hiking – OsteoPraxis on the road

Buffalo, Wyoming …What’s not to Bud Love….!!!

We always have to stop for a couple of days when we get to Buffalo, Wyoming. It’s just a lovely small town with cool unique stores and abundant artwork, we love to spend a little time here.

Indian Campground has these lovely big old Cottonwood trees that provide great shade without dropping weird tree stuff on the trailer…!!!

The mornings were cool enough for breakfast to happen on the BBQ….

Travelling further north we were beginning to see some of the wildfire smoke from the devastation happening in Oregon and Washington States…..a smidge of that yellow haze in the sky…..

Our choice for hiking on this visit was Bud Love Conservation area. Alltrails gave it a pretty good review….so despite the air quality warnings…the sky in the morning still looked OK….and with our early start strategy it was not yet too hot to contemplate a decent hike for the day.

The last part of the drive in was a daunting dirt road ….and it felt like a forever drive before we landed at the designated parking area for the trail head…..

There was no one else around….it seemed remote and incredibly peaceful…..

Off we set…..

You have to keep an eye out for that bright pink shirt to find me in some of these pictures…..the landscape was HUGE…!!!

The first part was through meadow….an easy trail to follow….

We made our way up to the entrance to the canyon…..

…then we turned into the trees….

It’s harder to tell from the pictures on the way up….you will see better on the way back down…..but this part of the trail was steep with sharp switchbacks….

Even this early in the morning we were grateful for the shade…..it was warm…!!! But despite the air quality warnings the sky was still bright and clear….

The path was steep enough in places that we were climbing hands and feet…

With the occasional spot to watch some fluttering butterflies….

…and trying not to look down as the path continued high on the side of the canyon…..(for me anyway….!!!)

The boundary of the Bud Love area……

We then turned another corner and followed the path out into this impossibly vast landscape……breath-taking……

…and we still were not done with the climb…..

This incredibly beautiful place set against that magnificent sky…….just awe inspiring…..

I have to admit to slowing up the walk at this point….partly because it was warm, partly because it was a long climb….but it was mostly because it was hard not to stop and stare around to try and take it all in….

As ever my intrepid blogtographer is waiting behind to get the picture…running to catch up…then running on ahead to get that next shot he sees…!!!

As we approached the top of this rise…..with nothing other than rocks and trees….there were these old fenceposts……some past structure we are guessing….but who knows for what…!!!!

As we head back down…I hope we managed to demonstrate the scale of this place……here is the same picture with an arrow to help you find me…..

You might have to click on the picture and enlarge it to see how small the little me in bright pink shirt is……

It was definitely warming up as we headed back down….and you can see the sky beginning to change with that smokey haze seeping in….

It was no less magnificent on the way down…..I think this might be one of our favourite hikes

I love this picture…with a little peek of the world down below in the V…..

Back into shade for a bit…..it always seems so different on the return journey….could be cos going down is easier than the grind up….lol

…and back to the boundary fence again…

…a few more flutterbys made an appearance….

This steep part was hard to keep your feet under you….it was dry and lots of loose gravel….

…and the welcome deep shade

The last part down…as we came out of the trees this incredible (and expansive) rock formation re-appeared…..leading us back to the truck for that all important re-hydration….!!! (we always leave a flask of coffee in the truck for the end of the hike….!!!)

One of the big bonuses on this trail was the complete absence of anyone else…. made it feel so much more remote than it really was. …this is definitely one we will come back and do again……

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Colorado Springs.. Mount Muscoco

Rising before sun and heading to the trail was a great strategy for both the heat and the crowds on these wonderful trails around Colorado Springs.

Our next pick was Mount Muscoco where the trail, Daniels Pass to Mount Muscoco, was listed on Alltrails as just over 7 km. So a bit further than 7 Bridges….and a bit higher with the peak at 8,020 ft above sea level.

