “improve” him beyond “a damn redneck truck driver” – was when Uncle Daniel found out that Dad was letting Mr. Osceola teach me how to hunt on the river. You would have thought Mr. Osceola was some kind of pedophile serial killer or something. I can’t remember all of it, I was pretty young because Lawrence was still in high school, and he caught me listening in and just tossed me over his shoulder and carried me off to the other side of the property.
“You shouldn’t be sneaking around and listening in on things like that Gus.”
“How am I supposed to know stuff if I don’t? No one ever tells me anything.”
“They tell you what they think you need to know.”
“That’s stupid.”
He sighed. “Look. I get it. They still treat me like that too. But on this … don’t let Uncle Daniel’s freak out make you rude to Mr. Osceola.”
“Uncle Daniel can’t make me do anything. Dad says it’s okay. Grandfather Barry says it’s okay. And the stuff Mr. Osceola is teaching me is cool. Except for the stupid baby gator that climbed in my boot. It made me scream like a girl. That was bogus.”
I remember Lawrence trying not to laugh before getting serious again. “Look, Uncle Daniel just doesn’t like Mr. Osceola because when he was a kid … look, don’t tell I told you. This is like top secret family stuff and even if Dad understands Grandma Barry would scalp me.”
“I won’t.”
“Promise?”
“Pinkie swear.”
He thought about it and said, “When dad and Uncle Daniel were kids they were out on the river in a canoe when a storm came up. It was a bad one and their canoe got hung on a snag and then tipped them over. You know Uncle Daniel can’t swim real well.”
“Yeah. Grandfather says he has a core of lead and sinks instead of floats.”
“There are some people just like that for some reason. Anyway, Dad saved Uncle Daniel by keeping him afloat until he could grab ahold of a root and pull himself out of the river but he wasn’t strong enough to pull Dad out and Dad was too tired from saving Uncle Daniel that he slipped and went under and got taken off with the current. Uncle Daniel was scared and ran home but didn’t make a lot of sense. See they were both real young and they weren’t supposed to be out on the river anyway as they had chores to do. It was back before Grandfather married Grandma and they were just here for vacation.”
“That’s a long time ago. And is this a story? ‘Cause how could Dad be here if he got swept down the river?”
“It’s a story but not a false one. I’m not lying Gus. And they’ll have my head if you tell.”
“I’m no rat, so tell already.”
Lawrence looked around and then said, “Mr. Osceola saved Dad and carried him home mostly drowned. He told Grandfather that Uncle Daniel …” He looked around and then whispered, “He said Uncle Daniel had knocked Dad out of the canoe before the storm came up and was making him swim beside the canoe and kept using the paddle to keep Dad from climbing back in. And then the storm swamped the canoe. Dad did save Uncle Daniel, but he was too tired to save himself because he’d been swimming for a long time. Dad was just a little boy but he could really swim.”
“He can still really swim.”
“Sure can.”
Lawrence would have ghosted away to stay unnoticed by the adults who were starting to get loud but I stopped him. “How come you know this stuff?”
“Because I heard Grandfather and Grandma talking about it once when she didn’t understand why him and Mr. Osceola was such good friends.”
“Mr. Osceola freaks Grandma Barry out a little bit because he always knows when she’s cooking certain things.”
“Yeah. He can be strange, so you don’t go looking for him unless he comes looking for you. And you better not tell on me Gus or I’ll …”
“Don’t be stupid. I said I’m no rat,” I said, insulting Lawrence as only an obnoxious little sister could get away with. “I still don’t get it. Why are Dad and Uncle Daniel fighting if this happened a long, long time ago.”
“Because … look, because. Uncle Daniel is jealous of Dad.”
“Why?”
“Because of just stupid crap … er … don’t use that word. They’ll scalp me twice. Look, it is dumb and complicated and I don’t know everything. It has to do with Grandfather marrying Grandma and Dad getting more of her attention even though Uncle Daniel was almost grown when it happened and Dad still being younger. And the thing with Mr. Osceola is because … because maybe it has always been like that even before Grandfather married Grandma and Uncle Daniel can be a jackass and … and definitely don’t use that word or I’m a dead man and won’t be able to take Marcia Mitchell to the prom.”
“You only like Marcia because she had boobs the size of Mt. Everest.”
“Gus …” he growled, and the discussion was definitely over because I started laughing and running away singing, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.” And Lawrence ran after me thinking that I was an ungrateful and bratty little sister and was likely more trouble than I was worth at the time.
