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Jun 18, 2013

Photos:

Bicycling Cades Cove Loop, GSMNP (June 1, 2013)

On Saturdays and Sundays the look road around Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed to vehicles, making it perfect for bicyclists and a few walkers and joggers (over 400 on June 1, 2013, when we did it). Kim, Forrest, Randy Humble, and I did a bike ride around the loop starting around 9 am, and got through before all but a few cars and motorcycles caught up with us. A clear early summer morning made the views great.

Jun 1, 2013

Photos: 20

Charlies Bunion Day Hike, GSMNP (May 31, 2013)

One of the classic day hikes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is from Newfound Gap to Charlies Bunion, about 4 miles of fairly difficult uphill hiking for much of the way but with scenic views that look out over much of the Park on both the NC and TN sides. Kim, her son Forrest, and I did a day hike on a perfect spring day to Charlies Bunion on May 31, 2013. There were lots of other hikers and a few backpackers, with an international flavor (we saw people from Holland, the Orient, the Mideast).

May 31, 2013

Photos: 26

Little Miami River Scenic Trail, Ohio (May 24-27, 2013)

The Little Miami River Scenic Trail is the fourth longest paved rail trail in the US, running somewhere around 75 miles though southwest Ohio and is used by over 350,000 people per year as of 2005. It follows the Little Miami River, a national and state scenic river, and is located northeast of Cincinnati. On a recent trip to a wedding in northeast Cincinnati, Kim and I took full advantage of the Little Miami Scenic Trail over three days, biking, jogging and walking almost 50 miles on the trail, between Milford and Fort Ancient State Park. The trail is world-class, extending through mostly forested areas and sometimes farmland. Its use is phenomenal, we saw at least 1,000 users over the three day weekend, and enjoyed the trail like the others. And the boaters on the adjacent Little Miami River add to the recreational use of the state park that extends along much of the trail.

May 24, 2013

Photos: 80

Dalai Lama in Louisville, KY (May 19, 2013)

His Holiness The Dalai Lama, surely one of the great people living today, gave a talk at the KFC "YUM" Center in Louisville, Kentucky, on Engaging Compassion. I've always been a fan of his and lamented the failure of the world, and the US, to do anything about the brutal occupation of his home land of Tibet by China in 1959 (but then of course they didn't have any oil), and more recently, with travel in the Far East, having grown to appreciate Buddhism as certainly one of the better faith based religions. So seeing him in person was well worth the four hour drive up to Louisville on Saturday and back late Sunday.

May 12, 2013

Photos: 14

Northeast Trip (New York City) (May 6-9, 2013)

After seeing some outdoor type sights in West Virginia and Pennsylvania, Kim and I spent two nights in New York City before going on to Connecticut to pick up her son Forrest at Trinity College. We jogged Central Park, which had a surprisingly large number of wildflowers. Ate at the three vegetarian restaurants that are usually rated as NYC's best. And saw a couple of plays, the very average "Newsies" and the superlative "Book of Mormon." I loved it and it was Kim's fourth viewing so it's also a big favorite of hers.

May 6, 2013

Photos: 87

Northeast Trip (Harpers Ferry, Gettysburg, and Delaware Water Gap) (May 3-6, 2013)

In early May Kim and I took a round-about way to pick up her son Forrest from his freshman year at Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, stopping at several sites along the way. First we spend a night at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, with it's Civil War history and the C&O Towpath along the Potomac River. Then Gettysburg National Military Park with lots more Civil War history. And finally the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, where the Delaware River cuts through the Appalachian Mountains and featuring the two highest waterfalls in Pennsylvania, which we hiked to. Then on to New York City for a couple of nights (see next album).

May 3, 2013

Photos: 126

River Bluff Trail Dayhike (April 22, 2013)

One of the very best trails for spring wildflowers in East Tennessee is the River Bluff Trail below Norris Dam, built and maintained by TVA. It's a 3.3 miles relatively easy loop (the sign says 3.2, my GPS says 3.3, one guidebook says 3.2 and the other 3.3) that first follows the moist river bank just above the Clinch River, then climbs to the dry ridge above for the return. The flowers are all in the first half of the hike and it's hard to be disappointed in April/May. Kim and I did the loop hike on April 22, 2013, a perfect day with sun and just right temperatures, and we saw over 10 species of wildflorwers, some of which are in the photos in this album.

Apr 22, 2013

Photos: 27

VIETNAM YOUTUBE VIDEOS

Apr 20, 2013

Photos: 2

Southeast Asia Trip (Phuket Island & Phang Nga Bay, Thailand) (April 6-9, 2013)

After Bangkok, we flew south to Phuket Island, Thailand, a major R&R location during the Vietnam War and now a bustling resort area. We were there to relax after a hectic travel pace for the last ten days and for a day cruise to see the spectacularly beautiful Phang Nga Bay on the June Bahtra II Chinese sailing junk. Hundreds of “sea stack” mountains dot the emerald green waters of the bay and a James Bond movie, The Man with the Golden Gun, was partially filmed on, appropriately, James Bond Island. The rest of our time was spend at the scenic mountain-side Boomerang Village Resort where we stayed or on the beautiful half-moon shaped Kata Beach. On our last day we had a poolside dinner at the resort and watched a quite good Elvis Presley impersonator (see videos of his performance with Kim dancing). Then the long series of flights back to the US, again via Seoul, Korea, with our only real concern of the trip being presented by crazy-boy Kim Jong-un’s missile threats in North Korea.

Apr 6, 2013

Photos: 123

Southeast Asia Trip (Bangkok, Thailand) (April 4-6, 2013)

After Angkor Wat we flew on to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. Thailand was impressive; it’s a constitutional monarchy with messy politics, but seems to be doing quite well economically. Their king is Bhumibol Adulyadej, who has reigned since 1946, making him by far the world's longest reigning current monarch; he is in frail health and was living in a hospital when we were there but is beloved by most Thais. We had our final outstanding guide in Bangkok, Somsak (Mike) Buayaem. And although we thought we might be “templed out,” such was not the case. Amazing the number of Buddha statutes all over Bangkok, including the fairly recently discovered Golden Buddha (10 foot high 5 ton solid gold Buddha), Emerald Buddha (2 foot solid jadeite Buddha), and Reclining Buddha (151 feet long and 52 feet high), all housed in spectacular temples. We saw probably more variety of restaurants, including even a Mexican place and numerous vegetarian and Italian eateries.

Apr 4, 2013

Photos: 129

Southeast Asia Trip (Siem Reap & Angkor Wat, Cambodia-Album 2) April 3-4, 2013

On our final day in Seim Reap, Cambodia, we saw the star of the show, Angkor Wat, getting up before 5 am for a view of the temple and a lake with the sun rising behind them, and then seeing the temple. We also saw several others, including the “Lady Temple” and the “Jungle Temple.” Angkor Wat is a superlative sight to be sure, whether at sunrise or anytime. One guidebook calls it “the symbol of Cambodia,” with four magnificent dark spires reaching 669 feet toward the heavens and which are known world-wide. Probably the pinnacle of Khmer architecture before their decline. It’s said to represent Mount Meru, the home of Hindu gods (but it was later converted to a Buddhist temple after that religion supplemented Hinduism in Cambodia). And especially amazing later on was the Jungle Temple, where many huge trees that envelope the walls and buildings have been left in place (one of which was featured in the first Laura Croft “Tomb Raider” movie). Then on to Bangkok, Thailand.

Apr 3, 2013

Photos: 91

Southeast Asia Trip (Siem Reap & Angkor Wat, Cambodia-Album 1) (April 2-3, 2013)

After Saigon, we flew on to Siem Reap, Cambodia, just north of the capital, Phnom Penh. Cambodia has gone through unspeakable horrors with the Pol Pot regime, but is recovering nicely. Siem Reap is mainly a tourist town from which you can explore 0over 1,000 ancient Hindu and later Buddhist temples and pagodas that were mainly built by the Khmer kingdom from 802 to 1295 CE. The scale is immense as they are spread over around 37 square miles. On our first afternoon in Siem Reap we took a boat cruise with guide Khemrint on Tonlé Sap, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. The next day we had another wonderful guide, Keng Savy, who patiently put up with our desire to see as much as possible. Although Angkor Wat (covered in the next album) is the major tourist-attraction temple, there are lots of others and some are almost equally good and on the 2nd day we saw some of the other temples like Angkor Thom, Thonmanon, Banteay Kdei & Phnom Bakheng, and never tired of seeing them.

