Hike to Andrews Bald in Great Smoky Mtn National Park

We joined the Jefferson County Hiking Club and made our first hike with them to Andrews Bald in the Great Smoky Mountains in the spring. We had been on this hike several times in the past by ourselves but on this hike, we were part of a group of 30 people. It is a beautiful hike near the Clingsman Dome area of the park which is the highest mountain peak in the Smoky Mountains. This particular hike is only about 2 miles in length (down) the mountain...but remember, you have to climb that same 2 miles back (up) that mountain. When you go in the spring in mid to late May, the Rhododendrens are in bloom which makes it even more beautiful with color. Once you've reached your destination, you are on a bald that is wide open to the sky. These "balds", which are really just grassy, wide open fields, were grazing areas for livestock in the early settler days. Once you arrive, you feel like you are on top of the world with views of Fontana Dam to the south and long range vistas of North Carolina to the east. It is so peaceful and quiet up there. It's nice to take a blanket and snack and lie back and enjoy the moment. But of course with 30 other people there was a lot of chatter and then we had to head back with the hiking club whenever the group decided to leave. The trail is a fairly short walk but very rocky. It has had a lot of traffic on it and has been worn down so water flows down it like a stream at times. It's nice to hike with a group as you get older just in case if you should fall or get sick you've got someone who can go for help. I hate to say that...it makes me feel that "age" thing creeping in on us. We always feel so alive after we go hiking and always enjoy the wonder of this beautiful earth that God created.

Arches at Big South Fork National Park

We had always wanted to go hiking and see the Arches at Big South Fork National Park http://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/things2know.htm on the Cumberland Plateau. It is about 2 hrs north of Knoxville just south of the Kentucky state line. The park is actually located in both Tennessee and Kentucky. So on this particular day when we got the urge to hit the road, we headed north to this destination. It took us quite awhile to get where we were going due to stopping at other places that had caught our eye on the way up. One thing that we have learned is to take your time because you never know if you'll go back down that same road again. We had gotten a little late start on this day, so by the time we got to the trailhead it was about 3:00 pm in the afternoon (in the fall). The hike itself was easy so we hiked up to the arches with no problems. We took photos of the arches and walked around for a little while enjoying the view and then decided to head back to the car (or so we thought). The direction on the trail map said if you crossed over the arches you could continue on another trail to get back to the parking area. We proceeded to cross over the arches but somehow missed our trail back. We thought we were headed back to the car but after walking for approx. 30 minutes and watching the darkness begin to set in, we knew that something was not right. Yes, I finally convinced Chuck that we were on the wrong trail (even in the woods a man thinks he knows he can find his way without help). So we turned around and went back toward the arches while continuing to climb in and around some beautiful hugh boulders that were massive in size. Finally, we came upon two other hikers passing us heading into the woods for the night. They confirmed that we had been on the wrong trail, but that we were heading in the right direction. I was getting a little nervous with the sun going down and being in the woods with no light or coat, but once we made it back to the arches, we found our trail and eventually made it back to the car. Talking about being happy to see that car!!!!!! Then we had to drive two hours to get back home.

There is so much to see in that area. There is a train ride you can take on the Big Southfork Scenic Railway http://www.bsfsry.com/ that goes into an area that use to mine coal in the 1940s. We had taken this train ride several years ago. Very interesting to learn about life in that area during that particular period of time. There is also a backcountry lodge in the park called Charit Creek http://www.charitcreek.com/. The Big South Fork National Park is near Jamestown which is near the home of WWI's most decorated hero, Sergent Alvin York http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/SgtYork/ in Pall Mall, TN. Very interesting to read about this great hero.

Whitewater on New River Gorge near Fayetteville, WVA

Another whitewater rafting trip a few summer ago involved floating down the New River Gorge off of Hwy. 19 in West Virginia which had Class III and IV rapids. That's about all the excitement Chuck and I can handle on whitewater. You can go in early spring when the rapids are much faster, but that's for the young who think they're going to live forever.

We had talked my sister and her husband into going with us. My sister wasn't too excited about this but she finally agreed to go. My sister is a smoker so she was probably wondering how she could smoke and hold on in that raft. You could tell she was really nervous. As soon as we got in the raft and got to the first set of rapids, for some reason, Chuck fell out of the raft. We'd been on plenty of whitewater trips before, so this was unusual to say the least. I have to admit it scared me too when he fell out but I tried to hide my fear as the crew helped him back onto the raft. My sister had the look of terror on her face watching Chuck in the water. She would have probably ate the whole pack of cigarettes at that moment if she could have, but we soon continued our trip thru the gorge. The boulders on this lake are just massive in size and beautiful. We finally made it to our take out just below the New River Gorge Bridge and got to our cars.....yeah, you guessed it, she lit that cigarette so fast. I don't think we'd ever get her to do that again.