I had been sitting in the driver’s seat for a couple minutes not doing anything until Benny asked, “Aunt Gus? Is something wrong with the van?”
“Huh? Oh. Nope, just thinking.”
“About whut?”
“About that maybe we should just head on to our camping spot. There looks like there is some rain in those clouds coming our way.”
“Ew, they do look angry. Will they stop us?”
“You kidding? We aren’t made of cotton candy. A little rain isn’t going to melt us.”
That made him laugh and meant I could avoid explaining the hamster going squirrel and taking me down memory lane.
We got to Franklin, pulled into the RV Campsite, and I found out that their hook ups were only available seasonally and their season had ended a couple of days ago. Oh. Okay, nothing terrible. Then the bottom dropped out and some of the hardest rain we’ve experienced since leaving Florida made it seem like it was paving the way for Noah to ride through with all the animals. Oh. Okay. I can deal. At least there was no hail, right?
Uh. Wrong. I just barely got the cover on the top of the van before the biggest stuff started coming down. And wind. The wind was so much fun. Not. The big flash, pop, and crack loud enough for me to grab Benny and go in a crouch was lots of fun too. Not as much fun as the RV next to us had when half a tree landed on them. It was over with about thirty minutes later.
“Stay here Benny,” I told my nephew as I got out and went to investigate for any potential damage in the diminishing light that still seemed more like sunlight than what we’d experienced during the storm.
The camp hosts came trotting down the road asking everyone if there was any damage. I heard the man from the tree covered RV – who had a voice that sounded like Eyeore, “If that wasn’t a tornady, I’ll eat my shorts.”
I was able to give the all-clear when I cleared the tree debris and uncovered the panels enough to tell they weren’t damaged. Thank you, Creator. No windshield damage either but the galley box had a ding in it that hadn’t been there before.
“Benny, come give Aunt Gus a hand. And bring our gloves please.”
I knew the drill after living in Florida my entire life. You had a storm. You cleaned up. Dumpster trash in one pile. Yard trash in another. And wood in piles broken down by size so they could be bundled and disposed up properly. Second nature I suppose but it wasn’t until Benny asked why people were looking at us that I noticed we were drawing attention. Or maybe it was because we picked up our site, the abandoned site beside us after the camper was there simply pulled out, and stuff in the road.
“I don’t know. Maybe they’ve never seen anyone as good as we are at picking up junk.”
Benny laughed, but when the bugs came out in a serious attempt to drain him dry I put him into the van after grabbing a spritz bottle of deet. I also set up a citronella candle on the picnic table. You’d think that the cool weather would keep the demon vampires away, but these must have been wearing down-filled vests or something.
I stopped when I had cleared as much as was happening unless I wanted to be too tired and sore to drive tomorrow. Not to mention it was almost time for generators to go off and I still needed to feed Benny. I climbed in the van and said, “Sorry Little Bear.” Then I spotted the peanut butter and pineapple jelly around his mouth.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked sorrowfully.
“Not this time Squirt. How much did you eat?”
“A spoonful … er … a big soup spoonful with a little jelly on top?”
“Well you just saved me from being a bad Aunt Gus. I’m sorry I got so busy I forgot.”
“You aren’t a bad Aunt Gus,” he said a little more forcefully than I expected. “Those boys don’t know nuthin’.”
Ah. The boys that thought they were whispering to their parents but who didn’t have good control of their volume knob.
“Meh. What do that know? Besides, we’re a team right? And I think I have an idea for a cool supper if you still have room.”
“I have room,” he nodded eagerly making me chuckle.
I still had a few things that we needed to use in the frig before they spoiled. A couple of hot dogs and a small pile of gluten-free dough. Thinking about it while I was outside, I realized that it reminded me of something Grandma Barry used to make when Grandfather wasn’t around to give it the hairy eyeball. Walking Mummy Dogs. Split the bottom half of the hotdog into two legs, make the dough into skinny “bandages.” Wrap the “bandages” around the hotdog like you were mummifying it. Bake until the "bandages” were golden and then use mustard to make dots for eyes. LOL. I used to add ketchup to make blood too. I mean why have bandages if there wasn’t blood? That used to be a requirement during our Harvest Festival.
It wasn’t long until Benny was asleep and I was going there as well until I remembered I needed to check the map one more time to prep for tomorrow’s drive. And I ran smack, face-first, big time irritation, into my dyslexia. Dang it and a lot of much worse curse words I won’t record for posterity that my sailor’s heart wanted to sling around majorly. GAH!!!