Apr 2, 2013

Photos: 135

Southeast Asia Trip (Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Vietnam) (March 31-April 2, 2013)

After Hanoi and Halong Bay, we flew south to old Saigon, renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the brilliant Viet Cong leader who led successful efforts to repulse invasions by first the French and then the Americans, and became the first president of a unified Vietnam after the wars. Many still call it Saigon and it is very different from Hanoi. Saigon is the commercial center of Vietnam, with a capitalist appearance, bright lights, big modern buildings, and night life; Vietnam has emulated the Chinese by adopted a so far successful Communist political system but a quite free capitalist economic system. Another great guide, Thao, and probably the highlight of Saigon was visiting the Cu Chi Tunnels, near the end of the Ho Chi Minh Trail that provided the access for guerrillas attacking Saigon. The network of tunnels was extensive and included sleeping, dining, meeting and manufacturing areas, all underground and we explored several (which have been enlarged a bit for “western” bodies).

Mar 31, 2013

Photos: 109

Southeast Asia Trip (Hanoi & Halong Bay, Vietnam) March 27-31, 2012)

One of the places Kim and I have always wanted to see was Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the legendary capitol of the Khmer kingdom that spanned southeast Asia over a millennium ago and which is on every “top 100” list. And having served in the Marine Corps during the late 1960’s, when everyone was either going or coming or preparing to go (as was my 5th Marine Division) to Vietnam, I’d always wanted to see it in person since President Johnson decided not to escalate the war with our division. I got in touch with an outstanding Asian travel company, IndoChina Odyssey Tours, and a very helpful agent, Eric Kong. Eric put together a reasonably priced package that had us seeing everything we wanted to see, including 3 & 4 star hotels, admissions, cars, drivers, and guides, and four flights. We started with Hanoi, Vietnam, with a great guide, Nguyen Van Thangand, and also did an overnight cruise on Halong Bay, one of the scenic wonders of Southeast Asia.

Mar 27, 2013

Photos: 157

Piney Falls & Stinging Fork Falls Dayhikes (March 16, 2013)

A Harvey Broome Group, TN Chapter, Sierra Club, outing on March 16, 2013, visited three outstanding waterfalls on the Cumberland Plateau near Spring City, Tennessee: Lower and Upper Piney Falls and Stinging Fork Falls. We had 15 hikers who enjoyed a beautiful warm spring day, albeit we were just a bit early for wildflowers. Bob and BJ Perlack led the short hikes to the waterfalls. There are two Piney Falls, the upper and lower, with the upper being around 80 feet of drop into a spectacular gorge. Stinging Fork Falls is not as high, around 40 feet, but is equally scenic and is somewhat more isolated and remote.

Mar 16, 2013

Photos: 50

Florida Trip: Canoeing Sopchoppy & Wacissa Rivers and Panama City Beach (March 3-6, 2013)

On the second part of our Florida trip, we went back for a more leisurely paddle trip on the upper Wacissa, exploring some of the springs that create the river in an almost instantaneous fashion, and car camped at the put-in. We also paddled the Sopchoppy River (after it had dropped to a more manageable but still high flood stage). We continued to see lots of wildlife, and Ron counted 60 species of birds seen on the entire trip. Much of the trip we stayed at the Shell Island Fish Camp and can’t really brag about the good food in Saint Marks. The others did some more bird watching and drove back to Knoxville while Kim and I saw some tourist sites, including the location of a fairly important Civil War battlefield (Natural Bridge State Historic Park), a ranger-let boat ride on the Wakulla River, and a bit of time on the beach at the very touristy Panama City Beach, which neither of us had seen.

Mar 3, 2013

Photos: 134

Florida Trip: Canoeing Wacissa & Wakulla Rivers and St. Mark's NWR Hike (February 27-March 2, 2013)

During the last couple of years Ron Shrieves and I have planned late winter get-away outdoor trips to hopefully warmer Florida, kayaking the Everglades and hiking the Florida Trail. This year we planned a week of canoeing/kayaking some great Panhandle area rivers. But Nature intervened, and four days of record rainfall and a cold down-to-freezing front changed our plans. We ended up doing mainly spring-fed (and therefore not flooding) rivers and a day hike, and cancelled a multi-day boating camping trip. On this first part of the trip, Ron, myself, Kim, Barbara Allen, and Bob & BJ Perlack paddled the Wacissa and Wakulla Rivers, did a day hike and some roadside bird viewing in St. Marks NWR, and visited the St. Marks Lighthouse. And were rewarded with some great scenery ((Spanish moss, cypress trees, alligators, clean black spring water) and wildlife (a bobcat, several eagles, and numerous birds).

Feb 27, 2013

Photos: 154

New Year's Eve Party (December 31, 2012)

Kim and I hosted our 8th annual New Year’s Eve Party at her house for around 36 friends and everyone had a great time it seemed; we certainly did and truly enjoyed seeing everyone. Interesting was Duane Simmons and Conrad Ottenfeld who had not seen each other since high school when both attended a Tri-Cities area school and more importantly were in the same Boy Scout troop and camped together a lot...small world. Lots of great food and drink, including some old standbys like Judi Gaston's chocolate cake and Willa Reister's raisin bread and a new one, Conrad's chocolate fruit cups. A fair number of guests stayed until the New Year and even beyond, think the last guests left around 2:30 am. I think I've got photographs of everyone, although some more than others as usual because I tried to avoid blinking and such photos and simply didn't get the same number of everyone.

Dec 31, 2012

Photos: 60

Charleston and Kiawah Island Trip (November 27-December 3, 2012)

Kim and I try to go to Kiawah Island once a year and like the late fall, fewer people and weather is still good. So we headed down in late November and first spent a night in Charleston, then on to Kiawah Island. Both are wonderful places to spend vacation time. Charleston with its architectural beauty, restaurants and shopping, and ocean on three sides. And Kiawah with its miles of bike trails, one of the best beaches anywhere, over 10 miles long and 50 plus yards wide, and Low Country vegetation, wildlife and water. We had another great trip, mainly biking, jogging, reading, watching movie DVD's, cooking, and eating out a bit.

Nov 27, 2012

Photos: 83

Will's 70th Birthday Dinner (November 18, 2010)

Kim hosted a real surprise 70th birthday dinner for me on November 18,2012 (the real birthday is on the 22nd); I slightly suspected she was doing such when invited over to her house for a gourmet dinner, but she disguised her intentions very well and by the time I walked into her kitchen where 14 friends were waiting I had definitely decided there was no surprise party. Kim cooked a wonderful lasagna and salad dinner, with lots of appetizers and Barbara Allen's special whiskey sours and wine and had invited 14 great friends (she had to limit the number to her two dining table capacities). Ron Shrieves and Kim did these photos and movies and since everyone knew everyone I'm including only a few captions. The evening was perfect and thanks to Kim for making it happen.

Nov 18, 2012

Photos: 36

Grapeyard Ridge Trail Backpack, GSMNP (November 2-3, 2012)

Early November featured a rare combination of outdoor scenery in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, resulting from Hurricane Sandy. Fall colors at lower elevations, deep snow at higher elevations...fall and winter combined. Having been in India for most of the prime "leaf" season in the Southern Appalachians, Kim and I did a quick trip to see both snow and the tail end of the color, driving up to Clingman's Dome for the snow and a short overnight backpack to see the colors at lower elevations on the 7.6 mile Grapeyard Ridge Trail. For the time of year the snow was amazingly deep as the pictures will show. But down below we had a nice fall backpack with fall colors and relatively warm temperatures. We hiked from the Greenbriar Road to Campsite 32, where we spent the night, and the next day on out to the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.

Nov 2, 2012

Photos: 49

India Trip (Amritsar, Golden Palace, & Pakistan Border) October 20-22, 2012

Amritsar in northern India is the principal city of the Seiks, a religious offshoot of the Hindus (like Buddhism the Seikhs, among other things, properly objected to the “untouchable” facet of the Hindu religion). India has adherents of most of the world’s great religions and we saw many of them, culminating with the Seikhs in Amritsar. And more than ever those experiences emphasized to me the worthiness of at least some aspects of all the world’s great religions (tolerance is a key Seikh attribute). Like most people there’s some good (and bad to really bad) in all religions, which is exactly why I can’t say I’m such and such religion. In Amritsar we visited the Golden Temples of the Seikhs and the Hindus, golden buildings in small lakes, and visited the Pakistani-India border for an amazing “gate closing ceremony” that occurs before 10,000 or more people on both sides each evening

Oct 20, 2012

Photos: 135

India Trip (Jodhpur, Mehrangavh Fort, & Pushkar) October 17-20, 2012

I’ve always liked forts and castles and in the western India city of Jodhpur I found the best one I’ve seen (except maybe for Germany’s Neuschwanstein), the Mehrangarh Fort. Lonely Planet describes it as “rising perpendicular and impregnable from a rock hill...Mehrangarh is one of the most magnificent forts in India.” A highlight was an evening rooftop dinner, looking out over the city at the huge fort. We also drove north to Osian where our driver, Anit, as a young boy was taken by his grandfather on week long camel cart trips to buy chili peppers for resale. And to Pushkar, a city of temples built around a lake that Hindus are supposed to visit once in their lifetime. The entire town was vegetarian, not a single carnivore restaurant in town; a nice first for me as a vegetarian. A highlight in Pushkar was a ride on a camel cart out into the desert to see an incredible sunset.

