2011 Trip across the US
2012 Trip across the US
2014 Trip across the US
2015 Trip to Alaska
2015-16 Southwest Trip
2016 New England Trip
A much cooler night, although not enough that I needed the cube heater or furnace. It rained off & on, so I didn't go for my morning walk. After breakfast I read some journals & forums on the internet - I'm using my Verizon Jetpack with excellent results. The park does have TengoInternet, a pay service that I've used with mixed results at other parks. I probably should have asked at the office since they ofter give a couple hundred MB of access for free, but I generally use more that that per day so I didn't bother. There is a sometimes AT&T signal that goes from 1 to 0 bars...
After lunch, the rain let up, so I decided to check out one of the nearby waterfalls. On the way I stopped to take a couple of photos of the bridge/dam built be the CCC when the built the park. According to the park handout, it is "The largest steel free structure ever built during the Works Projects Administration of the Civilian Conservation Corps." A pretty structure. I also took a photo of a nearby building & the restaurant.
|
|
|
|
| The Dam/Bridge & Lake | The Dam/Bridge & Lake | The Restaurant | A Pretty Building |
|
|||
| The Other Side of the Dam |
After that I headed out for Piney Falls. I tried putting the Google Maps coordinates for the falls into the Garmin GPS, but that ended up on the wrong side of the Gorge suggesting that I go "Off Road" down someone's driveway. I drove back out to TN 68 and followed the instructions to head right on Fire Tower Road. The tower & a cell tower is at the end of the road & a small, unmarked parking area is a few 100 yards back from the end.
I met a family asking me if this was the parking area for the falls, I we both decided to wait until the rain let up before trying the trail near the parking area. We eventually headed out in a very light rain that, of course, got heavier after reaching the falls. It was raining hard enough that I didn't take the additional section of the trail that went to the bottom of the falls. It would have made pretty pictures, but a steady stream of water was running down the fairly steep path. I was soaked by the time I got back to the truck, but at least it was a warm rain!
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Turkey Vultures | The Fire & Cell Towers | Piney Falls From the Top | Piney Falls From the Top |
 |
|||
| Piney Falls From the Top |
After that it was back to the trailer. I ate the leftover Food City fried chicken for lunch, then sat outside for a bit. When the sun went behind heavy clouds, it got cool enough to move inside. I headed for the showers around 5:00. It appears that the host has added his own showerhead to one of the stalls. There is the typical low volume head in one stall, and a multi spray, including massage in the other. You can guess which one I used!
Dinner was cheese & crackers; I'm still stuffed from lunch.
Until tomorrow -
This page is maintained by: vermilye@oswego.edu
Last Update:
April 18, 2017