After Waynesville I should have headed towards Asheville, not Franklin. I have to backtrack almost 40 miles to get going the right direction. I’ve added nearly an hour of drive time to the day tomorrow. I’m done. I don’t care if I do oversleep at this point, I’m downing a can of caffeine water and putting my hamsterized brain to bed.
Okay, I do not like being weirded out. Then again, there was this real ancient that lived upriver from my grandparents who always seemed to know things or be where he was needed when there should have been no expectation of him being there. Locals – even some of the klukkers – all gave him lots of respect even though the guy was dark as a river full of tannin. Grandfather Barry said we were some kind of relation to him though he said not to try and figure it out until I was older. I realized after reading something in Grandma Barry’s Daytimers that the connection was from the “other side of the blanket” as they used to call it. His name was Barry Osceola. One of the few real arguments I heard going on between Dad and Uncle Daniel – usually it was just Uncle Daniel picking on Dad and trying to “improve” him beyond “a damn redneck truck driver” – was when Uncle Daniel found out that Dad was letting Mr. Osceola teach me how to hunt on the river. You would have thought Mr. Osceola was some kind of pedophile serial killer or something. I can’t remember all of it, I was pretty young because Lawrence was still in high school, and he caught me listening in and just tossed me over his shoulder and carried me off to the other side of the property.
“You shouldn’t be sneaking around and listening in on things like that Gus.”
“How am I supposed to know stuff if I don’t? No one ever tells me anything.”
“They tell you what they think you need to know.”
“That’s stupid.”
He sighed. “Look. I get it. They still treat me like that too. But on this … don’t let Uncle Daniel’s freak out make you rude to Mr. Osceola.”
“Uncle Daniel can’t make me do anything. Dad says it’s okay. Grandfather Barry says it’s okay. And the stuff Mr. Osceola is teaching me is cool. Except for the stupid baby gator that climbed in my boot. It made me scream like a girl. That was bogus.”
I remember Lawrence trying not to laugh before getting serious again. “Look, Uncle Daniel just doesn’t like Mr. Osceola because when he was a kid … look, don’t tell I told you. This is like top secret family stuff and even if Dad understands Grandma Barry would scalp me.”
“I won’t.”
“Promise?”
“Pinkie swear.”
He thought about it and said, “When dad and Uncle Daniel were kids they were out on the river in a canoe when a storm came up. It was a bad one and their canoe got hung on a snag and then tipped them over. You know Uncle Daniel can’t swim real well.”
“Yeah. Grandfather says he has a core of lead and sinks instead of floats.”
“There are some people just like that for some reason. Anyway, Dad saved Uncle Daniel by keeping him afloat until he could grab ahold of a root and pull himself out of the river but he wasn’t strong enough to pull Dad out and Dad was too tired from saving Uncle Daniel that he slipped and went under and got taken off with the current. Uncle Daniel was scared and ran home but didn’t make a lot of sense. See they were both real young and they weren’t supposed to be out on the river anyway as they had chores to do. It was back before Grandfather married Grandma and they were just here for vacation.”
“That’s a long time ago. And is this a story? ‘Cause how could Dad be here if he got swept down the river?”
“It’s a story but not a false one. I’m not lying Gus. And they’ll have my head if you tell.”
“I’m no rat, so tell already.”
Lawrence looked around and then said, “Mr. Osceola saved Dad and carried him home mostly drowned. He told Grandfather that Uncle Daniel …” He looked around and then whispered, “He said Uncle Daniel had knocked Dad out of the canoe before the storm came up and was making him swim beside the canoe and kept using the paddle to keep Dad from climbing back in. And then the storm swamped the canoe. Dad did save Uncle Daniel, but he was too tired to save himself because he’d been swimming for a long time. Dad was just a little boy but he could really swim.”
“He can still really swim.”
“Sure can.”
Lawrence would have ghosted away to stay unnoticed by the adults who were starting to get loud but I stopped him. “How come you know this stuff?”
“Because I heard Grandfather and Grandma talking about it once when she didn’t understand why him and Mr. Osceola was such good friends.”
“Mr. Osceola freaks Grandma Barry out a little bit because he always knows when she’s cooking certain things.”
“Yeah. He can be strange, so you don’t go looking for him unless he comes looking for you. And you better not tell on me Gus or I’ll …”
“Don’t be stupid. I said I’m no rat,” I said, insulting Lawrence as only an obnoxious little sister could get away with. “I still don’t get it. Why are Dad and Uncle Daniel fighting if this happened a long, long time ago.”
