"We've got to talk"

In my mind, that is the most dreaded sequence of words in the English language. It's not "Let's chat" which implies time just hanging out and talking about ... nothing. I've watched Seinfeld, I can do "nothing"!

We GOT to talk! UGH! that sounds serious and sometimes is.

It is something the one bringing up the conversation has struggled with to find the time and had the opportunity to rehearse it prior to bringing it up. The one hearing it dreads it just as much because of its foreboding nature.

We GOT to talk! not I want to ... this is one of those deals I can ignore no longer. UGH!

This is even more horrific for me. I am not good off-the-cuff -- never had the wit (nor even temperment) to deal with these types of situations. I need time to digest information, process it, then come up with an answer. In the middle of these conversations one rarely gets that luxury.

I SUCK at these! I say stupid(-er than normal?) stuff!

Oddly I had gone into the bedroom to see what Melissa was doing. She was getting undressed ... ooh! good timing! then those words came out of her mouth. (I almost ran away .... KIDDING!)

I went in to see what she was doing and maybe engage in a game until I saw her undressing then other thoughts hit me. Well no game happened -- nor the other. We talked (because we HAD to). It didn't end on a good note -- not irreparable, by any means, but far from what the initial plan was. Much of that is likely on me, but it's another lost opportunity.

She and I will talk more later and smooth things over, but I still HATE to hear that sentence! I want to go back to the days where we just talk, not that we HAVE to! I want a reset button!

Gettin' dirty, but not Gettin' Wet!

This past Saturday, I got the opportunity to play in another cave. Melissa surprised me a couple nights prior to that by telling me she wanted to go.

Now, it's been YEARS since she was last in a cave and I knew she enjoyed herself, but age and health issues (in particular her ankles) have arose since that trip. I haven't asked because I figured the unstable footing conditions that tend to be prevalent would not be good for her ankles.

We left the house a couple minutes late, but I was pretty sure we could make up for that on the road as the rendezvous point was a bit over an hour away. That is until Melissa informed me she had to stop and get something to eat somewhere. Fast food or nothing, so we settled on Hardee's and ate en route.

We all have our "needs" though. Knowing there was a party after the caving, I stopped at the liquor store and grabbed some beer for later. With those stops we were only 10 minutes late -- for me, not bad! not bad at all!

Even better? I wasn't the last one there. Larry graced me by still being on his way. Granted, some of his being late was due to a bit of confusion on the actual meeting time and not being selfish, but at least everyone was NOT waiting on Melissa and I.

Once he arrived we set off for the rendezvous point with Allen, without whom we could not have gotten into this cave. Allen was waiting for us along with Buttermilk, the neighborhood dog.

photo courtesy of Cardin Photography

Buttermilk, whom could easily be proclaimed the cave mascot, has probably logged more square footage of this cave than anyone alive. She *led* us to the cave and Allen told us stories of how folks would be in the cave and Buttermilk would just all-of-a-sudden show up.

Allen is a neat old bird! He is 81 years old and has been caving longer than I have been alive. Not only were his stories interesting, but he proved to be a great guide too!

photo courtesy of Cardin Photography

I have no idea how many times he had been in this cave nor how long it had been since his last visit, but he did a great job narrating some of the local history and flavor of the cave including where church meetings were once held within the cave (largely because of the acoustics). He also would vividly describe what we could expect to see if we went this way or that when the passages were  more than what he was wishing to deal with.

At some point along the way, we came upon this guy/gal....

who obviously was a proficient hunter and has been feeding well. I don't recall seeing such a "healthy" bat in my encounters.





We came to a space that was a tight crawl. Allen said he did not wish to go through. Others, whether they wished to or not, couldn't! I BARELY squeezed through, but had to tilt my head to one side and was committed to that side for the whole crawl which, luckily wasn't more than 20' (probably closer to 10' or so, but when you are inching your way through it seems MUCH longer!).

It was a good crawl and yet another reminder how OUT of shape I am! However, after doing it, I felt my face grinnin' (between gasping breaths).

Here is a picture of how tight it was

photo courtesy of Cardin Photography

After the inchworm crawl, we went to the left, which, as Allen told us would result in a climb and a subsequent dead-end. The climb was part of the challenge and we all accepted it. I tried to get  a good pic of it, but this is the best I got ....

Poor picture, but all I have and, as always, it doesn't do the depth justice!

