Sunday school Christmas Party

 

Great time with Sunday school at Jeff and Melvina's home. 

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Murfreesboro and Highland Rim Christmas Party

We combined our annual Christmas party with the Highland Rim chapter this year to try something different. We met at the Ada Wright Center in the Fred Deadman Park in Manchester. It was a potluck and with a cookie exchange. Door prizes were awarded to the best decorated tables, and we sang some Christmas songs. We enjoyed spending time with members of the Highland Rim chapter and their guests. Folks attending from Murfreesboro were Jay Brain, Anna Lina Buckley, Joe Campbell, Craig McBride, Lora McBride, Sara Pollard, Georganne Ross, Martina Terrazas and her son Eduardo. 

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Flipper Bend

Lora and I hiked the Flipper Bend Loop trail which is now under the Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park. Nine mile trail with lots of hills and a couple of water crossings along with some wonderful views.

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Prentice Cooper State Forest TTA

Sara led 11 of us on a hike at Prentice Cooper State Forest. Snoopers Rock to the Natural Bridge. 6.2 miles out and back plus optional 1.4 miles out and back to Blowing Wind Falls on the Ritchie Hollow trail and is rated moderate. 

First we visited Snoopers Rock and then we hiked a section of the Cumberland Trail Pot Point Loop clockwise to the Natural Bridge. Along the way we enjoyed views of the Tennessee River. On our way back we took the Ritchie Hollow Trail to visit Blowing Wind Falls.

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TTA Scenic City Christmas Party

 

TTA Hayesville NC

So the Scenic City TTA rented a house at the Hinton Center in Hayesville North Carolina and we rented a campsite next to it. After our arrival we went back to town for fuel and went to the Chatuge Recreation Area by the dam. After everyone arrived and got ready we went to dinner at Mariolino's. 

The next morning we headed to Deep Gap off of SR 71 to hike the AT to Standing Indian Mountain the site where a tower once stood. It is about five miles round trip. Afterwards Lora and I took Cynthia and Patti on the Kimsey Creek trail for a few more miles.

Thursday we had rain in the morning so we visited until 11am and then headed out to see Big Laurel Falls. The water was gushing so the falls were wonderful. We drove on to Mooney Falls and then up to Albert Mountain where we hiked the AT to the tower. It was fogged in so not much of a view. After the hike, Lora and I took Cynthia and Patti and hiked the 4.3 mile Hurricane Creek Loop trail.

Friday everyone had to pack up and then we headed to the Chatuge Dam trail and did an out and back hike. It was a wonderful time with our friends.

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Hinch Mountain Segment - Cumberland Trail

Lora and I hiked 10.6 miles with the Scenic City TTA doing the Hinch Mountain segment of the Cumberland trail.

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Sale Creek

Todays adventure. Canoed from Sale Creek Patterson boat ramp, to May Road bridge. First time we’ve paddled with the water this low. Found a spring bubbling up from under a boulder. Usually this spring would be under water.

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Morgan Creek Segment

Hiked the Morgan Creek Segment of the Cumberland Trail from Hwy 30 to the Snow Falls trail. All new trail rated difficult due to the climb out of the gorge. Beautiful area with lots of mining history.

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TTA 2024 Annual Meeting

The TTA annual meeting was held at Fall Creek Falls State Park this year. We brought our camper and stayed at the campground. The first day's hike we did the Gilbert Gaul Loop. After the hike we had Happy Hour at the lakeside fire ring. After dinner we had a presentation "Fall Creek, Virgin Falls, and the Mid-Cumberlands: Tennessee's Hidden Treasure" by Ranger Stuart Carroll. 

Day two we led the hike to Laurel Falls in the Snow Pocket Wilderness. After dinner was the General Meeting followed by a presentation "The Magnificent Migration of the Monarch Butterflies to Mexico" by Kris Light. We joined the group for the after party that night.

Sunday we walked the campground before leaving.

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Dayton Paddle

Thought we would do a little trip down the river. We put in at Dayton and paddled to the Blue Water Campground. Beautiful day out.

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Johns Mountain/Pinhoti Trail

 Scenic City TTA hike led by Tammy Hendrick 

Beautiful day, beautiful hikers! Fourteen of us trekked up and around Johns Mountain in North Georgia. No one truned back at the stone steps climbing up the side of the mountain, but there was a lot of huffing and puffing. The snack at the top and the views made up for the effort. Unfortunately the hike on the northeast side of the mountain was quite the ascent too. FInnaly, we arrived at the second ovservation deck and some of the hikers found out that they could have driven to this overlook! Not a problem for these hardy hikers, as we picked our way through some bounders walking down the mountain. Next stop was Keown alls, which dripped into the nice rock house. Another mile or so and we completed our double loop trail. We hiked about 5.5 miles withe 100 foot elevation gain. 

