Moments in our Lives

From time to time there occur moments in our lives which are truly memorable.  Sometimes, they just happen without warning and at other times you anticipate the occurrence well in advance.  Some of these moments are funny, some are sad, some are awe-inspiring, some tug at your heartstrings, and some seem to grab you by your very soul.  They are those times you never forget and they are retold for years to come.

We had one such moment this afternoon when we got to see (and hold) our new granddaughter for the very first time.  God is truly great and we are grateful for the blessings of a healthy baby today.  Thank you, Lord.

Busy, Busy

I’m not sure I have adjusted to being back in Nashville.  With family and friends, we have something going on all the time.  It is like this every year; I guess I forget between visits.  I think we tried to do to much this week.

Yesterday, we did another hike.  We went over to Warner Park again and were virtually the only ones on the trail.  It was a cold, dreary day and anybody with any sense was inside.  We are desperate to get back in shape and have set a goal of hiking 3 times a week.  We got behind for this week and tried to make it up by hiking both Thursday and Friday.  In retrospect, that was a mistake because I have been too rushed today.  However, as far as the hike is concerned, we really felt good about it.  We trudged through the mud for 9 miles, and though we were pretty tired when we finally got back to the car, we were not totally exhausted.  Our exercise program is obviously working.

Perhaps I should explain why we are trying to hike so much.  We have a tentative plan to hike a little more of the Appalachian Trail this spring.  We get all excited about this trail and it has been (or will be by spring) a couple years since we have been out there.  We got down the maps and guidebooks one night last week just to see how often the trail crossed a road.  It turned out to be very often.  Then we got to wondering how many of those roads were open to the public (not forest service roads) and had room to park the truck.  To our surprise, we actually found a website that listed all the parking areas along the AT.  Gene printed off the pages for the section we are thinking about doing then we compared that with the maps and guidebooks.  We discovered for the 280 or so miles we want to do, there are parking areas at least every 16 miles and usually about 11 or 12 miles.  This was great news because it will enable us to day hike instead of backpack.  However, hiking 12 to 16 miles a day is not something we want to jump into cold so we plan to hike often this winter to get in shape for those high-milage days.

Along the old Natchez Trace

By the way, Warner Park is a real jewel in the Nashville community.  Yesterday, I had planned to write a little description of Warner Park for this journal.  By the time we got home, I got a shower, fed the cat, fixed our dinner, ate, and cleaned up the mess, I had no more energy to do the research and write the story.  So, that will have to wait for another day.  It really is a story worth telling.

Today, we got out early to the grocery.  I didn’t want to be there with the Saturday crowds and we successfully avoided that.  Along with the regular shopping, I got ingredients to made deviled eggs and chocolate chip cookies to take to Jack and Ansley’s annual bonfire tonight.  This will be the first time we have been in town for this event and are looking forward to the festivities.  I suspect us old folks will leave before the real party gets underway.  Our bedtime is much earlier than when we were 30 something.

After lunch, we drove over to my aunt and uncles’ home.  They are proud new great-grandparents and wanted to show off a few photos of their new great-granddaughter.  I had received via e-mail a few photos also.  Over coffee and muffins, my uncle regaled us with stories of his younger days when he went to work for the railroad in Anchorage, Alaska during the late 40s.  This was somewhat of a surprise to me since I have thought for the past 50 years or so that he was in Alaska during his time in the Navy.  We had a great visit and I have several stories to include and some revisions to make in my family history project.

Now I must get ready for the bonfire.

Bledsoe Creek State Park

Located northeast of Nashville in Sumner County, Bledsoe Creek State Park was our hiking destination for today.  It has been years, possibly even a decade, since we had visited this park.  Bledsoe Creek flows into the Cumberland River, but many years ago, the Cumberland River was dammed creating Old Hickory Lake.  The park, which borders the lake, was established as a recreational area for campers, boaters, and fishermen.  Hiking trails were eventually installed, but it is still primarily a campers park.

Despite the heavy rains (and I mean a real gully washer) overnight, we decided to hit the trail anyway.  At least the radar indicated the rain moved out of our region.  We knew the park was undergoing a campground renovation, but the official state park website clearly stated the trails were open.  You can imagine our surprise when we saw the barricade with the big “closed” sign at the trailhead.  Gene called the park office.  As it turned out, the handicapped accessible trail was being repaved.  The trail from the parking lot connected with the handicapped trail, so it was closed also.  However, we were advised to walk along the road to the main entrance and access our trail from there. Everything worked out just fine and we had a good hike, even if it was a bit muddy on the ridge and soggy along the lakeshore.  In fact, the lakeshore trail in places was flooded.

