
Friday, August 13, 2021 We took the morning Loop Drive, which is always fun. After breakfast the plan was to hike to Abrams Falls, about a 5-mile hike, then tube Little River in the afternoon. The Airstream’s vitals were getting low, so I opted out to go dump the tanks, fill up with fresh water…

We went on the Loop Drive in the morning, now the fifth time we’ve done it. We saw lots of turkeys early, but the highlight was finding a “bear jam” with a ranger present. There was a mother and three babies in a wild black cherry tree….all on one branch! We relaxed and hung out,…
Wednesday, August 11. 2021 At 7:00 everyone was still sleeping, so I went up to the picnic area thinking I would try fishing Anthony Creek for an hour. As I put my rod together, two guys in their 60’s parked next to me and got their hiking gear out. I asked if they were going…

Tuesday, August 10, 2021 We had a rather lazy morning. I downloaded pictures from two cameras and the phone to the computer and wrote up the last couple of days. We were all tired from a very active day yesterday, and the kids didn’t get up until almost 8:00. They had a big breakfast of…

August 9, 2021 I had a good night’s sleep in the tent, and got up at 4:00. As quietly as I could, I went into the trailer and made coffee. Sleeping on the couch, Josh waved and promptly went back to sleep. Martha and Melissa were in the bedroom, so I closed the doors in…

Sunday, August 8, 2021 Sunday, August 8, 2021 I 81 at this point is a flatter, straighter road, and on Sunday morning there wasn’t so much traffic. 81 turns into I40, and we headed southeast, then onto Rt. 66 south. This took us through Sevierville and Pigeon Forge. Both of these were crowded with some…

Saturday, August 7, 2021 We were on our way to Cades Cove Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for two weeks. The first week was with the “the grandchildren”. They really are friends, Karen and Nathan’s children who we have known for a long time. We like to take them for a week…

June 6,7,8, 2021 I stayed three nights in Cavitt’s Creek Park while exploring Tazewell, Bland and Smyth Counties in SW Virginia. The park grounds are well-maintained and beautiful, with a stocked lake for fishing, boating and swimming. I did not explore Cavitt’s Creek below the dam and I didn’t hike the trail around the park.…

Tuesday, May 18, 2021 We had a hard rain in the night that continued into the morning, which made us relax and take it easy. By noon it stopped and we were ready to get out. Brooke and Pam had recommended the Geological Hike, so we took it. Once hunting grounds for the Cherokee and…

We crossed some big mountains driving from Abingdon to Breaks Interstate Park, then some winding, narrow roads through coal country, where you quickly see the difference between a hollow and a valley. A hollow, or holler as they are locally called, is just a narrow crease in the mountains with coal mining houses filling the…