Larry mentioned to me that there was a Pocket Recreation Area I should see while I was this close, only about a mile away. It was so pretty, and a CCC built spring house and short rock walls to guide the crystal clear spring water to the creek it joined. The water coming out of the spring was about two feet deep. I've never seen this much water flowing out of a spring. This whole area is beautiful. 

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Tremont Backpack

Anniversary backpack in the Smoky Mountains. 20.8 miles over three days. Beautiful weather sleeping without tarps listening to owls. Only one other backpacker on the trail. We even cut our wedding snicker bar just like when we got married on the trail.

Day One: 5.35 Miles

Middle Prong trail 2.3

Panther Creek trail 2.3

Jakes Creek trail to #27 .75

Day Two: 6.85 Miles

Jakes Creek trail 2.25

Meg's Mountain trail 4.6 to #19

Day Three: 8.6 Mils

Meg's Mountain trail 1.5

Lumber Ridge trail 4.1

Tremont Road 3.0

Rookie mistake right away. We used the flat map to decide the route. Made reservations, then looked at the trail descriptions the next day. Dangerous Creek Crossings?? Luckily the water was down so we didn't have any problems with Panther Creek. Unluckily we had to search for water at the campsites and use a cup to scoop since the water was down. First backpack of the season, well basically hurt as we found out that we were out of shape. By the time we hit the road walk we were done. Luckily nobody gave us a ride so we could claim that we did the whole mile amount.

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Paw Paw Trail Fall Creek Falls

Today's hike was at Fall Creek Falls where we hiked the Paw Paw trail. 

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Roaring Creek Segment of the Cumberland Trail

Lora and I headed down to Roaring Creek to hike the Cumberland trail to the fall. There are quite a few trees down on the trail. Another beautiful hike.

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Dalton

 

Got some cousin time in. Took Lora's mom with us down to Mike's in Dalton and then we went to visit his mom. Riley brought in his guitar and another guy their played a harmonica. Good entertainment.

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Sale Creek

Lora and I got a day to enjoy on the creek. This was actually the first time we had the canoe out this year so we are way behind. It was a wonderful day and we enjoyed the wildlife with no other boats bothering us. 

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Montgomery Bell SP

Saturday Headed to Tennessee and stayed at Montgomery Bell State Park for the night.

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West Memphis

Friday Drove into West Memphis and visited with Melissa and Grandchildren.

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Lake Catherine SP, Hot Springs NP

Thursday we headed East and then changed plans and headed to Lake Catherine SP by Hot Springs. Then we drove in to Hot Springs NP to tour. We walked down Bath House Row and checked out the Hot Springs at the Open Springs. We walked into the Arlington Hotel and then drove to the tower on North Mountain. We walked around the campground and saw another Casita and an Oliver.

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Tinker AFB, Lake Fort Smith SP

Wednesday the 18th we tried to visit Fort Reno, but they were closed for road construction. We stopped at Tinker AFB and walked through their aircraft on display. Then we drove into Arkansas and stayed the night at Lake Fort Smith SP. There was a Casita, a Scamp, and an Oliver in the campground like a small egg rally.  

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Cadillac Ranch, Foss SP

Tuesday the 17th as we left the park we saw two different tarantulas crossing the road. Really, really bad!! We continued East, stopping at Cadillac Ranch to check it out. We headed out of Texas and stopped at Foss State Park for the night. As we were walking down around by the lake we saw four more tarantulas in the road. Not a good sign. At dark our camper was covered by some kind of beetles.

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Piedras Marcadas Canyon, Clines Corner, Santa Rosa Lake SP

Monday we got up and headed East again. We stopped in Albuquerque at the Piedras Marcadas Canyon to view petroglyphs. Hundreds of them! Heading East again we took a break at Clines Corner and then continued on to Santa Rosa for the night. We checked out the Blue Hole and then camped at the Santa Rosa Lake SP. 

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Walnut Cayon NP, Winslow Arizona, Petrified Forest NP

Sunday the 15th we got up and hiked around the East Lagoon seeing Grackle's and a Bald Eagle. On the way East we stopped at Walnut Canyon NP and did the Island Hike looking at all the cliff dwellings. Our next stop was Winslow Arizona for picture taking of the route 66 area, Eagle's statue, and lunch at the local resturant. From there we went on the to Petrified Forest NP and did the drive through part stopping at all to see. We continued on 40 East and saw a very large rainbow which was brilliant and lasted about a half hour as we drove through the mountains. We stopped for the night in Gallup New Mexico at the USA RV Park. A very patriotic campground! 

