A visit to the tire store

Our original plans for the day were to take a couple of hikes a little further south down at Little River Canyon. But those plans were disturbed early in the day, after Ray went out to add air to one of the tires that looked low. We have a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) that reports on pressure and temperature of each of the 6 tires on the RV. I was inside when I heard Ray yelling that the tire was losing air. In using the tire inflator, the valve stem of that tire popped out, and air was hissing out of the tire. Ray was able to finally cap it, but not before the tire had lost a lot of pressure. Our only option now, was to find a tire shop and get the stem repaired. We were leaving for home the next day, and couldn't ride long-term on that tire without the danger of a blowout. Fortunately, it was early in the day, and we were only 20 minutes from a nearby town that did have a place that could help. So, we packed everything up, pulled in the slides, and drove down to Fort Payne (very carefully) to get the tire stem fixed. The people at the tire shop were very accommodating and helpful, and took us right away. About 20 minutes later, we were on our way back to the campground to re-set up, and get on with our day.

By now, it was afternoon, and we headed south to Little River Canyon. We took a hike along the river to a beautiful spot with a smaller falls (than Little River Falls a bit further north). During the summer, this area is a popular swimming place (called the Hippie Hole). Fortunately for us, since it was the middle of the week in fall, we mostly had the area to ourselves. It's a rocky area that defines a large pool just beyond the falls. The trail down is rocky and root-y, and the last little bit is a rock staircase of 160 (someone else counted them) steep steps. Nice trail, beautiful spot.

We then decided to drive the road along the canyon. It doesn't have lots of views, but the road itself is a hoot. Continuous ups and downs, around hairpin curves. There are warning signs at the road's entry points that the road is impassable to trucks, trailers and RVs. With the Elantra, it was just a matter of continuously managing the stick shift. 

Tomorrow begins the drive home.

Photos here: 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/85hdof5Pvkqsdhz29

Woods walk and Falls Bottom

 

Yesterday morning we set out to a local trail that wound through the woods. Unlike NH forests, this one had little to no shrubby understory. Instead, the forest floor was often covered in haircap moss, sometimes interspersed with deer moss. With the falling leaves, it gave the forest an open feel. We crossed 2 creeks and also passed by an old homestead, now being subsumed by the forest. The day was cool, in the 50s, even with the sun that eventually came out, so it was a jeans day for us. The trail wasn't particularly well marked, and it was fortunate for us that we had our AllTrails app to let us know we were headed in the right direction. The trail was always thickly covered in leaves, and it didn't look like it had been heavily used as the leaves had not been walked on. The were no trail blazes except at trail junctions.  As a matter of fact, we were the only people there. When we left, and when we returned hours later, ours was the only car in the trailhead parking lot.

In the afternoon, we headed back over to DeSoto Falls, and took the base of the falls trail. Very steep, and very rocky, it was pretty interesting. It took us by some towering rocks and a rock cave. The view at the bottom allowed us to see the bottom cascade of the falls in its entirety. 

Great day.

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/JFZm82FQ1XY3GjuH8

Falls and a rock in a chapel

We are currently in northeast Alabama at DeSoto State Park. We started the day at DeSoto Falls. From the sign there: "In 1925, A. A. Miller, an electrical engineer, built the first hydroelectric dam in North Alabama above DeSoto Falls. He built the dam to help supply power for his hydroelectric generator which he constructed below the falls. At first Fort Payne was furnished with electricity from dark until midnight. Then after a number of local women had purchased

electric irons, power was supplied on Thursday afternoons to enable ladies to iron. Later electricity was made available all day and night. As there was no central switch for the street lights, Ernest Wallis, a young schoolboy, became Fort Payne's equivalent of the "Old Lamp Lighter", riding his bicycle up and down the streets at dusk to turn the lights on and returning after dawn to turn them off."

After the dam, there are two tiers of falls that drop 107 feet, the tallest in Alabama. The risers of the stairs that lead down to the falls are decorated in mosaic tile. The base design is of the West Fork of Little River formed from blue pieces of glass, and the extra spaces were decorated by residents and park visitors. A quote by John Muir flows down several steps and reads, “Everybody needs beauty as

well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” The art was a delightful surprise, as you can't see the decoration going down the steps.

