Monday, July 28 - We left Douglas Dam at 9:30 AM at 77 degrees and arrived at Warrior's Path SP at 11:30 AM and 80 degrees after driving 83.7 miles. We found a good site, got set up and had some lunch and took a walk down to the boat launch and hiked along the river. We got back to the camper and soon t-storms moved in across the area. It was a nice rain and cooled it down to the 70s. After dinner we hiked to the marina and John fly fished from shore for a while with zero results. This is a beautiful place and people seem friendly. There are many activities here in the park, which should keep us busy. We plan to extend for another week if we still like it.
Tuesday, July 29 – We had a very noisy neighbor who came in about 1 am and proceeded to yell obscenities and slam truck doors for about a half hour. He sped off in his truck and returned about an hour later and repeated. There is also a train track quite close to the park and trains were running and sounding their whistles all night. In a pop-up camper, we are very vulnerable to loud noises in the area. We complained to the head ranger, who had already received complaints about this same person. He told us to call 911 and they would have their cell phone numbers if we have a problem tonight. It seems like that is an abuse of the 911 system, but at this point, we are not about to argue. We really like the park, except the bathrooms really need updating, but the system they have here of first-come-first-serve is being abused by locals who can’t afford to drive anywhere. They are allowed to set up a small tent to hold the site for the weekend and keep anyone from using it during the week. We are not feeling confident that we can come into a Tennessee State Park or TVA campground on a Monday and get a site. We have so far been able to, but we think by the grace of God. We went on a bird walk this morning with a young ranger which was very good. We saw many birds and even learned a few new names and their calls. We then took another hike by ourselves along the lake and saw many huge carp. Too bad we don’t fish for them.
(Update) We took the kayaks out in the evening and it was wonderful, except for the fishing. Not a bite. This is a beautiful spot. The area around the lake is all old growth forest with no development up to the lake.
Wednesday, July 30 – We took a coffee walk around the sites, and then drove over to the marina area where we fished for awhile. John couldn’t even get a bluegill to take his trusted beetle fly. It is very humid today, but not unbearable if we do not exert ourselves. It looks like rain.
Thursday, July 31 – Rain is in the forecast for the entire day, so we decided to use that as an opportunity to go on an explore. We wanted to check out the Wilbur/Watauga Lake area for our next stop on Monday. We first looked at a couple of private campgrounds, but found them not at all to our liking. The first one had a wonderful view, but it is completely out in the open, RVs are next to one another, and there is nothing to do in the campground. Next we drove over to the Watauga Dam Recreation Area and found a campground with full hookups right on the river. We talked to a family there to get some insider information and they agreed to call us when a site opens up on Sunday or Monday. The river is a prime trout water and stays at about 46 degrees all year long. The water that feeds it comes from the bottom layer of the lake. We next checked out Carden’s Bluff Campground in the Cherokee National Forest nearby. We talked to the hosts, a neat couple named Gary and Diane, who showed us around and gave us some great information. This is a wonderful campground, with spotless facilities, but no hookups. Since we camped for three months last year in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine with no hookups, we figure this will not be too great a stretch. This area will be our backup if we cannot get into Watauga. We stopped at Wally to replenish supplies and when we returned to our campsite, we were greeted with another downpour. It is supposed to clear up tomorrow, but heat up as well.
Friday, August 01 – Are we ever tired. A group moved in and had an all night party making all the noise they could. We figured rangers would hear them and come by, but it never happened. Finally, about 6:30 AM John called 911 and complained and a ranger came out just after one of them decided to pour about a quart of gasoline on their campfire and raise a plume of fire about 40 feet in the air. They also set the grass on fire in their campsite. For some reason all she did was have them put out the fire and then she left. We figured she would come back and check on them but she never did. They actually got louder after they left. John called again about 9 AM because one of them was yelling obscenities at the other. The head ranger came out this time and warned them again. We guess they figured that they were being watched because several people reported that possessions had been stolen in the night. One couple lost about $200 in fishing gear and a cooler, another cooler, and a bicycle. We figure that when they left during the night they took these items and traded them for more drugs. They packed up and left about noon leaving a mess. The first guy in the new 5th wheel finally left as well and he left a bigger mess including a large sewage holding tank that is going to take a front-loader to move. This has been the worst experience in two years of camping. Needless to say we will not be back here, or any other state park in Tennessee. We were going to visit Bay Mountain in Kingsport today, but did not feel comfortable leaving the camper while that group was still around. We did not do very much today besides watch over things.
