Friday, October 6, 2017, Move to Lebanon, TN

I awoke early, as I usually do when it's moving day, and walked Sam to the main overlook one last time. This morning we saw a hint of the valley fog that gave this park its name. It was brisk but well worth the hike.

When we returned to the coach Joani was up and having her coffee. With a short drive planned we took our time with breakfast and stowing everything for travel. I spent a little extra time flushing the tanks since we were about to put it back in storage for a while.

The trip from Cloudland Canyon State Park to Lebanon, TN was another easy drive of 137.8 miles (84,209.3 total). I took the Monteagle climb in 4th gear and had no overheating issues. No traffic - just smooth sailing.

Wednesday, October 4, 2017, Ruby Falls

Cloudland Canyon State Park was just a short drive away from one of Chattanooga's most famous attractions - Ruby Falls. I saw it once with my family long ago when I was a young teenager. That was long enough ago it was all new to me again (I think it probably changed a little in the last 50 years as well).  

Fans of the movie Big will recognize the troublemaker below. We didn't want to ask for anything that could be misunderstood and since we already have everything we could possibly want - we moved on.

I thought we were going to be part of a very small crowd, but as our departure time approached, the crowd grew including a herd of loud kids hopped up on sugar and freshly released from a three-hour car ride. I guess you could say they just added another dimension to our underground adventure or you could say "you're just an old grouch".

The cave included all of the standard features we have seen in most of the famous caves across the country including stalactites, stalagmites, draperies, cave bacon and reflecting pools.

This was the one and only spot where touching was allowed and encouraged.  It illustrated what the oils from your hands did to the deposits, turning them to a nasty charcoal gray.

The highlight of the cave tour was, of course, the falls. The multi-color lighting was a bit much, but WOW! We only had a few minutes to take it all in and get our pictures before our guide turned out the lights indicating it was time to leave.

Back topside, we climbed to the overlook on top of the entrance building for a nice panoramic view of Chattanooga and the Tennessee River before heading home to our lonesome doggie.

Tuesday, October 3, 2017, Cloudland Canyon Waterfalls

From the canyon overlooks you can hear several waterfalls in the canyon below. The waterfalls trail was clearly posted as strenuous telling us the short trails (about 2 miles total round trip) included 600 steps (450 vertical feet).

We waited for sunrise, but the canyon was not positioned well for a dramatic scene.

It was almost 9am before the sun was high enough to illuminate the treetops of the canyon rim.

Even though it had been a while since we had done any serious hiking we decided to give the waterfalls trail a shot. Pet-friendly trails meant Sam could join us. The first quarter of the hike was simple with only a few stairs. 

The trail split after a quarter mile with another 0.3 miles to Cherokee falls which dropped 60 feet into a pool that was really very picturesque.

Cherokee Falls

We were inspired to push on to the lower falls. That was when we were introduced to the majority of the steps and the bulk of the vertical drop. Unfortunately, the stairs were open steel and Sam had to be carried.

Water took a 90-foot plunge over Hemlock falls for another stunning photo opportunity.

Hemlock falls

As you might imagine, we sat and enjoyed the view for a while, not relishing the idea of our return trip up the 600 steps. That was a workout - expecting some sore legs in the morning! 

Saturday, September 30, 2017, Move to Cloudland Canyon SP

After mom's first hip replacement in July went so well, she scheduled replacement of the other hip in October.  We wanted to help her through rehab again and since we were able to extend our storage contract we planned on just repeating what we had done the last time.  On our way back up to Lebanon, we had a few extra days and decided to do a little sightseeing.

As long we lived in Georgia (more than 30 years) we never visited Cloudland Canyon State Park. It seemed like the perfect place to stop and break up the trip back to mom's. It was only 123.2 miles (84,071.5 total), but we were a bit concerned about the roads. Joani read a lot of reviews that said we should have no problem. They were correct - we left Interstate 75 at exit 320 and took Highway 136 all the way to the park - we took it slow and everything went well.