The New River Gorge Bridge http://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm mentioned above, is an engineering masterpiece that springs across an awe-inspiring gorge in the hills of West Virginia. When it was completed in 1977, it was the largest steel arch bridge that had ever been built with a clear span of 1,700 ft. crossing a valley that is 876 ft. deep. You can spend an entire afternoon at the visitor center, which has a great view of the bridge, ad well as the time it takes to find that award winning picture. There are cabins, motels and camping in this area with lots of restaurants nearby. We discovered a wonderful little pizza place nearby called the Pies & Pints http://www.piesandpints.net/ located in downtown Fayetteville, West Virginia just off Hwy. 19. We actually found out about this pizzeria through a magazine identifying the top 10 pizza restaurants in the east. Sometimes we all just need a little help and this was well worth saving the article.

Another neat thing that happens on the New River Bridge is "Bridge Day". On the third Saturday of October every year, the bridge is closed for risk and fun. If you're into extreme sports, which we're not but I love to see people that are, you will truly enjoy this event. Crowds of up to 200,000 people will travel here from all over to see base jumpers. These are adrenalin junkies that like to experience the thrill of freefalling from the bridge for up to 9 seconds before opening their parachutes. You'll also see rapelers competing to make the fastest climb while whitewater rafters, that's us, negotiate the rapids far below the New River Bridge.

Believe me, our whitewater experience was plenty of an adrenalin rush for these "baby boomers".

Whitewater on the Ocoee River

Chuck and I love to do adventures that create a little fear in us...such as whitewatering or ziplining. So every year we try and find something to do that makes our hearts beat a little faster. We refuse to let our bodies believe we are seniors. We like to go down around Benton, TN and go whitewatering on the Ocoee River, which was the site of the 1996 Olympic Whitewater Competition. The Ocoee River flows thru a beautiful gorge in the Cherokee National Forest and is one of the country's premier rivers that has Class III & IV rapids. This area has many recreational things to do such as ...guided mountain bike rides, learn to kayak, rappeling and tubing. There are also plenty of camping areas, cabins, and motels nearby. You will also find numerous rafting companies where you can schedule a trip on the rapids. One such company is Quest Expeditions http://www.questexpeditions.com/ . You need to reserve a spot with one of the rafting companies, so you might want to plan ahead for this adventure. Rafting is usually open April -May and September - October (on weekends) and open daily thru the summer months of June, July, and August. It is a very exciting, challenging thing to do in the summer months when it's nice and warm (the water is a bit cool running out of the mountains). We did not fall out of the raft, but we've seen some fall out. The guides are trained to rescue you and you have to wear a helmt and lifejacket. We loved it... You only get one shot at this life...got to make the most of each day. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS HANG ON AND PADDLE...

Crappie Fishing at Reelfoot Lake, Tn.

If you love to fish you gotta take a trip to the number 1 Crappie destination in Tennessee. Reelfoot Lake http://www.state.tn.us/environment/parks/ReelfootLake/ is located in the northwest corner of Tennessee near Tiptonville. This majestic lake was created by the earthquake of 1811-12. They say the Mississippi River actually flowed backward during this event. The area was heavily forested and the remains of this cypress forest are still found above and beneath the lakes waters making it excellent for fishing. Anglers fish for more than 50 species including Reelfoot's "Big 3" of crappie, bass and bluegill.

We took our son on this trip and rented a pontoon boat which gave the three of us plenty of room to move about. Each of us caught crappie, the largest of which was 16" in length and weighed approximately 2 lbs. It's an easy place to catch crappie because of the cypress stumps and especially during the spawning season in April.

One of the nicest places to stay around the lake is the Blue Bank Resort http://www.bluebankresort.com/ which has fishing packages (includes room and boat rental) and is located on the bank of Reelfoot. They have a incredible wrap-around deck in the marina where you can access your fishing boat right next to your room. There is also a moonlight cruise you can take. Reelfoot is the winter home of the American Blad Eagle which makes your trip great for bird watchers, photographers, and naturalist.

Visit To Historic Greeneville, Tn.