Oct 17, 2012

Photos: 145

India Trip (Jaipur, Palace of Winds & Amber Fort) October 15-17, 2012

Jaipur wasn’t even on our list of cities to visit initially, but thankfully Javad, our Indian travel agent, urged us to see it. It is and was the capital of the state of Rajasthan, and as the capital there are lots of palaces, forts, minarets, and even an ancient observatory. We especially loved the Hawa Mahal, described by Lonely Planet as “an extraordinary, fairy-tale, pink-sandstone, delicately honeycombed hive that rises a dizzying five stories.” And to the north was the Amber Fort, a magnificent palace overlooking a lake, built of pale yellow and pink sandstone. Above the palace are two impressive forts stretching across the mountain ridge. Jaipur is famous for its precious stones and we visited a jewelry store where a little guy named “Bunty” read Kim’s palm and prescribed a surprisingly inexpensive gemstone (star sapphire) to “line up her Chakras (energy centers).”

Oct 15, 2012

Photos: 97

India Trip (Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, & Fatehpur Sikri) (October 14-15, 2012)

The book “Planes, Trains, and Auto-Rickshaws” describes the Taj Mahal in Agra as “one of the most stunningly attractive buildings in the world, and on that it definitely delivers,” with which we totally agreed. At sunrise, when we saw it, it’s simply a perfect classically Indian building constructed of white marble inlaid with jewels and located on the high banks above a river. But also in Agra is the Agra Fort, where the emperor who built the Taj Mahal was imprisoned after being deposed by his son, and just down the road is the impressive Fatehpur Sikri Fort/Palace, a colossal mistake as there wasn’t enough water for the city. Agra was also the location of our biggest mistake of the trip when we missed our stop on the train from Varanasi to Agra (my fault; the stop wasn’t called ”Agra”), and went “one stop too far,” which necessitated a three hour cab ride on bad roads to Agra.

Oct 14, 2012

Photos: 107

India Trip (Varanasi, Ganges River & Sarnath) October 11-13, 2012)

If India is the most “different” place we’ve ever seen, the city of Varanasi on the Ganges River is its epicenter of “differentness.” It’s one of the holiest of Hindu cities, and Lonely Planet correctly describes it as “fantastically photogenic” and as “one of the most blindingly colorful, unrelentingly chaotic and unapologetically indiscreet places on earth.” The worst traffic, most cows in the streets, oldest buildings that we saw (Mark Twain said it was older than history, tradition or legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together), but it was compellingly attractive. The sunset and sunrise boat rides (oar powered wooden boats) on the Ganges, with the rising/setting sun, bodies burning in the ghats, evening Hindu ceremony with incense and candles, were spectacular. We also drove north a ways to visit the city of Sarnath where the Buddha began his religious teaching.

Oct 11, 2012

Photos: 156

India Trip (Delhi, Red Fort, Ghandi Smriti & Humayun's Tomb) October 8-11, 2012)

India is an absolute kaleidoscope of sensory impacts, sights, smells, and sounds, which, as the Lonely Planet guide puts it, will “inspire, frustrate, thrill and confound all at once.” They say even veteran travelers see-saw between loving it and loathing it, and that dichotomy maybe best describes our reaction to India. We loved the people, history, culture, diversity, and grand architecture, but at the same time found some things hard to accept, like overpopulation, abject poverty beside wealth, cows in the streets, and incredibly bad traffic. Kim and I did an almost spur of the moment 17 day trip to India October 8-24, 2002, and never for a minute regretted going. Got our tickets on September 15, and off to India less than a month later; we had an appointment with an Indian travel agent, but no reservations except for the first two nights in a Delhi hotel. This first album is of Delhi.

Oct 8, 2012

Photos: 101

Barbara Allen's Completion of Appalachian Trail Dinner (October 6, 2012)

Barbara Allen finished her thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail in early October, after starting in early March, 2012, an amazing accomplishment that left a lot of her hiking buddies envious. Around 23 of her friends did a pot-luck dinner at my house on October 6 to celebrate Barbara's hike and these photos and movies were taken at that dinner.

Oct 6, 2012

Photos: 42

John Muir Trail Backpack (Rae Lakes, Glen Pass, Kersage Pass) September 4-7, 2012)

Our backpack on the John Muir Trail (JMT) continued as we hiked through what many JMT thru-hikers (the entire trial is 220 miles) deem the best part of the entire trail, the Rae Lakes Basin with numerous blue lakes and the granite spire of Fin Dome looming overhead. We then crossed over 11,978 foot Glen Pass to a high elevation camp just below the pass, and finally out via the Kearsarge Lakes and 11,845 foot Kearsarge Pass to the Onion Valley Trailhead. Besides the mountains and lakes, we saw several spectacular sunsets and met several interesting hikers, including a couple from Nashville hiking the entire trail with their 9 and 12 year old children, who seemed to be loving it. This album covers days 8-9 of our backpack. After the backpack we spent a night in Lone Pine below Mt. Whitney, and saw the Manzanar National Historic Site, a WW II Japanese internment camp, near Independence.

Sep 4, 2012

Photos: 130

John Muir Trail Backpack (Palsade Lakes, Mather & Pinchot Passes, Dollar Lake) (Aug 31-Sept 3, 2012)

Our backpack on the John Muir Trail (JMT) continued with simply unbeatable mountain wilderness scenery. Up the so-called “Golden Staircase” trail switchbacks to the Palisade Lakes, over 12,100 foot Mather Pass and 12,130 foot Pinchot Pass, and on to Dollar (one guy calls it “Million Dollar”) Lake. At Dollar Lake we reconnected with Ron, who had caught a stomach virus the first night and hiked out the 2nd day. Our entire 65.5 mile route crossed five 12,000 or so foot passes with descents down to about 8,000-9,000 feet, which made for difficult hiking although the trails, constructed for horses, were very well graded and maintained (altho strangely we saw zero horse people, only a few packers). But the scenery made up for the difficulty with peaks soaring to 14,000 feet, granite cliffs, deep forested valleys, and dozens of high mountain lakes. This album covers days 4-7 of our backpack.

Aug 31, 2012

Photos: 159

John Muir Trail Backpack (Bishop Pass, Dusy Basin, LeConte Canyon) (August 26-30, 2012)

The John Muir Trail (JMT) in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, between Yosemite and Sequoyah-Kings Canyon National Parks, is one if the world’s premier trails and provides wilderness views that draw accolades from anyone who hikes it. With friends Ron Shrieves, Andy Butler, John Finger, and Rob Davis (all from Knoxville except former Knoxvillian Andy who lives in Pagosa Springs, Colorado), I put together a 9 day, 65.5 mile backpack on the central part of the JMT, between the national parks. We started hiking the Bishop Pass Trail from the South Lake Trailhead on August 28, 2012, and finished 9 days later on the Kearsarge Pass Trail. This album covers the first 3 days. After spending some time acclimating in the Bishop area and seeing an ancient petroglyph area in the Owens Valley, we crossed 11.972 foot Bishop Pass down to the spectacular Dusy Basin, then on down into LeConte Canyon.

Aug 26, 2012

Photos: 139

Knoxville Urban Wilderness South Loop Trail Run (August 21, 2012)

The ribbon cutting for the new 10.1 mile South Loop of Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness was held on August 14, 2012, and I trail jogged (very slowly) the Loop on August 21 and came away totally impressed. Knoxville has something few cities have, and we’re fortunate. So many people were involved, but without Brian Hann and Matthew Kellogg of the Appalachian Mountain Bike Club and Carol Evans of Legacy Parks Foundation, it would not have happened. In much of the route you could be in the deep forests of the Southern Appalachians somewhere. And the trail construction by the AMBC is incredible. I started at the Mead’s Quarry Parking Lot at Ijams Nature Center (something else we’re fortunate to have) and went south, counter clock-wise. Flowers, trees, ridges and valleys, you see it all on this route. There are of course some road crossings and one fairly short road walk, but all it all it’s an incredible experience less than 3 miles from Gay Street in downtown Knoxville.