“Because … look, because. Uncle Daniel is jealous of Dad.”
“Why?”
“Because of just stupid crap … er … don’t use that word. They’ll scalp me twice. Look, it is dumb and complicated and I don’t know everything. It has to do with Grandfather marrying Grandma and Dad getting more of her attention even though Uncle Daniel was almost grown when it happened and Dad still being younger. And the thing with Mr. Osceola is because … because maybe it has always been like that even before Grandfather married Grandma and Uncle Daniel can be a jackass and … and definitely don’t use that word or I’m a dead man and won’t be able to take Marcia Mitchell to the prom.”
“You only like Marcia because she had boobs the size of Mt. Everest.”
“Gus …” he growled, and the discussion was definitely over because I started laughing and running away singing, “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia.” And Lawrence ran after me thinking that I was an ungrateful and bratty little sister and was likely more trouble than I was worth at the time.
I had been sitting in the driver’s seat for a couple minutes not doing anything until Benny asked, “Aunt Gus? Is something wrong with the van?”
“Huh? Oh. Nope, just thinking.”
“About whut?”
“About that maybe we should just head on to our camping spot. There looks like there is some rain in those clouds coming our way.”
“Ew, they do look angry. Will they stop us?”
“You kidding? We aren’t made of cotton candy. A little rain isn’t going to melt us.”
That made him laugh and meant I could avoid explaining the hamster going squirrel and taking me down memory lane.
We got to Franklin, pulled into the RV Campsite, and I found out that their hook ups were only available seasonally and their season had ended a couple of days ago. Oh. Okay, nothing terrible. Then the bottom dropped out and some of the hardest rain we’ve experienced since leaving Florida made it seem like it was paving the way for Noah to ride through with all the animals. Oh. Okay. I can deal. At least there was no hail, right?
Uh. Wrong. I just barely got the cover on the top of the van before the biggest stuff started coming down. And wind. The wind was so much fun. Not. The big flash, pop, and crack loud enough for me to grab Benny and go in a crouch was lots of fun too. Not as much fun as the RV next to us had when half a tree landed on them. It was over with about thirty minutes later.
“Stay here Benny,” I told my nephew as I got out and went to investigate for any potential damage in the diminishing light that still seemed more like sunlight than what we’d experienced during the storm.
The camp hosts came trotting down the road asking everyone if there was any damage. I heard the man from the tree covered RV – who had a voice that sounded like Eyeore, “If that wasn’t a tornady, I’ll eat my shorts.”
I was able to give the all-clear when I cleared the tree debris and uncovered the panels enough to tell they weren’t damaged. Thank you, Creator. No windshield damage either but the galley box had a ding in it that hadn’t been there before.
“Benny, come give Aunt Gus a hand. And bring our gloves please.”
I knew the drill after living in Florida my entire life. You had a storm. You cleaned up. Dumpster trash in one pile. Yard trash in another. And wood in piles broken down by size so they could be bundled and disposed up properly. Second nature I suppose but it wasn’t until Benny asked why people were looking at us that I noticed we were drawing attention. Or maybe it was because we picked up our site, the abandoned site beside us after the camper was there simply pulled out, and stuff in the road.
“I don’t know. Maybe they’ve never seen anyone as good as we are at picking up junk.”
Benny laughed, but when the bugs came out in a serious attempt to drain him dry I put him into the van after grabbing a spritz bottle of deet. I also set up a citronella candle on the picnic table. You’d think that the cool weather would keep the demon vampires away, but these must have been wearing down-filled vests or something.
I stopped when I had cleared as much as was happening unless I wanted to be too tired and sore to drive tomorrow. Not to mention it was almost time for generators to go off and I still needed to feed Benny. I climbed in the van and said, “Sorry Little Bear.” Then I spotted the peanut butter and pineapple jelly around his mouth.
“Am I in trouble?” he asked sorrowfully.
“Not this time Squirt. How much did you eat?”
“A spoonful … er … a big soup spoonful with a little jelly on top?”
“Well you just saved me from being a bad Aunt Gus. I’m sorry I got so busy I forgot.”
“You aren’t a bad Aunt Gus,” he said a little more forcefully than I expected. “Those boys don’t know nuthin’.”
Ah. The boys that thought they were whispering to their parents but who didn’t have good control of their volume knob.