It was about a 20' climb? with a tight spot and very little footing. The guy *most* in focus hadn't hit that tight spot yet ... you had to squeeze through it sideways.

Since it was a dead-end we backtracked and passed the crawl and went to the right, and again, as Allen told us, it also came to an end. After that brief exploration we took our turns going back through the crawl. The next sequence of pics are done by Misti Cardin (of Cardin Photography) and I am putting that here so I don't have to put it in each and every one of the next  pictures ...

Jennifer

Gavin

Alicia

Robby (still pointing! LOVE IT!)

Eric

Robert (being pulled away ... or reaching out?)

...  and me

Thanks again to Cardin Photography for these pics!

After we were all together again, we worked our way back towards another passage off of the mouth. Allen told us there was a passage you could take that would lead you to the prettiest formations in the cave if you would swim to get there. Normally not so big a deal, but it was cold outside.

Well, Alicia loves playing in water ... that's all she needed to hear! Gavin and Jennifer went as well. To my surprise, Misti, who tends to stay back, decided to go too.

I stayed back, initially. The rest of us were setting there and waiting ... and waiting ... and eventually found other spots to explore or ways to occupy our time. This was from an earlier part of the cave.

I saw this and thought ... hmmm ... picture opp. Larry was nearby so I asked if he would snap a pic and he gratefully accepted. I called Melissa who was close by. This was met with great resistance by her once my motive was declared, but she finally bowed down to it and here y'are ...

Thanks Larry Walden for snapping this

After that some of us went different ways. At various points, Melissa and I hung out with Allen and ... occasionally ... Robert, Robby, Vince, Larry, and Eric. Again listening to the man talk was a privilege.


Melissa and Larry had decided to go play with the camera ....

photo by Melissa Rockefeller

photo by Melissa Rockefeller

photo by Larry Walden

Allen had described that it was usually about 10-15' of "swimming" involved dependent upon the amount of rain we have had. Recently, we have had more than our share of precipitation.

Did I mention it was about 40* outside (for a HIGH)? After sitting there for a while, Eric finally removed a shirt (so he would have something dry to wear upon coming back) and went for it. I, not wanting to be (further) punked, FINALLY got some gumption.

That lasted until I heard him go in ..swim along ....  and ... CURSE ... LOUDLY! That water HAD to be cold! All audible indications reinforced that premise!

The more I stared, the less I wanted to find out! I managed to talked myself out of it because I didn't act on the moment! If it weren't so cold OUTSIDE and my dry clothes being at the truck (a couple miles away (in a car, but still)), I would've gone.

The idea of going out in 40* weather ... wet! ... without a change of clothes (SOON!) made me a pussy! I'm holding on to "it was common sense" but wondering how much "water" that holds!

It was only exacerbated by the fact that three women went, and I .... didn't! Big props to Alicia, Misti, and Jenn (and the guys .. Gavin and Eric) that braved them cold waters! Y'all ROCK!

EXCUSES, EXCUSES! they got to do a mud slide and see some cool formations, I have excuses. Call it a learning lesson? I hope so!

Once they returned, Allen showed us one last part of the cave. It was part of the early saltpeter mining area ... complete with an explanation of what was involved in the mining process .... did I mention he is a great "tour guide"?

I went down, along with Robby, Alicia, Robert, and Larry. Robby already soaked headed to the right. He was more than waist-deep and that discouraged me from following, despite early inclinations (again, I whimped out).

Alicia went to the left. It was a crawl (swim?) through .... water! This woman LOVES to play in water! At the meetup earlier (a gas station) she was splashing in water puddles! She explained she loves the sound of splashing water. I did not get the depth (excuse the pun) of that until we were in the cave!

photo by Larry Walden

What you DON'T see (hear?) is the *thrush* of water being moved by her very active feet. This is what you call a "happy girl" (quotes, because that is HER description of her when in water).

OOPS! (initially) forgot to put the group photo here ...

photo by Larry Walden

The rest of the night passed quickly as good times tend to. Such a great day when you spend it with good folks!

my favorite beer?

.... the one that most recently danced on my taste buds. There is more to this than just a snappy comeback!

Seriously, there have been a couple times I have re-thunk? what my favorite beer for a particular style is, in tonight's case, we are talking IPA. Each time it has been with the one I just drank. I just had (for the first time) a Conniption Double IPA (from Atwater brewing -- have had offerings from them before and was hesitant to grab it, but did anyway, now am glad I did!)