The drive was a convenient 20 minutes from the campground……in the same vicinity as the 7 Bridges…the drive was up the switchbacks of North Cheyenne Canyon….which is quite beautiful in itself.

We were delighted to be the only vehicle at the trailhead….

There are many, many trailheads off this road…also a popular spot for cyclists (crazy people slogging up this road….and careening back down at high speed round these blind switchbacks….totally crazy….!!!))

Back to us….heading out on the trail…early enough that the air was cool….

The trail begins as a well marked gravel path……with steady upward switchbacks……

Around one of the corners is this little lookout spot that reminded me very much of the Black Hills in South Dakota…..

Then we continue winding our way up the switchbacks…they seem to go on forever……you can see that I am warm enough now to have shed a layer.

….I have a whole collection of these neon coloured t-shirts now, in the interests of spotting me in the pictures………

It was interesting to look at this map halfway up the trail to orient ourselves to just exactly where we were….and there was a short piece of the trail that was not going up…..a pleasant…tho brief reprieve from the upward grind…

as I said….brief…..before there was some scrabbling up rocks required…

Around another corner …to another lookout point….. (the other upside of lookout points is that you get to stop for a breather…!!!)

….and then a bit more scrambling…..the trail was hard to see at this point….so it was more about navigating as safely as possible up this slope…

Further up the trail became clearer again……it’s one of the advantages of Alltrails…it helps to keep you close to the trail and/or tells you when you are headed off in the wrong direction…

At the top…there is actually a double peak……

…so you get this……

Then traverse the shoulder across to the second peak…

…where you get this….

…that’s Colorado Springs down there through the morning mist…. a truly breathtaking view

and the panorama of the mountains behind too…

That blogtographer guy is always trying to get me out on the edge of these precarious mountain tops/cliff edges…..

It was not so much a rest at the top…as a collection of moments to breathe in that totally awe inspiring vista before and around us….

…and then begin the journey back down..

The path to the peak that had been so difficult to see on the way up was astonishingly clear from the top down….

…and as the morning progressed we could feel the heat building….and, as ever, we met a bunch of people on their way up as we headed down….

Those switchbacks are way easier on the way down too……lol

As I wade through the pictures to make the blog happen it allows me to relive that whole beautiful hike…..what I really love about the pictures in this one is that I think they let you see how steep the path is…

Arriving back at the truck…with other cars around us and more arriving the sun was now up and blazing……as we headed home for breakfast and a hot shower..

This was our last hike in this area….for this trip….I am quite sure we will be back to this area…we just loved it.

Time to hitch up and pull the rolling house to the next stop. This time under our own steam….leaving in a more dignified manner than we arrived…

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Colorado Springs..Seven Bridges Trail.

Colorado Springs is a gorgeous city, hard not to be when the whole city is balanced on the edge of the Colorado Rockies. I was a bit worried about hiking some of the trails around here as the elevation we were starting at is over a mile above sea level…..and then the hiking trails go up from there.

Garden of the Gods was a bit of a test run…a beautiful but relatively short hike.

The next hike I picked out, 7 Bridges, was a bit longer. Another early start (it is still July and starting on the trailhead at dawn was the best way to avoid combining the altitude with uncomfortable heat)

The drive up to the parking area was stunning…..and a bit scary….narrow road…lots of steep and tight switchbacks……

It was a lovely morning as we set out on the trail….

As we headed out there was another lone hiker starting at the same time as us…Hi Courtney…..so we joined forces and hiked together.

Turns out the 7 Bridges trail only has 6 bridges……the first was washed out in a storm, now the beginning of the trail starts with a detour….

The bridges criss-crossed with the switchbacks as the trail wound its way up the side of the canyon……

I do enjoy having someone to chat to on a hike……my blogtographer (energizer bunny style is always running ahead or waiting behind to get ‘the shot’…lol….so chatting and hiking doesn’t happen too often….!!!)

This trail was a moderate according to Alltrails….. a well marked steady climb…..not easy but not overly challenging.