“Meh. What do that know? Besides, we’re a team right? And I think I have an idea for a cool supper if you still have room.”
“I have room,” he nodded eagerly making me chuckle.
I still had a few things that we needed to use in the frig before they spoiled. A couple of hot dogs and a small pile of gluten-free dough. Thinking about it while I was outside, I realized that it reminded me of something Grandma Barry used to make when Grandfather wasn’t around to give it the hairy eyeball. Walking Mummy Dogs. Split the bottom half of the hotdog into two legs, make the dough into skinny “bandages.” Wrap the “bandages” around the hotdog like you were mummifying it. Bake until the "bandages” were golden and then use mustard to make dots for eyes. LOL. I used to add ketchup to make blood too. I mean why have bandages if there wasn’t blood? That used to be a requirement during our Harvest Festival.
It wasn’t long until Benny was asleep and I was going there as well until I remembered I needed to check the map one more time to prep for tomorrow’s drive. And I ran smack, face-first, big time irritation, into my dyslexia. Dang it and a lot of much worse curse words I won’t record for posterity that my sailor’s heart wanted to sling around majorly. GAH!!!
After Waynesville I should have headed towards Asheville, not Franklin. I have to backtrack almost 40 miles to get going the right direction. I’ve added nearly an hour of drive time to the day tomorrow. I’m done. I don’t care if I do oversleep at this point, I’m downing a can of caffeine water and putting my hamsterized brain to bed.
Oct 31: Bluestone National Scenic River, WV
Weather: Rainy, rainy.
I didn’t oversleep today but I wasn’t exactly wanting to be sociable either. But only a real, solid gold curmudgeon snarls at little ol’ ladies that are just trying to say thank you for all the help.
I’ll call her Mrs. Eeyore though she reminded more of Pooh’s never ending cheerfulness. Not even a little rain cloud managed to stop her.
“I overheard you saying your boy … nephew? … couldn’t have gluten. We have a granddaughter that has the same thing. I … well I just wanted to say thank you for all of your help and thought maybe? I mean you wouldn’t mind that they had breakfast together would you?”
A little girl I hadn’t seen last night was looking through the screen door with such a hopeful expression I nodded before I could think about it. Benny was already out and curious, apparently he had seen the little girl last evening at some point, and even with it being barely 5 am they sat and ate yogurt parfaits while the rest of us adulted for a bit.
“Thank you Sugar. She gets so lonesome for kids her own age when we are traveling but we’ve had the raising of her nearly her whole life. We’re taking her to see her father. He’s a good kid but a kid is all he really is, all he’ll ever be after the car accident. He knows who Angie is but then again, he doesn’t. Our youngest was a bit of a wild child and … well … life wrote a story I wish it hadn’t. And bless you for letting me rattle on. Sorry about that. I guess last night upset me more than I was willing to admit.”
Uh …
She didn’t really require an answer and with two swallows the kids were finished with breakfast and all of us needed to get on the road. Six was later than I had planned for after my map and direction snafu, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as the roads were full of tree trunks and chainsaws.
An hour put us back in Waynesville and something said to get fuel while the getting was good. For my morning brew I got a six-pack of rootbeer and kept them ice cold as I drank them. The drive actually wasn’t horrible. From Waynesville we took I40 into Asheville. I would have liked to stop and explore but no real time for it. In Asheville it was I240 to I26. North of Asheville we crossed the Appalachian Trail and took a break at Sams Gap Scenic Overlook. The change in seasons was really evident in the surrounding land. Gone were the green and reds and all that was left were the golds and browns. If I had to guess the weather isn’t going to improve either. High was at best 60F and tonight it is damp and cold.
The GPS startled me out of some hamster-esque contemplation to remind me we were getting off of I26 and onto I81. Not long after that we crossed over Warriors’ Path State Park, another place that I had thought about stopping but once again something said to just keep driving. Benny was dozing more than awake after I let him put his headphones on with an audiobook so I didn’t have to answer questions, questions I couldn’t have answered like what was bothering me. I just wanted to get where we were going. We drove through small towns like Bristol and Abingdon, crossed the Tennessee Stateline into Virginia. I knew something was feeding my agitation, I just can’t tell you what it was.