Saturday, August 2 – It was a little quieter last night. We took our coffee walk then had breakfast. We were invited to go horseback riding by two guys who are camping near us. One of them grew up in Zephyrhills and moved to this area a few months ago to be closer to his daughters. We had an excellent ride through the forest and the old guy/gal still remember how to ride. We got a call from the couple who said they would let us know when a site at Watauga is available. There will be a couple leaving about noon tomorrow, so they registered for us to take it over. We were going to go there and put a tent to hold it over night, but decided instead to leave here a day early and head over there with the camper. Shortly after we returned from our ride, thunderstorms rolled through. We did not get much rain, but it was quite windy for awhile. We had to rescue a family’s screen room that the wind turned upside down. Sadly, it landed on their water spigot and tore a large hole in it. We had hamburgers for dinner with our new neighbor friends.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/WarriorSPathStateParkKingsportTnJuly28August3
Douglas Dam - Tailwaters Campground TVA - Sevierville, Tn (July 21 - July 28)
Monday, July 21 - We left Cumberland Mt. SP at 9:25 AM and 82 deg. and arrived at Douglas Dam at 11:15 AM and 87 deg. We had a detour around Knoxville which added a few minutes. We first tried the headwater campground, but there was only one very small site available. We decided to take our chances and went over to the tailwater campground and found a nice site next to a very helpful couple, Herman and Cookie who gave us a rundown on the place. We are right on the water about a quarter mile from the dam. The water varies about 6 feet in depth depending upon the activity of the power plant. The water rose all after noon and even now at 6:15 PM is running fairly fast. John fished from shore for a short time before the t-storms rolled through, but didn't catch anything. It is hot here, so we are sitting inside with the air-conditioning on listening to the thunder.
(Update) After the rain, it turned out to be a beautiful, cool evening. John took advantage by tossing a popper with the fly rod for awhile and caught three nice sized bream. He didn't want the job of cleaning them, so he let them go.
Tuesday, July 22 - We took our coffee walk down to the dam and John fished a little along the way. No fish. They have fixed up a nice little park along the water with a patch of bamboo and other plantings. We had breakfast, then headed into town for groceries. On the way we stopped at Bass Pro Shops and dropped some $$$ on a new fly rod for Joan, some line and a few flys. We next stopped at the Smoky Mt. Information Center and got some directions on our trip tomorrow to Cades Cove. We also bought some books on the park. We came home and John tried out Joan's new rod and caught a bluegill in about 2 minutes. Joan tried it out and she looked very good. We fished from shore for a while, but nothing bit. John has seen some very large SM Bass jump, but we have not figured out how to catch them yet. It is now raining very hard with some lightning thrown in as well.
Wednesday, July 23 - We got up fairly early and headed south into Smokey Mountain National Park. We took a route that bypassed most of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and made our way to Cades Cove. We were told earlier that the loop road there would be closed to car traffic so bicyclists could use the trail until 10 am, but that information somehow slipped our minds. Anyway, that gave us an opportunity to talk to the ranger at the campground and get information about camping in the park. He told us that the park fills up on weekends, so if you are in an area that allows reservations, you could get a spot early in the week, but would have to give it up by the weekend. This would not apply to about half the campgrounds in the park that are first-come-first-served. You would not have a problem getting a site if you come in early in the week. At 10am the gates opened letting the cars through. There is a steady line of cars traveling this loop all day, but biking it seems doable during the times that cars are not allowed. We've decided that next time we will get there at 6:30 on a Wednesday or Saturday when it is bikes only. It is really a beautiful loop with many buildings from the 1800s there to see and tour. The meadows often have deer, and bear can also be sited, although we only saw deer. We tried checking out some streams for fishing, but soon became obvious that we needed more information. We have also decided to loop back around the southern end of the park on our way back next month. On the way back to the camper we stopped for a late lunch in Townsend at Lily's Cafe which was good and ice cream at a trading post in Wears Valley. While we were eating it, it poured rain. In the evening John wore the bluegill out with Joan's new fly rod and a floating ant fly and then we sat by Herman's and Cookie's campfire and chatted until bedtime.
