By taking myself on a little excursion to Tennessee, hitting both Kentucky and Tennessee State Parks both ways, I feel I made up for my writing lapse. It was good to get out of the local area, out of the house on a couple of non-work days (that were not cloudy and cold), and do some "scouting" around for future site visits.
But, before I get too far ahead of myself, I want to flashback a bit to something I started almost two years ago now - my "Life Calendar".
I found this calendar after reading some really good articles on procrastination from the author of "Wait, But Why?" It's compact design allows you to see a life-span of 90 years in the space of a standard-sized poster board (2ft x 3ft). Each block represents one week and there are 52 weeks across and 90 years down.
The blue square on the calendar pictured here marks the week when I first started using it. The squares I've colored yellow are average weeks with no significant accomplishments towards any life goals. The yellow-green to green weeks represent weeks that I did manage to accomplish something major towards my personal goals - like posting to this blog. As is easy to see, there have not been as many green weeks as yellow ones so far although I'm off to a good start for the first week of my 52nd year!
One of the purposes of this calendar is to reinforce the fact that the time we have in any given life Has a Limit! And we should keep in mind how really precious our time here is. It was a bit of an eye opener for me when I colored in that first blue square and realized that I was well past the half-way point for a 90 year life span. Granted, I may live longer than that, but the truly healthy, fully-functioning years I have left are clearly limited, and I do not want to take that for granted! In addition, given the personal history I've spoken of before, I continue to feel like I'm having to play "catch-up". Who knows if that feeling will ever go away?
Part of the reason for my trip south was to visit the closest REI store to me in Brentwood, TN. I've been thinking about getting a hiking backpack and I wanted to take some time to actually get fitted for one, although I will probably end up ordering it on-line now that I've figured out what I need. In addition, I picked up some cleaning and waterproofing solutions for my hiking boots, old cycling rain coat, and black Goretex pants.
On the way down to Tennessee, I passed through the Mammoth Cave Park Visitor's Center. I had read in The Wright Guide to: Free and Low-Cost Campgrounds that Mammoth Cave State Park has quite a few back-country trails and primitive camp sites. It's kind of funny because I was on my way back to my car, glancing at some of the literature I'd picked up, when I realized I really didn't have anything for back-country camping, which was one of the main goals of my visit. (Guess I was overwhelmed by all of the cool stuff at the gift store and historical/informational walking tour!) So I turned myself around and went back into the visitor's center and asked one of the staff about campsites. Turns out I actually NEEDED to ask in order to get an official Back-country Camping map as they only print a limited number and, consequently, only give them to people who really want them! I'm sure glad I decided to go back in!
In addition to the map, I also had one other thing I wanted to look into of a more personal nature. Sometime in the mid-'80s, I was part of a surveying team along with my boyfriend at the time, Frank Bogle. (I think...? We've been in contact since and he doesn't remember it...?) The mission of the team was to continue exploring unmapped areas of the Mammoth Cave System, a mission that continues to this day. I had the opportunity to be the first to enter a "virgin" passage and was told, at the time, that they were going to name it "Lori Lane". As I was curious if that ever actually happened, I took a moment to discuss it with the gentleman at the information desk. He was intrigued and offered to do whatever he could to find out for me, taking my contact info so he could follow-up. He called me back later that day to let me know he was putting it into the hands of people "further up the chain" (so to speak), and would continue to do whatever he could to answer my question. It was very gratifying to interact with someone so genuinely interested and helpful. As of the writing of this post, I haven't heard anything else.
From Mammoth Cave I continued south to Brentwood and the REI store. I headed for the restroom first and as I passed I was greeted by an older gentleman who worked there, and then I also heard him ask of another customer something along the lines of, "Are you finding everything okay?" It kind of struck me: a) this is a retail store...like Lowe's, and b) that's exactly how I interact with customers as well! Then I got to thinking, "Hmmm? Maybe I should consider working for an REI store at some point in the future?!"
As I came out of the restroom I headed straight for the man who had greeted me and shared my thoughts with him on working in a retail store, which he appreciated. I then explained my need to be fitted for a backpack. He helped me first to determine my torso length with a harness designed for that purpose, then through testing two styles before a young woman employee came over and showed me a third, which probably turned out to be the better choice for me. They were both very helpful, let me know there was a 20% off Member Coupon coming out soon, and also reminded me of the Garage Sale on March 18th. However, as I had already "spent my wad" for the trip I was currently on, I figured the Garage Sale was probably not in my future. It's okay though, as I still feel I made out pretty well at the one I went to in Atlanta, GA back in 2015!
From Brentwood I traveled mostly east to Cookeville, TN to visit with Eston and Peggy Evans who have been friends of mine since I was a student at Tennessee Tech. I knew Eston first as my German Professor, and then he and Peggy as something close to "adoptive parents" after my mom went into the mental hospital.
