Rafting was a riot, I've never done that before. The weather was perfect, the river was mostly shaded, and we had a wonderful time. For some reason, the guide, who's seated in the rear, had Kathleen and I seated in different seats. At least I was far enough away that she couldn't wack me with that paddle...
Toward the end of the ride, we hit the class 3 rapids... Oh Yeah !!!
Needless to say, we all got wet. Notice we're all wearing PFD's. After we gave them back to the guide, he plunged them into a large tank of chemically treated water and then hung them up to dry. I asked him why they did that and he said that mildew was a constant battle and that this enabled the life vests to last a little longer before finally succumbing to the dreaded problem and becoming discolored and smelly. He said they rarely last more than a year. I asked about the chemicals in the vat, explaining that many guys on the forum here use cooling vests and struggle with mildew. He said that there's no substitute for drying them out as soon as possible... every time they're used.
Back to the cottage that afternoon and had some dinner. I spent a coupe hours finishing up my Coast to Coast in 48 1/2 hours thread, and it was off to bed. Next day we decided to do some hiking. Keep in mind that Kathleen weighs xxxx (edited due to dangerous subject matter) and is in excellent physical shape. Dad, on the other hand carries perhaps 30 lbs. that he doesn't need. We chose a trail called "Chimney Top" just south of Gatlinburg. We loaded up the equipment and headed off on my FJR. Kathleen didn't want to have to deal with riding the Honda quite that far. However when we got there, it was closed for repairs. We chose another nearby (and apparently EXTREMELY popular) trail called "Alum Cave."
Here's a link to info about it:
CLICKY
Almost all of this hike was uphill, and at times it was grueling. I think the hike was 2.6 miles one way. We climbed something like 1,125 feet. Temps were fairly cool, for which I was REALLY thankful. Kathleen took a pic of dad here holding on for dear life to the steel cable provided for those with poor balance.
Sometimes the lighting wasn't the best in these pictures, but the scenery was incredible. It seemed like it got better and better the farther we went.
There were a number of small bridges made from logs shaved flat on the top with a fairly solid hand rail to hold on to. This was a really well maintained trail and I sure did appreciate the time and energy someone put into it to make it safe. Though this picture doesn't show it, the river flowing under it was amazing. It flowed a good deal of water over some really huge rocks. It was fairly loud and I found myself pausing to just look and listen every time I walked across... we must have crossed them 15 times.
Below, we're climbing through a large tunnel. Workers placed stone steps to allow hikers to climb perhaps 30-40 feet up through this thing. One hiker said that 12 years ago, it was considerably more difficult to get through this section. I got to go up first...
Below, Kathleen is coming up after me. You know, I spent the whole trip trying to catch up to her. The only reason she's behind me was my request to take this picture. Here she's climbing to the top of the same tunnel that I was climbing above, which she did quite a bit quicker than I did.
At the end of this uphill nightmare was the reward. We got to enjoy the most amazing 40-50 foot overhanging rock formation. It was stunning and well worth the work it took to get there. It certainly rivaled anything I saw in my trip out west earlier this summer.
This picture unfortunately didn't show it real well. Oh well. Truth be known, it's been many years since I went hiking. This was quite an experience for me. At the end of it all, I discovered that it can be as hard going back down as it was going up. The muscles in my legs were shaking from the strain of going back down. I had to stop to rest multiple times. Kathleen was great during all this and patient with dear old dad. We had a great time. We hopped on the FJR and headed back to the cabin. It was about a 2 1/2 hour trip each way. By the time we got back, we grabbed a quick bite to eat, and took refuge in the cabin. We'd been gabbing back and forth on the Sena and had planned to take one final ride on the Dragon later on. We'd gotten back to the cabin at about 5:30pm. However, 2 hours later, Kathleen was STILL sleeping and it was time to make a decision: go for a ride, or load 'em back on the trailer? Unfortunately, Kathleen didn't have the steam to go riding, so I loaded both bikes back on the trailer, and first thing the next morning, we were on our way back home.
With Robbinsville in the rear view mirror, I had high hopes that we could make it home in a reasonable amount of time. I'm happy to say that THIS TIME, everything went according to plan. Kathleen was home, her Honda was in her garage, and I was finally back home, 90 miles west of her place in Orlando, safe and sound and IN MY OWN BEAD for a change.
So after my 6k ++ trip across the nation, ending with that amazing 50cc ride, a weeklong trip to Saint Augustine with daughter Kelly and granddaughter Savannah, and this 5 day trip to the Tale of the Dragon, I'd say it's been a really great summer. I'm almost glad to get back to work at the school. You know what? I need a rest. And I definitely need to do something about earning a paycheck again. As ya know, teachers don't get paid in the summer.
Gary
darksider #44
