searcyf@mac.com – Page 99 – Travels with Fred

Fall Foliage Trip – Day 4

4 October 2017

MANY years ago, Crag Knox and I would get a wild hair and decide to drive all night to the Smokies from Oxford, Mississippi for a hike. We actually did this on several occasions and often left Ole Miss around 10 pm. Crag had a Ford Bronco then and we always had camping gear packed. He was in pharmacy school and I was in graduate school in biology, so we could tweek the class schedule somewhat.

I remember one night with Crag driving along highway 64 (one lane road) in a very dense fog. You could barely see the road in front of you. Out of nowhere a man appeared on the road and we barely stopped in time. This was around midnight. He asked if we had seen his hunting dog. Crag, without missing a beat asked what color. The man said black. We told him no and promised to come back if we saw him. As we drove off, Crag said if the dog had had a strobe light on his head and a flare attached to his tail, we still wouldn’t have seen it.

Around 1 am we pitched a tent, crawled in and slept the sleep of the dead. Crag awoke the next morning, got out of the tent and said “Damn, where did that river come from?” I told him he had been driving beside it all night long with no guard rails and a fifty foot drop in dense fog.

On another trip, again along highway 64, in the daylight, we noticed power stations built into the sides of the mountain. The Ocoee is dammed in three paces and water is funneled underground to the tops of the mountain. When TVA needs extra power, water is released down shutters and over turbines to generate electricity.

The reason for the previous discussion was I asked the gps to route me away from interstates and toll roads and it took me back in time along highway 64. It really brought back memories and I saw the same power stations, still in operation and still managed by TVA. Most people have little knowledge of TVA and neither did I until I moved to Ole Miss for graduate school and started paying an electric bill. The TVA bill was approximately 1/3 of the cost of the regular Mississippi nonTVA company.

I started the trip with the idea of seeing fall foliage in the Appalachians. Truth be told, I am about a week early, two at the most, but the leaves are beginning to change and the drive through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park is still spectacular.

I really do believe it is one of the most scenic drives in America and I never tire of it.

I did the obligatory stop at Clingman’s Dome and hiked the 0.5 mile trip to the top. The observation tower was closed and under construction but that was OK since I’ve climbed it many times. It was nice, however, to be at the highest point in the Smokies.

On a rest break to the tower, I saw two hikers. I asked where they were heading and they said the AT which crosses near the top and then they were headed to Fontana.

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Crag and I tried that hike one winter and we began at Fontana. We had to have our packs inspected by the park rangers for winter camping. The hike from Fontana to Sassafras Gap is pretty strenuous and we both were lugging 55 lbs packs. We made the campsite and pitched a tent. The next morning we got up and our boots had frozen and Crag had the beginning of frostbite on his toes. I remember going to the creek for water for coffee and the pail of water froze before I got it back to the campsite. I had to threaten Crag within an inch of his life to get him back down the mountain so he could keep his toes. His boots didn’t thaw until we got the heater going in his Bronco.

The hikers I met today came from Davenport and were headed to Fontana opposite of what Crag and I had intended. I didn’t tell them but if they had to hike this segment, they were definitely on the downhill portion of the trail.

Next I stoped at Newfound Gap and snapped a few shots and straddled the state line between Tennessee and North Carolina.

I then headed to Gatlinburg and passed Chimney Tops, my favorite day hike in the Smokies. Crag and I, Charlie Cooper and I, and even some students from Itawamba Junior College and I have made the hike. The trail was closed because this was the start of the devastating fire that damaged so much of the park, Gatlinburg, and Pigeon Forge. The chimneys stood out in stark relief since the trees were gone.

I checked into another Choice motel, this time a Quality Inn on the main drag. I then walked the strip, purchased my taffy quota for the year and then headed to Peddlers Steakhouse and had a great filet mignon with 2 martinis.

Tomorrow, I head to Boone, NC with a trip along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Fall Foliage Trip -Day 3

I can safely say I’ve had the worst meal of my life for lunch today. TripAdvisor rated Geneva’s in Rising Fawn, Ga as number 2 of 8 restaurants in the town. Number 1 opens only for dinner. The people were very nice and I even met Geneva, but the food was very, very bad. I ordered fried chicken, mashed potatoes, pinto beans and fried okra. First, I didn’t know you could get fried okra that greasy. The mashed potatoes tasted like a mix and the pinto beans were from a can -all unseasoned. The chicken was the worst. It looked delicious but had an off taste – either the batter or the chicken or both. They served sweetened ice tea and for desert, I had Watergate Cake, whatever that is. The price was a bargain at $9.20.

