Winter Excursion 2, Day 151

Got up this morning and did some camp chores. Grabbed showers and headed out for a few errands.We were home by mid afternoon and hunkered down awaiting the rain and storms. The rain arrived just in time to keep us from grilling the steaks, so we Sous Vide them. They turned out really good as usual.
We caught a movie and then were off to bed. We decided to save laundry for tomorrow.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 150

For our last excursion from this campground we headed to Prentice Cooper State Forest just northwest of Chattanooga. Once we arrived it was dirt roads only and only one way in and out. This forest is mainly for hunting, hiking, and OHV riding.

We did find this along the way and found it interesting.

A closer view.

Back at camp we burned the rest of our firewood and did some "moon gazing" as Cath puts it.

Brats for dinner, more fire time, then off to bed. Rain is forecast for tomorrow, so we will make it laundry day.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 149

We needed to go to Camping World today for a few supplies. Kaylee did not want to be interrupted. Here she is upside down in her cave. We finally convinced her to go with us. The Camping World here in Chattanooga has a campground. This is the first one like this we've seen. We were not impressed. 

Did a few camp chores and talked with the neighbors some. Here's a shot of Cath and Kaylee. Kaylee is waiting for her dinner!

We made some yummy fried rice on the egg for dinner and sat out by the fire until after dark. A little TV then off to bed.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 148

Today we continued our quest to see every State Park in the nation. We visited Cumberland Mountain State Park in Tennessee. The park has a lot of campsites and is situated around a lake. Here's a pic of the bridge/dam in the park.

Crossville, TN is just outside the park and look what we found! It seems Tastycake was purchased by the bakery (Flowers) in Crossville from where they used to be made in Pennsylvania.

Here's what we found at the outlet.

The entire area around Cumberland Mountain has lots of these stone structures. Here's a pic of a stone tower we snapped from the truck.

And these little stone houses are all over the place.

Back at camp I split up some more wood and we had a nice campfire.

It's been a fun day, a little cloudy, but no rain.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 147

It rained quite a bit last night. We sleep good when the rain is falling on the camper roof. We slept in this morning and had another lazy day. We took a nice walk with Kaylee and she got some off leash time. We did a little camp maintenance and got some more wood split up. Watched some TV, played some cards, and watched the other campers coming and going.
Chicken Fried Steak for dinner (we are still in the south ya'll). No more rain in the forecast until Wednesday and the temps at home seem to be warming up, so hopefully there will be no snow when we get home on 16 April.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 146

We did nothing today and had fun doing it! We hung out at the camper. Watched the other campers come and go. Built a nice fire and waited for the rain.

We watched a few movies and did some cooking on the Egg (Honey Bourbon Wings). All in all it was a nice relaxing day.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 145

No traveling today, it's laundry day! Not sure how she did it, but Cath managed to pick a laundromat that has a  Baskins Robbins ice cream parlor right next door. You can tell by the look on her face that this is her favorite Laundromat of all times. I would not be surprised if we have to do laundry again next week.

Here's a pic of me in my new favorite shirt I found in Lynchburg.

Shrimp Tacos for dinner. A little time by the campfire, a few shows, then off to bed.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 144

This first pic is from yesterday evening. It's looking down into the woods behind the camper. Look close (after you click on it) and you can see two deer laying down in the red circle.

Today we drove northwest to see Fall Creek Falls State Park. This is one of the nicest State Parks we have ever seen. We will definitely stay here next year for a week or two. The drive was interesting as usual. Windy roads, hairpins turns, and up and down mountains, but the views are spectacular.

6% grade.

Once we got to the park we visited three waterfalls.

The Wild Vizsla and me.

These rock formations are everywhere.

This is a mini waterfall compared to the next two.

The lake at the park.

This deer was right next to the road.

This is Falls Creek Falls! It is hundreds of feet high.

Another one of the views along the road.

And one more.

This is Piney Falls. Also a few hundred feet high.

This is the largest State Park in Tennessee. It is very popular. The campground is very nice and this time of year it's not too crowded. We will be back next year.
Back at camp schnitzel for dinner, a campfire, and a movie.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 143

I'll bet from the first pic you can guess we went to one of my favorite places.😈 I'll also bet you can guess what they make there.😁
We drove the back roads as usual and were rewarded with some beautiful vistas, waterfalls, and landscapes.

We did not tour the distillery as it was not dog friendly.  So we checked out the visitor center and walked "downtown" Lynchburg.
The "downtown" is actually one square block. It is very quaint and the shop keepers are super friendly (Southern Hospitality).

City Hall is in the middle of the block, you actually walk around it.

The hardware store. Got some new, etched, JD glasses and of course a "geography          T-shirt".

The joint where we had lunch. Pulled pork sandwiches, sweet tea, beans and rice, and Cath had Root Beer (she says "best I've ever had").

Another view of this joint, it was really cool!

And one more.

Couldn't pass this pic up. You can actually buy the used barrels, half barrels, full barrels, and "finished" barrels. They range in price from $150 to $250. We saw an out of state pickup that had six of them in the bed.

I hate to admit it, but we took the interstate home. All was good until we got to Chattanooga. I will not drive the highways near this city again.
The weather has turned cold again and we have freeze warnings again tonight. Clam Chowder for dinner, some JD, and a movie.

Winter Excursion 2, Day 142

Today we toured Lookout Mountain, Rock City, and drove past Ruby Falls. Rock City Garden and Ruby Falls are not dog friendly, so we didn't go in.
This is a really high mountain that overlooks Chattanooga. The views and homes are spectacular. The following pics are a few examples. The entire area is loaded with these structures.
A private home.

How about a fountain in your front yard.

The view from this house is something else.

There are hundreds of these homes on this mountain.

A view from the road.

You can see for miles.

This place is built into a cliff.

A small waterfall along the drive.

This is a B&B.

This is the entrance to Point Park, a National Historic Site.

Again, the views from up here are great.

Civil War monument in Point Park.

This is the elementary school.

Kind of interesting.

All of these areas are really close to Chattanooga and some of the mountain is in Georgia.

We came back to camp and had the last of the fish we caught at Buck Hall. As usual a movie then hit the sack.