On our way to the falls, I noted a chapel at the side of the road we were traveling, and we determined that we would return after our trip to the falls. What had caught my eye was a giant rock protruding from the building. When we finally made our way back, we found that while there was no one there, the

church was open. It was the Sally Howard Memorial Chapel, built in 1937 by Milton Howard in memory of his first wife. The church still holds Baptist services. The building is, indeed, built around a giant boulder, and made of stones from the Little River. The boulder sits behind the lectern in the church. It was a sweet, peaceful place.

We then returned to the RV and set out on a short hike. The weather has been cooperating, for the most part. It rained this morning, but by mid-afternoon, the skies were clearing, and temps were in the low to mid 60s. 

More photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wQsQWQ7AJ6uKBHh67

Gravel Road and Split Bow Arch

Cumberland River Overlook

There was another interesting trail at the small nature preserve we visited the other day that we thought we'd explore yesterday. We enjoyed the hike we took so much and the fact that this little out-of the-way place was completely deserted. When we arrived at the trailhead we were surprised to see 20 cars jammed into the tiny parking lot. And another car arrived just as we pulled into the lot. We opted to find another adventure. 

Big South Fork is bounded by two roads; a gravel road on the north and a paved route on the south. We thought we might check out the northern one-lane gravel road. It cuts through the forest giving access to many

trailheads. Although our max speed was 15-20 mph, it took about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to go from west to east. It was an interesting and lovely ride, with mostly no traffic. We were surprised at one point to see 3 or 4 cars coming from the opposite direction, one after the other. They must have been camped at one of the backcountry areas there. But for the most part, there was no traffic at all.  

Back on paved roads, we decided to check out a number of the overlooks on the Cumberland River. This is beautiful country. Our travels took us to Split Bow Arch and Bear Creek Overlook.

The trail took us to a beautiful arch in the middle of the woods. The trail was covered in wet leaves on slick rock, but very enjoyable as it took us through split boulders and around the arch. 

As the sun was going down, we headed to a nearby town, Oneida, to pick up some groceries. And ice cream!

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/2c6pbwDh2hBskbS16

Middle Creek and Twin Arches trails

 Today dawned cool and cloudy. It was our first day on this trip when we would have to wear jeans for comfort.

Our first hike took us along the edge of some awesome rock formations in the woods. While there were many massive rock walls, it seemed that each one had its own "personality". One might have plants growing on it, another might be folds of smooth rock, another odd wrinkles of rocks. In some, caves were formed, and in others, the wall was a sheer rock face. All were different and exciting to explore as we progressed on the hike. While the path was relatively easy, there were some tricky spots where loose, wet leaves on slickrock made footing "interesting". We loved this hike.

Our next hike took us to two arches in the woods. The hike is short but tricky in spots. There are several sets of very steep stairs to negotiate to arrive at the arches. But the trip is so worth it. As the sign at the arches says: Few natural bridges in the world equal Twin Arches in size." It's hard to express how big these arches are.

We were lucky enough to have the arches to ourselves in the stillness of the woods. I felt so humbled by the beauty of the place.

Wonderful day in the forest.

Pictures here. https://photos.app.goo.gl/hutn3uUsH1tcAK9o7

Big South Fork

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area preserves the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries in northeastern Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky. It's an area that was home to many logging and mining areas in the past. This region has the highest concentration of natural bridges in the eastern US. The cliffs, bluffs, and gorges here are spectacular.

We're staying at the park campground in a wonderful, quiet site, the changing trees all around us.

Our first foray here was actually to Pogue Creek Canyon Natural Area and Pickett State Park, which are adjacent to the National Recreation Area. That morning it rained pretty hard, and as we left, the sky was mostly gray and threatening more rain. That also meant that trails would be covered in wet leaves over slippery rocks and mud. We knew that we had to take care. 