I should have realized something when I was the only car in the lot. They had just switched over to the lunch menu and were still cooking lunch when I arrived. Only one other person came in for lunch while I was there. Live and learn.

I slept well and woke up sore from yesterday’s hike. I did not plan anything extensive today and so started out for the two main overlooks in the park – a mile loop trail

I could tell my knee wasn’t going to let me do a lot of downhill walking, so I called it quits after that hike. I intended to do another 2 mile loop but decided instead to head to Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain.

Over they years, I’ve been to Ruby Falls and Rock City twice and had no interest in seeing them again and instead, thought to find a cheap overlook to view the city below. Apparently, the locals are fed up with tourists and there are no non-paying parking sites anywhere on a lookout Mountain nor any free overlooks. I found some parking at the Chattanooga National Battlefield and Park Point. In my opinion, it’s the best view on the mountain.

Parking is $3.00 for the first hour and if you have a annual or national pass, the entrance is free. However, I ended up paying $5 for admission since their machine would not recognize my lifetime pass. Only later did I see a sign saying those with passes to go on in well, the park service needs all the help they can get.

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Be sure to go to Park Point and descend to Ochs’ Obervatory. This has fantastic views of the valley below, the Tennessee River and the city of Chattanooga. You can only imagine the horror of Union forces storming Lookout Mountain Under fire from confederates. There is a story that the rebels could not aim down at Union soldiers for any length of time because the Minnie ball rolled out the barrel. They had to put a patch on top. Also, they couldn’t aim cannons down the slope. The Union army had no such trouble with their rifles and cannons.

I came back to the cabin around 2 pm and simply chilled out for the rest of the day with a nap added in.

As I write this, I’m having a glass of wine in front of a roaring fire to take the chill out of the room. Tomorrow I drive to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park for the foliage and a night in Gatlinburg.

Fall Foliage Trip – Day 2

I have to admit the Comfort Inn was comfortable. I had an excellent night of sleep -and then awoke to the shootings in Las Vegas.

I was on the road by 9 am and made it to Cloudland Canyon State Park a little after noon. The park ranger surprised me with a ready cabin even though check in is 3 pm. I had intended to settle accounts and simply start a day Hike but I was able to dump luggage at the cabin before I started off.

The cabin is great and fairly isolated from the other cabins. It also has a workable fireplace that I intend to get lit before the trip is over.

The park was established in 1938 and is comprised of 3,488 acres along the western edge of Lookout Mountain (Chattanooga is only a few miles away). My intention today was to hike the West Ridge Trail Loop and do the falls tomorrow. Right!

The West Ridge Trail Loop is a five mile trail that Backpacker magazine once rated as one of the top ten trails in the U.S. After today, I can see why. The magazine this past month rated it as the top trail in Georgia.

Most of the trail follows the ridge of the gorge and is well marked (with one exception). Switchbacks are well designed and there are several overlooks that are well placed and well maintained.

At a certain point in the loop, you can break off and go the the falls. There are two in the gorge: Cherokee and Hemlock. Cherokee has a 60 foot drop and Hemlock has a 90 foot drop. You start the trail down to the falls at the top of the ridge and drop to the canyon below, a distance of 1000 feet.
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Cloudland Canyon is the deepest gorge in Georgia. Of course, you retrace your steps up 1000 feet! The trail down is 1.8 miles. At one point, to reach Hemlock, you have to descend 600 steps. I can honestly say I would rather walk a steep, rocky trail than to walk up 600 steps.

Both Falls had a decent water flow and I got some great photos.

On the return trip, I retraced my steps back to the loop trail and headed back to the cabin. As the West Ridge Loop wound back up, as you passed cabins, a sign on the trail marked each one. Except for one. Cabin 6 was not marked and the side trail so indistinct, I walked about a mile further than I needed.

I have to brag. My tracker measured over 8 miles for the trip today with maximum elevation and elevation gain and loss of over 1600 feet. I only started getting tired towards the last so I guess those hot yard work days paid off. However, the stairs were a killer.