Aug 21, 2012

Photos: 86

Cold Mountain (Shining Rocks Wilderness) Sierra Club Backpack (August 11-12, 2012)

I led a Sierra Club backpack to a wonderful high elevation campsite just below the 6,030 foot summit of Cold Mountain (yes, that Cold Mountain of book and movie fame) in the Shining Rocks Wilderness in North Carolina. The Sierra Club has regularly done August backpacks in that wilderness since the mid-1970’s. The Cold Mountain hike from the Daniel Boone BSA camp is difficult, gaining 3,500 on an often steep/rocky trail. Clouds and fog on Saturday blocked the views but Sunday morning the entire wilderness stretching to the Blue Ridge Parkway was visible and outstanding. The hikers were Will Skelton, Line Pouchard,Mary Anne Hoskins, Brad Reese, Rob Davis, Mark Gilreath and John Finger. On Sunday we had a late lunch at a great Italian place in Waynesville, Bocelli’s, where they feature 2 for 1 spaghetti marinara, my dream special.

Aug 11, 2012

Photos: 55

Applachian Trail (Jones Falls & Elk River Falls) Sierra Club Backpack (July 14-15, 2012)

Just north of the Highlands of Roan in upper East Tennessee is a wonderful weekend backpacking route that isn’t nearly as well-known as the Highlands of Roan Traverse from Carver’s Gap to US 19E. Instead, this approximately 9 mile route starts at 19E on the Appalachian Trail and proceeds north, up and across Little Pine Mountain to the Elk River and a perfect campsite at Sugar Hollow, then up the Elk River to a trailhead reached from Elk Park, NC. Former pasture lands provide outstanding high ridge views of the Highlands of Roan, wildflowers are always present, and there are two outstanding waterfalls, Jones Falls and Elk River Falls. Five hikers made this Sierra Club trip on the weekend of July 14-15, 2012: Kim Robinette, Will Skelton, John Finger, Sharon West and Robin Ferguson. On a hot and muggy weekend, a swim at Elk River Falls provided the perfect end for the trip.

Jul 14, 2012

Photos: 73

Food and Friends (2012)

I'm occasionally posting here some photos of food and or dinners with friends.

Jul 4, 2012

Photos: 22

Turkey Trip: Troy, Dardanelle Straits, & Gallipoli Battlefield National Park (June 20-July 3, 2012

We closed out our Turkey trip by driving up the Aegean Coast back to Istanbul. And saw some incredible history, both ancient and modern. Beginning with a Roman hospital (Asclepion), one of the world’s three best in those times. Then to the place of legends and myths, Troy, which archaeologists by and large agree is the place Homer wrote about in the Iliad with its Trojan Horse and “Greeks bearing gifts.” Then on to the Dardanelle Straits and the tragic battlefield called Gallipoli where over 10,000 young Australia and New Zealand boys (“ANZAC” or Australian and New Zealand Army Corps), plus many English, French, and Indian soldiers, died largely due to the incompetence of the British officers (including Winston Churchill) who were in charge. A moving place, especially since many of our 16 or so co-tour people were from Australia or New Zealand. Then back to Istanbul for flights home.

Jun 30, 2012

Photos: 123

Turkey Trip: Pamukkale (Hierapolis and Travertine Cliffs), Aegean Sea, & Ephesus (June 27-29, 2012)

Continuing our Turkey trip, from central Turkey we looped east and south to the Aegean Sea. Stopped at the mosque of the founder of the “Whirling Dervish” sect of Islam in Konya. Saw the amazing mile long white travertine cliffs (limestone deposited by hot mineral springs) at Pamukkale, with an ancient Greek-Roman city above. Stayed at a wonderful hotel right on the Aegean Sea, with cool swimming. Visited the impressive ancient city of Ephesus, called the “Queen of Ancient Cites.” It’s only partially excavated, including two theaters, a marble street where Mark Anthony and Cleopatra walked, and the library of Celsius. One of the ancient world’s most important cities which is why John and Paul of the Bible chose to proselytize there, and the Virgin Mary came to live there. And we visited a Turkish carpet seller, where perhaps the world’s best carpets are made, and Kim ended up buying one.

Jun 27, 2012

Photos: 152

Turkey Trip: Cappadocia (Goreme Fairy Chimneys & Hot Air Balloon Ride) (June 25-26, 2012)

On our Turkey trip we next headed southward into central Turkey and spent two days in the Cappadocia/Goreme area, a wonderland of what they call “fairy chimneys” that protrude from the landscape like office towers. And indeed they were and are used for living quarters and churches, dug into the soft volcanic rock. The still colorful frescoes in some of the churches date to the 6th-10th centuries CE. A highlight of the entire trip was an early morning hot air balloon ride over many of the fairy chimneys, breathtakingly beautiful with the rising sun, hundreds of balloons, and the fairy tale-like landscape below. I’ve included several movies of that beautiful experience. And on the way to Cappadocia we stopped at an ancient Silk Road Caravan Inn, a walled fortress that provided a food and lodging for Silk Road travelers.

Jun 25, 2012

Photos: 132

Turkey Trip: Istanbul (Blue Mosque, Topkapi, Ava Sofya, Bosphorus) & Ankara (June 21-25. 2012)

Kim and I over the past several years have visited, with the exception of Turkey, the currently visit-able Middle Eastern countries we wanted to see (Morocco, Egypt, Jordan, Israel); we’d like to see but currently off limits are Syria, Iraq and Iran). So Turkey this year. We did a 9 day tour hosted by Key Tours (US) and Neon Tours (Turkey), both really first rate companies, and had as tour guide an extraordinarily talented man, Aydin Eroqhu of Istanbul (who spent a year as an exchange student in, of all places, Morristown, TN). First up was Istanbul with its beauty on the Bosporus Straits and mosques and palaces. Then a big loop around central and eastern Turkey, first across northern Turkey to its capital, Ankara. This amazing country impressed us with its history, people, scenery and economic vitality (by most standards it is a first world country). 3 more albums of the trip to follow.

Jun 21, 2012

Photos: 127

Mt. Rogers NRA Sierra Club Backpack (June 16-17, 2012)

Backpacks are almost always great experiences, but sometimes everything comes together to make them about perfect, and a recent overnight in the Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area in southwest Virginia was such a trip. The weather, people, scenery, campsite, everything. The hikers were Will Skelton, Kim Robinette, Conrad and Warren Ottenfeld, Sharon West, John Finger, Jenny Macfie, Robin Ferguson, Hiram Rogers and Jean Gauger. We hiked around or through much of the "Crest Zone" of Mt. Rogers that is so reminiscent of the west or northeast, open grassy meadows fringed with forest and accented with granite outcrops. Hiking distance was around 10 miles. Our campsite was a huge grassy meadow beside rock outcrops and forest, with the headwaters of Big Wilson Creek not far away.

Jun 16, 2012

Photos: 83

Greenway Jogs Here & There

I'm adding here some of my favorite greenway and trail jogs (and occasional bike rides) in and around Knoxville, mainly using Google Earth maps that I am gradually getting more familiar with; still can't believe Google Earth is free. Most of the routes are my standard 3.0 miles for jogging, and most of the greenways are paved with a few exceptions. All the Google Earth maps are taken from my Garmin GPS tracks while running the routes.

Jun 12, 2012

Photos: 14

Four Corners Road Trip: Navajo Reservation, Sedona (Oak Creek), & Tonto Bridge (May 29-June 1, 2012)

Farmington to Navajo Reservation (Shiprock, Canyon de Chelly National Monument & Hope Arch) to Holbrook to Flagstaff to Sedona (West Fork of Oak Creek Trail) to Payson (Tonto Bridge State Park) to Phoenix. The final days of my Four Corners Road Trip were spent in northern Arizona, mainly on the Navajo Reservation and in the Sedona area. Finally found the heart shaped Hope Arch and sawd Canyon de Chelly on the Navajo Reservation, visited the outstanding Museum of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff, hiked the somewhat famous West Fork of Oak Creek Trail and saw the beautiful red sandstone around Sedona (and saw at least three of the so-called “vortex” points that New Age people think are power sources). Then a scenic drive through the Mogollon Rim area and Payson, seeing what may be the largest natural bridge in the world, Tonto Bridge, a huge tunnel cut by the small Pine Creek into the earth.

May 29, 2012

Photos: 116

Four Corners Road Trip: Sand Canyon, Chimney Rock, & Cox Arch (May 26-28, 2012)

Cortez (Canyon of the Ancients National Monument) to Pagosa Springs (Chimney Rock Archaeological Area) to Farmington (Cox Arch and Aztec National Monument). I spent several days of my Four Corners Road Trip in southwest Colorado and northern New Mexico, seeing mainly scenic rock arches and Anasazi ruins. Hiking Sand Creek Canyon revealed a wonderful variety of Anasazi ruins, all with a scenic backdrop of Sleeping Ute Mountain. Chimney Rock was fascinating, two high spires on a mountain top where the Anasazi built kivas and stone houses, and probably communicated by fire and smoke with Chaco Canyon 100 miles to the south. Aztec Ruins National Monument preserved a classic Anasazi pueblo with hundreds of rooms and several kivas. And Cox Arch was hard to get to but especially scenic, perched on top of a mesa.

