Sylvester Goes Camping & Abrams Falls

 

His name is Sylvester and he is changing my mind about camping with cats.  This is the stray from my last post who finally got a name.  Although table sitting is not allowed, an exception was made for this picture. 

My camping experience with our two older female cats was miserable, putting it mildly.  They were afraid, wailed constantly in the car and cowered under the Casita bed.  Their litter box was huge and I feel into it more than once!

Sylvester has been a perfect gentleman, so far!  Sweet, affectionate and complained only mildly about being crated for the trip….oh, we are at the Tremont Campground, only a few feet from the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, located in Townsend, TN.

This is the 6th annual Eggscursion….a fiberglass egg rally hosted by the Egg Camping Club of TN, GA and AL.

Thursday is the perfect day to go hiking….and our only chance since abundant rain is in the forecast.  Cades Cove is a short trip away and halfway around the 11 mile Cove loop is the Abrams Falls trailhead.

Since the goal is exercise, not photography, most of the  loop pictures are taken on the move.  This loop is one of the most heavily traveled routes in all of the Park and a good reason to only go off season.

Traffic is not too bad…we are hiking by 11:30.  The hike’s rated as moderate, 5 miles with 3 climbs, and we’re unsure of our fitness…..hope we can do at least 5 miles!

 

This is the peak of the spring wildflowers and I am wondering if we will see anything.  We are not disappointed!

Star Chickweed

Crested Dwarf Iris

Trillium, unidentified type

Bleeding heart

These rare bleeding hearts are all around the waterfall cliffs.

After one hour and forty five minutes (due to the picture taking) we arrive at Abrams Falls.

Looking for a bit of shade, we find the perfect place for lunch.

Playing with the shutter speed…..which do you like better?

The sun gets hotter as we trudge back to the car.  There’s few leaves to offer any shade.  We are counting the hills; one, two, and then, almost to the top of the third hill…. a blow out occurs!

The sole of hubby’s hiking boot comes loose! 

There’s no duct tape but a plastic grocery sack helps.  I’m concerned that his gait will be altered, placing stress on the hip replacement so we slow way down….and due to the turtle-like pace, we see a black racer heading through the brush.

Two tired hikers are happy to see the parking lot!

Coming attractions……more on the Eggscursion….and pictures if it ever stops raining!

Quiet Time on the Bay

It’s quiet in the campground with all the little eggs gone.  Some monster sized rigs have come in to take their place but it’s been so cold, everyone is holed up inside.

We went to bed early last night after spending all day inside.  Fixed an indoor meal of spaghetti and leftover chicken, splurged on a chocolate pudding cup and hot chocolate and jumped under the covers by 9PM.

Woke up hot this morning, threw off a layer of blankets and reached for my phone.  36 degrees outside according to the Weather Channel, how can I be hot?  Checked the temp inside and the gauge said 48 ⁰ .  I guess it’s the JC Penne’ comforter because the only place that’s warm is buried under the covers!

This is our last full day at Fort Pickens Campground and the weather station promised abundant sunshine!  Not sure if it will be warm enough to kayak before we leave….and the bikes remain packed in the back of the truck.  I’m thinking maybe a long hike to the fort and back?

Tomorrow we’re heading east along the panhandle to join friends from home who are camping (for the month) at Mexico Beach.  Not sure what to expect but they’re fishermen, well, she’s a fisherwoman!  Hope to learn a little about Florida surf fishing.

This has been a great place to camp, just wish it had been a little warmer.  Noticed that next weeks temps are all in the 60’s!

 

 Notice the big grins!  A frequent sight among our Casita group.

 

Unidentified orange flower… thought it might be Florida rosemary but the petals are not right.                                                                        

         

 

                                              

                                            Sunset over the gulf

 

                                                                                                  More unidentified flowers.    

Some locals showed me a path close to the nature trail that led out to the bay.  Although I was not too far from the campground, it felt like I was in my own private world. 

The rest of the pictures are from that walk.

                                                                   

                                                                      Jellyfish

   Dead Octopus

 

 Little black balls with a tar-like feeling.  Wondered if it was from the oil spill?

 More sea creatures???

Pensacola Bay front

 

                                                              Sand Pipers (?)

Don’t know if we will see much more of the beach after this week as most of our plans are for the interior of FL.  I have loved this ocean time.