Nearly stopped at this placed called Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia. It wouldn’t have cost anything but a donation but … I just kept driving. Atkins, Willard, Wilson, and then in Wytheville I changed interstates from I81 to I77 … and the gremlins stuck their nose into our business yet again. There had been some kind of accident in the Big Walker Tunnel which I77 passed through. Luckily the GPS warned me before I was out of turn offs, but it was a close thing. We took 717 and wound up at this place called Big Walker Lookout. It was an old timey store with a steel fire tower you could climb to see five states. Okay. Fine. We did it. Kinda corny but we definitely did it. Including the swinging bridge you had to cross to get to the tower. The store featured books by local authors, stuff like soap and candles and jams by local craftspeople, and ice cream. Real. Homemade. Ice cream. Benny and I both had double scoops. Ridiculous.
The storekeepers were real nice and showed me how to get around to get back on I77 on the other side of the tunnel and we started making time again. We stopped briefly at the Rocky Gap Rest Area when the ice cream hit both of us at the same time. Not long after that we crossed into West Virginia. Then passed the Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park. Then it was into the Bluestone National Scenic River … and to find the river was closed due to a lot of debris in the water making it too dangerous until it had time to wash out. We stayed just long enough for Benny to earn the Junior Ranger badge and then we headed out. I was trying not to act frantic but Benny picked up on my odd mood.
“Are we okay Aunt Gus?”
I wanted to answer no but …
“Aunt Gus just has hamster issues at the moment.”
“Oh. You’re nerbous about our new job.”
“Maybe that’s some of it but they called again to make sure we were going to be at the meeting on time.”
“So we have the job?”
I noticed he kept saying “we” and I knew I needed to at least fake some confidence.
“Yeppers.”
“But you are still nerbous.”
“Maybe a little bit. But everything is a-ok.”
“Oh. So you need to duct tape the hamster. Maybe we shouldn’t have had two scoops of ice cream.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “You stinker winker. Yeah, that’s probably it. Two scoops was one scoop too many. And I drank all that rootbeer too. You mind if I just find our campsite and park for the night, get my head on straight?”
“Sure Aunt Gus. You always help me when my wiggles are getting out of control.”
“Yep. We’re Crew.”
“Yeppers,” he said, mimicking what he’d heard me say his entire life. It only made me want to chuckle more. But I was also still concealing I was approaching meltdown and needed my own form of exercising the hamster into a coma so I could move forward.
We had a reservation at Bluestone State Park in the Meador campground, the only one that accepted RVs which is what they classified the van as due to its length. I called to make sure that everything was still kosher and wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that it wasn’t. And guess what? It wasn’t. I crossed the Bluestone River, pulled out at the scenic overlook and had abso-freaking-lutely no idea what I was going to do.
I started calling. No availability until I found this place by referral that would let me boondock behind the bait-n-tackle ‘cause they’d, and I quote, had them a few days like that. Benny thought it was grand. A real bait-n-tackle. Stink and all where they dumped the out of date bait into the bluestone river. Or maybe it was the customers at the bar and grill … more bar than grill … that would occasionally come over to use the “facilities.”
It is now after midnight and everything has finally quieted down. The local po po came to cart of the last customers that were refusing to leave … not that they were capable of driving at that point. Benny is long asleep but I’m not. Obviously. I’ll give it a little longer and if no one else comes out of the bushes along the river I’ll give it a try. At least the cops know I’m here and won’t roust me. One of the local cops is the bait-and-tackle’s manager’s nephew and apparently he already checked our plates out and we are clean. Oh. I’m so glad to know.
Okay, hamster is going snarky. Time to try some meditation before I start chewing on the fixtures.
Weather: Rainy, rainy.
I didn’t oversleep today but I wasn’t exactly wanting to be sociable either. But only a real, solid gold curmudgeon snarls at little ol’ ladies that are just trying to say thank you for all the help.
I’ll call her Mrs. Eeyore though she reminded more of Pooh’s never ending cheerfulness. Not even a little rain cloud managed to stop her.
“I overheard you saying your boy … nephew? … couldn’t have gluten. We have a granddaughter that has the same thing. I … well I just wanted to say thank you for all of your help and thought maybe? I mean you wouldn’t mind that they had breakfast together would you?”
A little girl I hadn’t seen last night was looking through the screen door with such a hopeful expression I nodded before I could think about it. Benny was already out and curious, apparently he had seen the little girl last evening at some point, and even with it being barely 5 am they sat and ate yogurt parfaits while the rest of us adulted for a bit.