We got some first hand information on the campground renovation.  We ran into Tommy, a park employee, who seemed to know all about it.  He seemed to know so much we decided he has taken ownership of the whole project.  The original campground had small sites and catered primarily to tent campers and pop-ups.  The whole campground has been revamped with 65 foot long by 25 foot wide paved sites (some back-ins; some pull-thrus) with water and 50 amp electrical hook-ups.  No sewer, but they do have a dump station.  Actually, I think he may have said they have 4 dump stations.  Anyway, the sites are huge.  The project is far behind schedule due to record rain the summer.  The original opening date had been set for November, but Tommy said they now didn’t expect to open the park until spring.  Tommy wanted our feed-back and took us to the one site that had been completed.  Tommy is an RVer, also, and didn’t need our input; he was just being nice. Besides, he was eager to show off “his campground”. That didn’t stop us from offering our opinion and we ended up talking to Tommy for several minutes.  A very nice guy and oh so proud of the new facility.  When finished, it will be a very nice campground.

Having walked all the way around the park to the point where we ran into Tommy, we found the trail too flooded to continue on.  We could see the truck, but it was across the inlet from where we were.  Not being able to walk on water, we turned around and headed back the way we had come.

Bledsoe Creek

We had parked at the boat ramp parking lot, so the lake seemed the perfect place to rinse the mud off our boots.  That done, we put on dry clothes and headed home along scenic route TN-25.

Even though there were heavy clouds all day, temperatures in the 50s, and a light wind making it fee pretty chilly, we had a great day outside.

Catching Up With Friends

Yesterday was a very relaxing day at home.  Gene took care of a few chores regarding the outside of the Everest which got him primed for an afternoon nap.  He continues to study the maps, internet, and travel magazine articles as we develop plans for our trip to Florida.  I spent most of the day working on my photos.  No matter how much time I spend each day after downloading photos to the computer, I can still find pictures that are not completely labeled, are not stored in the correct folder, or are otherwise needing attention.

Like most of the nation, we are getting plenty of rain.  Yesterday was cloudy with a few sprinkles during the day--a good day to stay inside.  The rain started in earnest late yesterday afternoon, continued most of the night, and off and on during the day.  The rain, however, did not stop us from our appointed rounds.

Camping World has been high on our agenda for a long time.  I can’t believe we’ve been less than 15 miles from Camping World since we arrived in Nashville and haven’t been there yet.  Today was the day.  I only had a few things on my list, but it was fun to look around for things I didn’t know I needed.  Luckily, I didn’t find anything.  In fact, I was a little disappointed in the lack of merchandise they had and the seemingly jumbled up mess it was in.

After wandering the aisles at Camping World for an hour or so, we drove over to Opry Mills Mall, located where the old Opryland Theme Park used to be, to meet good friends, Jim and Jenice, for lunch.  We met this wonderful couple several years ago through our hiking club and have been on numerous hiking trips, club activities, and social events over the years.  We have even been seen together on a miniature golf course and at a bowling alley.  They also enjoy RVing and wander around in their Airstream from time to time.  They brought along Jenice’s brother, visiting from Oklahoma.  It was nice to meet Kenny.  We had a wonderful lunch together catching up on what has been happening with each of us over the past year.  We look forward to seeing Jim and Jenice several times over the next couple months at the various TTA functions we’ll be attending.

After lunch, we took the opportunity to look around in a few of the shops at Opry Mills with my mind on holiday gift giving.  We also spent a couple hours sipping coffee and leafing through books and magazines at Barnes and Nobles Bookstore.  Oh, that was nice.  It is one of our favorite things to do and it has been so long.  I think it may have been Portland, Oregon at Powell Books the last time we were in a bookstore.

It is leftovers for dinner, so no cooking tonight.  If the rain will let up, it will be out to another nearby state park tomorrow for a hike.

Montgomery Bell State Park

Montgomery Bell State Park, located in Dickson County about 30 miles south west of Nashville, is what the state calls a “resort” park.  There are 7 parks which fit into this classification and they all have lodges, golf courses, trails, and campgrounds.  In other words, they offer more activities than the non-resort parks.

A side trail led to this grave of a small child

At Montgomery Bell the lodge has recently been remodeled and has modern hotel rooms and a wonderful common area facing the 26-acre Lake Acorn.  At the lake there is a picnic area, a sand beach and swimming area open during the summer months.  They also have canoes and paddle boats for rent during warm weather.  Those, of course, were closed today.  There are also two “group camp” areas with small cabins for rent--great for church or club retreats.

View from our lunch log

We were surprised to find the campground crowded until we remember that this is a 3-day weekend for those whose employer is closed for Columbus Day.  The campground is typical of many state parks--large gravel sites with lots of trees.  All of the sites are back-ins, but there are some with full hook-ups and large enough for big rigs.  One side of the campground borders the creek.  There is a large play ground and a softball diamond.

It is one of our “regular” places for hiking.  There is a large 12-mile loop which has a 7-mile option.  We did the 7 miles today.  There are several shorter trails within the park as well as an orienteering course.  We have been going to Montgomery Bell for a couple of decades and have seen some great improvements to the trail system.  My favorite improvement has been the bridges over several creeks.  Many of these bridges have been designed, constructed and installed by boy scouts. Today, we were happy to see the old overnight backcountry shelters are being refurbished.