Before unloading the car, we took a quick tour around their yard and I showed them as many of the edible plants as I could pick out including Pennsylvania Bitter Cress, Henbit, and Chickweed...nibbling along the way. I managed to identify many of them in my own back yard recently, so all were familiar to me. I also pointed out that they could make tea from pine tree needles. I shared some of the small buds with them. Eston said they tasted like Gin! (I haven't consumed much gin myself, but I will keep that in mind for future reference!)
Eston cooked up a tuna and pasta dish for supper and our lively conversation continued through that and into the living room afterwards. Next morning, we went to breakfast at Grandma's Pancake House were I had some yummy Mandarin orange crepes. Upon our return to the house, I loaded my overnight bag, etc. back into the car. A few pictures later, and multiple good-byes, and I was back on the road again. It was really good to catch up with two people I feel so very grateful to call friends!
For my trip north I decided to stop at Standing Stone State Park near Hilham, Tennessee. I paused at the dam of Kelly Lake, and then headed on up the hill to the Vistors' Center.
I noted the very well developed cabin camping area, tried to identify some of the trees, and then went inside.
In the very tiny "gift shop" area I found some really cool, weatherproof, identification pocket guides. I looked through the rack carefully, double-checked the cash I had in my purse, and bought as many as I could afford (with about 7 cents to spare)!
From the Visitor's Center I headed back down to the dam/lake area, parked the car, grabbed my camera, and headed down the trail that ran very close to the edge of the lake.
The water was really clear and looked like perfect bluegill and bass habitat. I followed the trail all the way to a large covered pier, continuing to be impressed with the accommodations. I picked up a couple of worm containers someone had left behind and headed back to the car as quickly as I could. I had gotten it into my head that if I could purchase a one-day fishing permit, I might just stay to fish since I always keep my tackle in the trunk of the car!
Leaving Standing Stone I continued north on TN-136 to TN-52 towards Celina and reached Dale Hollow Dam only a short time later. I took the road to the Dale Hollow Dam Recreation Area, and, camera in hand once again, began wandering the banks and grounds, taking pictures of potential/prime campsites, the shoreline with deep clear water, and a few wildflowers along the banks (to be identified later). It was quite beautiful and peaceful (as the camp was closed and I was the only person there)!
(The flowers I later identified as Periwinkle and Speedwell.)
I drove up to and across the dam itself, continuing to take pictures along the way, scouting out other potential (shoreline) fishing spots.
I was working with a bit of a time limit since I was due back at the Green River Lake Corps of Engineers Visitors' Center to lead the Friends of Green River Lake meeting the same evening. Before getting home, I made one last stop at Long Hunter Outfitters and had a little chat with Shane, sharing my experience visiting the parks, and showing him the identification guides, thinking it might be something he and Daniel, the owner of the store, might want to stock.
I made it back home in time to make a couple of sandwiches for me and my dad for supper before heading to the FGRL meeting. All-in-all, I feel it was a very productive two-day, mid-week excursion!
The follow-up has been to take all of those pamphlets I collected and get them organized! To that end, I will offer that some time ago, I already started a notebook to keep track of Tracker School/Alone Show related expenses and miscellaneous product info. It made sense to just add a few more clear plastic sheet protectors to put all of my new info and maps in as well.
As you can see, I've got my pocket for my local NatGeo topo maps, as well as other paper maps and guides. I'm a little partial to hard copies in the first place, but as I have been watching "Survivorman" episodes recently, he does tend to make a point that your phones/GPS units might not always work, especially in remote areas. Besides, it really is a lot easier to get a broader overview of your surroundings with a larger paper map compared to a smaller iPad or iPhone screen.
(I've got some more to say about maps and logistics/trip planning, but I'll save that for a future post!)
As for the next "New Moon Challenge": A) Remember Life Is Short! If you're having trouble grasping just how short it is, get your own "Life Calendar" from "Wait, But Why?". B) If you're having trouble finding time to Get Out There: Next time you take a road trip Anywhere see what parks are along the way, or could be if you left time for a side-trip. If you're on-line, be sure you zoom in on your map as those little green areas don't always show up in the more distant overview. Even if you don't plan to stay (right away), just stop and take a look around for future reference. It's not always easy to know what's available just from looking at pictures on a website. C) Lots of "left-over" winter weather hanging around in some areas as I write this (March 20th). However, some prime wild edibles are starting to grow and now is a great time to grab your guides and do some "yard work"; i.e. find whatever you can eat that's already growing in your own yard! You might be lucky enough to make a wild green salad like this one!
Consider that "ground zero" of your own personal knowledge map...something else I'll be writing about in my next post!
Until then...Happy Spring! And Happy Hunting, Gathering, and Scouting...in no particular order!
(P.S. Still figuring out how to best get these posts out on schedule! More practice required! :) )
