Whew. A week gone by and I’m trying to remember what all we’ve done and where we’ve been. Thank goodness Mom is keeping a handwritten journal.
We spent the day in Chattanooga visiting the Aquarium. This photo is of a Leafy Sea Dragon. It is hard to tell he’s an actual creature.
We also ate Mexican food AGAIN (had to get caught up).
We went to one popular overlook which we found to be commercialized and a bit pricey but learned of a state historical park, Point Park, which has the same vista for a fraction of the price and about four other people rather than four dozen or more. It was a Civil War site with the cannon aimed out over the Tennessee River.
We drove out to Ocoee Lake so I could put Lucille (my kayak) in the water. Poor thing. She hasn’t really seen much action this trip but, as we’ve said before, she does make it easy to find the car in large parking lots cuz she’s strapped up there 24/7. I paddled around a bit until the wind came up and the smooth water turned choppy. This photo is of me getting the water out of my shoes once inside the boat. Mom thought it was rather amusing and she is quite proud of herself for getting it.
Being the 31st and Halloween, we stocked up on treats in case any kids came around (hah!). We felt they would probably prefer M&M’s. Unfortunately, there were no spooky kids so we’ll have to deal with those treats ourselves. BOO hoo.
We finally packed up and headed to Manchester, TN to see friend Meg and her mom, Dorothy. Meg recommended the Old Stone Fort State Archeological Park and, wow, was she right. That is a fantastically beautiful park. We thought we had driven out of Fall Colors but our eyes feasted on the display there. Words really can’t describe it and photos don’t do it justice but here are a few anyway.
This park is, literally, in the Garrett’s back yard. Meg graciously prepared dinner for the four of us at their home and it was delish! We also got a tour of Dorothy’s Red Barn Miniatures and Dollhouse business. She creates and refurbishes doll houses. In fact, the newspaper interviewed her during our time there. She’s going to have to get ready for those Christmas orders!
Manchester has been the Garrett home for many years (almost 48 years in that house, I think) and we got to see where Jim Garrett (Dorothy’s husband, Meg’s dad) had his law practice across from the courthouse and where our little Meg went to school.
They took us out to a lovely place - Rutledge Falls. It is privately owned but accessible to those who know it is there. Thank goodness there are no billboards on the highway for it! It is serene and special. Whenever you visit Meg in Manchester, be sure to ask her to take you there. If you look real hard you can see Meg and I down on the rocks. It is deeper than it looks on first glance.
Just a couple of photos to share of Mom, Meg and Dorothy during our outing to Rutledge Falls.
On Thursday, we continued on to Pickwick Lake State Park. It was was lovely but not someplace we felt compelled to stay more than a night. I guess our fiddle feet were dancin’ and ready to hit the road.
On our way there, we drove through Michie, TN. A small town founded by Dad’s great-great-grandparents. It is only 9 miles from the Shiloh, TN Civil War battlefield. The town is a rural community and very small thus there really wasn’t anywhere to stop and “look around” but we took a photo of the post office to prove we were there.
Friday and as Mom says in her journal, we suffered RVer’s bane - WIND big time! It was all I could do to hold Minerva in her lane. A little tip to future RVer’s - don’t travel on windy days unless it’s pushing you up the highway rather than off of it! On top of that, super dog Bonnie wasn’t feeling so hot (I think she ate some UVP - Unidentified Varmint Poop). Plus, the air was weird. Put all that together and we wanted off the road. We saw a listing for Village Creek State Park in Arkansas (yes, we had to get around Memphis and that was fun, too!) We almost decided not to go to that park cuz it was 13 miles off the highway and we thought we wanted to just get to western Arkansas where all the national forests are as quickly as possible. Alas, the wind convinced us to take the detour but we weren’t too thrilled because of the surrounding area we were seeing on the highway.
WOW! What a gem we found. These photos aren’t a thousandth of what we had surrounding us but they give you a taste. We later read that the park is located on Crowley’s Ridge which is an anomoly to the surrounding area. It has a vast array of trees not found anywhere else in the state. That park is in our top picks so far. It has recently been updated and has all the amenities with lots of space between sites, excellent utilities, patios, tables, etc in one of the most beautiful settings we’ve encountered. We ended up staying there until Monday.
Friday and Saturday were windy as hell. Really. And I don’t know what was blowing through besides most of Mississippi but it hit me like West Texas sand and hay put together i.e. allergies. But it was so beautiful and relaxing, I didn’t care. . . much. Sunday was the picture perfect day. Saturday night a thunderstorm blew through (Bonnie slept with me again) but afterward, calm, crystal clear and perfect. It would have been a good driving day but was too beautiful to waste inside. Sat outside and read, walked, etc. all day. Plus, the temps have been warm enough for light jacket or shirt sleeves. After donning layers, hats and gloves for awhile, that was nice.
Also, I might add that we have been playing Scrabble quite often for a penny a point. I just want to mention that Mom now owes me over $13.00. You would think she might catch on that I’m keeping score all the time! hehehe. Just kidding. I wouldn’t do that to her on purpose.
It’s Monday and we’re at the Hot Springs, Arkansas National Park Golpha Gorge Camping area. I don’t think we’ll stay more than a night. It is pretty enough but it is small and right off a busy road. We’re going to continue northwest to check out some of the other parks in the Ouchita National Forest Area and, perhaps, the Ozarks. We haven’t decided. `