May 26, 2012

Photos: 117

Four Corners Road Trip: The Wave & Horseshoe Bend (May 23-25, 2012)

Phoenix to Page (The Wave and Horseshoe Bend) to Mexican Hat to Cortez. My first destination on my Four Corners Road Trip was a day hike to “The Wave.” It’s a world famous hike, but more so in Europe where it has been more publicized (only 2 of 20 hikers were Americans). A guidebook calls it “The crown jewel of the area…a magical place where the colorful sandstone gives itself to mind-boggling psychedelic gyrations…This truly unique site has become a favorite subject for photographers from all over the world.” Only 20 lottery selected permits are issued each day for hiking the 3 mile trail to The Wave and I’ve tried for several years to get one, and finally did. And it was worth the entire trip. Also saw Horseshoe Bend where the Colorado River forms a perfect horseshoe in a deep canyon. And then drove through the Navajo Reservation and San Juan River country to Cortez, Colorado.

May 23, 2012

Photos: 105

Four Corners Road Trip: Greenways & Food (May 22-June 1, 2012)

I’ve been taking vacations to the Four Corners area where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and Colorado meet since going west to Camp Pendleton as a young Marine Corps 1st lieutenant in 1966. But I’ve never gotten enough of it and am still doing vacations there, still seeing new things, mostly backpacks but some road trips with day hikes. Recently Kim took youngest son Forrest on a three week vacation to Europe, and I took the opportunity to go west again, primarily to see the relatively unknown here but famous in Europe rock formation known as “The Wave.” But that was only a day of an 11 day trip where I saw mainly new, but some revisited, sights of the area. And jogged some great greenways in Phoenix, Durango, and Farmington, saw some old Knoxville friends now living in Colorado, and had some great meals, which are featured in this first album of my Four Corners Road Trip.

May 22, 2012

Photos: 105

Mammoth Cave National Park (May 16-17, 2012) 4 2012

I did a two day trip up to Mammoth Cave National Park on May 16-17, 2012, mainly to attend a meeting of hte National Parks and Conservation Association's Southeast Regional Advisory Board, which I'm on, but also to see this outstanding natural area. My last visit was at least 25 years ago. I had time for a trail jog Thursday on several of the trails in the Visitor Center area, and went on an NPCA sponsored tour of Mammoth Cave, starting at the Historic Entrance. I'd forgotten that Mammoth Cave is different from many caves; it doesn't have significant stalactites or stalagmites but does have by far the most miles of caverns of any cave in the world, over 365 miles, at least twice the next longest. And the surface isn't bad either with the beautiful Green River that I've got to canoe and miles of green forest.

May 16, 2012

Photos: 53

Post-Backpack: Salt Lake City (April 25-27, 2012)

WEDNESDAY-THURSDAY-FRIDAY At the end of our Escalante Canyon backpack I spent a couple of days in Salt Lake City, before flying back to Knoxville on Friday. Salt Lake City has become a great outdoor town to spend time in, competing with Boulder, Colorado, Portland, Oregon, and such towns. A great greenway system and especially the Jordan River Greenway (I jogged 9 miles of it), all kinds of good restaurants including vegetarian and Mexican (and especially the Red Iguana Mexican Restaurant where I ate twice), history everywhere (often of course related to the inspirational story of how the Mormons came to the valley, whatever you think of their sometimes loony religion, pretty good retail with of course an REI, and looming over it all are the mountains of the Wasatch Range with their ski areas and trails

Apr 25, 2012

Photos: 80

Escalante Canyon, UT, Backpack (Up Escalante Canyon & Harris Wash to Trailhead) (April 22--24, 2012)

SUNDAY, MONDAY & TUESDAY We continued on up the Escalante River to Harris Wash and then up Harris Wash to the trailhead. The lower portion of Harris Wash was a beautiful canyon, with high sandstone walls, a narrows where the creek has cut a cleft through a high rock wall, an Anasazi grainery, and great campsites. The upper portion is beautiful but ruined by the infamous cattle that desecrate so many beautiful areas of the west…hopefully someday the government will pay attention to the recreational users of the area who far outnumber the cow people in numbers and economic importance and who have an incredibly light impact on the land compared to the cows. A drive back to Salt Lake City on Tuesday ended our 2012 canyon country backpacking adventure.

Apr 22, 2012

Photos: 88

Escalante Canyon, UT, Backpack (On Up Escalante River; Choprock Canyon Dayhike) (April 21, 2012)

SATURDAY On Saturday of our Escalante Canyon backpack we spent a lay-over day hiking up the beautiful Choprock Canyon, just across the Escalante River from our two-night camp. This beautiful tributary of the Escalante has narrows, a flowing creek, petrified wood, and high canyon walls. Amazingly, we passed under a large log washed down the canyon in a flood and which was lodged high above the canyon floor; the exact same log was in the same place on our 1995 trip.

Apr 21, 2012

Photos: 54

Escalante Canyon, UT, Backpack (Up Escalante River; Ringtail & Neon) (April 19-20, 2012)

THURSDAY-FRIDAY Our Escalante Canyon backpack continued as we hiked up the Escalante River on Thursday and Friday, fording the river as many as 15 or so times a day. The highlight of the entire trip was on Friday when we hiked up Neon Canyon to see the famous Golden Cathedral. It’s truly a work of natural art: you walk into a grotto, with a fern lined pool and high red sandstone walls all around. And directly above is a pour off and behind it two huge stone holes in the rock that the water has also created. A spectacular sight, made better by several people we saw rappelling down and the dancing lights that reflect off the pool. We also saw the slot Ringtail Canyon, so narrow you can barely fit through the slit in the stone. And finally some great Anasazi art on a high canyon wall.

Apr 19, 2012

Photos: 125

Escalante Canyon, UT, Backpack (Fox & 25 Mile Canyons to Escalante River) (April 16-18, 2012)

MONDAY-TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY Since 1980 Roger Jenkins has most years planned and led a week’s spring backpack in the canyon country of southern Utah/northern Arizona. This year’s adventure was into Escalante Canyon, mostly located in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and the new Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which didn’t even exist in 1980. It’s one of the most remote places in the lower 48, with the small town of Escalante being the last connected by paved road to the rest of the US. The backpackers included Roger, Susie McDonald, Andy Butler, Sue Butler, Terri Cox and Will Skelton. We started hiking on Tuesday, April 17, and descended toward the Escalante River via Fox and 25 Mile Canyons; this album covers the first two days. As often is the case, finding our way into the canyon wasn’t easy since the routes are not signed or blazed, are often on solid rock, and there’s no “official” trail.

Apr 16, 2012

Photos: 96

Gee Creek Trail Sierra Club Dayhike (March 31, 2012)

I led a Sierra Club day hike on March 31, 2012, into the Gee Creek Wilderness, an amazingly varied area for such a small wilderness located only a mile or so from the busy US 411 and the Hiwassee River. We hiked the Gee Creek Trail that was more difficult than usual because of high water and slick rocks. We successfully made 16 sometimes precarious creek crossings (all in about 1.0 mile of the trail) with only one fall-in. The beauty of the Southern Appalachian spring was evident with at least 2 dozen wildflower species, perfectly identified by Mac Post who has an enviable knowledge of the flora and fauna. We also saw the myriad waterfalls on the trail, evidence of old mining operations, and a sleeping raccoon high in a tree. The hikers were myself, Kim Robinette, Marc Mangold, Daniel Carreras, Gordon, Burghardt, Sandra Twardosz, Trey and Christy Coleman, Mac Post, and Line Pouchard.

Mar 31, 2012

Photos: 104

Gee Creek Wilderness Dayhike (March 27, 2012)

The small but beautiful 2,945 acre Gee Creek Wilderness is located in the Cherokee National Forest near Etowah, TN, and the Hiwassee River. I was scheduled to lead a Sierra Club day hike into the area and beforehand, on March 27, 2012, I did a scouting hike (the last significant hiking I'd done in the area was in the late 1970's after I had worked on getting it designated as Tennessee's first Federal Wilderness Area). I hiked the Gee Creek Trail that goes into the heart of the Wilderness, following Gee Creek for about 2.0 miles. Beautiful waterfalls and outstanding spring wildflowers were highlights of the day hike.

Mar 27, 2012

Photos: 30

Bahamas Spring Break Trip (Atlantis Resort) Part II (March 20-23, 2012)

This album contains days Tuesday through Friday of our Spring Break trip to the Bahamas. On this later portion of the trip we did some snorkeling on a boat trip where we actually snorkeled with sharks down below us and also took a ferry to see just a bit of the town of Nassau. During the entire week I surprisingly found some quite good vegetarian food (not just fried plantains, French fires and steamed rice as some web sites said). Most days Kim and I jogged (no bike/jogging trails but decent sidewalks) and then headed to the beach or water slides; Forrest and Mary Kate stuck to the beach and water slides. The weather was great for the week, ranging between 66 (and usually 70) and 86 with only one short rain.

