Doomsday Prep part 1

Can you believe my town is the epi-center of the outbreak in our state...and no one can figure out the source of the contamination...an elderly lady who had not traveled tested positive and was hospitalized.  And now we have 16 cases in our town...(as of publishing that number has risen to 25 29 45)

So I know you're wondering where is the doomsday prep? Well we stopped at Dollar General and grabbed a 4 roll of Scott toilet paper...JIC.  Now I'm happy we did I went for supplies Wednesday afternoon, and no bread, and no TP on the shelf. 

We went about most other things as usual, but we are avoiding crowds for sure... we're outside and doing what we enjoy! A virus dies once it's outside and can't find a new host to infect so outside is the best place to be! I don't know the shelf life of this CV-19 but getting outside sure can't hurt. 

Saturday we got back on track after we took it a little easier on Friday.  And left right on time for the 3 hour drive to....

We had hopes of seeing something cool...and we did! The best way I could think of to spend a scary day on this Planet is by enjoying this planet. 

 

Wait, what duck is that just poking out of the grass on the left?? It just happens to be one of the ducks my sis wants for her life list the American Black Duck...

Yes! And we were the only ones who listed that one  on that day so I guess no one saw it but us! He was in a good spot to hide in this grass...Anyways it was CONFIRMED by ebird, which is more rare than the sighting.  

Got reptiles?

A Laughing Gull, American Avocets, and Black Bellied Plovers...

It is really beautiful here!  They just opened for the season.  

Bald Eagle

Blue Winged Teal 

tons of shorebirds

immature Little Blue Heron 

We had such fun!  She looks this way I  look that! lol

tons of Dunlin...

We found a Marbled Godwit! Haven't seen one in a long while so this was nice!  

We had rolling in and out clouds but mostly it was sunny!

American Avocet..mirror mirror on the ground... who's the prettiest Avocet around?

Shorebirds!! Galore!!

Greater Yellowlegs 

Blue Crabs!

Another Lunch view! We eat the same thing everyday this way it's simple to figure out what to take! 

 

Glossy Ibis in single file...

Boat Tailed Grackle...on a blue sky.

We had a full day of birding, and great sister conversation!  Sunday we took the day to stay home, took some new flowers to Mom's burial site, and had my son over for "linner".  Caught up on what he is up to...and Monday we were right back out there in Nature Doomsday Prepping!

Yes the Park was Open we were happy to know since everything seems to be coming to a halt all around us.  If you recall the last time we came here we brought Mom with us...*sigh* and she was not herself and asked to go home so we didn't get to do much of the boardwalk loop which is 3 miles.  We were not going to push her for 3 miles, but we took her for a short stroll on the boardwalk, this was her last outing in Nature besides sitting on the porch at home. 

Migration seems to be coming on strong and we had good numbers of the early arrivals...like Northern Parula...I was not lucky with a good photo of one they are normally curious enough to come right down...

But they stayed up against the dull sky we had on Monday.  

It was cold so I was bundled up in layers...no I'm not trying to be weird with my hat on backwards, it's easier to get my binoculars up to my eyes with the brim facing backwards..lol

Hey sis wait up!  The swamp was greener than normal from all the rain we've had...

Hermit Thrush were not scared to come eye to eye with us...Hi there. 

Yet another backpack lunch with sis and a view of Weston Lake from the boardwalk...

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker

My feet were hurting by this point as we were on the homestretch of getting back to the Visitors Center.  Of course we stop every other minute so it takes us hours to go 3 miles.  The Carolina Wren enjoyed a frolic  on a mossy log. 

 

We had some beautiful warblers to swoon over like another Yellow-throated Warbler...

So I think I need to chop this post in two, part II will follow in an extra post tomorrow!  With the virus literally breathing down our necks sis made the decision to fly home early before they possibly shut down the airport! They already put in an 11-6 curfew in Columbia, so who knows what is next...stay tuned for part II of our type of Doomsday Prepping. 

PEACE

Every day is a new Adventure.

Fall Creek Falls SP, TN

Friday we left as planned, zoomed up to TN, it was nice to see a different landscape as we drove the ribbon of highway wove it's way through solid rock!

We are staying at the Falls Creek Falls Inn, this park was established in 1944...the Inn is old and could use a make over but the food is good and the room has cool AC! And it's Casey Approved!



it sits by the lake and they could do some tree pruning...as it seems the trees are blocking the lake view...

the lodge from across the lake 

The lodge, 

here is the Fishermen's cabins we hope to rent one at some point and spend a week!

the water level is sooo low a hot dry summer has left the entire east with low water levels, we had a wet spring but then it just stopped and got dreadfully hot....so the big falls was barely a trickle...still an amazing fall off the cliff @ 256 ft!

2007

And this is a shot I took of the falls back before digital so this is a copy of that print, when the falls was running FULL Throttle. Probably in 1990's

What a difference rain makes...

We drove along the Gulf as it's called here, a deep gorge.... and then we took a short hike to the Piney Falls overlook, can you spot it on the left...the gorge here is awesome...you can obtain a back-country permit and camp in the Gorge. 

On our short hike, we passed this Mortar probably Indian, as the Cherokee Tribe once lived in these rugged Cumberland Mountain Range...

Cane Creek Cascades Falls 40 ft

cane creek gorge

cane creek downstream

We both walked over the swinging bridge that used to scare us when we were kids...now we waltz over after all life has tossed upon us we feel invincible! Here is my sis on her trip over..

The bridge over cane creek 

Sis

me 

Piney Falls 95 ft 

Near the overlook for the Big FCFalls is a point called Rocky point. It's one of my favorite views in the park...

Rocky Point

Part of the reason we are here was our Yearly Family Cemetery Decorations everyone brings a covered dish and its like a reunion as well where we commune with our passed loved ones! It was an excellent turn out!  We made up nearly $1,500 when we passed the hat around!! It was nice to catch up with our cousins and others we haven't seen in forever!

So this was Friday and Saturday's events and Sunday We went Cemetery-ing!! That will be next!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.