We Hike

This turned out to be a wonderful day.  I knew it would be when we made arrangements to have lunch with our long-time hiking buddy, Herb.  We were both really anxious to see Herb so we left a little after 9 AM for our noon lunch appointment.  We arrived a little early, so it was easy to spend the hour and a half in REI, next door to the restaurant.

At REI, the door had not closed behind us before we saw another hiking buddy, Sue.  We waved and hugged and talked for the next hour.  We really went there to do a little shopping so we finally tore ourselves away.  We’ll have to get back with Sue later, because we have many more things to discuss.  In the few minutes we now had before meeting Herb, I managed to find a pair of hiking shorts and also a pair of zip off hiking pants.  They didn’t have the pants in my size, but they were very happy to order them for me.  Gene looked at a few day packs, but decided to wait until this weekend to decide whether he wants to purchase.  The sale is this weekend anyway; he could save 20%.

Our lunch with Herb was great and we got caught up with what he has been up to.  His hiking activities often included other of our hiking friends, so we got caught up with them, as well.

Both Herb and Sue had done sections hikes on the Appalachian Trail this summer.  Sue with her son on the southern end of the trail and Herb in New Hampshire.  Those discussions, along with being surrounded by hiking equipment in REI, made us yearn to be on the trail again.  We have a tentative plan of going back to the AT in Virginia in the spring and now we are all the more anxious.

If there is anything that is a true passion for us other than traveling, it is hiking.  I got started hiking in the early 1980s.  After a difficult divorce, one of my uncles felt I would be well served by getting out in the woods and close to nature.  That medicine certainly cured my depressed spirit, but with the side effect that I fell in love with hiking.  A few years later my parents became members of Tennessee Trails Association and encouraged me to join.  That was one of the best things I ever did.  TTA offered me the opportunity to hike with a group almost every weekend.  Now I could hike trails all over Tennessee that I had been too nervous to tackle alone.  I met Gene through TTA and he introduced me to backpacking and long-distance hiking.  I fell in love with that, also.

Gene has been hiking a little longer than I have.  He got started by going camping in the mid 1970s.  He loved the whole idea and experience of pitching a tent, sitting by the campfire, and spending the weekend outside.  To help fill the time during the days, he went on a short nature hike.  He liked that, so continued doing short hikes when he went camping.  When you have the car to carry all your stuff, it is easy to add a little more and a little more.  His car was soon loaded to the gills for every camping trip.  He had heard about backpacking and bought a couple backpacking magazines and ordered a couple backpacking gear catalogues (one from REI).  His idea was to use backpacking equipment which was smaller and lighter to reduce the amount of “stuff” he was taking for a camping weekend.  He eventually left the car behind at the trail head and walked with his backpack to the campsite, even if that site was a hundred miles away.

Our discussions with good hiking buddies today has us looking at the AT Data book and surfing AT websites tonight.  Oh, to be on the trail again.

Radnor Lake State Natural Area

Today was a beautiful clear sky day with temperatures in the low 70s--a perfect day for a short hike.  We are very fortunate in Nashville to have a fairly extensive greenway system as well as several parks which have hiking trails.  Our destination for today was Radnor Lake.

Radnor Lake was built about 1914 by the Louisville and Nashville Railroad Company to supply water for their steam engines.  After the demise of the steam engine, the lake was no longer needed by the railroad.  During the 1970s, area residents started a campaign to “save the lake”.  State and local governments got involved and this was the beginning of Tennessee’s first State Natural Area.

This 85 acre park is really just a walkers park.  Being a Natural Area, there is no fishing in the lake and the surrounding wetlands and forest are too fragile to allow playgrounds or picnic areas.  There are several trails which meander through the woods, over the ridges, and around the lake.  Each winter, there are collections places around town for discarded Christmas trees.  These trees are shredded and the huge pile of mulched bark and pine needles are shared by several parks, Radnor being one.  These hiking trails in spring are a soft cushion of evergreen bark with the aroma of a northwestern forest.  The hiker may also see the occasional bit of tinsel that was left on the holiday tree.  Because there is no jogging or bicycling allowed on the trails, Radnor Lake has become a tiny sanctuary for walkers and hikers who seek the peace and quiet of a woods walk.  It is also a popular place for bird watchers.  Shortly after the lake was made, the birds discovered its existence and started stopping by on their migratory journeys.

The street which was once a busy thoroughfare for those wanting to cut across from Franklin Road to Granny White Pike has been permanently closed to traffic.  This stretch of road is now used by joggers, mom’s pushing baby strollers, and those walkers who prefer asphalt to dirt trails.

