Friday Night Auction

LOVE the ugly vase in front of the auctioneer!

Most Friday nights, consort and I go with our friends to a local auction in Mountain City, which is the closest town to our campsite.

Our friends are usually on the lookout for things they can use at the campground.  Everything from socks and food items to beautiful antiques and vintage porcelain road signs are sold here.

Consort and I don't typically buy anything.  I mean, let's face facts.  Where would we put it? 

Last week, however, we did buy two gallons of Dawn dishwashing detergent.  We use Dawn for actual dishwashing in the kitchen; we use it to wash the roof and exterior of the fifth wheel; and we pour it down the toilet and drains to keep the tanks clean.  It is most versatile.  

I also bought a 12-pack of political ankle socks last week.  I blame Watauga Winery for that small indiscretion. 

We didn't walk away with any purchases this evening, though I did have my eye on a few things.  We were at the auction for about two hours, and the three items I really wanted did not come up for bid during that time.  We could have stayed, but the bidding was competitive and I had a feeling I would easily be outbid.  C'est la vie.  I have the pictures, they will bring me joy ad infinitum.  And on the plus side, I'll never have to clean anything!

Sold for $45

Sold for $50

Scotty dog lamp shade.  Left before it sold.

Gorgeous wooden box painted with local scenery
Left before it sold.

Carnival glass swan.  Need it to go with M's chicken!

And paragliders skittering though the air between mountains on our way home from the auction.

Last Looks

We will miss waking up each morning, opening the door and being surrounded by the forest, the rushing creek.  

We will miss sharing dinner with our friends in the evening.  We will miss the laughter and joy they contributed to our days together.

God must have been in a jocular mood the day he created the duck.  Have you ever taken a close look at them?  The brightest orange legs you can imagine.  The younger ducks have bright yellow bills; the older ducks have bills that look more olive green.  The teal-colored head, the breast covered in what can only be described as cheetah spots.  When they lift their wings, you'll see a band of color ranging from royal blue to indigo.  Of course, there's also black, white, and varying shades of brown and gray.  I don't think it would be possible to place one more color on this waterfowl!

I mentioned my love of beach glass in a previous post.  This is the pile I've accumulated while here at Roan Creek Campground.  Do you see the little brown piece that is shaped like a heart?  There's one piece of purple, one piece of pottery, and one piece that is opaque.  Who knew?

Ghosties.  In an earlier blogpost entitled, Ghost Stories, I wrote about the alleged ghost that haunted the house we moved out of just about this time last year.  I was telling a fellow camper about the ghostly escapades when consort added something I had not heard before.  He said that after we vacated the house, he returned one afternoon to pick something up or drop something off.  He said the new kids in the house answered his knock and told him they were playing hide-and-seek.  Before running off to find their mom, one of the kids turned to consort and said, Did you know this house is haunted?

Last Stop

Not sure what type of plant this is.  Anyone know?

Our time here in NE Tennessee is winding down.  We will be parked here another week before we take off, heading north, to the craggy coast of Maine.  The last place we wanted to visit while in this area was Jonesborough, the oldest city in Tennessee. 

Jonesborough is home to the International Storytelling Center which hosts an annual storytelling festival the first week of October.

Unfortunately, like so many other things this year, the Storytelling Center will not be hosting a live festival -- color me disappointed!  With thousands of people attending from all over the world, the Center has concluded, "the risks just aren't tenable."  So they have decided to present the festival in digital format.  I guess that means we can watch and listen to the stories no matter where we are.  

As the oldest town in Tennessee, Jonesborough is steeped in history.  Consort and I were not really into history or learning on this day.  We were simply out to see the sights.  I can tell you, though, that this original log cabin, built sometime around 1775, was home to Andrew Jackson when he lived in Jonesborough and practiced law.

Consort and I both enjoy looking at the architecture of old buildings.  The entire downtown area was charming. 

 
There were kids out on the street in formal wear having their pictures taken.  I stopped one of the photographers and asked what was going on.  I was told the 8th grade class was holding prom, as was the senior class.  And that's all I know about that.

 We stopped for lunch at Jonesborough Barrel House.  Consort and I both had the Memphis Burger.  The burger was topped with pulled pork, bacon, onion rings, and gouda cheese.  Need I say more?  I tried the cornbread salad -- which was beyond delicious -- while consort stuck with his old standby, french fries.  Have I mentioned that I've never learned to drive the Ford F350?  As a direct result, consort had the sweet tea with his lunch while I had the Ole Smoky Blackberry Moonshine/lemonade cocktail.  It was mighty good -- good enough that we stopped at the local liquor store and bought a jar before leaving Jonesborough.  The waitress said we could make a great PBJ shot by pouring half a shot glass of peanut butter whiskey topped with blackberry moonshine.  I think we're going to have to try it!

Jesse's Mountain

Today consort and I rented a side-by-side four-wheel-drive ATV and took a drive to the top of Doe Mountain.  One of our new friends here at the campgrounds volunteered to go along as a guide to the 150+ miles of trails on the mountain.  The entire day was a blast!  We mostly just rode the trails, but did get out a few times to admire the scenery.  I baked chocolate chip cookies last night and made sandwiches this morning to pack for a lunch.  There's not much of a story to tell, but there are a few pictures to commemorate the day.  Enjoy!