Mar 20, 2012

Photos: 123

Bahamas Spring Break Trip (Atlantis Resort) Part I (March 16-19, 2012)

For his Webb High School senior spring break vacation Kim gave son Forrest a choice of pretty much anywhere to go. He chose the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas, a luxury island resort near Nassau. Kim, myself, Forrest, and his girlfriend Mary Kate spent a week there that was frankly more enjoyable than I’d expected since luxury resorts are not really my thing. This is Part I, Friday through Monday, during which we mainly enjoyed the resort itself, lying in sun beside the numerous pools or the white sand beaches and doing all of the incredible water slides (almost straight down drops for over 100 feet, with names like "Leap of Faith," "The Abyss," and "The Serpent") and other water rides, including a 20 minute or more ride on the Current, a river that winds a circuitous route through the resort, with some wild rapids ever now and then.

Mar 16, 2012

Photos: 132

Baskins Creek Loop Dayhike GSMNP (March 4, 2011)

It’s been tough to find a snowy day to hike this winter but Kim and I lucked up on March 4, 2012, when we did the Baskins Creek Loop in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with her brother, Kenny Bader, who was in Gatlinburg with his wife and a friend. We had expected relatively mild partly sunny weather, but things changed and we had a nice short snowstorm while hiking. The loop is a great one to do in the winter when Baskins Falls is usually full of water and even moreso when the Roaring Creek Road is closed to traffic (opens March 9 this year) since you have to road walk a bit on the road and some of the route is on a trail above the road. We also saw the Alex Cole “Place” with cabin and two out buildings. The “Loop” includes the Baskins Creek Trail to the Roaring Fork Road (a Motor Nature Trail) to and the Trillium Gap Trail, about 7.3 miles of hiking per my GPS.

Mar 4, 2012

Photos: 59

Florida Trail Backpack (St. Marks NWR West) (February 21-23, 2012)

We spent the night of February 20, 2012, in the small riverside town of St. Marks, at the Shell Island Fish Camp Motel. Had two good meals at the Riverside Café, right on the river. The next day, to avoid starting out in the morning rain, we visited the Wakulla Springs State Park that features maybe the world’s largest spring, with flows of 245 million gallons of water per day. Then back to do about 14.7 miles (plus .7 extra for a side trail) of the Florida Trail over February 21-23 in the NWR, with camps at the Porter Tract and Marsh Point Campsites. Highlights were “The Cathedral,” a forest of tall and beautiful Palmetto Palm trees, and Shepherd Spring, a room sized spring in the middle of a forest. We finished the backpack on February 23, having hiked almost 50 miles total for the entire trip. After showers at a KOA, we then drove back to Knoxville.

Feb 21, 2012

Photos: 97

Florida Trail Backpack (St. Marks NWR East) February 18-20, 2012)

After our two day backpack on the Aucilla River, we did a short car shuttle and over February 18-20, 2012, began hiking about 16.6 miles of the Florida Trail, plus an extra .7 miles for me (our routes diverged a bit) in the St. Mark’s National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Ron Shrieves did a lot of the planning for the trip, especially with maps and waypoints, and was invaluable in finding trailheads and such. The NWR is a wonderfully diverse coastal area, with so many ecosystems represented from upland pine forest to coastal marshes. The hiking was usually easy, straight. Flat and dry, on old logging railroad tramways and marsh levees built to keep the fresh water separated from salt water. We spent a night at the forested Pinhook Campsite and another at the Ring Levee Campsite, incredibly scenic right in the middle of a huge coastal marsh.

Feb 18, 2012

Photos: 77

Florida Trail Backpack (Aucilla River WMA) February 16-18, 2012)

In early 2012 myself and several friends (Ron Shrieves, Barbara Allen and Bob and BJ Perlack) were thinking of warmer places we could backpack over the winter. We ended up going to Florida’s “Big Bend” to hike a portion of the Florida Trail (FT). The FT stretches almost 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola and some of its best portions are located in the Aucillia River and St. Marks Wildlife Management Areas south of Tallahassee, so those WMA’s were the focus of most of our hiking. We drove down on Thursday, February 16, 2012, and spent February 17-18 doing 13.9 miles (plus 3.2 extra for me) of the FT along the Aucillia River that is reminiscent of the Sewanee River with tall pines, live oaks with hanging moss, and dark water. But most unique is that it disappears into the limestone, but reappears in numerous “sinks” before emerging as a full-fledged river again.

Feb 16, 2012

Photos: 73

Haskell & Lucile Skelton Memorial Greenway Bench (January 2012)

The City of Knoxville has around 50 miles of greenways and the surrounding metropolitan area adds at least 50 more miles, so we're fortunate to live in an area with so many places to jog, bike and walk. And for obvious reasons my favorite greenway is the Will Skelton Greenway that extends from the Island Home community, through Ijams Nature Center, and into the Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area. I recently sponsored, for myself and my five brothers and sisters, Gene, Lynn, Kay, Alice and Mark, a memorial bench on the Greenway. The location is scenic, where the Holston and French Broad Rivers join to form the Tennessee River and with a railroad bridge in the distance. It was placed as a memorial to my wonderful parents, Haskell and Lucile Skelton, who had so much to do with making everything possible for me. Some photos of the greenway, bench, and my parents are attached.

Feb 8, 2012

Photos: 41

Little Frog Wilderness Backpack (January 28-29, 2012)

Kim and I joined the Sierra Club’s “winter backpack” over the weekend of January 28-29, 2012 and the weather provided for winter conditions as the low dropped to mid-20’s Saturday night (but nice days). Kim and I got a late start and then had a late breakfast at the Maryville IHOP, but reached the camp just before 6 pm and had enough time to get up our tent before darkness. The backpack was a short traverse through the heart of the Little Frog Wilderness above the Ocoee River just west of Ducktown, TN. Joining us were Ron Shrieves as trip leader, Chuck Gibbs, Rob Davis, and Bob Perlack. Our camp was beside the roaring Rock Creek in Pressley Cove. We had a late lunch Sunday afternoon at the always good Las Fuentes Mexican Restaurant in Madisonville (they were out of “gas” for the Cokes, but shortly an employee came in carrying a bunch of bottles of Coke from the near-by grocery).

Jan 28, 2012

Photos: 41

New Years Eve Party (December 31, 2011)

Kim and I hosted our 7th annual New Year’s Eve Party at her house; New Year’s is one of those times when you like to be with good friends and we truly enjoyed seeing around 34 old and new friends, tasting a huge variety of delicious drink and food brought by everyone (including sangria and soy dog “pigs in a blanket” I made) and catching up on what everyone’s doing, including Dave Penegar and Robin Ferguson’s engagement with a wedding planned for the fall. Kim’s son Forrest was simultaneously getting together with his girlfriend and another couple in another part of Kim’s house, and he and friends joined us for welcoming in of the New Year. I got photographs of most everyone, although I know Barbara Allen left early for a musical performance downtown and I didn't get a close up of her (and likewise I maybe missed such on a few others).

Dec 31, 2011

Photos: 73

Asheville and Boone, NC, Road Trip (November 17-20, 2011)

So can you remember the top 5 or 10 sunsets you’ve ever seen? Mine range from Norway to the canyons of southern Utah to the Brooks Range in Alaska. Kim and I did a long weekend road trip to Asheville and Boone, North Carolina, on November 18-20, 2011, to celebrate my birthday. I wasn’t going to do any Picasa photos since we basically enjoyed the wonderful vegetarian and vegetarian-friendly restaurants in both cities (Early Girl and Laughing Seed in Asheville and Hob Knob Farm and Melanie’s in Boone), shopped a bit, drove some of the Blue Ridge Parkway and western NC’s back roads, and jogged Boone’s greenway. But late Saturday, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, in Blowing Rock we lucked upon an incredible sunset, one of the top 10 that I’ve ever seen for sure, and maybe top 5, viewed from the parking lot of the Canyons Restaurant. So here are some photos, mainly of the sunset.

Nov 18, 2011

Photos: 20

Forks of River WMA Bike Ride (November 6, 2011)

There are several long greenway bike rides in the Knoxville area and one of the best shorter rides (about 13 miles round trip) is from downtown (specifically Volunteer Landing and the parking area under the Hill Ave Viaduct) to Ijams Nature Center and on to the Forks of the River Wildlife Management Area. This ride goes in just a few miles from the very developed downtown area to several surprisingly wild and natural areas, Ijams and Forks of the River. There’s only a short section of a mile or so of non-greenway riding in the middle. With friends Randy and Sue Humble, Kim and I did the ride on the crisp late afternoon of November 6 to see some of the fall colors. This ride can be almost doubled by starting instead at (or ending at) the Earth Fare in Bearden or Bearden Elementary School.