Bridge no 2…well actually no.3 if you count the missing one…

We were chatting pretty hard LOL…well I think I was….Courtney was a great sport at listening ….and making me stop to hydrate…

Bridge no.4

There’s a bit of rock scrambling in some spots…..nothing crazy…but enough to keep it interesting

Bridge no.5

All in all a very pretty trail…

Bridge no.6

….after that last bridge the trail became a lot more vertical…

….and at the last part for us….. was climbing up over the rocks

…but totally worth it….the view from up there was quite something….

This was the end of the 7 Bridges trail and time to say farewell to Courtney as she headed on up to the peak…..us old guys headed back down after this. I was almost persuaded to go out to the edge of the rock for the picture….but I made it to the tree as long as I did not look down…LOL…

In the exposed spots we could feel the sun getting stronger….we were very pleased with ourselves for being savvy enough to start out early as the heat began to build.

We found this little chap lurking by the side of the trail…

I think the pictures on the way down demonstrate just how steep the path was…..it was much easier going down…!!

I’m not sure how we missed the last bridge on the way up….but apparently we got it on the way down.. (just the picture….we did cross it both ways)

We passed quite a few hiking couples and groups on the way down too…..I’m imagining that it got busier through the morning….we were grateful to be out early in the quieter, cooler time…

Nearing the bottom…we decided to investigate the washed out bridge…

We had considered having to turn around and retrace the detour…..but the creek at this point was so low crossing it was no issue….

…and much to the disappointment of the blogtographer I did not get my feet wet……(Editor. There’s always another creek)

The final part of the route back to the parking area…..did I mention that this is a beautiful part of the country….!!!

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Colorado Springs. Garden of the Gods

It took us a couple of days to recover from the somewhat challenging journey to Colorado Springs before we felt ready to set out on the trails. Colorado Springs is a beautiful place…..nestled into the foothills of the Colorado Rockies with a truly spectacular skyline.

Garden of the Gods is a public park owned by the City of Colorado Springs since it was deeded to the city in 1909 to preserve the spectacular landscape and ensure full public access in perpetuity.

The temps were pretty high (it was July after all…!!) so we planned to hit the trailhead at sunrise and beat the heat….and hopefully the crowd. We arrived in that morning halflight to find the parking lot already half full

But it was still relatively cool…so time to get going….

It was much busier than most of the trails we travel……and the first section was beautifully paved and fenced (unlike our usual hikes…but it speaks to how busy this place is, and this section is all disabled accessible).

Different only in that we usually pick far less populated trails…..this one was busy….but spectacularly beautiful…and kinda strange. Easy to see how it attracts people of all ages and abilities to be out enjoying the landscapes.

The geological formations have a surreal, almost ‘fake’ look to them….

The carefully engineered pathway added to that ‘fake’ feel…..almost like being on a movie set. (not that I know what that feels like…LOL)

Then we reached the end of that manufactured path and onto a more rudimentary trail…..

The terrain underfoot became a little more interesting…..and the views added a touch more WOW….

We then had to follow the Scotsmans loop…!!!…Now we were far enough out for some creature encounters…

This trail does not really have much elevation gain….but still has a few short steep climbs….

Once we moved away from the more manicured area, the path was considerably less busy

…and there were even some shady patches……pleasant because the day was beginning to warm up..

…one of the featured viewpoints is called the Siamese twins…..a very impressive rock formation….

There is a fabulous photo point at this spot….so there was a constant flow of people…..we had to wait for quite some time for the next pix….the view through the portal is of Pikes Peak.

The portal is big enough for someone to sit in it and still see the view beyond…..we decided it was a picture that everyone else had…..so after we took the people free picture……we moved on…LOL…

We debated doing the Pikes Peak hike……but it’s 13 miles pretty much straight up with very little shade….and it was July…!!!

….back to the path…..

…there was a bit more shade on this side of the park….and more weird rock formations……and more creatures…..😊

….and now it felt like we were going down again….such a beautiful place….