Thursday, July 24 – Let it be known to all that today John did not get skunked. He decided to give it one more try in the weeds just behind our campsite that extend about 100 feet into the river with a large plastic worm. He rigged it weedless and was pulling it slowly through the thick cover, when a large explosion of water erupted. He knew that if the bass got his head down into the weeds, which they usually do, it would be all over. He muscled (yes he still has a few) the bass into shore to the applause of Joan. This gal (not Joan) weighed in at 7.5 pounds and was 23 inches long. Although John usually releases bass of this size, we decided to invite our neighbors Cookie and Herman over for fish dinner.
(Update) – We launched the kayaks in the river and paddled against the current of one turbine discharge towards the dam. They shut it off at 8PM which was only about 10 minutes, so by the time we got about 100 yards from the dam, they shut it off. We fished until dark, but only some small hits. It was great, however, to be out again on a beautiful evening.
Friday, July 25 – We fished a little in the morning with no success and after breakfast, drove to Bass Pro Shops again to see the upstairs that we had missed before. We successfully accomplished that without even spending any money. We also went to the flea market and left with all our money. We were hoping to get some fresh veggies, especially tomatoes, but everything was overpriced and not that good. Very disappointing! After a nice spaghetti dinner, we fished from shore, and John managed to land a bunch of bluegills and bream on a new fly he purchased, but Joan came up empty. This evening is perfect for sitting outside and watching the river. There has been a yellow-crowned night heron sitting in the tree next to our site most of the evening.
Saturday, July 26 – We woke up to rain this morning and heard we got about an inch. We grabbed our umbrellas and took a nice coffee walk down by the dam, then returned for bacon & egg breakfast that John prepared. Afterwards we fished for awhile from our bank and John caught several bluegills and one especially big one. If fought very well on the fly rod. The heat is supposed to increase here next week, so we are going to skip a couple of stops that are lower elevations and head to Warrior’s Gap State Park south of Kingsport, TN. A nice lady named Sally stopped by from French Broad Baptist Church and invited us to the service here in the morning. We said we were already planning on coming. She gave us a neat cookbook with recipes by members of their church as a welcome. Joan has already highlighted several for us to try.
Sunday, July 27 - We really enjoyed a wonderful service on the lawn by the camp store that was hosted by the French Broad River Valley Baptist Church. We heard the pastor play mandolin and the music director play guitar and lead the singing. They played old hymns, but did them in a more contemporary style. The youth director shared a good message on forgiveness. Sadly, there were only us and another lady there from the campground. Everyone else who attended was from the church. John fished with the fly rod for awhile and caught some really nice bream. When he got the idea to keep some to add to dinner, they miraculously stopped biting. It is hot here today, so we are sitting by the fan planning our next stops and catching up on reading.
See Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/DouglasDamTailwatersCampgroundTVASeviervilleTnJuly21July28
(Update) After the rain, it turned out to be a beautiful, cool evening. John took advantage by tossing a popper with the fly rod for awhile and caught three nice sized bream. He didn't want the job of cleaning them, so he let them go.
Tuesday, July 22 - We took our coffee walk down to the dam and John fished a little along the way. No fish. They have fixed up a nice little park along the water with a patch of bamboo and other plantings. We had breakfast, then headed into town for groceries. On the way we stopped at Bass Pro Shops and dropped some $$$ on a new fly rod for Joan, some line and a few flys. We next stopped at the Smoky Mt. Information Center and got some directions on our trip tomorrow to Cades Cove. We also bought some books on the park. We came home and John tried out Joan's new rod and caught a bluegill in about 2 minutes. Joan tried it out and she looked very good. We fished from shore for a while, but nothing bit. John has seen some very large SM Bass jump, but we have not figured out how to catch them yet. It is now raining very hard with some lightning thrown in as well.
Wednesday, July 23 - We got up fairly early and headed south into Smokey Mountain National Park. We took a route that bypassed most of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg and made our way to Cades Cove. We were told earlier that the loop road there would be closed to car traffic so bicyclists could use the trail until 10 am, but that information somehow slipped our minds. Anyway, that gave us an opportunity to talk to the ranger at the campground and get information about camping in the park. He told us that the park fills up on weekends, so if you are in an area that allows reservations, you could get a spot early in the week, but would have to give it up by the weekend. This would not apply to about half the campgrounds in the park that are first-come-first-served. You would not have a problem getting a site if you come in early in the week. At 10am the gates opened letting the cars through. There is a steady line of cars traveling this loop all day, but biking it seems doable during the times that cars are not allowed. We've decided that next time we will get there at 6:30 on a Wednesday or Saturday when it is bikes only. It is really a beautiful loop with many buildings from the 1800s there to see and tour. The meadows often have deer, and bear can also be sited, although we only saw deer. We tried checking out some streams for fishing, but soon became obvious that we needed more information. We have also decided to loop back around the southern end of the park on our way back next month. On the way back to the camper we stopped for a late lunch in Townsend at Lily's Cafe which was good and ice cream at a trading post in Wears Valley. While we were eating it, it poured rain. In the evening John wore the bluegill out with Joan's new fly rod and a floating ant fly and then we sat by Herman's and Cookie's campfire and chatted until bedtime.
