Category: Rivers
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Valley Falls State Park, West Virginia
Tuesday, October 5, 2021 I am on a photography workshop with my friend Mark Zablotsky (https://www.markzphotoworkshops.com) touring and photographing some of the most scenic places in West Virginia. Once the site of a lumber and grist mill community, Valley Falls State Park is a place of scenic beauty and historical significance. A series of four…
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Kephart Prong
Wednesday, September 29, 2021 50° at 4:00 Batteries at 51% Charlie Roberts, the fly tier I met at Chasteen Creek, told me to try Kephart Prong and to start fishing where the stream makes a big turn away from the trail. My plan was to fish this all day. I’ve been distracted by other things,…
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Bradley Fork And a Leaking Fresh Water Tank
Saturday, September 25, 2021 50 deg at 3:00 AM Batteries at 79%, 82% last night (There are no hookups in GSMNP) It’s been sunny every day, but sun only hits the panels from 2:30-4:00. The rest of the day I’m getting 1.5A. Takes 10A to run the furnace in the morning set at 58 deg.…
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Errands in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Friday, September 24, 2021 47° at 3:00AM As I lay in bed, slowly waking up, I thought it unlikely the fresh water tank was leaking in two places, although possible with all the bumps and jolts I give it driving rough highways at 70 mph. At Highland Haven, I had trouble closing the drain cock…
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Collins Creek and Bradley Fork
Thursday, September 23, 2021 47 degrees at 6:00 Batteries at 85% After the heavy rains Bradley Fork was up, running hard and brown. My guide is The Ultimate Guide to Fly-Fishing The Great Smoky Mountains by Don Kirk and Greg Ward. It’s a good book, woven with stories to keep it interesting. In this watershed…
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Bluegrass Valley to Saltville
My mission today was to follow the North Fork of the Holston River traveling southwest through the Bluegrass Valley to Saltville on Rt. 42. Here is what the Virginia Division of Wildlife Resources says about the North Fork below Saltville, “From the town of Saltville downstream there is an exceptional smallmouth bass fishery. It routinely…
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Tazewell County
June 8, 2021 I had several goals for the week. One was to visit Burke’s Garden. Two was to explore, float or fish the Clinch River. Three was to check out other trout streams in Tazewell, Wythe and Bland Counties. I started out the morning following the Clinch River from Tazewell to Claypool. Rt. 460…
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The Breaks Interstate Park, 2
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…
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Breaks Interstate Park, Virginia/Kentucky
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…
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St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge
Wednesday, March 17, 2021 Martha suggested we go to St. Catherine Creek National Wildlife Refuge. She knows I love these places. We invited Bev and Willow to join us. It’s about a half hour from town. By the time we pulled into the park office, I realized I had been here before. It was flooded…