The last part of the trail followed the road….the park has a paved road for vehicles in a single track one way loop around the park. You can drive or bike it, on your own bike or rent one. Also guided tours on extended safari style jeeps circumnavigate the park. There was a high hedge separating the trail from the road…so most of the time you could pretend it wasn’t there….

When we arrived back at the truck…the parking lot was mostly full….people just starting out on the trail….which by now (around 8am) was rapidly becoming much warmer than I would have liked……but it was easy to see why so many people come here.

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Further adventures in Kansas…Little Jerusalem and Monument Rocks.

In my research for interesting things in Kansas, I identified Little Jerusalem State Park as a place we should stop and visit. It’s the top rated Kansas State Park and the guides also recommend visiting Monument Rocks which is a hop and a jump from there.

The pin in the map took us to Oakley in the northwestern corner of Kansas. Of the two RV parks close by one had pretty awful reviews for their washrooms and showers….so we went to the other one. High Plains RV campground…..

I actually had to check to see how much elevation we had gained as I had not really considered that we would actually be in the High Plains….3050 ft above sea level…..so we had begun the climb towards Colorado.

High Plains RV was an old and somewhat run down campground…but had new owners and is slowly being rejuvenated…..the showers were dated but immaculately clean……and that’s important…!!!

It was pretty warm as the summer was advancing…so the hiking strategy was to start early on the trail….and be home by lunch….

Little Jerusalem State Park……it’s a drive across an increasingly remote landscape…up some dirt roads…and then voila…this lovely little park appears.

When we arrived the sky was cloudless, the photo of the truck above is when we arrived. The photo of the sign is when we were leaving with clouds beginning to appear giving the sky more depth and interest……a lovely day for a short hike…

It turned out to be two short hikes…but a quite spectacular landscape….

There is something quite mesmerising about badlands landscapes……even tho we have seen many examples now…they never fail to impress…...from Badlands National Park, to our own little version just along the road at Writing on Stone...and a few others along the way. (New Mexico, Dinosaur Park, Horsethief Canyon, Arizona, Theodore Roosevelt NP)

The second trail…..

It was early enough that there were still blooming wildflowers…

…..and some funny looking waspy things……

This park was donated by the family who ranch the greater area all around…..it’s a relatively small park but preserved now for everyone to enjoy.

….and, as with most badlands……you have to walk right up to it to really see the formation of the land…..

…and then those thousands of years of deposits, followed by thousands of years of erosion demonstrate one of mother natures great art projects…..

I disturbed this little bunny who had been sheltering in a shady spot….

The park has strategically placed benches….and information boards as you mosey along the trail

It was very quiet that day….probably because it was pretty warm out……but it’s also quite a remote spot………..very peaceful….

From Little Jerusalem…we headed down a few more dirt roads towards an even more remote area to find monument rocks…….

These rocks, still on private land but with full public access, are just out in the middle of nowhere……..incredible structures gradually wearing away….

You might notice …as the day progressed…the sky increasingly formed these fluffy cartoon like clouds….quite beautiful on that blue blue sky…..

Incredibly….as far inland as Kansas is….this is another area that is part of an ancient sea bed……there were large areas of these fossilized seashells…..

We spent quite a bit of time watching these swallows (swifts..?) as they feasted on the local bug population……when you looked up into the rocks….there were lines and lines of their mud nests……

Fascinating……

The journey home took us past Oakley…and the Buffalo Bill Centre…..great little visitor centre (with very clean flush washrooms…!!!) and a twice life size bronze sculpture of the man himself….

Here is me in the frame for scale……

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Cathedral Spires, Needles Highway and Sylvan Lake.

Still happily ensconced at Broken Arrow Horse Camp, we had another day to find some fun and frolics out on the trails. One of the great things about Custer South Dakota is that not only Wind Caves National Park is on the doorstep…but also Custer State Park (another gem)

(The two parks share a boundary….but interestingly are fenced to keep the bison herds separate. Wind Caves herd is genetically pure plains bison whereas the Custer State park herd has hybridized cattle DNA…..so the fence is there to try and keep them separate.)