On our 5 mile hike today we climbed both ridges in the park which gave our hearts a little workout.  We saw 11 deer and heard the resident owl.  We were actually surprised at the number of people in the park today.  We didn’t expect to have the place to ourselves, but we also didn’t expect the parking lot to be full.  Then again, it was a great day to be out for a walk.

Tomorrow, we are having lunch with one of our good hiking buddies and will take the opportunity to stop by REI while we are on that side of town.

Service on the Everest

I am happy to report that almost all those things that were not working properly, fell off during the trip from Washington, or were otherwise broken are now fixed and in proper working order.

Like an automobile, RVs go into the service bay for repairs rather than the service man coming to you.  Of course, there are mobile repair services, but for our warranty work we needed to take the Everest to an Everest dealer.  The closest one was in Columbia, south of Nashville.  Our appointment was at 10 AM, so we were in the tail end of morning rush hour traffic.  Traffic thinned out south of the city and we had a pleasant ride on into Columbia.

Since we purchased the Everest in Albuquerque in April we have been compiling a list of things that needed attention.  About a month ago Gene emailed the list to the service manager and he ordered all the parts which we needed.  Even though our list was pretty long, most everything was minor and they were able to complete all our work by mid-afternoon.  The only thing which didn’t get fixed was the hinge on the cabinet.  Keystone (the manufacturer) had sent a door hinge instead of a cabinet hinge.  It is really a simple task, so when the cabinet hinge comes in we will pick it up and install it ourselves.

The dealership was small and didn’t have the waiting rooms like large dealerships or Camping World, so we drove over to McDonalds.  We spend some time in the truck with the Peanut.  For lunch we went to Cracker Barrel.  We had heavy rains this afternoon, but they had passed out of the area by the time we were hitched up and driving back through downtown Nashville.  Thankfully, we were just a little ahead of the afternoon rush hour.

We are once again set up in the site we left this morning and plan to stay here until after the holidays except for a short trip to the Smokies the first of November.

Not a very exciting day but certainly one that needed to the done.  Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny; we’re planning another hike.

Reflections on the RV Lifestyle--Grocery Shopping Across the USA

We all have to eat so we all buy groceries.  For the RVer, this mundane, routine task can become a real adventure or a source of frustration.

One of the great things about traveling around America is being able to experience the many different cultures from cajun to Italian to German.  Local markets in the various regions of our country provide the foods eaten by the people of those regions.  One of the things we like to do is browse through the supermarkets to see the products not available in Tennessee.  We were astounded to find chicken feet in a small grocery in South Carolina.  I’d never seen chicken feet for sale in my life.  I have to admit I did not search out and did not try a local recipe for chicken feet.  I remembered, as a child visiting my grandparents, that my grandmother would kill a chicken for Sunday dinner.  When the parts were divided up among the animals, the cats got the feet.  I can only hope the feet being sold in that market were for the farm cats of the area.

Last year in New York we were delighted at the bagel selection in all the grocery stores, large and small.  Of course, we have bagels in Tennessee now (I can remember when we didn’t) and a few stores carry a few varieties which they sell individually.  Walking into the groceries in New York was like walking into a bagel factory and most had a counter where you could purchase a cup of coffee and get a cream cheese spread to go with your warm bagel.  Also in New York was the first place I had seen fresh pizza dough for sell.  Boy, was that easy and it sure beat the ready made crusts or the box mix I sometimes get when I’m trying to fixed a more heart healthy pizza.

In Texas, we were amazed at the selection of all manner of Mexican food products, both prepared foods in the delis and boxed and canned products on the shelves.  In southern Alabama, we liked being able to get fresh gulf shrimp at small seafood markets.  You get the idea.

There are a few disadvantages of shopping around.  Being southerners, there are regional foods we like to eat which are hard to find outside of the deep south.  Can I mention black-eyed peas and turnip greens again?  I have learned a valuable lesson from our friends Gordon and Juanita (Seeing the USA in our Chevrolet) who discarded their sofa in favor of a small chest freezer.  They put away a stash of their favorite foods from various areas of the country and they are there handy when that particular urge strikes.  I’m not quite ready to give up the sofa, but I do have a larger freezer now that can be put to better use.

Another disadvantage is never being familiar with a store.  I spend umpteen hours grocery shopping because I never know where anything is.  The other day, at my old familiar Kroger, everything on my list was in my basket within a few minutes.  This is usually not a big deal, but occasionally I want to just run in to pick up a can of chicken broth (to boil those chicken feet in) and end up walking about a mile before finding the soup aisle.

Just a few thoughts relevant to RVing.  I may have other thoughts on another day when I’ve stayed inside and accomplished almost nothing.

