Benton Falls on the Spur

Benton Falls and Chilhowie Recreation area is mainly known for the bear attacks that happened back in the summer of 2006. The attack happened on the trails of Chilhowie and although tragic, things of this nature are rare here in the Cherokee National Forest. There is a variety of wildlife in the forest however brutal attacks do not happen regularly. Benton is located in the heart of Polk County and is just minutes from Cleveland, Tennessee. The trails of Chilhowie have many destinations. You can circle the lake, go to Benton Falls, go around the mountain, or find a quiet place to picnic. My favorite place to go is definitely Benton Falls. This waterfall is beautiful and romantic. The walk is strenuous if you're not accustomed to walking very much; however, we are so we considered it easy.When you reach the bottom you can see the falls towering above you. We walked through the water and stood on a big rock near the bottom and felt the mist from the falls while we looked at the beautiful fall foliage that surrounded us. The feeling is like one of a fairy tail. Such a place as this is a wonderful hidden treasure tucked away on the mountain. The trails are also perfect for biking and hiking. This hike will be one of my favorites as we log this one in the books and venture on to the next.

Vacationland

Brenda and I arrived in Orange Beach on Thursday night. After checking into the hotel, we hopped on our bikes and rode down to Perdido Key. The weather was still hot on Thursday with temps in mid 80's. We ate at Outback and went back to the room to watch TV and sleep. We were up and on the bikes again on Friday AM, but the temps were much cooler. We braved a chili wind as we rode to find a gas station that had an air machine that worked...Brenda needed air in her tires. After we finished with the ride, I worked for a while and we then headed to the Outlets. Brenda scored a real nice deal on a wool coat at Banana Republic. She sold me on it when she told me how nice it would look with a pair of jeans and boots. Wow! We both agreed it had been too long since we made a stop at Taco Bell, so we had burritos for lunch. It was a cold afternoon on the beach, but we dressed accordingly. As I write, we just finished splitting Fried Shrimp at Doc's Seafood Shack...the place for "laid back local stuff". We are having a little down time before having a cultural experience at "Florabama".

More from Louisiana

Brenda and I enjoyed our time in Louisiana. We accomplished just about everything we set out to accomplish even while I had a great week workwise. Too much fun. We ate Beignets at Cafe Dumond twice, had raw oysters and boiled shrimp at Felix's, ate at Prejeans in Lafayette and listened to a French Cajun Band, rode bikes through the French Quarter and the Garden District, listened to street musicians in the Quarter, and worked out at a couple of cool gyms. Brenda even made a couple of calls with me. We met another Ingersoll Rand salesman and had a nice lunch in Baton Rouge. Now on to Orange Beach!

Early Morning in the Big Easy...

Things remain exciting as Brenda and I take advantage of a business trip to Louisiana. Luckily for us, Brenda had the week off for Fall Break and was able to join me on a trip to New Orleans, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. We left Atlanta early Monday morning and endured the monsoon like conditions on the entire trip to New Orleans. Undeterred, we arrived in N.O. at 7:00, checked into our downtown hotel, and walked to the French Quarter. Our ultimate destination was great food and atmosphere at Irene's Cuisine, but along the way Brenda was treated to lots of window shopping for antiques and all kinds of art. Irene's did not disappoint. We ordered seafood and steaks and shared the entrees. A great experience. We made it back to the hotel by around 11:00 and hit the bed. We were out the door the next morning at 6:00 on our bikes heading towards the Riverwalk on the Mississippi River. It was still dark. As it turned out, all of the New Orleans TV stations were on hand as the "maiden voyage" of the USS New York was coming into New Orleans. It was a very patriotic event as many people were on hand with American flags. The USS New York was made with recycled steel from the World Trade Center. We headed over to Cafe' Du Monde to eat beignets and drink strong coffee. Cafe' Du Monde did not disappoint either. We worked off the beignets on a bike ride through the French Quarter, uptown, and into the Garden District. After seeing a few of the beautiful homes, we rode back to the hotel to get on the road to Lafayette. All that before 9:00 am. Not bad time management!!

Me and Seth at The University School where he teaches several classes as he attends Vanderbilt Graduate School. His beautiful bride Jennifer, Jacob on Seth's shoulder and Andrew checking something out down the way.

Sweet Andrew and Jacob

Jacob breakin' it down!

LeConte' In the Books

It was a beautiful morning as we left Cleveland at 7:00am to reach our goal of starting our hike by 10:00am. Arrival time at Alum Cave Trail Head was 10:15, not bad seeing as I didn't know where we were going. Parking was at a premium, however: we were able to find a spot on the side of the road close by. Conditions were perfect for a day hike, low 80's and little to no humidity. Our mantra was "slow and steady" even though in the back of our minds was an evening of eating at Calhoun's and Bama football. No hurry...just need to be off the mountain by 5:00pm. That we can do!