A few weeks back Monkeynaut (the CAN has a picture of a monkey donning an astronaut helmet on it) was it. It's still a favorite. This week it's not my favorite. Who knows what next week brings?

On another note, today, Dec. 11th (2010), is the first time I brewed my own. This happened four years ago today. This will be the fourth consecutive 12/11 that I have brewed. Sometimes an action becomes a tradition -- I am thinking this has now become such.

Tonight I am brewing a smoked porter. It's odd though!

I went to my local homebrew store to get something to brew today. I found a smoked porter within an acceptable price range. I grabbed it up along with some other things I "need". Oddly, this is an extract beer. I haven't done an extract for over a year and a half now.

So I intend to brew this tonight. As soon as I grabbed up the kit, I pulled out the instructions (which had the ingredients list on it. I looked at it -- not good enough!) I immediately went over to where their grains were and began thinking what can I add to this to make it a Skipp'n Rocks brew?

The "odd" part is notsomuch that I added to it since there have been VERY few brews that I have followed to the letter -- including the first -- but more that this time I *knew* what would work as the early ones were lucky guesses. I always seem to try and put my own spin on it. I guess the fact that it normally works out, I have yet to be discouraged from this practice.   ; )

Anyhow, off to brew. I have finished dinner and have a couple areas cleaned and prepped. Now to finish up dinner dishes and get the ball rollin'. Being an extract brew I should be done in 2 hours (had it been an all-grain it would be about 6 hours).

Dope on a Rope?

Saturday was the birthday of Robby, one of the group that I have been caving with lately. Plans were made to go caving in the day and have a birthday party that night.

The downside was that my Vols were playing and it was senior day. The tickets were almost affordable, even. It was a night game!

And were that not enough, it was a must-win if they wanted to go to a bowl. Since I was actually out and already IN Knoxville anyway, maybe I could take in the game. It's been *years* since I last was able to go to one!

Going to the game would mean missing the party. I haven't seen these folks in a while and do enjoy their company. Still the chance of catching a game had real appeal. I figured I would decide what to do once I got out of the cave.

I always enjoy caving and tend to look forward to it, but this time there was even more anticipation. They were doing vertical training (rappelling). I have wanted to do this for a long time now, but never had the opportunity. Robby has all the gear and between him and a few others, there were enough rigs for about 8 people I think. We had about 15 total, but not everyone was there to rappel .

We got to the site and began hiking to the cave. Luckily, we have been to this before so finding it was not an issue. During the hike many of us got to know one another. By now, I had about decided that I had solved the dilemma of if I was going to the game or not.

The cave was found without issue. Robby and Randy began setting up their rigging in two different drop zones. This is a big cave and pics cannot capture it. There are a few ways in. One on foot and a few different places to drop a rope from.

The opening just above the mouth of the cave, drops about 50' to the floor. Robby set up here.

photo taken by Misti Cardin

There is another opening a little to the left of the center (when looking from the outside). This is where Randy set up.

Robby's was a straight drop without the security of your feet on something to "ease" into it. However, where Randy set up rope was almost three times longer a drop but there was a rock wall to be able to have your feet on something.

I chose to take the descent with the wall. It's my first time doing this, and I think I'd feel more comfortable if I am not just suspended in the air trusting that I will not do something stupid. You can imagine my confidence level here!  ; )

I watched Randy go first.

photo taken by Misti Cardin

photo taken by Misti Cardin

                                                                       Then Gavin.


I remember asking Shane, standing next to me (also watching intently), "Is your heart beating?" This was also to be his first time doing this. He didn't seem to be intimidated.

Then Shane went. Again, I am intently observing. Heh! shortly after he went over the edge, Vince asked if he was okay. Shane's reply was "My heart is beating!"  LOL

photo taken by Misti Cardin

 
After Shane was off the rope, it came to be my turn. OH BOY! All kinds of scenarios run through your head. As you're watching you think "yeah this looks cool!" then it's your turn to step over that edge and a sense of mortality hits.

Going over the edge was the biggest roadblock. I had watched Randy, Gavin, and Shane do it. I watched how they approached it. I observed their posture. I thought I was processing this information.

When it came game time I had lost all that "processed data". It took me a few minutes but I finally did tip a toe over that edge, and then progressively more and more of my anatomy -- and right about now the preservation instinct(s) kick in.