Fall Color Trip -Day 1

1 October 2017

Enough with the yard work. I spent all of August and most of September clearing the back yard of vegetation that might be remotely attractive to iguanas. I mean, almost every day from anywhere from 1-3 hours a day hacking, cutting, sawing, piling, etc. in 90+ degree heat.

Then comes Hurricane Irma which meant more of the same.

Combined with the stress of Irma and the heat, and the last straw of an iguana pooping on my head, I decided I had had it and needed to get away.

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My first day was an 8+ hour drive to Macon, Georgia in order to make the next day’s drive to Cloudland Canyon a more manageable 4 hour drive. I’ve made this drive so many times it’s second nature and I even think the Jeep knows the route even though it tried to get me off on the wrong exit for the motel.

This spring, I plan another cross country trip to finish up visiting all the continental US national parks. Although about 40% will be camping, many nights will be motels. I joined the Choice program which has Quality Inn and Comfort Inn in their chain in order to earn points for some free nights. Tonight is a Comfort Inn just off I-475 outside of Macon. It seems relatively new, quiet and clean my only complaint is very few places to eat around this area.

After 2 nights in a cabin at Cloudland Canyon, where I hope to do some day hiking, I leave for a drive to Gatlinburg through the Smokey Mountains. After 1night in Gatlinburg, I travel the Blue Ridge Parkway to Boone, NC for a night. Next is Greensboro, NC for a short overnight visit with my cousin and then a stop at Hilton Head Island for lunch with friends. I’ll spend 1night in Brunswick, GA on the way home. Maybe then, I won’t mind so much getting back to the never-ending yardwork.

Linville Falls Trip – Silver Springs – Day 12

27 June 2017

Boy, am I embarrassed! I thought I had reserved the cabin at Silver Springs for 3 nights. Instead, it was for two. I got up early and hiked the Sandhill Trail as I had planned. I’m glad I did. I enjoyed this hike more than the others. However, the trailhead had no sign about the trail closed but when the trail intersected the Sinkhole Trail, there was the sign saying the trail was closed for a burn! If I had obeyed the sign, I couldn’t turn around and return to the jeep.

After hiking the trail, I then did the bike trail. It was a 4.5 mile round trip over roots, puddles, and dips. This was my first off-road experience and I enjoyed it.

After a quick shower, I decided to head to the other section of the park with the glass bottom boat rides.

I pulled into the other section of the park around 12:00 and decided on a hamburger before the boat ride. I lucked out and the next glass bottom boat trip was just coming up after I finished the burger.

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About halfway through the trip, I got a phone call from a Silver Springs number. Since the guide was talking and the electric motor of the glass bottom boat was making noise, I decided not to answer. Later, I checked to see if there was a message and it was the park letting me know I was supposed to vacate the premises by 11 am this morning.

They were very nice. I called as soon as we docked and told them I could be out within the hour. I asked if I owed them anything and they said no. Apparently, the cabin was rented for the night or I would have stayed the extra night. Instead, I drove back to Fort Lauderdale. I wanted to tip the cleaning crew but they couldn’t accept tips so I left $20 in the donation box. I hate being a bother to people and I put them behind schedule.

As usual, around Boca Raton, I-95 was horrible and the Turnpike was slow. The GPS kept trying to route me to I-95 and then when I got off, it said congestion and 20 mph with stop and go. I returned to the Turnpike and with a couple of slow downs, made it back home by 6:30 pm. I had traveled 2166 miles on this little excursion.

I was glad I did the glass bottom boat. I think in a past blog I mentioned I have a photo of a glass bottom boat circa 1940. Dad apparently made it to Silver Springs when stationed at Camp Blanding, just north of Gainesville. It seems I have come full circle. He was stationed in Florida and so have I been for the last 33 years. He went to Silver Springs and so did I.

Dad’s photo of a glass bottom boat at Silver Springs around 1940.

Linville Falls Trip – Silver Springs – Day 11

26 June 2017

Silver Springs State Park is actually two parks. One part is composed of the old Silver Springs tourist area with glass bottom boats and the other part, separate, is a regular state park, originally known as Silver River State Park. The state acquired Florida’s first tourist attraction (Wikipedia) in 2013 and combined both parks to form Silver Springs State Park.