Nov 6, 2011

Photos: 22

Mt. Rogers NRA, Elk River Falls, & Sycamore Shoals (November 2-3, 2011)

Recently I spent a couple of days in SW Virginia and NE TN doing some "outing scouting" for backpacks I plan to lead next year for the Sierra Club, but also to enjoy the last hurrah of fall in the mountains. Actually winter is already there at the higher elevations, with no leaves and mainly brown colors, as the photos from Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area show. On Wednesday I did a loop day hike in the heart of the NRA and found a just about perfect future campsite. And on Thursday I saw Elk River Falls and then day hiked on down the Elk River to the Appalachian Trail where there's another great campsite. Finally I did a short stop and hike at the Sycamore Shoals State Park in Elizabethton, where the Watauga Settlement was formed (the first independent government in North American) and where the "Overmountain Men" gathered before marching to North Carolina for the Battle of Kings Mountain.

Nov 2, 2011

Photos: 56

Knoxville Track Club Hall of Fame Dinner (October 27, 2011)

The Knoxville Track Club held its bi-annual "Knoxville Track Club Hall of Fame" dinner on October 27, 2011, at the Bearden Banquet Hall and over 160 attendees had a wonderful time. It seemed everyone involved with fitness and running in Knoxville was there, from KTC to UT people and beyond. Bob Barber and committee put together an excellent program Dr. Buck Jones as emcee and outstanding talks by Missy Kane and Farris Jordan. Inductees this year into the Hall of Fame included Brint Adams, Donnie Graham, Hayes & Joyce Hunter, Eddie Reymond, Marty Sonnenfeld, Max Springer, and Jerry Wrinkle. They represent all facets of running and track and field from officials to coaches, youth athletics, KTC founders, coaching, KTC road races and more. I was pressed into service at the last minute as the event photographer when the official guy didn't show. I tried to get photos of most people but obviously left out a lot.

Oct 27, 2011

Photos: 41

Big South Fork Dayhike: Slave Falls, Needle Arch and Jake's Place (October 23, 2011)

Slave Falls and Needle Arch are unique geological formations that, were the vegetation removed, would look perfectly at home in the canyonlands of Utah. Both are located in the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area west of Oneida and east of Jamestown, TN. After attending the annual fall Tennessee Sierra Club Chapter meeting at Pickett State Park on Saturday (at which the current superintendent of the Big South Fork, Dr. Niki Nicholas, spoke), on Sunday I did an 8 mile day hike to see the arch and falls, plus a nearby but unnamed (except by me) "Eye of the Needle" that is likewise impressive. I also hiked on down to Jake's Place, an old farmstead that still has beautiful open fields. Slave Falls is a small volume falls, but impressive because of the huge rock overhang that it drops over for 60 feet or so. And Needle Arch is a beautifully slender arch of around 15 feet height and 50 feet width. And the “Eye of the Needle” is best described by its name.

Oct 23, 2011

Photos: 46

McGee Springs Backpack and US 441 Drive GSMNP (October 8-9, 2011)

McGee Springs and Campsite 44 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the very few high elevation tent backcountry campsites in the Park (most high elevation sites only allow camping in trial shelters). It is located at 5,000 feet high atop Breakneck Ridge which sits in a bend of Raven Fork Creek, one of the wildest areas of the Park. Over the weekend of October 8-9, 2011, I led a Sierra Club backpack to this campsite. We were pleasantly surprised to find the fall leaf color almost at its peak at high elevations, and enjoyed a perfect fall weekend weather-wise with no humidity, blue sky, and warm days and cool nights. The hikers included myself, Rob Davis, Jenny Macfie, and Chuck Gibbs. We drove to the trailheads from Knoxville via I-40, Maggie Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and returned via Newfound Gap; both routes provided additional views of one of the best fall color seasons in years.

Oct 8, 2011

Photos: 62

Purchase Knob, GSMNP (October 5, 2011)

I recently went to see one of my four favorite nieces and the fairly new Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s Appalachian Highland Science Learning Center where she’s a Park Ranger. The Center is located high in the southeastern end of the Park overlooking Maggie Valley below. The location is incredible, with grassy fields and mountains all around, including the 5,086 foot Purchase Knob, and in early October the leaf color was outstanding. The Learning Center property, including a house that was renovated for Park use, was donated to the Park in 2000 by Kathryn NcNeil and Voit Gilmore, and is used mainly for scientific research and education. The donation of land was the largest since the Park was founded. Visitors are welcome but only by prior reservation.

Oct 5, 2011

Photos: 17

John Muir Trail Backpack (Appalachian Powerhouse to Coker Creek) September 24-25, 2011

On a perfect early fall weekend, Kim and I did a backpack on a portion of the John Muir Trail along the Hiwassee River that I had not hiked. Starting at the Appalachian Powerhouse, just upstream of where paddlers start down the river, we hiked upstream a bit over four miles to Coker Creek and back. We started late and didn't get into our camp at Loss Creek until just about dark, 7:45 pm, but with headlamps, a lantern and a fire we had a great evening in the dark. On Sunday we day hiked on to Coker Creek and then returned to the powerhouse. Saw some beautiful early fall wildflowers, great river gorge scenery, and almost no one else on the trail.

Sep 25, 2011

Photos: 55

Hola Festival (September 24, 2011)

One of the newest festivals in Knoxville and already one of the biggest and best is the Hola Festival, staged this year near the old Regas Restaurant on Depot Street. If you like Latin American culture, as Kim and I do, you'll love the Festival with its innumerable food and souvenir offerings and the parade of nations that highlights the dress of the various Latin American countries. Kim and I went by for lunch before a backpack on the Hiwassee River and wished we had more time.

Sep 24, 2011

Photos: 12

Glacier NP Backpack: Highline Trail, Granite Park & Swiftcurrent Valley (September 3 & 4, 2011)

Perhaps the best was saved for last two days on our Glacier National Park “North Circle Route” backpack. We first hiked the Highline Trail along the western slopes of the continental divide. The scenery was unrelenting as we looked up at the peaks of the continental divide and westward toward the endless Rocky Mountains. Crossing a snow field with treacherous slope below and continuing on a trail blasted out of the vertical rock wall, fields of late summer wildflowers (blooming later than usual because of the big snowpack that melted later than usual), and water cascading off the mountains were highlights. Then a night at the Granite Park campsite, below the scenic Granite Park Chalet (which operates a bit like Mt. LeConte Lodge in the Smokies). On the final day we crossed the continental divide and Sweetwater Pass and descended the spectacular Swiftcurrent Valley with its huge glacier and myriad lakes stair-stepping down the valley, as beautiful a scene as anywhere in the world.

Sep 3, 2011

Photos: 104

Glacier NP Backpack: Mokownis Valley, Snowy Indian Pass & Waterton Valley (September 1 & 2, 2011)

Every perfect backpack, even the fabled North Circle Route, has to have a little adversity, and on this trip it was the cold and rainy weather on days 3-5 and especially Wednesday night when the rain commenced just as we got into camp, and with few interludes continued thereafter for about 18 hours. Snow high up and rain and hail where we were hiking. But the scenery made up for the weather as on Wednesday we hiked up the Mokowanis Valley, climbing to a succession of small lakes, waterfalls, and cirques to Snowy Indian Pass at 6,906 feet, and a camp at Snowy Indian Lake in a high mountain cirque on the other side. And on Thursday hiking down to the Waterton Valley and then up the huge and scenic Waterton Valley to Fifty Mountain campsite, where the sunset was the best of the trip. And where the night was the coldest, below 30 degrees.

Sep 1, 2011

Photos: 76

Glacier NP Backpack: Ptarmigan Tunnel & Elizabeth, Cosley and Glenns Lakes (August 29-31, 2011)

At least one web site deems our backpacking route in Glacier National Park one of the “Top 10 Hikes in the World (www.besthike.com), calling it the “North Circle Route.” Others call it “a fabulous hike-of-a-lifetime in every possible way” or “No. 6 best hike in the world.” So we were looking forward to a great backpack and it delivered. Our first three days were highlighted by the Ptarmigan Tunnel, blasted through a high rock wall for backpackers and horseback riders, with spectacular mountain lake views from both sides. Other highlights included Elizabeth and Glenn Lakes (where we spent three nights enjoying the mountain scenery), Dawn Mist Falls, seeing the Park’s wildlife, including moose, mountain goats and sheep, and our first and only grizzly bear on the first day of the trip, thankfully at over 50 yards distance. As a result of that grizzly the Ptarmigan Trail, which we hiked on day one, was closed the next day, so we were very lucky to be doing the North Circle Route at all.