One of our favourite hikes from this campground has been the trail up to Black Elk Peak. Rather than redo that one, I found a trail that ran parallel, but on the south side of Cathedral Spires. Black Elk Peak trail runs to the north of the Spires.

To reach this trailhead in Custer State Park….we travelled up Needles Highway……not like the needles highway from Route 66….this one is literally driving through the eye of the needle…..a tunnel through solid rock after a seriously serpentine narrow road to get there.

The pictures never truly reflect the steepness of the grade, the sharpness of the hairpin bends……or the horror of the sheer drop on the passenger side of the vehicle….!!!

The approach to the tunnel is impressive to say the least….

The tunnel is 8 feet wide and.9 feet and 9 inches tall……only wide enough for one vehicle at a time…and you had better turn off the proximity sensors as you pass through it.

I took video on our first pass through …. these pictures are on the return journey….

The road, after you pass through…does not improve any. The hard switchbacks and invisible corners on this perilous path carved out of the side of the cliffs is a whole experience unto itself.

On one of the switchbacks they have built a wall that shields parking spaces on either side…..a bit like the ones in Great Smoky Mountain National park…if you are lucky there will be a spot….if not…there is absolutely nowhere to stop.

We were lucky….and there was a parking spot.

The trail itself is a bit of a climb and rock scramble most of the way up. But the views are spectacular all the way.

Sometimes the view is ahead of you….or right beside you and up…..

….or sometimes when you stop for a breath and turn around to look down….

Hydration and frequent rests are crucial on these paths……this one is not a long hike …but it’s a decently challenging climb…..especially for the heat of this season.

Another rest and opportunity to turn around and look out…..and up…

Near the top the path levels out and continues along the base of the spires…

It was interesting to see the spires from the other side…..I’m still not sure how people manage to climb up to the top of them (When we did Black Elk Peak…we could see people standing on the tops of the spires…having climbed up)

As with most rock scrambley paths…the way down is about as entertaining as the way up…!!!

Even tho my guy carefully takes his pictures without other people in them….this was a fairly busy trail…..and getting busier as we descended.

Part way down we spotted this ‘eagle’. Its easy to see why these rock formations were sacred to the indigenous peoples…..there are so many ‘faces’ and ‘figures’ in these rocks. They don’t have to be sculpted to look like something.

Near the bottom there was a sudden roar….and fly by of some military jets…..Mr Blogtographer was pretty quick off the mark to get the camera up to get these shots.

On the way back…the drive back through the tunnel is just as exhilarating the second time.

We finished the day with the very scenic hike/walk around Sylvan Lake.

This is a very accessible spot and looks to be a great swimming hole…..but by the time we had done the other trail and explored the Needles highway it was late in the day and very busy. There was even a wedding party taking their shots on the lakeshore, spectacular back drop.

As many people as there are on the beaches….surprisingly few were on the hike around the lake. (it’s only a couple of kilometers)

Hidden behind the big rocks is the dam that holds the lake…the dam was built in 1819…..and quickly turned the area into a popular tourist spot…..and it is beautiful.

….and there were all these little fishies in the water…..!!!!

I had intended just a little stroll as we had been here before and the rock formations per the Black Hills are extraordinary (it’s like all those fake styrofoam rocks from the original 1960’s Star Trek episodes….except they are real….!!!) and turned out to be a much nicer walk than I had expected…..

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A close shave and a lone bull.

On our last visit to Custer SD….we had happened on the local barbershop, enticingly named ‘ A Dudes Place“, on the main street. It sparked a discussion about traditional wet shaves ( a service offered by this local barber) …after a bit of thought …….. Scott decided to give it a go……unfortunately we arrived too late in the day….and it had been our last day there

This time…..we got in ahead of the game. It’s a walk-in place….so in we walked and waited for the barber to finish the haircut before us.