For some reason, I woke around 3:45 am completely refreshed and ready to go hiking. I made breakfast (dehydrated granola, berries, nuts with milk powder – just add water) had two cups of coffee and dawdled long enough that I was on the trail by 8 am.

My first hike was the Sinkhole Trail which forms a loop while intersecting with several other trails. The Sinkhole Trail itself is a 2.2 mile loop with no view of a sinkhole.

Just as I started down the trail, a sign indicated the park had bears and they recommended bear spray. Mine was back in the car so I hoofed it back and added it to my pack. It was a good thing I did because I saw bear sign of rotten logs being ripped apart for insects grubs.

Evidence of Bear – ground torn up and log ripped apart.

About half way along the trail I ran into a buck and doe whitetail deer. They were totally curious about me and unconcerned.

Later that day when I went into town to get some supplies, a doe with a fawn crossed in front of me. The fawn was so tiny, at first I thought it was a very small dog following the doe across the road.

The trail was nice and level, wide, and easily discerned and yet at the same time, poorly marked. You would come to an intersection of merging trails and one direction was clearly marked for one trail but you had to walk a ways down a trail leading from the intersection to see the next trail marker to see if you were on the correct path. It was almost as if you were required to walk the trail in one direction only.

I was going to branch off to the Sandhill Trail from the Sinkhole Trail but a sign indicated a burn was in progress and the trail was closed. I later found out it was not. This seems to be a theme in this park. Another section was closed (a boardwalk) but someone I met later informed me it was fine – he just ignored the closed sign. The museum and all the old buildings for exhibition also said closed Monday-Friday for classes from the local school district – do not enter – with no one in sight.
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In any case, instead of the Sandhill Trail, I looped back and walked the Swamp Trail which had the closed boardwalk.

Swamp Trail with no evidence of swamp. I did pass some cypress and cypress knees in the distance.

From there I looped back and walked the River Trail which takes you down by the Silver River where you can launch canoes and kayaks.

Kayaker heading home before the rain starts. He was at the landing and was in the mood to talk.

The Swamp Trail is a 1.9 mile loop and the River Trail is a 1.9 mile loop, none of which were the correct mileage according to my GPS. According to their mileage, it was 5.4 miles of hiking. According to my GPS, it was more like 7.

I headed back to the cabin for an afternoon nap and then into town to purchase a few things. Silver Springs seems to merge into Ocala as I drove through and almost all the stores are set back from the road. You can only find the store by reading a sign near the road. For example, Lowes and Walmart were set so far back from the road you could not see them from the road.

If it doesn’t storm late this afternoon, a very big if, I’ll try the 4.5 mile bike loop off the River Trail. Tomorrow I plan to hike the closed Sandhill Trail loop and the head to the tourist trap and do a glass bottom boat ride.

Dinner tonight was at Fat Boy BarBQ, in business since 1970. It was very good barbecue with excellent sides of their baked beans and cole slaw. After I returned, I rode around the campgrounds. There are 10 cabins and 60 campsites. The campsites are well equipped but not very suitable for tent camping. Every park likes to put gravel down for rv’s and don’t realize tents don’t fair well on gravel.

No matter how many times I proofread these blogs, once I review them after posting, I always find typos. For some reason, this program likes to capitalize everything except after a period.

Continue reading “Linville Falls Trip – Silver Springs – Day 11”

Linville Falls Trip – Silver Springs – Day 10

25 June 2017

Bridge out. That was my notification after my GPS routed me the back way to I-75 just south of Macon, Ga. That meant I had to suffer through 10 miles of “recalculating route” in order to complete the detour.

I had just said goodbye to Tom and turned in the key when my GPS asked if I would like an alternate route due to a problem ahead on the road. I said yes. Yet, it led me to the bridge out, showed it on the map when I arrived, and insisted I cross the washed out bridge. I declined.

As I was following the detour, I came upon a severe wreck along a stretch of country road where a wrecker was pulling a car up an embankment deep in the woods. There were two ambulances and numerous highway patrol on scene and since the ambulances were not going anywhere, I assumed there were fatalities.

Later, I must have passed twenty vintage vehicles, a part of some kind of rally. It varied from pickup trucks to Volkswagens, all vintage.