“Thank you Sugar. She gets so lonesome for kids her own age when we are traveling but we’ve had the raising of her nearly her whole life. We’re taking her to see her father. He’s a good kid but a kid is all he really is, all he’ll ever be after the car accident. He knows who Angie is but then again, he doesn’t. Our youngest was a bit of a wild child and … well … life wrote a story I wish it hadn’t. And bless you for letting me rattle on. Sorry about that. I guess last night upset me more than I was willing to admit.”
Uh …
She didn’t really require an answer and with two swallows the kids were finished with breakfast and all of us needed to get on the road. Six was later than I had planned for after my map and direction snafu, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as the roads were full of tree trunks and chainsaws.
An hour put us back in Waynesville and something said to get fuel while the getting was good. For my morning brew I got a six-pack of rootbeer and kept them ice cold as I drank them. The drive actually wasn’t horrible. From Waynesville we took I40 into Asheville. I would have liked to stop and explore but no real time for it. In Asheville it was I240 to I26. North of Asheville we crossed the Appalachian Trail and took a break at Sams Gap Scenic Overlook. The change in seasons was really evident in the surrounding land. Gone were the green and reds and all that was left were the golds and browns. If I had to guess the weather isn’t going to improve either. High was at best 60F and tonight it is damp and cold.
The GPS startled me out of some hamster-esque contemplation to remind me we were getting off of I26 and onto I81. Not long after that we crossed over Warriors’ Path State Park, another place that I had thought about stopping but once again something said to just keep driving. Benny was dozing more than awake after I let him put his headphones on with an audiobook so I didn’t have to answer questions, questions I couldn’t have answered like what was bothering me. I just wanted to get where we were going. We drove through small towns like Bristol and Abingdon, crossed the Tennessee Stateline into Virginia. I knew something was feeding my agitation, I just can’t tell you what it was.
Nearly stopped at this placed called Settlers Museum of Southwest Virginia. It wouldn’t have cost anything but a donation but … I just kept driving. Atkins, Willard, Wilson, and then in Wytheville I changed interstates from I81 to I77 … and the gremlins stuck their nose into our business yet again. There had been some kind of accident in the Big Walker Tunnel which I77 passed through. Luckily the GPS warned me before I was out of turn offs, but it was a close thing. We took 717 and wound up at this place called Big Walker Lookout. It was an old timey store with a steel fire tower you could climb to see five states. Okay. Fine. We did it. Kinda corny but we definitely did it. Including the swinging bridge you had to cross to get to the tower. The store featured books by local authors, stuff like soap and candles and jams by local craftspeople, and ice cream. Real. Homemade. Ice cream. Benny and I both had double scoops. Ridiculous.
The storekeepers were real nice and showed me how to get around to get back on I77 on the other side of the tunnel and we started making time again. We stopped briefly at the Rocky Gap Rest Area when the ice cream hit both of us at the same time. Not long after that we crossed into West Virginia. Then passed the Lake Shawnee Abandoned Amusement Park. Then it was into the Bluestone National Scenic River … and to find the river was closed due to a lot of debris in the water making it too dangerous until it had time to wash out. We stayed just long enough for Benny to earn the Junior Ranger badge and then we headed out. I was trying not to act frantic but Benny picked up on my odd mood.
“Are we okay Aunt Gus?”
I wanted to answer no but …
“Aunt Gus just has hamster issues at the moment.”
“Oh. You’re nerbous about our new job.”
“Maybe that’s some of it but they called again to make sure we were going to be at the meeting on time.”
“So we have the job?”
I noticed he kept saying “we” and I knew I needed to at least fake some confidence.
“Yeppers.”
“But you are still nerbous.”
“Maybe a little bit. But everything is a-ok.”
“Oh. So you need to duct tape the hamster. Maybe we shouldn’t have had two scoops of ice cream.”
I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “You stinker winker. Yeah, that’s probably it. Two scoops was one scoop too many. And I drank all that rootbeer too. You mind if I just find our campsite and park for the night, get my head on straight?”
“Sure Aunt Gus. You always help me when my wiggles are getting out of control.”
“Yep. We’re Crew.”
“Yeppers,” he said, mimicking what he’d heard me say his entire life. It only made me want to chuckle more. But I was also still concealing I was approaching meltdown and needed my own form of exercising the hamster into a coma so I could move forward.
We had a reservation at Bluestone State Park in the Meador campground, the only one that accepted RVs which is what they classified the van as due to its length. I called to make sure that everything was still kosher and wouldn’t have been surprised to hear that it wasn’t. And guess what? It wasn’t. I crossed the Bluestone River, pulled out at the scenic overlook and had abso-freaking-lutely no idea what I was going to do.
