IT was Memorable!

Sometimes I amaze myself how Stupid I am--honestly.  Last year I took off trippin' out west and made arrangements to travel with my sister on Memorial Day to Zion National Park..we had a super trip...but OMG it was so crowded and honestly I never gave it one thought that it was a holiday weekend--

WELL wouldnt you know I did it again!! And this time I was in TN, we were invited to join most of our family back in TN where we all originate from to help my aunt Jean celebrate her 70th birthday!! GREAT I love Fall Creek Falls Park where the party would be held at picnic shelter #1, So I booked rooms at the Inn for 2 days--WE decided to take the dogs on their first big car trip...they get an A- for barking at every single stranger they saw (which was everyone) but honestly, people are crazy they run at strange dogs with their hands outstretched, you could almost hear the dogs thoughts.."OF ALL THE NERVE I DONT EVEN KNOW YOU."..lol they cringed and gave that look like they were aghast with indignity...

                                                                My Second Cousin Bumpy



Fall Creek Falls SP is such a beautiful place with all the waterfalls, rocky gorges, and the lake so its a wonderful place to go at almost any time, Except I will add Memorial Day--omg crowds is the word...

When we arrived the parking lot was jam packed--people everywhere, screaming kids by the dozens, dogs n cats, and just about everything--and it was 99 humid degrees in the Dense Shade, and the Cicadas were singing SO LOUD I wanted
 to slit my own throat to be rid of the noise, worse than water boarding I'm sure!!
So I went looking for the ranger to get his permission to drive the service road as he had told me I could-- Found 'em and he said "no"...too busy, if you come back tomorrow no problem (hmmmm) but today cant do it--GRRRR of course no use to argue so we found a shady picnic table for Mom to sit at and do a little 

people watching while the dogs and I hiked the trail to the waterfalls--

Meanwhile since we were in the area I decided to stay an extra day and go see Burgess Falls near Sparta, TN. Its about an hr north of Fall Creek Falls and back the way we have to drive anyways to get back to I-40 for the drive home...so I phoned ahead and booked a room in Crossville TN for the night--I called the park a week ahead and asked if I brought my Mom who has mobility issues could we drive the service road up to the waterfalls so she could have a look, "SURE NO PROBLEM"..so that was the plan

The trail was ok the dogs were getting pretty hot and I was already soaked thru with sweat-we had a rest while waiting for the viewing platform to clear off a bit so we could elbow our way  up for a look..

Like I said there are 3 falls each one bigger than the one before.  The trail is 1.5 miles round trip or one could walk the gravel road back and its a wee bit shorter, I guess, because I saw a lot of people chose to do that...But I stuck to the trail with the dogs, gravel is not the best surface for them to walk on...Check out the hanging pink tongues--they usually don't like to get in the water but this TIME they did..

 There is the lower, middle, and upper falls...along the Falling Water River these shots are of the lower section...

The Middle Section 

And finally the Upper section and the Main Attraction --a short video

And then we hiked down a spur trail that took us to the Top/Brink of the falls--ITS quite a chilling experience, I am not afraid of heights (well to an extent) but this one got me a little--I tied the girlz to a tree so they didn't accidentally push me over~

 -Back on the viewing platform this is a pano of the gorge and the main falls-

The falls is 136 ft high, and its a real beauty.  There is a trail to the bottom, but I didn't take that one I was pretty tired and the dogs were already pulling their leashes in the direction we had come!

One last look and back we went....WHAT a view eh? I certainly am glad I didn't pass up the chance to see this spectacular waterfall!! TN is a beautiful state, its wild and rugged and my birth state, I plan to do more exploring of in the future, just in this general area alone there are no less than 10 state parks and natural areas!!

back at the parking and picnic area....Mom didn't even notice the cicadas since one of her hearing aides quit working, and she had made friends in the picnic area who had shared food and water with her and was asked to join a family cookout (people are GOOD AT HEART) she accepted a bottle of cold water, a trail mix bar, but declined the burger cookout since neither of us are meat eaters.  But how nice that they offered eh? 

One ranger was hosting a demo with LIVE Snakes, MOM certainly wanted no part of that she is extremely afraid of Snakes...so we by-passed that one---We had a wonderful trip--- but next yr

I'M making a note on my 2012 Calendar on Monday, May 29th.... that will read:

Remember the last 2 yrs? STAY HOME AND GO NEXT WEEKEND!!! 

HA HA HA

PEACE

THE Future!

Wow its getting quite warm, yesterday it was 80 degrees, today 90!..I took my bike for yet a longer ride, Im up to 5 miles a day now without any problems--except DOGS!..Yesterday it was a pack of 4...and 2 of them were quite large!..HUGE in fact. When I looked back over my shoulder all I saw was TEETH...must develop a new strategy.
My friend and I walk together some evenings, we take our dogs, on a leash..and we enjoy a good chat...recently her toe became infected!..She had no idea why..but she sent me a message and she will be ready to start walking again this weekend. So Im looking forward to getting back to Walking dogs instead of being chased by them!

Im planning my vacation-s for this year...and my sister who lives in the Rocky Mountains area says she wants to hook up and lets go together....so I know I will be going to Aspen, CO and driving from there down to the Navajo Indian Reservation and visiting Monument Valley as well as many of the other fantastic spots in the deserts between Flagstaff AZ, and Albuquerque NM. We also hope to get in a 1/2 day water cruise and hike to the Rainbow Bridge via Lake Powell in Southern Utah. IM SO excited! Those of you who read my blog know I love the desert and feel a connection to it that goes beyond normal...almost abnormal or maybe paranormal.

NO Date has been set..but its just the best to know I will soon be back in the land Im so enchanted with. I wont be visiting Mesa Verde I had the pleasure of spending time there on a previous trip to the area. There is so much to see, its hard to see it all in one trip. Last time I also visited the Little Colorado Navajo Reservation, the Four Corners Monument, the Ute Indian Reservation, Cameron, and The Grand Canyon!... Yes that's me looking sort of silly in that hat...it started to rain, and well...

I am currently working on some seasonal artwork for Halloween!..BOO~ simple things that I hope will be purchased to help me keep my travel plans on the front burner!.. I will post some of that work when its finished.

Happy Blogging to all.