Thursday, July 24 – Let it be known to all that today John did not get skunked. He decided to give it one more try in the weeds just behind our campsite that extend about 100 feet into the river with a large plastic worm. He rigged it weedless and was pulling it slowly through the thick cover, when a large explosion of water erupted. He knew that if the bass got his head down into the weeds, which they usually do, it would be all over. He muscled (yes he still has a few) the bass into shore to the applause of Joan. This gal (not Joan) weighed in at 7.5 pounds and was 23 inches long. Although John usually releases bass of this size, we decided to invite our neighbors Cookie and Herman over for fish dinner.
(Update) – We launched the kayaks in the river and paddled against the current of one turbine discharge towards the dam. They shut it off at 8PM which was only about 10 minutes, so by the time we got about 100 yards from the dam, they shut it off. We fished until dark, but only some small hits. It was great, however, to be out again on a beautiful evening.
Friday, July 25 – We fished a little in the morning with no success and after breakfast, drove to Bass Pro Shops again to see the upstairs that we had missed before. We successfully accomplished that without even spending any money. We also went to the flea market and left with all our money. We were hoping to get some fresh veggies, especially tomatoes, but everything was overpriced and not that good. Very disappointing! After a nice spaghetti dinner, we fished from shore, and John managed to land a bunch of bluegills and bream on a new fly he purchased, but Joan came up empty. This evening is perfect for sitting outside and watching the river. There has been a yellow-crowned night heron sitting in the tree next to our site most of the evening.
Saturday, July 26 – We woke up to rain this morning and heard we got about an inch. We grabbed our umbrellas and took a nice coffee walk down by the dam, then returned for bacon & egg breakfast that John prepared. Afterwards we fished for awhile from our bank and John caught several bluegills and one especially big one. If fought very well on the fly rod. The heat is supposed to increase here next week, so we are going to skip a couple of stops that are lower elevations and head to Warrior’s Gap State Park south of Kingsport, TN. A nice lady named Sally stopped by from French Broad Baptist Church and invited us to the service here in the morning. We said we were already planning on coming. She gave us a neat cookbook with recipes by members of their church as a welcome. Joan has already highlighted several for us to try.
Sunday, July 27 - We really enjoyed a wonderful service on the lawn by the camp store that was hosted by the French Broad River Valley Baptist Church. We heard the pastor play mandolin and the music director play guitar and lead the singing. They played old hymns, but did them in a more contemporary style. The youth director shared a good message on forgiveness. Sadly, there were only us and another lady there from the campground. Everyone else who attended was from the church. John fished with the fly rod for awhile and caught some really nice bream. When he got the idea to keep some to add to dinner, they miraculously stopped biting. It is hot here today, so we are sitting by the fan planning our next stops and catching up on reading.
See Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/DouglasDamTailwatersCampgroundTVASeviervilleTnJuly21July28
Cumberland Mountain State Park - Crossville, Tn (July 8 - 21, 2008)
Tuesday, July 8 - We left Cloudland Canyon at 9:30 am and 75 deg. and arrived here at 11:46 am and 82 deg after driving 102.2 miles. We checked in at the gate and the lady said to find a site and then come back to pay, etc. We really had trouble finding a site that had some shade and was also level enough. After three tries we found one and got set up. It is quite warm and humid here, but thankfully there is a pool and we have the a.c. We took a walk down to the lake and checked out the pool. Both are very nice, but disappointing that we can't launch our kayaks here. They do not allow outside boats.