The result was impressively smooth…and reportedly very comfortable. Would he do it again…….he did say yes….!!!! (Editor. It was a remarkably relaxing experience, I’d recommend it)

After the underground walk with the cave tour….we needed a proper hike to get the legs moving….and to get out there on the high plains and observe some local wildlife…..bison (at a distance…!!) and the prairie dogs (closer up..!!!)

It was hot so it needed to be a reasonably tame hike and we were looking for one not done before….Alltrails gave us the Lookout Point Trail

The Trailhead for this one (in Wind Caves National Park) was a lovely shaded spot….which was fortunate as it was a very warm day. We set out early to try to get ahead of the sun.

Most of the trails in Wind Caves National Park are very exposed, with these mostly treeless high plains covered with prairie grasses and prairie dog towns.

The trail itself was not entirely clear to begin with and I was mostly navigating with my phone and the Alltrails digital map.

Once we found the familiar marker posts (the ones bison had not pushed over…!!!) the trail became clearer.

Wind Caves National Park is at just over 5,000 feet above sea level…..it’s hard to imagine as you look at the prairie stretched out in front of you. In July with the heat….it really does feel like you are quite a bit closer to the sun.

Although quite a bit greener this year than any of our previous visits…..like most of central north America there has been quite a bit more rain than usual this year.

The trees up ahead were very welcome for a bit of relief from the beating sun. (If you have a look…I am actually in all of these pictures……that’s how BIG this place is)

After a stop for a bit of shade and some rehydration……the path led down through one of the prairie dog towns……..

…….always entertaining…they get so indignant when you walk through…LOL. ….and the babies are so stinking cute…!!!

To illustrate the scale of the prairie……can you spot me?….second picture with arrow if you can’t…!!!

About the midway point the path did take us through an area we had been in before… thankfully into a shaded portion of the trail…

A familiar portion of the path…but green and lush with wildflowers….

….and then as I turned the corner……what did I see….?

A large bull bison….standing looking at me………

…and closer than I would like to have been to a lone bull.

I hesitated !!!!

Another couple of tourists appeared behind us….walking at quite the clip (well he was……she was toddling along behind…!!) They passed us as I was plucking up the courage to pass this giant bull .

He turned around a couple of times and flumped down in the grass….

The lady tourist stopped in front of him and started snapping multiple pictures with her phone…stepping off the path and moving closer.

I seized my opportunity and sped along and past her (at this point I only had to run faster than her….and she was presenting herself quite well as a target if Mr Bison decided to be annoyed…)

My blogtographer laughed his blooming head off at my wussiness and sauntered along behind to capture the images of me actually getting close to the beast……(Editor. I have waited many years to capture her ladyship and a bison in the same frame.)

The two tourists disappeared as quickly as they had appeared…and again we were alone (no more bison either…!!)

Its a lovely path….but by now we were definitely fading a little in the relentless heat.

I was glad we chose to do this one counter clockwise so that the shaded parts were in the latter half.

The last gasp as the end of the trail is up in those yonder trees…..

That last little uphill was, for me anyway, challenging to make my legs keep going….

Other than wandering through the prairie dog towns with the little guys barking and shouting….as they do….that one bison was our only encounter.

It was around a 7km hike …but long enough with the heat and lack of shade…..but always a pleasure to be out there.

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Back to Kentucky, Mammoth Cave National Park.

Continuing north and beginning the travel westward (towards home) took us back through Kentucky, but this time on the west side of the state. We had bypassed Mammoth Cave National Park on the journey south…so we took the opportunity to visit on the return northward. As I searched the campgrounds around the area , and found a Boondockers Welcome site just 15 minutes from the park gate…… Ideal.!!

This BW host had power and water available…bonus in the warm, humid July weather in Kentucky.

Mammoth Cave NP, despite its proximity to The Great Smoky Mountains (the US’s most visited park) is one of the least visited parks. I’m not sure why….we found it to be a fabulous place to visit.