I started calling. No availability until I found this place by referral that would let me boondock behind the bait-n-tackle ‘cause they’d, and I quote, had them a few days like that. Benny thought it was grand. A real bait-n-tackle. Stink and all where they dumped the out of date bait into the bluestone river. Or maybe it was the customers at the bar and grill … more bar than grill … that would occasionally come over to use the “facilities.”
It is now after midnight and everything has finally quieted down. The local po po came to cart of the last customers that were refusing to leave … not that they were capable of driving at that point. Benny is long asleep but I’m not. Obviously. I’ll give it a little longer and if no one else comes out of the bushes along the river I’ll give it a try. At least the cops know I’m here and won’t roust me. One of the local cops is the bait-and-tackle’s manager’s nephew and apparently he already checked our plates out and we are clean. Oh. I’m so glad to know.
Okay, hamster is going snarky. Time to try some meditation before I start chewing on the fixtures.
Nov 1: New River Gorge National Park, WV
Morning started as early as I could reasonably get Benny out of bed and in his seat. I popped the top on a can of rootbeer in the head and then put it in my mug before waking him. I could not believe how close we were to the national park. I mean we might as well have been in it. I had planned on staying a couple of days at New River Gorge but after our day of biking the weather turned sour and I decided to head on to Charleston, WV for the meeting. Lucky for me they were eager and didn’t mind me showing up a couple of days early. So, after our night in Babcock State Park, we will head out early in the morning and make the hour plus drive to Charleston. I need fuel for the van, and I want to have a meal I don’t have to cook myself. Then … then we’ll see if things actually pan out as expected.
The RV Park/Camp in Babcock is divine. La-te-da says I. It is something the women in the bathrooms were saying and all agreeing about. Apparently their previous campsites did have hook ups and they were the type that normally camped at the Holiday Inn or Marriot. Don’t get me wrong, having full hook ups including water and electric was great but it was the dumping stations that I really needed.
And it was small, only 28 RV sites, so it was another one of those providential things that I managed to get a spot on such short notice.
I guess I was a little T’d off when I heard them whispering hopefully that “the boy” wouldn’t disturb their peace and quiet. Honestly, what a bunch of cranky old biddies. Give the benefit of the doubt that ask the adult in charge of the kid to please intervene if there is a problem. I’ve had more problems with adults that have tossed back a few too many than I’ve had with kids. I don’t know, maybe it is just getting to be that time of year. Kids are back in school and … well just whatever. Last thing I want to do is turn into a cranky old lady myself.
I think I’ll just hit the hay early. Benny is already asleep, cocooned in his blankets because of the cold. I’ll admit I’m nervous and all of the bike riding didn't burn the brain wiggles off.
Morning started as early as I could reasonably get Benny out of bed and in his seat. I popped the top on a can of rootbeer in the head and then put it in my mug before waking him. I could not believe how close we were to the national park. I mean we might as well have been in it. I had planned on staying a couple of days at New River Gorge but after our day of biking the weather turned sour and I decided to head on to Charleston, WV for the meeting. Lucky for me they were eager and didn’t mind me showing up a couple of days early. So, after our night in Babcock State Park, we will head out early in the morning and make the hour plus drive to Charleston. I need fuel for the van, and I want to have a meal I don’t have to cook myself. Then … then we’ll see if things actually pan out as expected.
The RV Park/Camp in Babcock is divine. La-te-da says I. It is something the women in the bathrooms were saying and all agreeing about. Apparently their previous campsites did have hook ups and they were the type that normally camped at the Holiday Inn or Marriot. Don’t get me wrong, having full hook ups including water and electric was great but it was the dumping stations that I really needed.
And it was small, only 28 RV sites, so it was another one of those providential things that I managed to get a spot on such short notice.
I guess I was a little T’d off when I heard them whispering hopefully that “the boy” wouldn’t disturb their peace and quiet. Honestly, what a bunch of cranky old biddies. Give the benefit of the doubt that ask the adult in charge of the kid to please intervene if there is a problem. I’ve had more problems with adults that have tossed back a few too many than I’ve had with kids. I don’t know, maybe it is just getting to be that time of year. Kids are back in school and … well just whatever. Last thing I want to do is turn into a cranky old lady myself.
I think I’ll just hit the hay early. Benny is already asleep, cocooned in his blankets because of the cold. I’ll admit I’m nervous and all of the bike riding didn't burn the brain wiggles off.