Once on I-75, I hit three major downpours to the point I had to slow down due to hydroplaning. Just before I reached Ocala traffic slowed to a crawl even though the rain had abated. I never cease to wonder at drivers who slow or stop in light rain but barrel through in heavy downpours.

Silvered Springs is just east of Ocala and I checked into the park around 5 pm. The cabin is new and patterned on the one I stayed in at Fanning Springs.

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Hopefully, while here I’ll get some hiking and cycling in and maybe a glass bottom boat ride.

I had a great time visiting with Tom even though he lives close in Wilton Manors. I think he had a good time and we both indicated we got a little emotional with the FDR sites.

Tom is always smart and lucky – two excellent traits. His original flight back out of Atlanta was 5 pm which meant 5 hours in the Delta Club Room, not necessarily a bad thing. However, before he left, he managed to get the 4 pm flight. He later texted me he got a 2 pm flight with upgrade to first class. See what I mean lucky/smart?

Early to bed tonight.

Linville Falls Trip – FDR State Park – Day 9

24 June 2017

This morning I cooked bacon and eggs in the cabin. Usually, they provide some type of frying pan for the cabin – they certainly had pots – but no frying pan. However, they did have an electric pan. I can’t remember the last time I cooked on one of those. In any case, the eggs turned out great and the bacon OK. I think it was more the brand of bacon than the cooking of it.

By 10:30 am Tom and I were at the entrance to the Little White House. There were not many people but there was one group of young kids, remarkably well behaved. You first enter a museum that does an excellent job of exploring the life of FDR. They have an we’ll done video narrated by Walter Cronkite (it’ll be a little hard to update).

While we were in the museum, it began to sprinkle outside so I suggested we beat the group of kids to the actual Little White House since the house itself is so small, moving around in a large group is difficult. I know Tom was surprised at how small the house really is and how much simpler life was back in that time.

Chair where FDR had his cerebral hemorrhage

From the Little White House, we did the Avenue of the States where every state sent in their signature stone. Florida’s was “fossiliferous limestone.

Next, we headed to where the unfinished portrait of FDR is housed. Roosevelt was sitting in the living room while Elizabeth Shoumatoff was painting his portrait when he began rubbing his temple and complained of a headache. He then collapsed and after being taken to his bed, he died. Both the unfinished portrait is housed here as well as the finished one she did later from memory and photos.

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From the Little White House, we drove to the historic pools. Our admission at the Little White House allowed us entrance to the pool museum. The ranger suggested that the pools, which are drained because of structural problems, may one day be renovated for use again. In any case, you can feel the temperature of the water which is consistently near 88F.

Tom found out the water that would normally go to fill the pools is collected on site, treated and then used at the Institute on the hill above the pools, so it is not wasted.

At the historic pools, it again started pouring rain. In killing time talking to the ranger, we found out there was a winery just a little ways down the road. We detoured there, toured the Warm Springs Winery (about 30 square feet) and did a wine tasting. Their wine comes from their own muscadine vineyard plus a red wine from north Georgia which is mixed with some of the muscadine wines.

I bought a case, got a 15% discount, and loaded it into the jeep. I Ike to use it as gifts and I find if you chill muscadine wine, it works well on a hot summer afternoon on the patio. Summer is on it’s way so….

Lunch was at the Lightning Bug Cafe, a little hole in the wall section of the Firefly gift store. There seems to be a theme here. Lunch was excellent but the highlight for me (other than Tom paying for lunch) was their caramel cake with whipped cream. My great aunt used to make me a caramel cake every year for my birthday and the first taste was pure nostalgia. I finally got tired of caramel cakes as a kid and she then started making me German chocolate cakes for my birthdays. My great aunt Buleah was an outstanding cook, but she made the very best cakes I’ve ever eaten. Tie that slice of nostalgia with the Little White House primitive structural elements constructed of pine, ice box that worked with ice as a cooler, tube radio, etc. and you have my childhood.

Upon arriving at the cabin, I opened the back door to take the wine inside when the entire box of 12 fell on the ground on top of some rocks. Amazingly, only one bottle of the 12 broke. Can we say wine shock?

Tomorrow I travel to Silver Springs, FL.