On our first trip in to the park we booked tickets to do the self guided tour into the first part the Mammoth cave system. Being a bit on the claustrophobic side, I was expecting this to be slightly challenging…….but no……. Mammoth Cave is just that….mammoth….!!! Going down the steps into the cave you transition from that warm humid air of the surrounding forest….. quickly into the cool 54F (12C) of the cave.

After moving through the security gates at the entrance, the cave quickly opens up into the Rotunda, a chamber that feels like a huge ballroom. The dome of the chamber looks like a carefully crafted coffered ceiling.

There is a bit of an adjustment to the low light and a realisation that a flashlight would have been a good thing to bring.

At the far end of the area available for this self guided tour we met and chatted with a young and enthusiastic ranger who had many stories and insights into the history of the cave.

Like much of Kentucky and Tennessee, the cave has its own history of enslavement. It was a rich source of saltpeter during the War of 1812 when slaves were utilised to extract the minerals to feed the war machine. (NB. The Revolutionary war ended in 1783 and resulted in the Declaration of independence of the United States from British rule. The War of 1812 was about establishing Maritime rights and resolving trade restrictions imposed by the British fleet hence requiring a domestic source of gunpowder ingredients…!!!)

Mammoth Cave is the longest cave system in the world…..with much of it still unexplored. The whole system has been formed by water seeping down through the limestone layers…….the architecture of the walls and ceiling are a testament to the power of water and time.

On our way back out we were fortunate to meet up with the young ranger again as he shared more stories and pointed out some of the relics found in the cave from its pre 18th century history.

We were quite enthralled by the cave….so the plan for the next day was to find an above ground hike for the morning and then follow the Historic Tour underground in the afternoon.

The Green Bluffs Trail.

Green Bluffs trail was the overground choice. We packed a lunch and a change of clothes. (It was a very warm and very humid day……this part of the world seems to experience sudden short thunderstorms with impressive….but thankfully short downpours)

….and set off on the trail.

The trail follows a high path above the Green River, luckily in shade most of the way.

The trail weaves back down to the river…….we followed the boardwalk out of curiosity and found that it led to the outflow river from the cave itself….

Continuing on the path which was not the most challenging we have ever done….but definitely as hard as one wanted to be working in the humidity.

Beautiful trail….strangely no bugs…!!! (not complaining)…then a bit of a diversion as they were constructing boardwalks on part of the trail.

We found one of the strangest….and coolest fungi I have seen on our travels……

….and much evidence that the river has seen very large volumes of water recently. The ford and boat launch were closed and you could see how high the muddy waters had flowed recently.

Due to the harvesting of the early settlers, the native trees of the area have been largely replaced by maples which were considered low quality lumber…..so were not harvested thereby reseeding and becoming the dominant tree species…..

a very beautiful morning…..but now we were ready for the cool cave in the afternoon…….after a sandwich and a lot of re-hydrating.

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Tennessee 3. Cedars of Lebanon

As I said before, we were scheduled to be in Knoxville for a week…but between the torrential rain and the crummy campground I had landed us in…we decided to leave early. After a search around some of the state parks nearer to Nashville I made a reservation at Cedars of Lebanon State Park.

My hopes were not high as there were a couple of other state parks in the vicinity that were completely booked. Cedars of Lebanon was mostly empty…..but when we got there…what a beautiful park. From the main gate to the campground office is just under a mile and a half …but it felt much longer. It was a beautiful treelined roadway that got quieter and quieter and felt wonderfully secluded……so far off the main road that the only real noise is the cicadas and the katydids.

Lots of lovely shade trees and recently renovated so the power and the water is pretty much new. …lovely friendly staff…level sites what more could you ask. Cat was happy …!!!!

Well the showers were in dire need of upgrading…but given the work that’s been done on the park that may be next on the list. (😬)

There were a few trails to hike around the park. We picked the longer one……Hidden Springs trail………

…..a five mile loop trail…….

