Most people know that I like the outdoors, and whenever I saw a sign for a park, I tried to stop. This was one place that caught me by surprise, and I’m very happy that I stopped.
Sign, of course
Curious one-lane bridge
But where does it lead…
The mill
The bridge
A beautiful spot
The mill stones
After 2 days presenting at Jefferson Community & Technical College in Louisville, KY, I took the long road to visit my mentor in Yellow Springs, OH. On the way was a great stop at Clifty Falls State Park. Unfortunately, the water level was extremely low, but the rock formations must make beautiful waterfalls. Here’s what I saw:
Main falls
Part of the walkway
Top of the falls
Behind the falls
Rocks along the trail
Looking up from the last image (one of my favorite shots)
Jeff, my guide
We were on the “rugged” trail (the sign makers need to come to Oregon)
The falls from a distance
A closeup of the falls from a distance
There are many more photos of the park on my Shutterfly site.
I have had an amazing time in Louisville (pronounced loo-uh-vull). This is another place that I need to revisit.
Downtown Louisville
I was able to visit some beautiful places:
Locust Grove
Captain’s Quarters
Cave Hill Cemetery (that’s a real dove)
At Cave Hill Cemetery
A pedestrian bridge across the Ohio River
Ohio Falls
The dam
My last evening was spent at the Bristol in Jeffersonville, IN.
Dinner
It was wonderful, and I hope to return soon.
One of the fun things that I did while in Louisville was to walk across the Ohio River on the new pedestrian bridge. It was a beautiful day, and it was very calming. If you Louisville and have time, do this.
The east side of the bridge
To the west
To the east
An absolutely beautiful day
Chanticleer Inn is a gorgeous bed and breakfast on Lookout Mountain south of Chattanooga, TN. The B&B is actually in Georgia, and everything about the place (except the mosquitoes), was beautiful.
When I arrived, I was greeted by the evening hostess and shown to my room (cottage #8). My room was very comfortable. They had my room ready with the lights on, the cookbook I pre-ordered wrapped as a gift, and ice in the ice bucket.
They didn’t prepare my bath, but they left me a friend and bath salts.
The grounds were beautiful even though it was the end of the summer. Their logo is a rooster, and I liked the weather vane.
Breakfasts were fantastic, and there were teas, cookies, and dessert in the evenings. There was a nice seating area in the main building where we could relax.
However, I preferred the lights on the outside deck. Actually, after I learned to use bug spray in the evening, I enjoyed it.
I want to go back when I can truly relax and spend more time. On Saturday while I was there, I worked on my dissertation. It was time well spent, but when I return, I hope to have someone with me to share the experience.
Until about a year ago, Cummins Falls was on private property. I found the web site online and decided to visit. I was hoping to present on Nashville State’s campus, so I was wearing a dress and sandals, but the presentation could not be scheduled. Nevertheless, I wanted to see the waterfall. There were two routes:
I decided to go to the downstream trail, but that was silly because it was actually quite a strenuous route.
So, at the next fork in the trail, I went to the overlook. Here’s what I saw:
It sounded wonderful, but I could not really see it from the “overlook.” At that location, I did meet a man with a Rottweiler puppy that loved me. The man said that I should check out a few other falls: Burgess Falls and Falls Creek.
The motel had visitors who spoke many languages. That has never bothered me. I don’t yet know Spanish, but people may speak without me becoming paranoid. There were people from India and the Middle East, and I had no desire to eavesdrop on their conversations.
There were two dining tables at the motel, and so people share. It is polite to at least acknowledge those you sit next to. This morning, an older woman was seated at the middle of the table, and someone’s things were across from her. I asked if I might sit at the end. She looked at me with surprise and confusion. I said again, “May I sit here?” I could not understand the words of her reply, but she nodded yes. I put down my things and went to get breakfast.
At the counter, an older man was helping a young man with the waffle maker. The man had a southern accent that wasn’t like any I had heard, but he spoke clearly, and I could understand what he was saying. When I turned to put my coffee on the table, I saw that the woman had moved down. I figured she was from another country and found my behavior too aggressive. Lord, I might try to speak with her again.
After I sat down with my scrumptious (sarcasm) breakfast, the man sat opposite the woman. I thought it cute that he had a bride who knew little English. They spoke now and then, but there was no in-depth conversation (you know how older couples get). I wasn’t really paying attention, but then it struck me that he was speaking to her in English, so what was she speaking?
It took great effort for me to finally figure out that she was speaking English, but she had a very different accent. I was immediately taken back to the time when I stopped at a beer tent in Northern Bavaria. When the music stopped and people started talking, I was lost. There were brief glimpses of German, but otherwise, unrecognizable. I gave up trying to figure out what she was saying. It would take more time than I had. Interesting, though.