On the way to the trailhead, we spotted a large bird on the highway ahead. Apparently, one of a flock of chickens penned near the road had escaped. Ah, Tennessee! As we pulled into the trailhead parking area, ours was the only car in the small lot, so we had the place to ourselves.

We started out wearing jackets, but were able to shed them as the morning progressed. Our first hike took us past wonderful sandstone walls overgrown with moss and trees, to a spot overlooking Pogue Creek Canyon.  The view was OK, but the massive rock walls along the way were the highlight.

Then we headed to Pickett State Park just up the road.  We  appeared  to be the only visitors to the park as there were no other cars anywhere to be seen, and the park office was closed. We stopped for a quick lunch of yogurt and apples and dined under a pavilion. I remarked to Ray that  someone had carelessly dropped litter all over the far side of a pond we were facing. There were what appeared to white papers on trees and bushes and floating in the pond. Later we discovered that the "white papers" were actually fallen. paw paw leaves. They are about a foot long and appear white on the back side. They DO look like litter!

As we approached the trailhead, we were greeted by a large pile of bear scat in the middle of the trail, something repeated a couple of times further on down the trail as well. Fortunately, we never got to meet the animal who deposited it! Our hike took us through the autumn woods past a natural bridge and a cave. This trail was on top of or beside many huge rock walls with fascinating erosion. The large

cave was carved into one of those rock formations. Very cool. That rain that threatened actually made good on its promise and came just as we were completing the last quarter mile of the hike. It poured! Fortunately, we had brought umbrellas. 

What a great day!

Since our campground doesn't have sewer connections and we'll be here for 4 nights, we decided to use the campground shower facilities so our gray water tank doesn't fill. That would necessitate unhooking and a trip to the dump station. Showers were actually quite clean and spacious.

Photos of the day are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/txmWVkwvZqJ9Wrtr9

Fall Creek Falls State Park, Tennessee

We figured that we would try something different for a fall trip. Normally we would head north to New England to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage. But this year, we headed to Tennessee, a gorgeous slice of America. We did our research, and found that middle to end of October was an ideal time to visit as tree color would be at or near peak.

Fall Creek Falls

Our first stop was Fall Creek Falls State Park, in east central Tennessee, the largest state park in the state. As indicated by the name, it's notable features are waterfalls. But there are gorges, streams, cascades, and large stands of old -growth hardwood as well. 

We spent 3 nights at the park campground, and during the days, hiked some of the trails. Weather was perfect, sunny and cool, with temps in the mid to upper 60s.We hiked through forest to waterfalls. For the most part, we had all the trails all to ourselves: we never passed anyone on our hikes. 

Even with the heavy rain this area saw earlier this month, Fall Creek Falls itself wasn't particularly full. Its height is pretty cool, though--it's the highest falls in the eastern US. We stopped at another waterfall to relax in the sun, and suddenly smelled cigarette smoke. Two women were sitting at a distance, and one had lit up. Shortly after that, we saw a man approach the falls smoking a cigarette. Maybe that's a "thing" here. It was a first for us to come across people smoking at a natural outdoor feature.

Wheeler Farm trail

We also took a hike that took us through some severely eroded areas with lots of downed trees. As we approached the trailhead, I saw a few clumps of white fur on the ground. Hmmm. Was an animal attacked here? I suspect so. A short way down the trail we found fresh bear scat. 

This was a really fun hike that had us scrambling over boulders, and picking our way through rock fields, up a rocky dry creek bed, and  past towering rock walls. The trail actually follows water's flow downhill, as it is the path of creek beds. We really enjoyed this hike.

We also took a long loop hike that took us through the woods and along the shore of Fall Creek Falls Lake, a man-made lake

created by a dam. The ups and downs of the topography coupled with the inlets and streams, and highlighted by the sun lighting up the changing trees, made this a really enjoyable walk. In a few places, bridges over the streams had been washed away (and not replaced) by an early October heavy rain, adding interest to our walk.

Photos here for Fall Creek Falls: https://photos.app.goo.gl/iaSVVTnSfx9gtszn9

Photos of Wheeler Farm and the Lake trail here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/F4Q1LLf47exeBjXx8