Treading Water (treading land)

I've landed in an airy limbo of not being ready to travel and not being ready to move on with life.  My commitments have been almost eliminated.  Work is practically non-existent, the rental  responsibilities have been vanquished.  The house is clean (for us) and we gave up on the yard two years ago.

The result is free time, almost too much free time!  And I am getting very restless.  It was all that I could do to not take off as I read Tiny Camper's blog about Ocean Pond. (www.tinycamper.wordpress.com)

Waiting for the time to leave is hard but we really need to be around the family at Christmas as my mom and step-dad are really getting up-there in years.  Other good reasons to stay home include David starting physical therapy and the camping bike being in the shop.  ( Trying to stay in the logical left brain when the right emotional brain wants to fly away.)

Hiking has been my mini-escape for the past two weeks.  Yesterday I got in over my head when I joined a seasoned group for an eight mile hike that was rated strenuous.  I did not die but I am sure that a few of them thought that I was a good candidate!

Another day my hubby and I rode our bikes on the river walk. The little Canon point and shoot has been going everywhere lately so I can fill up the blog with pictures.  I'll start with the Tennessee Riverwalk as it's a jewel right in the middle of town.

The Delta Queen has been docked at Coolidge Park since 2009 when federal rules declared her not seaworthy.  She is a magnificent old steam paddle wheel,  first used in 1927 in San Francisco, currently being used as a hotel.  She is in the background of the above picture.  Foreground is Tennessee River and the Walnut Street walking bridge.

Downstream from Chickamauga Dam

Another view of the Delta Queen

Biker husband and riverwalk art

This is Chickamauga Lake from Booker T Washington State Park. (sorry, no camping allowed there) It was a mostly flat 5 mile hike.

View from Signal Point

Yesterday we started from this overlook on Signal Mountain and hiked west along the ridge to Mushroom Rock where we descended, crossed a creek on a swinging bridge and climbed back up another ridge (mountain) and back down again to where the cars were waiting.

Hike route top right

View from Edwards Point

Mushroom Rock

Today has been a rest day, dreaming about the future day.

Tomorrow we have been promised rain and then winter weather with highs only in the forties for Tuesday.  

Goodbye to the 60's.  Welcome winter.  Please, no snow!

Quartzsite and Joshua Tree N. P.

I am sitting in McDonald's in Twenty Nine Palms, California and trying my best to write.  I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything and it is mostly due to the lack of internet connection.
We have been camped at Indian Cove in the Joshua Tree National Park (CA) since last Monday, 1/30....leaving tomorrow heading for Buckskin MTN State Park in AZ.

This has been the most amazing place!  We are camped up in the mountains nestled in among ancient rocks.  There has been almost no one in the campground all week and we have had the outhouse all to ourselves!  I never imagined that having an outhouse (pit toilet) would feel like luxury.  But after dry camping in the desert at Quartzsite for 6 days with a malfunctioning sewer system, this convenience is extremely appreciated!

Yesterday we hiked a 3 mile moderately difficult trail to Forty Nine Palms Canyon.  We did not see any Joshua Trees but the palms were amazing to find tucked in the back of the canyon.

Must not leave out a picture of a Joshua Tree!


We spent one night at a county park, Lake Pleasant, on our way from Phoenix to Quartzsite and the whole experience at Quartzsite will need to wait for another day.  The most amazing thing was finding the people that we met in Tortilla and camping with them.  There were 80,000 to 100,000 RVers there and we found them!  We just looked where the Casita people usually go...Dome Rock area...and David spotted the unusual looking fifth wheel Escape that they had.

We spent 6 nights camped below the Dome Rock (Quartzsite) with 5 other egg campers, two Escapes, one Casita and two Bigfoots.  These people were from Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico and knew each other from previous gatherings.

The RV show was fun and my fears of feeling too crowded did not materialize, mostly because of the spaciousness of the desert.  Yes, it was crowded in town and we had to wait in line some but returning to our little private peace of real estate among the cactus made it worthwhile.

We have enjoyed the solitude in the rocks this week but are looking forward to attending the pre-Quartzsite Casita gathering tomorrow back over in Arizona.  Not sure at this moment if we will be returning to Dome Rock on the 10th but we probably will. I might miss something since there should be over 60 Casitas there.

The solar panels will be packed this afternoon
and after another long winter desert night we'll be heading out tomorrow.