My heart rate is jacked! It felt like it was about to pound it's way through my rib cage.

I wasn't sure which part of the "flight-or-fight" receptors were working harder. I was hyper-focused and the adrenaline was flowing to keep my body as sharp as it needed to be.  ; )

I am mostly concerned with how and where to hold the rope. It wasn't a heights thing, I'm okay with that-- other than the fact that a slip-up from this height could end badly. I was worried if I let the rope slip through my hands too quickly how fast and sudden that fall could become.

So I am over the edge and looking at this 15' bluff and trying to figure out how to get feet planted as I made my descent (after 15' or so it wasn't a straight vertical bluff, there was a less-than-perpendicular angle there but that frst 15'?).

During that first part, my feet kept slipping. What I needed to do was have my legs perpendicular to the surface but that wasn't happening as easily as it should have. So, it was another thing I had to wrap my head around.

I got better at it as I descended, but I was scared I would do something stupid the whole time. At one point I slipped and lost footing. Of course, Misti was there with the camera ...

photo taken by Misti Cardin

It took me a bit to get back to the proper posture, but I did.

In a way that was really good. Oddly, it gave me confidence, since momentarily I was in mid-air and had to figure out what to do. When I got my feet back on that rock, I felt "more comfortable?". Once I hit solid ground, I was quaking all over. Some of it was likely adrenaline, but some of it was fear too!

I parked my bum on a rock to try and let my nerves and heart rate return to a more normal pattern and waited for the next to come down. I pulled out my camera and get a message saying "Card Locked". I haven't done anything to it since the last time I was caving and it was functional then! No matter what menu I accessed I could not get it straightened out. GRR!

Meh! Everyone that was coming down the rope had already done so -- at least once. For me, today, once was enough. I will again, but I know I (ab)used many muscles I typically do not, so sitting out was probably the best thing.

photo taken by Misti Cardin

Now that everyone is down, it's time to go crawl around some! There was a group of folks that passed on the rappel and had already explored a short section of it.



By the time we were done with our rappelling, they had returned. Damn near perfect timing, that!







There was another rope descent but that was "easy" in comparison to what I had just done. The descent was about 20' I would guess. So far most of the cave had been relatively dry. However, there were many decent flowstone formations suggesting that this was far from dry. Again, my SD card crapped out on me so use your imagination.

Those of us that made the descent (at least 10? of us) proceeded along for a bit longer. We came to a channel with water and there was a ledge up to the left. A couple of us took the ledge, and others the water.

That is, until we rounded a bend and the ledge ... disappeared. The only way now was go back to the water or try and straddle a gap about 20' above the water (with no idea how deep the water was if you lose footing) -- the gap got wider than the trust I had in the muscles of my legs after the rappel.

I watched someone (forget whom now) do the straddle thing and decided I was going to wuss out and go back and walk through the water. Heh! that water gets deep at spots -- and it's COLD! part of the reason I tried avoiding it to begin with.

After that we came to a crawl. It was funny those that avoided the water -- and there were few --  are now rueful of the fact they still have to get muddy and wet after all that work to avoid it to begin with. HAHA! not often I'm right so allow me to gloat here.

The reason? This was a crawl. A true inchworm type crawl. You could fit in, but you weren't on your elbows and knees unless you were really vertically challenged. It also had a 90* bend about 2/3 of the way through it. It couldn't have been longer than 15' but "inching" through it made it seem like more.

We soon came to a turn around point and worked our way back to the mouth. By the time we got there, those that didn't feel up to the rope descent were there and had already built a fire. It *was* about 40* outside!

We hung out for a bit took some pics and then headed back to Robby's to let the party start. Gavin an Jenny cooked up some awesome food and we all shared good food, goodwill, and good times to pass the night away. It was over way too quickly and I got back to the house without incident.

It was great to hang out with friends again and to meet new ones and I don't regret missing the game. My Facebook friends list grew on Sunday morning.  ; )

What a great day! I scared myself and lived to tell you about it.   ; )

Take a Hike! Hell, Take Two!

Megan got in touch with me last week and told me that she was available to go on a hike this past Saturday. The leaves are almost peaking and I haven't seen her in weeks, so this would be great.

In the meantime, Sean emails me that he wants to hike this Sunday. Well, we have been unsuccessful in trying to cooridnate schedules for a couple weeks now. It turned out that Melissa was available after church, so that was a "go" as well. This would mean I would be one sore puppy come Monday, but that's okay.