It took us around an hour and a half to make it to the top of the mountain where there is a fire lookout tower.  We climbed the 80 steps to the top which seemed like nothing.  I mean, seriously, nothing.  There were actual stairs, not to mention handrails!  The views were exquisite.

Fistulina hepatica, also known as beefsteak mushrooms.  They are edible, though we didn't gather any to try in recipes.  

I checked two more items off my bucket list:  Standing on top of a mountain and walking the ridgeline of the mountain.  Okay, okay.  I didn't actually walk the ridgeline, I rode the trail of the ridgeline in an ATV.  In my world, it still counts.

In my last post, I admonished readers to learn to identify stinging nettles and to avoid them.  I have not yet learned to identify them and was stung multiple times while taking the beefsteak mushrooms picture.

The rhododendrons were blooming throughout the forest, thick copses of mature bushes.  As we came around a hairpin curve, we were treated to the sight of a mountain wall covered in rhododendrons and ferns reaching up as high as the eye could see.  I have mentioned the rhododendrons in multiple posts lately.  They dominate the forest scenery here and are some of the most abundant parts of nature we've encountered.

And into the mountains I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. 

~John Muir, "Father of the National Parks"

Gentry Creek Falls

Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee

July 15, 2020

Gentry Creek Falls is a 4.5 mile out-and-back trail with a 613 foot elevation gain.  The hike is rated as moderate, but consort and I, and the three mangy mongrels, thought it an easy hike.  We did not climb to the top of the falls, however.  At the end of the trail, there were tumbled boulders one could climb to reach the falls.  After our experience with climbing boulders at Laurel Falls, we have no desire for further rock climbing.

The trail leading to the falls crosses Gentry Creek 18 times.  Of course, you cross the creek an additional 18 times as you make your way out of the forest.  The crossings were about ten feet wide on average, although some were more narrow and others were wider.  The average depth of the creek was about 18 inches.  More often than not, there were small boulders set in the creek to allow hikers to cross without wetting their feet.  A good theory that didn't necessarily work out in real life.

My writing and photography skills are incapable of capturing the beauty in this region.  The forest is dense with trees giving it a magical, nearly primordial, feeling.  Upon close inspection of the flourishing vegetation, one almost expects to see fairies darting swiftly along from flower to toadstool and back again.

While here, I have been cultivating my knowledge of waterfalls and the terminology of the same.  During our bike ride down the Virginia Creeper Trail, we passed at least 24 small "falls" within the creek bordering the trail.  What I've learned is that these miniature waterfalls are called cascades.  We were rewarded with some spectacular views of incredibly beautiful cascades during the course of our hike to  Gentry Creek Falls.

This is the road that led up the mountain to the trail.  It is wide enough for only one vehicle.  This one-lane road is the last mile to the trailhead.  On the left side of the road is a sheer drop straight down the side of the mountain.  On the right side of the road is the vertical wall of the mountain itself.  We met a Subaru heading down the mountain as we were heading up.  The Subaru was able to back up to a wide spot in the road so we could pass.

The Pulik loved all the creek crossings that kept them nice and cool.  These two pictures are of D.O.G. and Annie.

With the short haircut, D.O.G. looks more like a wooly black lamb than a dog!

The rest of the story...

The picture of the mushroom -- all of the pictures for that matter, were taken with an iPhone 11.  The camera is greatly improved, as advertised, especially photographs taken at close range.

Both consort and I had one fall while hiking the trail.  As for me, my ankle gave way and I did a slow-motion tumble onto a large, flat boulder covered in lichen.  It was a soft landing.  My only thought was that I can totally see why pioneers used lichen to stuff mattresses.

Ever heard of stinging nettles?  They're real.  Here's a little piece of advice direct from me to you:  Learn to identify them and avoid them at all costs.  They really do  S-T-I-N-G!!

At the top of this post is a picture of the falls.  As previously mentioned, we did not climb the boulders up to the falls, so the photo was taken from a distance and is not great.  For consort and I, this hike was more about the creek and the 36 crossings than the falls at the end.

I took a photo of consort capturing images of the falls.  Check out his footwear:  Crocs rubber loafers.  Consort's fall was a direct result of inadequate footwear.  (My fall was due to my complete inability to stand upright for any length of time without falling.  I blame gravity.)  Consort stepped onto a large, flat boulder that was slanted at about a 45-degree angle and wet.  His feet slipped out from under him and he landed on his gluteus maximus then slid the rest of the way down.  We were neither one injured and concluded the day on a happy note -- especially when we did not meet oncoming traffic as we descended the one-lane mountain road.

Author's note:  Consort has just previewed my blog post and maintains he chose the perfect footwear for hiking.  Why don't all of you let him know what kind of shoes he should be wearing?

Good Morning!

.

Everything here is ducky.

Shrooming

Consort and I have been educating ourselves on the local vegetation.  One never knows when information on edible plants may come in handy.  The mushrooms pictured above were photographed on a recent hike.  Apparently we are not as well acquainted with the flora as we thought.  One of these fungi turned out to be an hallucinogenic, but that's another story for another day.