Category: Wildlife
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Cades Cove to Cataloochee
Sunday, August 15, 2021 I had read about the 11-mile road into Cataloochee Campground on the east side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is a one-lane gravel road with tight turns down the mountain. Pulling a trailer wouldn’t be easy. As I hooked up, I saw our neighbor, who had been here…
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Hike Little River Trail, Cucumber Gap
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,…
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Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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…
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Baileyton KOA to Smoky Mountains National Park
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…
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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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Kayak Rocky Bayou and Rock Creek
Saturday, March 13, 2021, We put the kayaks on Rocky Bayou in the middle of the campground, our mission to find Rock Creek and paddle up it. Paddling along the shore gave us a new perspective of this beautiful area. The near side of the Bayou is Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park that sits…
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Kayaking Burt Mill Creek
Thursday, March 4, 2021 A downy woodpecker, the smallest of the woodpecker family, worked on a limb in our campsite. Colin Burns gave us some tips on places to fish and kayak near St. Andrews State Park. We opted for Burt Mill Creek. There is a nice boat ramp, parking area and even has a…
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The Marshes of St. Andrews State Park
Wednesday, March 3, 2021 St. Andrews State Park at the south end of Panama City Beach is a unique place. Surrounded by water and beautiful beaches, it has fresh water marshes in the middle. For two hours in the morning, I explored the northern end of the marsh. As we drive along one side, I…
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Ichetucknee Springs State Park
Sunday, February 28, 2021 At $22/kayak and put-in and take-out, we rented four kayaks for a two-hour float down the river, which flows into the Santa Fe River, which flows into the Suwannee River. The water was clear with fish jumping frequently. Largemouth bass, mullet and 29 other species of fish live here. We had…
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Drive From Casper, Wyoming to Hall County Park in Grand Island, Nebraska
Friday, July 24, 2020 I left the gravel, Casper KOA at 9:00, late for me, got on I25 south, later turning east on Rt. 26 for Fort Laramie and zig-zagged to I80. I have heard people complain about Nebraska being a boring drive, but I think it is very pretty with the beautiful Platte River,…