Wednesday, July 9 - It is raining now, but it is much needed in this area. We took the morning to set up a tent under the one bunk to store our stuff we usually have on the other bunk. We will need the space for John's daughter Margaret and grandsons Jake and Josh who are flying into Nashville and coming to visit us on Friday. We also had to get our food supply out of the truck so we can go pick them up. We brought the extra tent for this purpose and so far it is working out well. We also set up an extra tarp over the picnic table out from the awning so we have an outside place to sit in shade.
Thursday, July 10 - It rained a little in the night and was raining hard when we woke up this morning. It stopped about 10am and is just cloudy now (1:20pm). There is front passing through and the rain should be done by this afternoon. There is a chance of pop-up showers the rest of the week into the weekend, but chances are low. We are ready for the boys (we think), and are looking forward to a wonderful time.
Friday, July 11 - We got up early this morning and drove into Nashville to pick up the crew at the airport. We left about an hour before they did and got there about the same time. We all enjoyed the scenic route back to the campground and stopped at Walmart for some necessities for their stay. After getting unpacked and having a snack, we headed for the pool. We all had a great time. The pool is quite large to accommodate a large number of people. After a couple of hours, we headed back to camp to change and go to dinner at the restaurant at the park. It was wonderful and we were very glad we went early and beat the crowd. The Friday fish fry is very popular. After dinner we went for a short hike on one of the trails. The boys enjoyed picking up walking sticks and using them on the trail. John taught them to identify poison ivy and they were able to point it out on the way (sometimes). In the evening they enjoyed playing catch and honing their baseball skills.
Saturday, July 12 - We took a hike around the lake in the morning, had some lunch, then went over to the pool just in time for a storm to come through. We went back to camp and watched a video while the rain finished, then the boys played ball in the empty sites around us. We went over to the restaurant again for dinner which was as good as yesterday. The boys mostly played around the campsite in evening before bed. While we were standing around a skunk came out from under the camper and startled Margaret. She let out a yell and scared the skunk so bad he ran away. We were very thankful he did not choose to spray us as he would have gotten all of us plus the camper with one squirt.
Sunday, July 13 - We did not get going early enough to make it to the worship service, so we had breakfast and headed over to the pool for a swim. The weather looked threatening and we were not sure if we wouldn't get rained out. It proved to be a good move because we were able to get in a good swim before lunch. In the evening John brought out the tv and dvd player and we watched a movie under the tarp complete with pop corn.
Monday, July 14 - We managed to get up a little earlier this morning and headed over to the lake for some fishing. We started by going for the big one using DOA CAL Jig plastic minnows, but were unsuccessful. We then put on some smaller rigs for bluegill or bream and headed over to the fishing bridge. Jacob landed a small, but nice bream (we think.) We then had some lunch then took a nice swim. The guys played very nicely together for a long time. It is not too much cooler today, but much less humid. After our swim we came back to the camper to change and went back to the restaurant for chicken done every which way. This is not their best day of the week. The food was still good, but not up to the quality we had earlier. We then returned to try to get the elusive fish prey and Jacob landed a couple of really nice bluegill. This was not Josh's day, however and he came away empty. They both had a very good time, however. Tonight will be another movie.
Tuesday, July 15 - This morning we drove to Nashville to deliver Margaret and the boys to the airport. Since their flight was not until late afternoon, we decided to stop at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville and let the boys check it out. It was wonderful with many, many interactive exhibits that they could try out. They were especially interested in the area devoted to the planets. We found this one interesting as well and we spent a lot of time there. After leaving them off, we drove back to camp and stopped for dinner at a little diner named Angie's Place in Watertown. The food was excellent, along with the service. When we got back we put the things that we carry in the truck back and then went for a walk around the campground. On the way we stopped and talked with a nice family who are camping across the loop from us. They have two daughters who have been biking the loops and were on a hike we took with the ranger last week. They have many animals at home that they have had to go back and take care of.
Wednesday, July 16 - There are just some things that have to be done even if we don't want to. We got up this morning and after breakfast packed up the laundry and headed to town to do wash and pick up necessities at Walmart. It is warmer today, but very nice with a decent breeze. We are also trying to plan our next few stops. One of our main goals is to miss the traffic and crowds at Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
Thursday, July 17 - Happy Birthday Josh! Imagine, five years old today. We decided to go fishing in your honor this morning and guess what? We both got skunked! We didn't catch a thing. We thought our strategy was good, using plastic, fishing slow around the fallen trees, etc along the Byrd Trail between the CCC bridge/dam and the wooden fishing bridge between the boat dock and the stairs going to the swimming area. We talked to a couple of boys who live in the area and they caught four small bass using 4" plastic worms. I guess we just needed to downsize a little. We'll try again in the evening sometime soon. It is a little warmer today.