The area this park occupies has a rich history.  Very near where we parked for our hike today is a replica of the dogtrot style home of Samuel McAdow, one of the founders of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.  Rev. McAdow and a couple of friends organized the church in 1810.  Some 150 years later, a small church was erected as a sort of “shrine”.  The church is still active and is a popular place for weddings.

Mr. Montgomery Bell, for whom the park is named, went into the iron business in the middle Tennessee area in the early 1800s.  The Laurel furnace was located on land which is now the park that bears his name.  The ore pits, resembling hugh sink holes, are still visible although they are now grown over with trees.

It was a great day to be outside communing with nature.  Although there was rain in the forecast, we either avoided it or it didn’t happen.  We even got a few glimpses of blue sky.

Joelton, Tennessee

The metropolitan area of Nashville, Tennessee has many suburbs, one of which is Joelton, located at the northwestern edge of the county.  The small OK Campground in Joelton will be our home until after the holiday season.

Those who live here say Joelton sits on top of a ridge.  From Nashville, you do have to come up the hill to get here, but I think it might be more accurate to say Joelton sits at the edge of the Highland Rim before making the drop down into the Central Basin.

Joelton’s population of about 10,000 to 12,000 is a mixed of upper and lower middle class families.  There are a couple established subdivisions, but the homes you see are mostly on large lots of anywhere from half acre to several acres.  It is not uncommon to see a corn or hay field, a barn, and a horse grazing next door to a multilevel modern home.  Suburbia seems to be intermingled with rural farmland.  The homes range from a few frame homes typical of those from the 1940s to several small brick homes typical of the 1950s, to the multilevel “mansions” which have been popular over the past several years.  I think the type home most common in the Joelton area is the single-level ranch of the 1960s and 70s.

May be the oldest structure in town

There really are no businesses to speak of in Joelton.  There is a small grocery, a couple gas stations, a Mexican restaurant, a bank, an independently owned drugstore, and a scattering of small beauty salons, auto repair shops, a florist, and a hardware store.  The most popular places in town are the McDonalds and the new Dairy Queen.  Folks who call this home go to Springfield or closer to Nashville to shop.

Most of those who work commute to Nashville for their jobs.  I guess they’ve chosen this  sleepy little community to escape the crowds, the noise, and the crime of big city Nashville.  I can’t say as I blame them.

With easy access to I-24, we can easily make connections with the other interstates through town and the inner and outer loops around town.  We find ourselves going to Springfield, about 10 miles northeast, for grocery, Wal-Mart and Lowes.

We like this community and are happy to call it home.

Reflections on the RV Lifestyle--Domestic Chores

Having been out and about every day this week, I had to spend today catching up on household chores.  The question of house cleaning has come up a few times by various friends and family members.  Some have seemed shocked that we have to run the vacuum and go to the grocery.  Others understand the need for cleaning and have wondered how many minutes it takes.  I can understand where they are coming from.

Most of our friends and all of our family, even those with RVs, are not full-timers.  When they travel it is for a week or two, perhaps even a month.  They are on “vacation”.  While on vacation they usually don’t clean, cook, or do the laundry.  Since that is their only experience with travel, that is all they can relate to.  I understand that--I was the same way until we started full-timing.  This Everest is our home and we have to carry on with all the domestic chores we would have with a house or condo.  The only thing we don’t have to worry about is maintaining a yard.  Of course, we didn’t do that when we lived in a condo anyway.

I, myself, have wondered if we spend more or less time with those chores than we did when we had a stick home. Certainly, it takes much less time to run the vacuum over 380 sq ft than it did over 1500 sq ft.  However, in the condo we didn’t track in as much sand, gravel, leaves, grass, etc as we do now.  I have to vacuum at least twice, sometimes three times a week.  I also clean the bathroom more often.  I love my new refrigerator, but the freezer is not frost free so I have to do that chore once a month.  I hadn’t defrosted a freezer since frost free was invented who can remember when.

The outside of an RV is a whole different ball game from a house.  This thing is like a car--it needs to be washed and waxed.  Gene does that about once a year and it seems to take forever.  When we’re towing, the front end cap can almost be black with bugs.  On our trip from Washington back to Tennessee, he washed that about 3 times.  Also when towing our outside windows get road grim on them, especially when it’s raining.  It is a constant battle to keep the windows clean.  Occasionally, we have been in campgrounds with dripping pine trees.  The pine sap has to be gotten off, as well.

We’ve already had the discussion about the time it takes to do grocery shopping.  That is also true with laundry.  Since we don’t have a washer and dryer, I use the campground facilities.  I can usually put two loads in at a time which is quicker than doing one at a time in my own washer.  However, I usually stay with the laundry rather than throwing a load in and going about some other activity.

So even though it doesn’t actually take as long to do the chores, I think we spend as much time doing them as we always have.

Today was chore day for me, but I might as well do chores since it is a drab, rainy day outside.  Gene has spent much of today doing some preliminary research for our Florida trip.  Now, that’s a worthwhile chore.