Compared to many of the trails we have trekked…this one was an easy level loop…

….so the blogtographer entertained himself finding some of those fantastic little details to satisfy his photo taking needs…..

This spiderweb picture is one of my favourites……

The trail description said there were multiple sink holes along the way…..and they were referred to as interesting. I may be a big fail at geology….they were mostly vague holes or depressions in the ground….

Around the halfway mark the trail turns and then follows a dry creek bed….revealing a more interesting landscape briefly

….and then a more impressive sink hole shaft…..

….and one that looked almost like a carefully drilled well. It was fenced……. Mr Photography still has to scare the bejeezus out of me by leaning in there to ‘get a better shot’..LOL

The rest of the trail was much as the first half. A pleasant stroll through the forest…(if a little on the hot and humid)…..but he does take good pictures….

Just as we were finishing the loop we started meeting more people heading out. Seems to be a ‘thing’…we like to hit these trails early and be heading home as the temps start heating up around midday. The crowds are often beginning as we finish up…either people cook themselves out on the trails …or they are far more heat tolerant than me.

It was an easy trail…and most importantly got us out and moving.

Tennessee 2. Great Smoky Mountains. Grotto Falls

The Knoxville leg of the journey turned into a bit of a mixed trip. The Bourbon search was meagre…most of the Knoxville distilleries produce moonshine not bourbon….and there were really not any that grabbed our attention.

We had planned to be in Knoxville for the week but the weather later in the week was promising huge thunderstorms and lots and lots of rain. This left us with one more day of hiking in the Great Smokies…..so we picked a trail and did a repeat of the unholy hour start to the day to get to the gate before opening.

Grotto Falls was the pick…and we knew it was going to be busier than the Abrams Falls trail. The drive in took us through Pigeon Forge…..none of the images of Pigeon Forge could prepare you for the experience of just driving down the main drag. Its a clown nightmare of rollercoasters, permanent fairground style entertainment and huge cartoon buildings.

We were both a little stunned after driving through…..

On to the trailhead. The now familiar slow roll drive up the single track paved road winding ever upward through the forest to the Trillium Gap trailhead which is also the start point for The Grotto Falls trail.

Our early start got us there with half a dozen parking spaces still available….and many people already out and up the trail.

The smell of everyone else’s bug repellent must have kept the bugs at bay cos we did not see any …which, given the shade and the humidity, was surprising.

It was a well marked trail with quite a few people out, lots of families and lots of kids…which was nice to see.

The trail is around 2 and a half miles ( a bit more than 4 km ) out and back…so it was not long before we were in sight of the falls.

…and then the Grotto Falls themselves…..very cool…..

People were very polite about allowing everyone else to take their photographs…and taking turns passing under the falls….

The path continued up and around the corner…..

….but as far as I could tell from the map there was no other viewpoint and lots of dense forest ahead…so we turned back down….

The challenge for the blogtographer was getting the shots that make it look like we were the only ones out there……LOL….

…and of course he also had to clamber out into the rocks in the middle of the creek to get the best shots…!!!!

We met some very lovely people along the way….chatting as we followed the trail ….

I’m not sure how he managed to get those shots without the people we were chatting to…LOL….!!!!

Having started out early we still had half the day to fill. So we had brought a change of clothes and the means to do a military style wash down skillfully concealed by the doors of the truck…and then followed the continuing slow roll of cars back to the gate of the park.

There were a few stops along the way……

….for picturesque waterfalls……

…and mother nature’s water features…..

…as the photography guy goes clambering again……. (spot me at the bottom and him at the top..!!)

….and a young bear along the road……

We had found our favourite frozen custard vendor, Andy’s Frozen Custard , in Gatlinburg….so a little reward for the morning hike….!!! ( lunch….!!!..Key Lime pie frozen custard….a whole slice of key lime pie crumbled into frozen custard….Wow….!!!😁😋)