Megan had to take a test in the morning but told me she should be done around noon. Melissa had to go into her weekend job and would need to leave a little before 4:00. I could get away with leaving Dad alone for an hour, but don't like to leave him more than that. That would give us 5 hours.

I was a little late getting to Megan's house, but she was real late. Her test took her until about 1:30. By the time we would have got *to* where the hike was it would be nearly 2:30 -- that leaves but an hour and a half to do the hike. That's not nearly enough time.

We scrapped that idea and were trying to think of a plan B. With neither of us having money to spend, that severely limited our options. Her roommate's dog is hyper -- she's all-puppy! We came up with the idea of taking her to a state park and walking off some of that energy.

Panther Creek State Park is close by but is a rather dull hike (to me). However, it was more about tiring out Kaya and spending time with Megan.

We hiked about 3 miles I would say and it was an enjoyable afternoon. I had the camera but never really found much to point it at. We then took Kaya back to Megan's apartment, then she packed her clothes to come and spend the night.

Sean was due to show up at noon on Sunday. Again, Melissa was scheduled to work and due to go in by 5 PM. The place Sean suggested was along some nature trails that he used to hike as a kid. He was unsure where this trail was nor how to get to it.

Sweet! it's always an adventure -- this sounds fun! Let's go get lost!

The destination was a place called Sutton's Ridge. Apparently, there was supposed to be an overlook that afforded a good view. Now that the colors are changing this should be good.

The sun was shining, the sky was a brilliant blue and the temperature was a brisk 60*. Perfect hiking weather!

Well, finding the trail to it was not difficult at all. The foliage was brilliant in places and lacking in others.

We trudged along with the crunching of leaves under our feet. The spur to Sutton's Ridge was 1.5 miles from the trailhead where we parked. The hike wasn't too strenuous. There was a stretch that climbed rather rapidly, but for the most part it was relatively easy to traverse.

















Before long, we were at the spur that we figured we would be unable to locate. The view at the top was marred by a stand of pine that has grown rather tall and has inhibited the view of the mountains in the distance.

It was still pretty and awe-inspiring, but the camera does not do justice to the scene. We hung out for a bit taking it in and snapping some pictures.

Sean positioning for a picture

This is what he was trying to get a shot of

This is wider view of what he was snapping a shot of.

Not sure what type of plant this is, but liked the color

It hadn't taken long to get here and we still had to time to kill and energy to burn. We decided to head back down the trail to an earlier side trail we saw that was only a mile off the trail we had been on.

Playing with exposures

.... and again

a wider view of the cascade photo-ed above

There were a LOT of downed trees along the trail -- some LARGE ones too as you can see below. Sean is about 6' tall. that root ball has him by an extra foot. Look beyond him ... another mess of trees lying down! It was that way for much of this trail. 

Quite the contrast from the trail we had just been on! The name of the trail we were now headed to was Snake Den Ridge Trail. Why is it called Snake Den? I guess we're going to find out ... or not!

The Snake Den Ridge Trail had nothing to do with snakes -- or if it did we didn't find any. This is probably not a bad thing.

It basically was a short trail that just came to a dead-end. It was wide enough for a car to drive on but not sure how it would get *to* the trail to do so. There was a cemetery on this trail with most of the folks buried there (about 9-10) born in the late 1800's.

The people buried there lived from the ages of 2 years old to about 85? I think. The 85? year old was WWI and WWII vet and was listed as "poet laureate for the Smoky Mountains". I should've snapped a photo to help my failing memory, but I did not.

With no further to go on this trail and the hour getting a bit late, we turned back. When we returned to the photo spot of the cascade and bridge above, we both spied a log crossing the creek. I thought about it, but it looked damp, so I whimped out and took the bridge.

Sean was undeterred by the wet log and decided to cross it. It kind of surprised me because he and I have hiked before and he has told me he doesn't trust his sense of balance.

Sean looked over and said "You're just waiting on a splash, aren't ya?"  Heh!

Luckily, he didn't fall in as it was just chilly enough to foster getting sick. We got back to his truck by 4 and I arrived home about 10 minutes before Melissa had to leave for work.

What a great weekend it was! I got to get out in the woods, and spend time with some great company.

It's Time

Feeling lost,

Falling between the cracks.

Not really sure

If I should go forward or back.

