Holiday Inn Express Athens, Tn

... things first, I prepared (but didn't light) a fire, set up the tent, and grabbed a bit to eat. Since I was in black bear country, and didn't want to encourage any visits, I made sure to eat away from my campsite, not spill anything, and hang the rest of my food and utensils 200 feet away between two trees.

After I was full and everything was ready for the evening, I set out on the fire road to scout for the waterfall. About 1/4 mile down the abandoned road was a gorgeous meadow ...

... down the gravel road, stopping occassionally to try out an ungated fire road or logging road along the way. One of the roads led about 20 yards in before it became impassable (like many, it, too, was gated and locked). However, serendipity prevailed, and I found myself amid a wonderful patch of wild blackberries!

My mom used to take my brother and I out into the back country of Alpharetta (back when it still was ...

... You may remember the Ocoee as being the
whitewater rafting site of the 1996 Olympics... and if you're a bit
older, you'll remember it from the movie Deliverance -- insert theme music here).
I spent four days and three nights in the forest in search of those
little backroads that would take me to some of Mother Nature's best
kept secrets. Because I only allowed myself such a short time to
explore over 22,000 acres of recreation area and national ...

Well, it's about time I set out into
the wilderness again. (This economy really makes it difficult to get
around.) Fortunately, I'm right in the middle of some of the most
interesting protected lands in the country. This time, I chose the
Cherokee National Forest, just 45 minutes east of Chattanooga.
The CNF is the home of the Ocoee and Hiwassee Rivers. Gorgeous
stretches of rushing water cutting through some of the ...

... their business? Oh wait…..ok, I am being told that this is Crimson Tide country and the A’s signified Alabama for the university. Nonetheless, it was great pulled pork. Also I was made well aware that in the deep south, when you order tea……it is ALWAYS sweetened. They have to actually go and make unsweetened tea. Fair warning in case you decide to put Sweet-n-Low in it after you sit down. YUCK!

Heading ...

April 19Th, 2009. So around 2:00pm a guide named Freddy met us at the hotel, and we were off on our first adventure exploring the town of Cusco.




Story of the Inca's 1st a little history of Cusco. It has a population of around 312,140 (According to the GGD census Berra) and if I had to write a ...

... of thanks, his efforts and success in the early years of the association helped create the strong foundation we all now build on. It was great spending time with the Mortimer's in their beautiful Tennessee home. John does many screened in porches and it's a good thing because the mosquitoes are so BIG in Tennessee they could carry away your small children!

One day to go before the adventure begins. Today is prep day everything we need will be packed in the Navigator ready for take off Monday morning.  Our first destination will be St. Louis Missouri.  This is where the Chain of Rocks Bridge is located on the old Route 66.  We traveled  Route 66 from Oklahoma to California last year in our Motor home so we thought this would be a interesting place to see on this fun Route 66.

We arrived at the Parksville National Park near Turtletown, TN May 2nd and stayed there while we looked at the properties shown to us by our Realtor, Sidra. She showed us 5 houses on Campbell Cove Lake but we only really liked the house in the previous entry. Maybe some of you would like to come on down and pick up one or more of the others!! We could have a great community!!! Sidra was gracious enough to drive all the way out to us in the ...

... are juried and allow only a certain caliber quilt to be displayed. We have juried categories, but we encourage the work of beginners and groups too. Some of them do stunning work but can't get in the other shows. You'll be able to see them here." Everything in the show is a testament to the talent of the times. Note the amazingly still-brilliant reds on quilts made in the mid-1800s ...