As the elevation increased, the terrain changed dramatically. We began through a thick forest, with mountain laurel along the river and tree roots as our main obstacle. As we exited the tree covered canopy, we began our ascent toward Alum Cave. At this point the main challenge was the steep grade and maneuvering through rocks and mud. Alum Cave was a wonderful sight because I had packed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch and we were both very hungry. Alum Cave in an hour and fifteen minutes...not bad. After catching our breath and befriending a hungry squirrel, we were off.

From Alum Cave it is 2.8 miles of mostly straight up hiking. Our path took us along the edge of a mountain with literally nothing more than a wire to hold on to, as we navigated our way along the trail. Don't look left, I said to Hal. (Brenda out, Hal here). Brenda did not exaggerate when she described this hike. It has everything...incredible beauty, breathtaking views, and some serious difficulty. The closer we got to the top, the steeper the grade. I was happy to hear Brenda say, "Smell the pine!." That meant that we were getting close to the LeConte Lodge. Sure enough, we reached a plateau that led us into the village. The village consisted of about 20 or so one room cabins with no electricity or facilities. There was a dining hall and a meeting house. A reservation one year in advance is required to stay in one of the cabins. Brenda and I decided to make our reservation as soon as we got home. This place was so peaceful and serene. We each bought a nice long sleeve T Shirt to commemorate. We proceeded t0 continue our hike to the summit, which was about another half mile. Upon arrival and despite my protest, Brenda made her way down to the edge of the cliff to stand. I could only imagine a large gust of wind...quickly I snapped her picture so she could climb back to safety. There were 10 or 12 other people at the summit and we had some nice discussion before we decided to make a motion back down the mountain. Our trip back down was uneventful, except for the additional 1.2 miles that we had to hike courtesy of my choosing the wrong trail. Our knees hurt and Brenda was ready for a hot bath when we got to the hotel. A quick turnaround and a short wait had us eating steak at Calhoun's and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. This day was the perfect Fall Kickoff...a big hike with perfect weather, college football, great food, and the best companionship ever! More later.

The Eve of the LeConte' Hike

As I recall, I have heard it said that ignorance is bliss. I can attest to that fact, as I, now knowing the difficulty of the hike that lays before us, remember the first time I hiked Le Conte' . Loading my pack with little more than a water bottle, Kleenex (no facility was my biggest concern) a half of a PB&J and some Sun Chips. Now; however, it is with much calculation that I plan my step by step preparation of the Day Pack that I requested for my birthday after my rookie year. The right equipment can make a day of hiking an extremely enjoyable experience. The wrong, or no equipment in my case, can make you feel like you are on a death march.

I began my preparation in planning our route, checking the local weather, getting trail conditions and letting someone know where we are and when we are to be back off of the mountain....lest we die up there. Educating myself on the must haves to put in my birthday backpack has been a bit overwhelming. It's not like we are hiking Kilimanjaro...I edited the list and am now paranoid of having an encounter with a bear, getting bitten by a snake, dehydration and leg cramps. Did you know that you can buy a snake bite kit for $5.00? Neither did I! Below is my "Short List" after 3 hours on the Internet.

Must have items to be carried at all times:

1. Map of the trail

2. Compass and know how to use it

3. Pocket Knife carried on person not in pack

4. Whistle carried on person in case you get chased by a bear. Bears don't like whistles.

5. A personal first aid kit with oral Benadryl in it in case of Anaphylactic Shock.

6. Water

7. Energy Bar

8. Trail Mix

9. Rain gear

10. Matches

Hal and I are planning to carb load tonight and get to bed early. We will be at the trail head early so that we can get down by dark and in time to watch the Alabama vs Virginia Tech. game. More later with pictures of our adventure. Love to all!!

The LeConte Countdown!

From the summit of LeConte



This is the big count down!! Hal and I will be hiking Mount LeConte on September 5th. With that in mind, I have been pondering a few things and they are as follows:

What should we do if we see a bear?

If you see a bear remain watchful. Do not approach it. If your presence causes the bear to change its behavior (stops feeding, changes its travel direction, watches you, etc) you're too close. Being too close may promote aggressive behavior from the bear such as running toward you, making loud noises, or swatting the ground. The bear is demanding more space. Don't run, but slowly back away, watching the bear. Try to increase the distance between you and the bear. The bear will probably do the same. If a bear persistently follows or approaches you, without vocalizing or paw swatting, try changing your direction. If the bear continues to follow you, stand your ground. If the bear gets closer, talk loudly or shout at it. Act aggressively and try to intimidate the bear. Act together as a group if you have companions. Make yourselves look as large as possible (for example, move to higher ground). Throw non-food objects such as rocks at the bear. Use a deterrent such as a stout stick. Don't run and don't turn away from the bear.

Elevation? Temperature? Rain?

Mount LeConte

Elevation 6400 ft.

Temperature Hi 65 Low 52

Rain 0

More later.....

Francesca - Free To Be Me

Double Trouble Rapid

A Sunday afternoon on the Ocoee. Hal was awesome in the kayak!! He is a natural athlete and a crazy man.