A Busy Sunday

Well, this has been a non-stop day.  Almost immediately following breakfast, Gene went out to rub on the Everest some before it started raining.  Meanwhile, I did a few house keeping chores inside and tried to catch up on e-mails and other computer stuff.  This campground doesn’t have WiFi, so Gene and I have to share the air card.  It’s hard coordinating that schedule sometimes.

Clothing sorted by size

We had an early lunch, then headed over to Ansley’s so Grandpa (or Big Dad as he wants to be called) could finger all the new baby things.

moss on Mossy Ridge Trail

Even though it was raining we wanted to get in a hike this afternoon, so from Ansley’s we went to one of our favorite parks in the city--Percy Warner.  We did a 4.5 mile loop along Mossy Ridge Trail.  As the name suggests, there is a large patch along the ridge which is covered in moss.  For the past several years, the moss has been brown and dry because of lack of rain.  That has not been a problem this year with rain several days a week and the moss was thick and lush.

Dinner was not a disappointment--BBQ ribs from the grill, baked sweet potatoes, green beans, baked pears, and brownies with ice cream.  Yum, Yum.

This day just about wore out these two senior citizens, so that’s all for today.  We’re off to beddy-bye.

Family Matters

The agenda for this weekend is all about family.  This is the way it is every year when we get back to Nashville.  We are so anxious to see everybody that we can’t see everybody for trying to see everybody.  We just love it!!

Tomorrow, we are scheduled to have dinner at my parents’ home.  This will be the first time over there since Christmas.  That really seems a little strange to say since we used to go at least once a week.  At least we had the opportunity to see them when they came for a visit while we were in Washington.  We enjoy going over there to eat.  My mother is a great down home country cooking cook and if she has a speciality, it is pie.  We have our fingers crossed.

Even before tomorrow gets here, I can already tell you that the highlight of the entire weekend was Ansley’s baby shower this afternoon.  The big event was hosted by her mother-in-law and a large number of family and friends gathered to shower the mother-to-be with everything she will need to take care of the baby.  In fact, she got so much stuff, I’m not sure where she’s going to put it all.  I’m quite certain that if she were to change the baby into a different outfit every hour of the day, she will have plenty to last until kindergarten.  It was thrilling to see Ansley opening all those gifts.  It is also thrilling anticipating having a baby in the family real soon.

Before going over to my folks for dinner tomorrow afternoon, we are going over to Ansley and Jack’s so Gene can have the thrill of seeing all her stuff.  I think he may be the one who is excited the most about “his granddaughter”.  He wants to be right there in the big middle of what’s happening.

These are busy times, but what could be better than being with family.

Ashland City Bicentennial Greenway

With our exercise goals in mind, we have agreed to walk or hike three or four time each week.  We selected the Ashland City Bicentennial Greenway for today.  This is a rail-trail conversion, so it’s nice and flat.

All over the country there has been in the past several years an effort to convert abandoned railroad beds to trails.  After a rail line has been abandoned, the right of way comes into possession of a governmental unit.  If there is interest in an area for a trail, the governmental unit (state or federal) may be approached for the land.  Through the efforts of volunteers and outdoor enthusiasts groups, the old rail bed is converted to a trail.  The Ashland City Greenway is paved, but many, especially the longer trails, are crushed stone or even dirt.  Having been an old railroad bed, these trails are generally very wide and moderately flat.  Because they are wide with gentle elevation grades, they are popular with bicyclists.  One very popular trail in the east is the Virginia Creeper Trail near Damascus, Virginia.  The trail in Ashland City is only 6.5 miles in length, but there are rail-trail conversions that are hundreds of miles long.  The Katy Trail in Missouri comes to mind which runs from Clinton to Machens, a distance of 237 miles.

Bridge over Sycamore Creek

The Ashland City trail has been converted from the old Tennessee Central Railroad and passes through hardwood forest with limestone bluffs on one side and Sycamore Creek (which runs into the Cumberland River just out of sight of the trail) along the other side.  Railroad ties, rotting and moss-covered at the edge of the trail, are reminders of days gone by.  The path crosses several creeks and the old trestles have been left to support the new wooden bridges. The longest bridge which crosses Sycamore Creek still has the old steel-frame span in the center.  We saw two great blue herons from our vantage point on this bridge.

We stopped at the 4 mile point and had our picnic lunch before turning around and heading back to the truck.  The last time we visited this trail, it had a dirt surface.  We were quite surprised to find this length paved.  Expecting dirt, we had on our hiking boots and were carrying our trekking poles.  We would have been much better off without the poles and wearing tennis shoes.  Nevertheless, we enjoyed our walk and plan to return when the leaves turn.