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Tuzigoot NM, Dead Horse Ranch SP, Montezuma Castle NM, Fort Verde SHP, Montezuma Well, Arizona

Saturday we headed East and then went South to see the cliff dewellings. We drove scenic 89A across the mountains into Sedona. We saw antelope in the fields. We went to Tuzigoot National Monument, Dropped the camper off at Dead Horse Ranch SP, went to Montezuma Castle National Monument, went to Fort Verde State Historic Park, and then Montezuma Well. We headed back to the campground for dinner and a scenic walk from the campground. That night as I was out star gazing, a skunk walked up on our campsite. I snapped my fingers and he looked at me turning around and walking away.

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Lake Havasu City, Kingman, Arizona

Friday the 13 we headed East some more. We did a small side trip South to Lake Havasu City to see the London Bridge. They bought the bridge and had it shipped over and rebuilt it. After that we went back to 40 and drove to Kingman where we spent the night. We camped at Zuni Village RV Park and then toured historic downtown.

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Calico Ghost Town

Thursday we headed East. We set up camp at Calico Ghost Town in Yermo, CA. We did the tour of the town before dinner and then walked to the cemetery after dinner.

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Three Rivers Hideaway

Wednesday the 11th we took a down day. We drove down to Three Rivers and set up at the Three Rivers Hideaway. We spent the day next to the river reading and cooling off. 

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Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP, Sequoia Mountain Farms

Tuesday we stayed at Sequoia Mountain Farms by the entrance of Sequoia and Kings Canyon NP. We dropped off the trailer and headed on in. We did the drive all the way to the end of Kings Cayon Scenic Byway stopping at recommended stops from the Ranger. Then we drove the Generals Highway down to the General Sherman Tree. All together a long but wonderful day.

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Yosmite NP, Giant Sequoia Trees

Monday we got up and headed to the South entrance of the park. We got a campsite at Outdoorsy in Bass Lake. As soon as we got set up off to the park we went. We toured the Mariposa Grove with the giant Sequoia trees. Then we drove to the visitor center and got lunch. From there we hiked the lower Chilnualna Falls. Then we drove out to Glacier Point to see the amazing views. That is a must see in the park. 

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San Franciso, Golden Gate Bridge, Fort Point, Indian Flat RV Park, and Yosemite NP

Sunday the 8th we headed to San Francisco and over the Golden Gate Bridge. We went under the bridge to visit Fort Point. We could see Alcatraz from the Fort. From there we headed to Yosemite NP. We got a campground by the West entrance, Indian Flat RV Park. As soon as we got the camper set up, off we went to the park. We toured Yosemite Valley seeing all the mountains and waterfalls. We closed down the park.

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Point Arena Lighthouse, Olema Campground

Saturday we got up and did the very curvy drive south on Hwy 1. We did get a lot of good views and had lunch on a bluff over the ocean. We stopped at the Point Arena Lighthouse and checked out the museum. We camped at the Olema Campground for the night.

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Avenue of the Giants, Mackerricher SP

Friday the 6th we drove the Redwoods Hwy South. We saw the herd of elk at the gas station, drove the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt RWSP. Got views of clouds and some waves and rocks along our scenic drive. We camped at Mackerricher State Park by the ocean. We saw seals on the rocks, a bald eagle, and some deer.

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California, Redwoods, Tolowa Dune SP, Prairie Creek Redwoods SP

Thursday Sept 5th we drove 101 South. We saw elk at the Elk Valley gas station, we saw the Paul Bunyan and Blue Ox at the Trees of Mystery, we drove through the Tour Thru Tree, and drove the Newton B Drury Scenic Parkway. We hiked the Au Pah Interpretive trail, visited the Twisted Tree, and the Big Tree. We ate lunch at the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Then we drove back to Crescent City and went to the harbor where we saw Sea Lions and a lot of birds. We drove over to the Lighthouse and walked the pier. A guy from TN who ran the Boys Camp on Wooden Loop just up the road from us was there crabbing. Small world! From there we went to the Bro Jonathan Vista Point and on to Tolowa Dune State Park.