Thai Food, Coconut Cake and Roswell Cultural Arts Center

Has anyone out there every been to Historic Roswell Georgia? It is a beautiful little town full of old homes that have been renovated into art galleries, restaurants, antique shops and boutiques that would force any shopping addict into a frenzy. Most boutiques are filled with hand made jewelry, purses, clothing, home decor and much more.

Rice in Historic Roswell Ga

Hal, Natalie and I arrived at 5:00pm, hungry and ready to eat. Hal had already done some research via the Internet on restaurants and had found something that he thought would be fun. Rice Thai Food was the name, I was open to anything at that point. It was located in an old home with several tables set up in the front yard for outdoor dining. We chose to sit inside because it was still hot out and the cool air sounded much better than trying to keep sweat drops from landing in our food. A tiny Asian woman seated us in one of the rooms of the home. I noticed as we came in that the house had a fireplace in every room. Nice...

The food was wonderful, we got different dishes so that we could taste each others. I would tell you what they were but I have no clue. Very good though. We left and walked the main street down several blocks to another old home renovated into a dessert shop. The Clay Cafe' was its name. Right before my eyes was the most beautiful Coconut Cake that I have ever seen. We did indulge!! I estimated it to be 5,000 calories....lots of stadiums would need to be in our future. Through the last several years I have concluded that life is to short to say no to your favorite dessert EVER on the face of this earth. Words cannot describe the first bite sensation that went through my body. Oh my....

Me and Nat on the porch of the Clay Cafe'

After much shopping and a wonderful meal we headed over to the Roswell Cultural Arts Center to see Mac McAnally in concert. His biography goes like this.

"If Mac McAnally never sang or played another note of music, his place in music history is more than assured. And yet an almost inevitable momentum seems to be taking his career and carrying it to places it has never been. The fact that two of country music's biggest stars have given McAnally an almost reverential nod speaks to just how much energy the celebrated songwriter, guitarist, vocalist and producer is developing as a recording artist."

He is the most talented story teller I have ever heard. Anyone that can come to stage with only himself, a piano, guitar and mandolin and sound studio perfect, is truly talented. He had his song list written on a piece of yellow legal size paper folded up deep in his blue jean pocket. It had been sufficiently wrinkled because his day started early in Nashville, then on to Bonaroo for a impromptu with The Jimmy Buffet Band, then to Roswell. I could imagine Mac writing his song list as he drove, just like he writes his songs while driving with his knee and playing the Mandolin. He tells stories through song about the place and people of Belmont Mississippi, a one four way stop town that has many characters living within.

Hal has a wonderful talent of finding exciting things for us to do. He did not disappoint this weekend when we went to Roswell Georgia!

Ice Cream Party

Saturday in Ponte Vedra was a perfect ending to a long road trip. We arrived at 2:30pm with Harry and Linda warming up after 18 holes in very windy conditions. We got to catch up with them while sitting on the Lanai...we had lots to say. Our trip was so wonderful, everything that I had dreamed of and more. It never sounds as exciting or beautiful when you re-tell the stories. We did our best. Went to Sticky Fingers to eat...yummy. After returning to Saw Grass, Hal and I gave Linda a tutorial on the transfer of her digital camera pictures to the computer and e-mailing them to whomever. She is a terrific student. After the lesson we had a ice cream party, took some self portraits (above) and laughed so much my stomach hurt.

After a restful sleep, we ate a quick bite and took our bikes for a spin to the beach where we parked them and took a walk. It is a beautiful spring morning, the birds are beginning to chatter and the air is clear and cool. We will be home this evening..this has been the best time of my life.

Homeward Bound

I must say that this honeymoon has been nonstop! It has been one long and steady stream of fun. We have taken advantage of all of the opportunities and activities that we planned and even added a few. Today, we left Key West at 8:45 and began the 154 mile drive to Miami. It was a beautiful day and we had the top down on the Jeep as usual. We made great time with only one stop in Islamorada to shop for gifts. We checked into the Hotel at 1:30 and after unloading our luggage and bikes from the Jeep (a ritual that we have become good at!), we were off to South Beach for some sightseeing and shopping. Believe me, we had plenty of both. Today was much different than our trip to South Beach last Saturday night...a lot fewer Spring Breakers today. Brenda was overwhelmed in a good way with the stores that were there for her to browse. It was like being on Rodeo Drive. After some serious browsing, we stopped in to a quaint Cuban Restaurant and sat at the lunch counter. Brenda and I thought this was the best Black Bean Soup that we have had to date. After our snack, we walked about 12 blocks to the Linclon Drive Shopping District. On the way, we stopped into a Tattoo Parlor and were able to watch people getting tattooed. They all but invited us in to watch and ask questions. This was a first for both of us. Very interesting, too. We also walked down Espanola Way, which is a historic Spainish Village - see pics of Brenda above. When we finished taking in the stores at Lincoln Drive, we headed back to Coconut Grove to eat Sushi at "our" Sushi Restaurant. We have kind of adopted Coconut Grove as our home while in Miami. Such a great place!