(Update) We took the tv & dvd player out on the picnic table and watched the rest of "Ten Commandments," and enjoyed our outdoor theater.
Friday, July 18 - We went down to the boat dock this morning and went on the canoe outing with the two rangers here, Ponga and Erica. We paddled down to the dam, then back to the dock. They said if we wanted to continue we could keep the canoes out for as long as we wanted. Such a deal! We joined another couple and went to the end of the lake, about a mile upstream. It was very pretty and fun to talk to Pat and Nancy.
(Update) We watched "Remember the Titans" outside and shared a bowl of popcorn. We really enjoyed the movie.
Saturday, July 19 - We put the kayaks back on the truck and took our sewer tote to the dump before it got too hot. The rest of the day was lazy with some serious reading time. It is looking like it could rain some. We were visited by some folks who are with a church group that is doing a service in the park. They are starting a new congregation in the area. Afterwards they are having a cookout.
(Update) This was another movie night, but the offering was not as good. We stuck it out with "The Upside of Anger," but found this movie much less inspiring. It did have a basically good overall message, but it was a tedious journey getting to it. We apprecieated that in this version much of the language was filtered.
Sunday, July 20 - We drove over to shelter #3 for a worship service that was hosted by a local ministry that is just starting up. They call themselves "Koinonia Christian Ministries" and are close to moving into a building in Crossville. They were very welcoming and had an obvious heart for the Lord. We received a teaching on "Roman's Road" that explains the path to becoming children of God that is outlined in Paul's letter to the church in Rome (Romans) and the Gospel of John. We sang a good selection of praise songs followed by a heartfelt message from the Gospel of Matthew that relates how we need to welcome all kinds of people, even tax collectors and sinners, into our fellowship. After the service we all enjoyed talking and sharing a wonderful cookout together.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CumberlandMountainStateParkCrossvilleTnJuly8212008
Wednesday, July 9 - It is raining now, but it is much needed in this area. We took the morning to set up a tent under the one bunk to store our stuff we usually have on the other bunk. We will need the space for John's daughter Margaret and grandsons Jake and Josh who are flying into Nashville and coming to visit us on Friday. We also had to get our food supply out of the truck so we can go pick them up. We brought the extra tent for this purpose and so far it is working out well. We also set up an extra tarp over the picnic table out from the awning so we have an outside place to sit in shade.
Thursday, July 10 - It rained a little in the night and was raining hard when we woke up this morning. It stopped about 10am and is just cloudy now (1:20pm). There is front passing through and the rain should be done by this afternoon. There is a chance of pop-up showers the rest of the week into the weekend, but chances are low. We are ready for the boys (we think), and are looking forward to a wonderful time.
Friday, July 11 - We got up early this morning and drove into Nashville to pick up the crew at the airport. We left about an hour before they did and got there about the same time. We all enjoyed the scenic route back to the campground and stopped at Walmart for some necessities for their stay. After getting unpacked and having a snack, we headed for the pool. We all had a great time. The pool is quite large to accommodate a large number of people. After a couple of hours, we headed back to camp to change and go to dinner at the restaurant at the park. It was wonderful and we were very glad we went early and beat the crowd. The Friday fish fry is very popular. After dinner we went for a short hike on one of the trails. The boys enjoyed picking up walking sticks and using them on the trail. John taught them to identify poison ivy and they were able to point it out on the way (sometimes). In the evening they enjoyed playing catch and honing their baseball skills.
Saturday, July 12 - We took a hike around the lake in the morning, had some lunch, then went over to the pool just in time for a storm to come through. We went back to camp and watched a video while the rain finished, then the boys played ball in the empty sites around us. We went over to the restaurant again for dinner which was as good as yesterday. The boys mostly played around the campsite in evening before bed. While we were standing around a skunk came out from under the camper and startled Margaret. She let out a yell and scared the skunk so bad he ran away. We were very thankful he did not choose to spray us as he would have gotten all of us plus the camper with one squirt.
Sunday, July 13 - We did not get going early enough to make it to the worship service, so we had breakfast and headed over to the pool for a swim. The weather looked threatening and we were not sure if we wouldn't get rained out. It proved to be a good move because we were able to get in a good swim before lunch. In the evening John brought out the tv and dvd player and we watched a movie under the tarp complete with pop corn.