As I write this, I am sitting at a rest area off I40 about 122 miles west of Knoxville. It would be nearly ideal here except for the diesel trucks that are running. This is an interesting pit stop because both east- and west-bound travelers go to one rest area on the north. The cicada are loud, and I see that many people travel with their dogs. (Just as an aside, I see his dog and her dog, and I wonder how many couples use their dogs to avoid their spouses.)
Highlights thus far include:
Added later: I took some detours and visited two waterfalls. I then drove through Sparta, TN on my way to Knoxville. I will post information about the two waterfalls separately.
This was a mixed day with some ups and some disappointments. Since it was Labor Day, many places were closed. My first experience in Franklin was that the downtown was blocked off because of a foot race. I got there just in time for it to be ending, but the place was still quite a mess. There were canopies, so I thought maybe food, drink, or craft vendors, but there were none of those. There were elementary schools soliciting, a radio station, weight loss groups, exercise vendors, and some type of zombie something.
I visited a few cemeteries only to find that several of them were in severe disrepair. I was the only one there, and I wonder if other people ever visit. The big touristy houses had many cars in the parking lots, but I didn’t go there because of the admissions fees. I visited a bookstore that advertised maps and posters, but the selection was laughable.
For lunch, I found a local BBQ place, BB’s BBQ. It was good and only a little over $10 for lunch. The only thing they could have done better was to provide napkins. (Seriously, who doesn’t provide napkins with BBQ?) I had white beans rather than baked, and I had vinegar slaw rather than mayo. Both were excellent choices.
On my way back to Nashville, I took back roads, stopped at Crockett Park, and saw some amazing homes in Brentwood (not California). At one point, there was a sign about a one lane underpass, and I was glad that I was following someone because it was right there at the 90-degree turn to the right. Bam! One lane. It went under whatever and there was another 90-degree turn to the left. Whoa!
The funniest thing that I saw was a caution sign for a church. I’m not sure why it was there because churches here are a lot like Starbucks in Seattle.
Finally, I went to the grocery store to find food for dinner. I went to Food Lion or Lion King or some big store. The young woman at the checkout was not enjoying her job. She was nearly rude to the three people before me. She asked to see my ID and had trouble finding whatever she was looking for. She handed it back to me without saying much, and I asked if she looked at the photo. It seemed to surprise, her that I was talking. She looked (it’s really bad). I told her that I prepped a lot for that, and she laughed. I think that I changed her day.
Photos of the day are posted on Shutterfly.
At the Portland airport, I spent a long time in CC McKenzie, but I didn’t buy any clothes. There was a silk top that I loved, but they didn’t have it in my size. Several clearance items caught my attention, but they were more attractive on the rack. Shoes were on sale, but fortunately, the colors were not what I was wanting. There were adorable sandals in silver that I nearly bought, but they were rather expensive.
Since they changed my flight at the Eugene airport, I was assigned an aisle seat for the 4+ hour trip (so much for my vigilance to check repeatedly for my window seat assignment). I looked at the seating chart, and there were several middle seats available, so I knew the flight wasn’t full. Next to me was a large couple with a 7-week old baby. On the other side of me was a woman with a slightly older baby in a baby seat.
I should mention that there are 2 small dogs in carriers on this flight. On the packed flight from EUG to PDX, a tall, lanky young man had a large service dog. The dog was crammed in on top of his owner’s feet. They tried to fit a large crew member next to the man, and it was painful to watch. I am not sure where they moved the crew member, but they did. I know it’s a short flight but a big dog should not be squished in under the seat.
On my current flight, my row must have looked quite uncomfortable because the attendant asked me if I wanted to move. The baby to the right was crying, and the man to my far left needed at least 1.5 seats. I didn’t want to seem rude (like I hated babies), so I told the woman to my left that I would move to give them more room. She was quite happy. They wanted to put me in an aisle seat, but the two back rows were completely empty. Yup! I had a window seat with no one next to me.
According to the attendant, pets in carriers must remain there throughout the flight. Service dogs, on the other hand, may be on leashes based on those I have seen. The little dog in the row in front of me continues to whine, and the dog’s owner ignores it. (I’m reading Temple Grandin’s book Animal Make Us Human, and I wonder what she’d say about this.)
Because it’s the first of the month, Alaska Airline’s menu changed. They heated pulled pork sandwiches, and the aroma made my stomach growl. Being in the last row, I figured they would run out of semi-decent food, which nearly always happens when I want to purchase something. She told me they still had sandwiches, and she grabbed mine right from the oven. Yum! Maybe the best airline food I’ve ever eaten (or maybe I was hungry).
Feet up. Little chatter, babies crying, or whining dogs. Lots of reading and relaxing. It was hazy outside. I could barely see the Rockies, and what I did see lacked snow. I suspect the haze could come from forest fires, but I am not up on that. When we were about 30 minutes west of Atlanta, it seemed like overcast (well, there were clouds beneath us). When we landed, it was raining. Hot, but raining.
Photos are posted on Shutterfly.
Leadership Tour 