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Rogue Gorge, Village Camper Inn, Redwoods

Wednesday the 4th we drove to the Pinnacles and hiked to Plaikni Falls. After that we headed to California. We stopped at the Rogue Gorge for lunch in the National Forest. When we arrived in Crescent City we camped at Village Camper Inn. After we dinner we head to Howland Hill Road to see the Redwoods. We hiked the Stout Grove Loop.

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Salt Creek Falls and Crater Lake

Tuesday Sept 3rd we said our goodbyes to family and headed to Crater Lake. We stopped by the Salt Creek Falls, Oregon's second highest waterfall, which was right before the Willamette Pass on the Willamette Hwy. After setting up at our campsite at Crater Lake, we drove the rim drive enjoying the overlooks. We drove the East Rim drive to Sun Notch and hiked the loop trail seeing a few deer. After dinner we hiked the Annie Creek Canyon trail which does a loop by the campground. 

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Spoiling Grandchildren in Salem

Thursday, after we got the Jeep jumped off and battery changed, we took the grandchildren back up to the gorge to see all the waterfalls. Another beautiful day.

Friday we went to the Silverton Reservoir to do some fishing. We ended up picking blackberries and hiking the trail along the reservoir.

Saturday we to Minto Island Park just down the road. We did some fishing, blackberry picking, and met more neighbors. Afterwards we went to the Oregon State Fair for a fun night of rides and food.

Sunday we went to church and then Celebrated Luxton's birthday party at the pizza and game place in town. 

Monday and Tuesday the kids decided that we had done too much lately and wanted a down day so a down day it was.

Wednesday was the start of our camping trip. We went to Richardson Park in Junction City. It was a very nice campground with shaded sites. It is on Fern Ridge Lake in which we did a lot of swimming. We spent two nights and headed back Friday late afternoon.

Saturday was another down day after our trip. Playing with the neighbors and neighborhood pool party.

Sunday September 1st, after church we went to David Sawyer Park in Turner. They have a great playground and a creek to play in. Finding frogs, crawfish, and tad poles plus playing with new friends on paddle boards.

Monday Sept 2nd we did the YMCA street party followed by a neighborhood street BBQ.

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Dog Mountain

Wednesday we hiked Dog Mountain in Washington. Melanie's friend joined us on the hike to the top. Beautiful views on the climb up and at the top. We ate our lunch and then took the Augspurger trail on the way down. Less steep and a few more miles. We ate the traditional icecream in Stevenson, WA.

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Salem

Monday we took the grandkids fishing on the Willamette River and then went to the Jiu-gitsu class with Avelyn. 

Tuesday we changed the dump valve on the camper which a road alligator took off, and then back fishing catching a piano lesson afternoon.

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Columbia River Gorge

Sunday we headed to the Columbia River Gorge. The first part of the gorge was not as exciting as the second half. We took the scenic Hwy 30 as much as we could. We got some overlooks, tunnel, and some falls when we could find a place to park. That evening we made it on into Salem to stay with Melanie.

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Blue Mt. State Scenic Corridor, Washington

Saturday we got up walked around the park and headed West. Lot's of mountains and plains. After crossing over into Oregon we found the sites remarkably the same. Finally we came to some real trees, but got over that as well. That was the Blue Mt. State Scenic Corridor. Not being able to find a campground with electricity we ended up in Washington at the Agate Acres RV park for the night We had a major wind storm that night, but no damage.

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Idaho, Shoshone Falls, Centennial Waterfront Park, Three Island Crossing SP

Friday we got up and drove some of the road looking for wildlife and then went to the beach so we could stand in the Great Salt Lake. When we left the park we had antelope beside the road. We stopped at a rest area at lunch which smelled strongly of cow manure. We drove on to Twin Falls Idaho where we stopped to see Shoshone Falls, the Snake River canyon, and went to Centennial Waterfront Park to see more falls and the Perrine Memorial Bridge. On the way to Boise a road alligator took a couple of cars out and our dump valve on the camper. Anyways, we stayed at Three Island Crossing SP for the night. Beautiful park!

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Salt Lake City, Antelope Island, and the Great Salt Lake

Thursday we left Moab and drove 191 into Utah. Canyon drives, curvy roads, lot's of sagebrush, and tumbleweeds. We ate lunch at a Walmart and picked up supplies. We have found that the state park reservations office are of no help while planning each day. If you call the park itself or the lady at the booth, they are really in charge. We camped at Antelope Island SP in Syracuse UT. It is in the Great Salt Lake and they have reintroduced Buffalo, Elk, and Longhorn Sheep. We drove the island road and toured the Fielding Garr Ranch which is a historic sheep ranch. Afterwards we drove back Salt Lake City to tour the Tabernacle and watch the choir practice. The large Tabernacle is under construction, but we got to see the rest. The Morman's give us the tour of the conference center and we ate dinner at the mall. After the choir practice we drove by the Utah State capital building and pulled over on the side of the road to watch the sunset. A couple of Elk walked out on the hill beside us. As we sat out that night we heard the coyote's and owl.