If you're in the mood for a history lesson then take a step back into time with a trip to historic Greeneville, Tn. A must on this trip is a visit to the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site http://www.nps.gov/anjo/index.htm which honors the life and work of the nation's 17th President and preserves two of his homes, his tailor shop, and his gravesite. Johnson was the first American President to be impeached, but was acquitted. Can you guess who the second President to be impeached was? One thing of note that we discovered about Johnson on the tour was his strict interpretation of the US Constitution, which you don't see much in today's political arena. Make sure that you do take in the tour of the Homestead, which Johnson bought in 1851. The Homestead (picture below) remained the family home throughout the balance of his life and the guide that gave us the tour on this day did an excellent job in recounting the tragic lives of his children. We were so intrigued by the story of his life and his family that we continue to search for books to give us more insight into the man that never had a formal education, yet became an American President.

The Niswonger Performing Arts Center (picture below), also located in Greeneville, is an absolutely wonderful place to go for concerts and plays. We probably go to a concert here at least 2-3 times a year. They offer a variety of entertainment that will appeal to everyone. Check out their website at http://www.greenevillenpac.com/

Best Country Cook'in In East Tennessee

Usually we do not do a separate post on a restaurant, but for this particular restaurant, we couldn't do it justice with just a link. The restaurant is called "The Farmer's Daughter Restaurant"http://www.thefarmersdaughterrestaurant.com/ located on Hwy. 107 just off of Hwy. 11-E near Greeneville, Tn. When you do go there, you'd better be hungry, because the table will be full of tasty home cooking. You can eat all that you want, but not allowed to take a "doggie bag" out. Believe me, you wouldn't be able to carry it to your car anyway with the load on your stomach after eating. Unless you get there early, you can expect to wait awhile as you can see in the photo below. We arrived around 1:15 pm on a Sunday afternoon and had approx. a 45 min. wait, however, the wait was not bad considering the free ice tea and hushpuppies being brought out to the people waiting just to tide you over. You don't get this kind of customer appreciation at most restaurants.

When you are seated, you'll be ask to decide on two (2) meat choices that you can share. On this trip, we were offered fried chicken, baked chicken, Alaska cod, steak, ham, or bbq. We selected the fried chicken and the Alaska cod and were not the least bit disappointed. Before we get too far talking about the main meal, I do need to give you a fair warning. My wife just craves good hot bread and she just about overdosed on the hot sourdough bread that they bring to the table to get you started and I must say, my main bread, cornbread, was just to my liking as well. The fried chicken was tender and moist, but not greasy and the Alaska cod was flaky and very tasty. Along with the main course came a table full of various salads and vegetables. Growing up in the South, I really appreciated some good ole home style vegetables and could not believe my good fortune when one of the servings was cabbage, which was out of this world. Another favorite of both my wife and I was the creamed corn, which took me back to my boyhood days living in Mississippi. Haven't had any corn this good since my mom passed away, so it brought back a lot of memories. Other servings included: fried okra, pinto beans, mashed potatoes, cole slaw, cornbread salad (this was new to us, but very good), apple salad (excellent), green beans (none better), and what they call a carrot souffle, which almost tasted like sweet potatoes, but not quite as sweet. It was unbelievably good. By the time that I discovered it, I was so full, but I did find the strength to go on and finish most of it. Then, believe it or not, came time for the desserts. Choices were: chocolate cream pie (they said this was a favorite), banana pudding, coconut cream pie, chocolate sundae, and a strawberry cobbler w/ ice cream. Our choices were the coconut cream pie and banana pudding. We enjoyed these, but by this time, it was time to waddle out to the car. Maybe next time, I'll just go with a "veggie" plate and save more room for the great desserts.

All of the food is prepared daily and changed based on the availability and season. We felt that the prices were more than reasonable at $13.00/person (includes tax) for the amount of food that you get. Your drinks and dessert are also included. They only accept cash or checks, so make sure you come prepared. The restaurant hours are from 11:30 am to 8:30 pm on Friday & Saturday and 11:30 am to 5:00 pm on Sundays. They also just started opening for breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings from 8:00 am to 11:00 am. We can't wait to get back and check out the breakfast. I may try to "fast" the day before just so I'll be more prepared.

If you've ever dreamed of a food heaven, "The Farmer's Daughter Restaurant" is a must. Don't forget to say hi to Rachael, one of the owners, who'll most likely will be working the register and Dan, Rachael's brother, the other owner, if you get the chance. Give us your comment after your visit. We'd love to hear from you.