Monday, July 14 - We managed to get up a little earlier this morning and headed over to the lake for some fishing. We started by going for the big one using DOA CAL Jig plastic minnows, but were unsuccessful. We then put on some smaller rigs for bluegill or bream and headed over to the fishing bridge. Jacob landed a small, but nice bream (we think.) We then had some lunch then took a nice swim. The guys played very nicely together for a long time. It is not too much cooler today, but much less humid. After our swim we came back to the camper to change and went back to the restaurant for chicken done every which way. This is not their best day of the week. The food was still good, but not up to the quality we had earlier. We then returned to try to get the elusive fish prey and Jacob landed a couple of really nice bluegill. This was not Josh's day, however and he came away empty. They both had a very good time, however. Tonight will be another movie.
Tuesday, July 15 - This morning we drove to Nashville to deliver Margaret and the boys to the airport. Since their flight was not until late afternoon, we decided to stop at the Adventure Science Center in Nashville and let the boys check it out. It was wonderful with many, many interactive exhibits that they could try out. They were especially interested in the area devoted to the planets. We found this one interesting as well and we spent a lot of time there. After leaving them off, we drove back to camp and stopped for dinner at a little diner named Angie's Place in Watertown. The food was excellent, along with the service. When we got back we put the things that we carry in the truck back and then went for a walk around the campground. On the way we stopped and talked with a nice family who are camping across the loop from us. They have two daughters who have been biking the loops and were on a hike we took with the ranger last week. They have many animals at home that they have had to go back and take care of.
Wednesday, July 16 - There are just some things that have to be done even if we don't want to. We got up this morning and after breakfast packed up the laundry and headed to town to do wash and pick up necessities at Walmart. It is warmer today, but very nice with a decent breeze. We are also trying to plan our next few stops. One of our main goals is to miss the traffic and crowds at Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.
Thursday, July 17 - Happy Birthday Josh! Imagine, five years old today. We decided to go fishing in your honor this morning and guess what? We both got skunked! We didn't catch a thing. We thought our strategy was good, using plastic, fishing slow around the fallen trees, etc along the Byrd Trail between the CCC bridge/dam and the wooden fishing bridge between the boat dock and the stairs going to the swimming area. We talked to a couple of boys who live in the area and they caught four small bass using 4" plastic worms. I guess we just needed to downsize a little. We'll try again in the evening sometime soon. It is a little warmer today.
(Update) We took the tv & dvd player out on the picnic table and watched the rest of "Ten Commandments," and enjoyed our outdoor theater.
Friday, July 18 - We went down to the boat dock this morning and went on the canoe outing with the two rangers here, Ponga and Erica. We paddled down to the dam, then back to the dock. They said if we wanted to continue we could keep the canoes out for as long as we wanted. Such a deal! We joined another couple and went to the end of the lake, about a mile upstream. It was very pretty and fun to talk to Pat and Nancy.
(Update) We watched "Remember the Titans" outside and shared a bowl of popcorn. We really enjoyed the movie.
Saturday, July 19 - We put the kayaks back on the truck and took our sewer tote to the dump before it got too hot. The rest of the day was lazy with some serious reading time. It is looking like it could rain some. We were visited by some folks who are with a church group that is doing a service in the park. They are starting a new congregation in the area. Afterwards they are having a cookout.
(Update) This was another movie night, but the offering was not as good. We stuck it out with "The Upside of Anger," but found this movie much less inspiring. It did have a basically good overall message, but it was a tedious journey getting to it. We apprecieated that in this version much of the language was filtered.
Sunday, July 20 - We drove over to shelter #3 for a worship service that was hosted by a local ministry that is just starting up. They call themselves "Koinonia Christian Ministries" and are close to moving into a building in Crossville. They were very welcoming and had an obvious heart for the Lord. We received a teaching on "Roman's Road" that explains the path to becoming children of God that is outlined in Paul's letter to the church in Rome (Romans) and the Gospel of John. We sang a good selection of praise songs followed by a heartfelt message from the Gospel of Matthew that relates how we need to welcome all kinds of people, even tax collectors and sinners, into our fellowship. After the service we all enjoyed talking and sharing a wonderful cookout together.
View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/CumberlandMountainStateParkCrossvilleTnJuly8212008
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