It’s easier …

To sit here and wait,

But doing that would

Only foster the hate.

It’s dark

And it’s dank.

Searching an answer

Only draws a blank.

I wish I could

Find my way out of this cell.

Yet, I am afraid that I will

Plunge myself further into this hell.

It is time to make a decision,

And get off the fence.

Time for action

And to make life make sense!

Back on the bicycle?

I noticed a couple weeks back that "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" was going to be coming to the Tennessee Theater supporting a live cast. The movie itself is rather lame, but has developed  a cult following over the years.

I recall when I was in high school (and a few years after) that the local theater would play this movie at midnight. Those were the days! We used to go and make sure we had a bit of a buzz on because it wasn't about the movie, it was about the experience!

People yelled certain obscenities to/at the screen when certain characters showed up, sang parts of the movie when some situations arose, would all run down the middle aisle and as a group dance the "Time Warp", etc.

It was quite the spectacle and made an otherwise dumb movie ... FUN! I believe the interactive nature of this led to its cult following.

Anyway, I conned Melissa into going, since Isaac was around and could be available to tend to Dad for us and allow the two of us a date?!?! Yes! a date! WOW!

I asked Melissa to reserve tickets, because I told her it may sell out. She did, and it was now official -- money was invested! The movie wasn't going to start until 11:15 PM, so we had all day to get there. However, knowing the rarity in which we get a date, I suggested maybe going on a hike earlier in the day so that we could make the most of the day instead of just taking in a movie.

Isaac was okay with this and we are now "on". Holy crap! A real bona-fide date-type situation! I just hoped we remembered how to do this.  ; )


We left here around 11-ish AM with a destination of Baskins Creek Falls in the Smokies (about 50 minutes up the road). My beloved Vols had a kickoff set for 12 PM and we got to listen to the first few minutes of the game before reaching the trailhead.

I had *really* wanted to make it to this game. Steve Spurrier, a perennial nemesis of Tennessee, was bringing his Gamecocks to Knoxville. Additionally, 200 former UT players were doing the Vol Walk and running through the famed "T". What a sweet moment that would be to take in. I looked for tickets via Craigslist, etc. but could find nothing that fit the budget.

Ah well! hiking is more intimate anyway. I am intently listening to the radio as we are approaching the trailhead. Melissa says "If you want to go to a bar and watch the game, that would be fine too." Melissa did not want to go to a bar and watch TV, she knew I would love it, though. God! I *love* that woman!

It took a lot of discipline, but I told her "No, we are here to hike". We find the trailhead and initially go the wrong way down the trail. I told her as we entered I wasn't sure that was right, and as we went on, my intuition was only strengthened.

We backtracked and were soon on the trail we needed to be. However, since we were passing the truck again, I had to check in on the score. A short listen and we are Falls-bound.

This was listed as an "easy" hike by the http://www.hikinginthesmokys.com/baskins.htm site at 3 miles round trip. However, the terrain was steep for most of that mile and a half each way. I get the feeling Melissa takes issue with their assessment of "easy".   ; )

It is apparent that her and I have a much different pace. I would get ahead of her and then wait. I tried walking with her, but couldn't stand to walk that slowly.

The way in is almost all downhill (if you clicked the link, check the graph). I have motorcycle knees, but her knees are obviously much worse.

I felt bad leaving her in the dust, so to speak, but I just couldn't walk that slowly either. Additionally, we are both shutterbugs, and her probably moreso than I, so that added to the gap between us as she was snapping many pics.

photo taken by Melissa Rockefeller

Here are some that were taken along the trail to the falls ...

"I'm going to sit down a minute"

photo taken by Melissa Rockefeller

Some of the higher elevations starting to show some color

Maple leaves are a-changing

A mushroom with a visitor

Peek-a-boo

Hello little snail

same mushroom w/out snail

(another mushroom shot) photo taken by Melissa Rockefeller

The terrain is mostly downhill, as mentioned, but the grade is steep. It drops about 700' in one mile's distance.

This was just to be silly and was taken specifically for a friend who has a tendency to point in a direction as he is photographed ...

By now we are at about 2200' and nearly to the falls. There were some stone steps to get down the last little bit ...

and finally, here we are!
















We milled around for a bit and I took many pictures trying to work with a long exposure, since it was overcast. However, my dumbass forgot to bring the tripod so all pics were hand-held. A 2+ second exposure is not conducive to a clear picture when hand held, no matter how still you try to be.