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Arches NP, Canyonlands NS, and Portal RV resort

Tuesday August 13th we headed West again. After getting into Utah we took 128 to Moab. It is a scenic hwy following the Colorado river. Saw some antelope. We ate lunch at Dewey Bridge campground. Very beautiful. We camped at Portal RV resort. We headed to Arches National Park and hiked the three mile trail to Delicate Arch. After dinner we went back and hiked the Windows and Double Arch.

Wednesday August 14th we started at the Canyonlands National Park after we did some shopping. We had to be back at Arches by noon so this was a quick car trip. We did see all the overlooks except the Grand View Point overlook which was closed. Then we headed back to the Arches NP. We hiked back to the Landscape arch and saw all the other arches on the way back. Went to the campground to hike those arches and then all the arches on the drive back out of the park. We finally made it to the Park Avenue Viewpoint as well. Made for a long hot day.

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Glenwood Canyon and Rifle Falls SP

Monday August 12th we headed West again. We took 70 through Vail Pass and had lunch in Eagle. They had a museum and other buildings at the visitor center. We drove through the Glenwood Canyon which was really cool and then camped North of Rifle at the Rifle Falls SP. It is a very clean and fun place to stay. Beautiful falls and caves. We went over to Rifle Gap SP and swam in the reservoir. We got to see Long Horn sheep and turkeys in the area.

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Marjorie's in Colorado

Thursday August 8th we headed West. The winds were blowing hard so we didn't make good time or gas mileage. When we got to Colorado there were a couple of DOT trucks that were used as pace cars for a while slowing down traffic on the Interstate. We still don't know why. When we got to Marjorie's in Denver we parked in her driveway. We did a walk around Sloan Lake and ate at Edgewater Public Market.

Friday August 9th we started the day out with a wildflower hike. We drove to Green Ranch where Holly the ranger led us on a three mile hike pointing out all the flowers. This was in an area of the park that was not open to the public. We saw a couple of coyotes and some rabbits, but were hoping to see some Elk and Moose. After the hike we stopped at the Golden Gate Canyon Visitor Center and ate our lunch. Then we drove back and did a hike up North Table Mountain Park. Steep climb, but great views. We climbed up to Lichen Peak. On the way down we had some rangers visit us and let us know that we needed to keep Zeplin on a leash at all times. That night Marjorie showed us her recovery leg massager's.

Saturday August 10th we did a tour of Golden. They were having a Art Fair and Farmers Market going on. We walked all along the river seeing the Coors Brewing company, campground, and businesses. We ate lunch at the Golden Mill. After that we got the kayaks and headed to Bear Creek Lake where we did some paddling until the storm came in and ran us off.

Sunday August 11th we went back to Golden Gate Canyon SP and hiked the Raccoon trail up to the overlook. We got to eat raspberries and strawberries on the trail. We ate lunch at the parking lot and then drove down to see the Red Rocks Amphitheatre where Sammy Hagar was playing that night. Really cool rock formations all around.

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Budweiser's Warm Springs Farm

Wednesday August 7th we went to the Budweiser's Warm Springs Farm in Boonville. We had to argue a little, but they let us join a tour about how the Clydesdale horses were bred and trained. Really cool adventure. We drove on after that to Wilson Kansas to get some fuel and see the big egg we found on Roadside America. After that we checked in at the Wilson SP for the night. We hiked around the campground a bit. They have a nice lake and it is a clean campground.

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Tuesday August 6th we got up and hiked to the Hawk's Cave trail and did the one mile loop. Very pretty rock walls. We got to see some deer. Our next stop was St. Louis Missouri for a tour of the Gateway Arch National Park. We did the museum and hiked around the arch. We drove on to New Franklin and stayed at Katy Roundhouse Campground. Another great campground. We got to see an owl and a fox in the campground.

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Ferne Clyffe State Park

We decided to spend some time with the grandbabies in Oregon this summer and decided to drive. We left on Monday August 5th. We drove through TN, KY, and into Illinois staying at Ferne Clyffe SP for the night. Really nice campground. It was crazy hot but hiked along the Bluff and saw the sunset.  

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