Linville Falls Trip -FDR State Park – Day 8

23 June 2017

Another great night of sleep! It helps when you are not on an air mattress within the confines of a back packing tent. After coffee and a doughnut, I headed out to visit Calloway Gardens, just outside of Pine Mountain, GA.

I’ve heard a lot about Calloway Gardens and I have to admit I was disappointed for some reason that I cannot put my finger on. I knew the azaleas were not in bloom but it seemed as if nothing else was either. I don’t think they have figured out whether they want to be a horticultural garden or a wild, natural area, or an amusement park. I’m sure it suits them with a golf course, bike and hiking paths, flower walks, cafes, etc., but it just didn’t resonate with me. However, it serves as a great job market for high school kids working the summer.

I rented a bike, even though I brought mine on this trip, I didn’t think they would allow me to use mine, so I left it at the cabin. I should have brought it. The one they gave me had a front wheel that was out of round and needed the spokes adjusted. It had only three gears for some fairly steep inclines. Even though I rented it for half a day, I returned it within the hour.

I finished touring the garden by jeep and continued to be underwhelmed. I decided to head back to FDR and do laundry in the campground. I was running out of clean clothes and Tom Green was to show up today and I didn’t want to stink him out of the cabin.

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Later, I gave him the tour of Warm Springs. If you’ve ever been to the town you know the entire downtown area can be walked in 10 minutes, and that’s stopping in some businesses along the way. It does have a little seedy charm to it, however.

We then drove past the historic pool where FDR received his therapy (we’ll tour that tomorrow as well as the Warm Springs White House) and then drove through the Institute for Rehabilitation, an out growth of the original polio institute. The institute has grown into a massive campus.

While in Warm Springs, Tom purchased some boiled peanuts, so we sat on the patio upon our return to the cabin and ate “goober peas” and drank wine.

Dinner was at the Meriwether Steak Company restaurant outside of Warm Springs. It’s a huge restaurant literally in the middle of nowhere. The steak was good and the service excellent. We were a little reluctant after reading one bad review but persevered and were pleasantly surprised. Tom treated me to my dinner.

We returned to the cabin patio and stargazed until rain drove us inside. Tomorrow we hit the pool and little White House and eat more boiled peanuts.

Linville Falls Trip – FDR State Park – Day 7

22 June 2017

It did not rain and I didn’t have to pack a wet tent. I’ll need to air it out upon my return home, but I lucked out. I woke up around 5:30 am and after coffee, was packed and ready to go by 7:15. My GPS routed me along NC 221 and then interstate to Asheville. I finally got a cellular signal about 45 minutes outside Asheville and was able to call Joyce and Alfred Hiller to let them know I was coming.

The last time I saw Joyce and Alfred was when they were in Fort Lauderdale, I think for a cruise. That was many years ago and it was a treat to see them again. We all commiserated with each other about health issues and caught up with each other’s lives.

When I met Joyce, I was stationed at USCG Communications Station in New Orleans. I wanted to volunteer in the Boy Scouts and met her then husband Fred through a troop led by Glen Buck. Fred insisted I come over for dinner one night where I met Joyce and their son Reed. Joyce and Fred pretty much adopted me while I was stationed there . I was constantly eating at their place. The friendship lasted. Fred died after I came to Broward and Joyce married Alfred. I got to know him the first time when they came to Fort Lauderdale. He’s a very interesting guy and devoted to Joyce, Reed, and Reed’s family.

It was so good to visit. Unfortunately, I was on a tight schedule to get to FDR State Park at Pine Mountain, GA and had to leave after a couple of hours. Although it has been years since I saw Alfred and Joyce, we picked up like it was only a few days instead of years. Good friends are like that.

I wasn’t able to visit with Reed, Sandra and the twins. I thought they were out of town and didn’t notify them and they had plans for today.

Just as I was approaching the park, Sirius went crazy with a tornado warning. Twice. Then one time, the radio just started beeping. I kept looking around for funnel clouds but thankfully none showed.

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The cabin is great. They modernized an old CCC cabin, refinished the floors, redid the bathroom and still kept the quaint features. I have two fireplaces. I’m tempted to drop the air conditioner just to have a fire a la Nixon but will not.

Considering I haven’t had a shower in three days, I lingered a little tonight in the hot water. I enjoyed my stay at Linville Falls and will miss the nightly firefly show. Maybe FDR will provide them here.