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