I took well over a hundred pictures, but since I didn't have my tripod, most were tossed due to being too blurry. Here are a couple of the ones that were not deleted ...

photo taken by ?? some generous stranger who were there too

This was the best, in my opinion

Not bad, but still blurred

photo taken of me taking pictures
by Melissa Rockefeller

It is now about 3 PM and we are supposed to be back at the truck by 5 PM to make it to a dinner with some friends, so we put the cameras away and begin the hike back up.

Getting there by 5 is going to be tight. It took a long time to get down, and it's a bit more strenuous to climb.

On the way back, we came across this tree (we obviously passed it on the way down, I just missed it)

It's ruttin' season!

Poor Melissa! I really felt bad for her on the way out. She was a-huffin' and a-puffin' and damn near heart stroke sometimes it seemed. I kept telling her, that we could make a phone call and cancel the dinner thing. That didn't help, though.

I was more interested in her getting out on her own power than having to be drug out. "Pace yourself woman! Hydrate!" I kept telling her. The new goal was to get out of there before dark.

We got back to the truck right at 5 PM, which was the absolute latest to get to the truck and still make the dinner., To make matters, BETTER, my boys won the game -- they beat Spurrier! and they beat a ranked team (the first time in the last 20 tries).


Anyway, we are rolling and I am enjoying the commentary of the post-game call-ins while being stuck in traffic. The road to the trailhead is a one-laned one way road. This was the first weekend the Smokies were open after the government shutdown, and it was crowded. Worse still, it's the height of tourist season as this time of year is typically the peak for the leaves to change.

EVERY ... SINGLE ... BRIDGE (going over a rushing creek/river) the people two cars in front of us stopped to take pictures of the cascade. EVERY ... SINGLE .. ONE!

I was livid! If you wish to take that many pictures, fine! NOTICE the line of vehicles behind you and PULL OVER! ARGH!

To make matters worse, the tire pressure sensor on the truck indicated that both the right front and right rear tires are now low on air. GREAT! I must've run over something with both tires and I only have ONE spare!

We finally get to 441 (4 lane road) and I point the truck to a gas station that will have an air compressor. Sadly, the one I picked don't have a gauge on the compressor. Meh! I'll use the sensor, as it tells how many PSI are in each tire.

I add air to both tires, and the PSI doesn't change. WHAT? Okay, I deflate the rear, doesn't change. ???? I deflate it until I can *see* it's flat!

Still no change! GRR! I am so glad I found "free air".

I aired it back up, went and got a cheapie tire pressure gauge, and checked it. The TPS is off. This little tail-chasing cost us nearly a half hour. With the slow down on the way to 441, and now the TPS issue, it is now nearly 6 PM and there is *no way* to make it to the dinner on time without making everyone else wait because of us.

I have Melissa call them and we apologetically back out. There is no sense in them sitting there that long waiting on us.

We just pointed the truck northwards towards Knoxville and grabbed dinner along the way. Traffic was horrid, and I'm sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Those reading this likely know, I am not a very patient man and being already angered to miss the dinner engagement, sitting in traffic is NOT what I need right now. GAH!

We find a place to eat and decide that since we have time, once we get to Knoxville, there is a bar near where the movie is playing to grab a few good beers at. I have corrupted Melissa. She has grown an appreciation for certain beers (mostly the dark stuff -- stouts, porters, and the like). It wasn't a hard sell!

Anyway, we sip on a few great brews and enjoy the company of a couple gentlemen who were good enough to allow us to join them at their table for a while, then it's time to go to the "Show".

The house is packed. The marquee reads "Sold Out" ...  SWEET!

There was a pre-show with prizes and everything. The characters this movie draws are ... umm ... interesting. Sadly, we left the cameras in the truck. If we make it again, I will not repeat that mistake.

Many dress up as their favorite characters of the movie. Others just dress up as .... well ... something!

The experience was no less than I remembered. Newspapers were donned, obscenities were yelled, toilet paper rolls were thrust, decks of cards were flung, the Time Warp was danced, however, it was ... different.

The movie and the followers have evolved some. While there were parts that were the same, there were other parts I had no idea what the crowd was yelling. It's a living thing!

What a day! It was great to have a date with the love of my life, and ... "us" time. While we missed the dinner, that was the only part of the date we messed up -- and part of that was not on us. Maybe it is like riding a bicycle?