The park was pretty full. A lot of families were getting in one last camping outing of the season. The campground road was just a bit tight and Joani was concerned that I got very close to one tree, but 5 years of full timing has seasoned this bus driver to have no fear.

We took Sam out for his first walk in the new digs and found the views to be very nice. I might be just a little jaded since it was not all that long ago we were at Grand Canyon National Park, but this is a beautiful park and a couple of thousand miles closer for anyone who lives in Georgia.

We always like to take note of the innovative, some might say, quirky campers we encounter. This one appeared to sleep four and certainly would be better than tent camping on the ground. I think, however, it would be limited to fair weather camping since you would probably want to spend a lot of time outside. Joani found this was a pretty pricey alternative to tent camping at $10,000!

SylvanSport Go Camper

Monday, September 25, 2017, Coach Woodworking Project

The Corp of Engineers' Sawnee Campground on Lake Lanier near Cumming, GA, north of Atlanta was the closest campground to Alpharetta, Georgia, the town where our son, Jon, and daughter-in-law, Sara, live.

We volunteered for a few chores at their house and while I had some familiar tools available (now in Jon and Sara's garage) I tackled a project I had been thinking about for some time. The motorhome water heater access left dead space that was begging for a little modification. Instead of a simple panel, I crafted a shallow cabinet insert. This will be a great place to stow a few miscellaneous vitamin bottles and things.

I used the water heater's "minimum to surrounding woodwork" clearance as the distance to the back of the new cabinet.

Even with lots of extra measuring, it was just a bit tight requiring some trimming for the perfect fit.

I was able to use the original panel as the cabinet back and after Joani stains the new wood to match, it will look like it was always meant to be there! As before, access to the water heater still just requires the removal of four screws - easy peezy.

Monday, September 11, 2017, Hurricane Irma

The remnants of hurricane Irma blew through last night. Quite a few folks decided to leave the campground, but our site was encircled with mature oaks (no threatening tall pines) so we pulled the slides in and hunkered down. The wind was constant, but probably no more than 30-35 mph. Sam had heard the rain for so long he quit paying attention and slept through most of it. He was startled once or twice when a small branch or acorn hit the roof. We cannot imagine what it must have been like to wait it out in Florida where the winds were more than 120 mph.

This morning we headed out to assess the storm damage. It looked like someone went crazy with the pruning shears. At least one large RV seemed to have left sometime in the night. The only thing worse than waiting out the storm would have been to drive in it (at least that's what I would think).

A few medium-sized pines blew over. One came down across the road and had already been cleared for traffic. Sadly, a tree damaged the RV of one of the park volunteers, but fortunately, nobody was hurt. It will be a day or two before things dry out and the park gets back to normal, but for now, we are counting our blessings and hoping for the best for everyone caught in the path of the recent hurricanes.

Saturday, September 2, 2017, Move to Cumming, GA

We have enjoyed our two months in Lebanon helping my mom navigate a hip replacement. She did everything the doctor told her to do and has come through the surgery and physical therapy better than most, in my opinion. It was hard to say our goodbyes, but I'm sure she will be happy to be rid of the SYFY Channel and have control of the remote again.

We traveled back to an old favorite - Sawnee Campground on Lake Lanier near Cumming, GA, north of Atlanta. I was a little nervous behind the wheel after such a long break, but it all came back to me and we arrived without a hitch. We drove 249. 3 miles (83,948.3 total) in about 4.5 hours. The traffic was pretty heavy being a holiday weekend, but it kept moving.

Sawnee Campground is a beautiful Corps of Engineers park. It was full of campers getting in one last three day weekend before Fall. September in Georgia can be nearly ideal - a few clouds, mid-70's and a slight breeze. Our site was nearly perfect as well. Through the trees, we can see the sunrise over the lake directly out our windshield. Looking forward to the next four weeks here!