Aug 29, 2011

Photos: 116

Glacier NP Backpack: Montana Road Trips Pre & Post Backpack (August 26-28 and September 4-5, 2011)

Glacier National Park is one of the premier parks in the country, but I’d never done more than drive through it. So this year four friends and I put together a backpacking trip into the scenic heart of the Park (with assistance from friend Beverly Smith who actually got the hard-to-get permit, but then had to cancel). Bob Perlack, BJ Perlack, Robin Ferguson, and Jamie Dahl joined me for the trip, all from Knoxville. The Perlacks drove their 5th wheel camper out while the rest of us flew to Great Falls, MT, late on August 26th. We then spent a couple of driving days, seeing the Canadian companion park to Glacier, Waterton National Park, and driving much of the world-famous Going-to-the-Sun Highway in Glacier. And after the backpack we spent some time with friends Roger Jenkins and Susie McDonald in Saint Mary before driving back to Great Falls, where we mainly visited the wonderful Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail Interpretive Center.

Aug 26, 2011

Photos: 91

Shining Rocks Wilderness Backpack (August 13-14, 2011)

A Sierra Club weekend backpack to Shining Rocks Wilderness provided wonderful vistas and experiences, including Second Falls and Graveyard Fields, the grassy balds that Shining Rocks is famous for, helping out several lost hikers (and we had to check out a confusing array of options several times), a grassy forested campsite with nearby spring that immediately turned into a creek, and beautiful East Fork Creek and Greasy Creek. Saturday night we had one of the most sustained hard rains I’ve seen, over four hours’ worth, but thankfully after we were all in our tents (check the photos to see why Lenny is now called “Periscope Lenny). But the worst negative was that 2011 is a really bad mountain blueberry year, no one knows for sure why, although Lenny found enough for a great cobbler. Participants on this July 13-14, 2011, backpack were Will Skelton, Kim Robinette, David Spradlin, Lenny Croce, Conrad Ottenfeld, Jenny Macfie, Rob Davis, Barbara Allen, Robin Ferguson, and Kelly Gallagher.

Aug 13, 2011

Photos: 86

48 Hours on the AT (US 19E to Dennis Cove) (July 9-11, 2011)

With Kim and eldest son Alex touring Germanic Europe and Great Britain, I decided to fill in some of the five or so short gaps on the Appalachian Trail south of the Mt. Rogers NRA in Virginia that I haven't hiked (coincidentally I was on the trail 1:35 pm Saturday to 1:35 pm Monday, 48 hours). Decided to do the 24.4 mile section from US 19E (just north of the City of Roan Mountain) to Dennis Cove (just east of Hampton). Some great fields and meadows and views, beautiful Jones Falls, the Elk River, wildflowers and even a few early ripe blackberries, and more mushrooms than I’ve seen anywhere before, including every color in the rainbow except black and blue. Of course there was the heat and humidity and nats. I tent camped two nights near the two AT shelters and saw only one person each day, the third just after midnight on Monday when I saw a light in the shelter on a bathroom break; the shelter had been empty when I went to bed but a young guy from Atlanta had just hiked in very late.

Jul 12, 2011

Photos: 96

Italy Trip: Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius (June 24 and 26, 2011)

Our final destinations, done over two days, were visiting the ancient buried Roman city of Pompeii and climbing to the top of Mount Vesuvius, the volcano whose eruption destroyed the city on August 24, 79 BCE. The explosions sent steam, cinders and ash into the sky and killed around 2,000 people (the population was actually around 20,000 but most escaped). We did a short tour and then spent the rest of the day on our on in Pompeii and found it fascinating, seeing so much of how the ancient Romans lived. And on our final full day in Italy, June 26, 2011, we drove the scenic road to near the top of Mount Vesuvius and then hiked the short trail to the lip of the crater where the volcanic eruption came from. No signs of an imminent eruption, although experts say the Naples area is due for another catastrophe one of these days. Afterward we drove to the Rome airport and found another in a series of great hotels for the night, and flew home on June 27.

Jun 24, 2011

Photos: 119

Italy Trip: Amalfi Coast (June 23 and 25-27, 2011)

We continued our Italy trip by doing a long drive from the Italian Rivera to the Sorrento Peninsula south of Rome and Naples, mainly to see the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii. The Amalif Coast is on the southern coast of the Sorrento Peninsula, and is named for one of the picturesque villages that almost hang precariously to the cliffs. It is certainly one of the world’s top sights and Hillman’s “Top 100 Wonders of the World” calls the drive along the coast “arguably the world’s most beautiful and thrilling sightseeing road…between Sorrento and Amalfi.” We agree although the drive is on a difficult, narrow and twisting road with too many cars and especially too many people parking on the road (there’s very little shoulder). We lucked upon a perfect hotel on top of the Sorrento Pennisula for our stay, with balcony views both south to the Amalfi Coast and north to Sorrento and Naples. And were pleased that the great food of Tuscany and the Italian Rivera continued southward.

Jun 23, 2011

Photos: 120

Italy Trip: Portofino (June 21-22, 2011)

After Cinque Terre we drove north a bit to Portofino, a classically beautiful harbor town that’s been called “heaven’s gift to the postcard industry.” Pastel colored houses line a beautiful Mediterranean harbor with a castle, cathedral and lighthouse on the promontory above, just about a perfect view. However, it is very expensive, and Italy in general was more expensive than the US, surprising since their economy is just a bit above almost bankrupt Greece. We had our usual Marinara pizza and sodas lunch at an outdoor harbor restaurant; the pizza was reasonably priced but the Coke and Fanta, not…$10 each (and the price was buried in the menu under “soda drinks” in Italian). However a bonus was the harbor view, people watching, and seeing a post-Italian wedding procession as the couple was rowed in a row boat our into the harbor. Portofino is ranked as a Hillman’s “Top 100 Wonder of the World” (in 100th place) but I would substitute Cinque Terre.

Jun 21, 2011

Photos: 79

Italy Trip: Cinque Terre (June 20-21, 2011)

Our Italy trip continued into the northwestern Italy and the Italian Rivera for hiking and touring the beautiful coastal towns of the Cinque Terre National Park, a World Heritage Site. It is a rugged and vertical portion of the coast known as “The Five Lands” and includes five villages that are connected only by a trail and a railroad (mainly in tunnels), although roads come down to each village from the mountains above. The villages, from the south, are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso; we saw the southern four with a combination of railroad riding and hiking (the trail between Manarola and Corniglia was closed because of landslides). This was probably my favorite sight…the coastal scenery is pretty good but add the villages perched on the sides of the mountains and it is definitely world class. A trail originally built to connect the villages before the railroad and roads has been improved and is now called the “Sentiero a Mare” or Coastal Path.

Jun 20, 2011

Photos: 115

Italy Trip: Tuscany Hill Towns and Leaning Tower of Pisa (June 18-20, 2011)

Kim and I have both been to Italy before, but there were several sights we had not seen, mainly on the western coast of Italy and including Portofino, Cinque Terre, Tuscany “hill towns,” Pompeii and Mount Vesuvius, and the Amalfi Coast. So we planned a trip over June 18-27, 2011 to see as many as we could, and succeeded in seeing them all. We did it the way we love to travel, airline tickets and rental car reserved, but no hotel or other reservations. Kinda risky sometimes and you wouldn’t do it in July-August for sure, but it worked out great on this trip with some wonderful hotels and restaurants. After flying into Rome on June 19, we first drove northward and saw the Tuscany hill towns of Sienna and San Gimignano, and then by the Leaning Tower of Pisa that Kim had not seen. We quickly learned that the food of the Tuscany region and Naples was as advertised, and did not have a less than great meal the entire time we were in Italy.

Jun 18, 2011

Photos: 86

Upper Bald River Day Hike (June 16, 2011)

The 9,038 acre Upper Bald River area off the Tellico River and near Tellico Plains, TN, is one of the scenic gems of the Cherokee National Forest and is accordingly one of the best of the proposed Wilderness Areas in the Tennessee Wilderness Act of 2011 recently introduced by Tennessee’s Senators Alexander and Corker. On June 16, 2011, Jeff Hunter, Field Director of Tennessee Wild (the coalition that is urging the passage of the Act} and I took several people on a day hike to take a look at the area. With us were Jane Chedester, Field Representative in Senator Alexander’s Knoxville office, David Leaverton, Senior Field Director in Senator Corker’s Knoxville office, Bruz Clark, President and Treasurer of the Lynnhurst Foundation, and Andrew Carroll, owner of A Carroll GIS and a mapping expert. We hiked about 5 miles round trip, up the Brookshire Creek Trail to the junction of Brookshire Creek and the Bald River, and saw lots of wilderness beauty.

Jun 16, 2011

Photos: 36

Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area Backpack (June 11-12, 2011)

The Mt. Rogers National Recreation Area and adjacent Grayson Highlands State Park, in southwest Virginia, make for one of the most scenic backpacking areas in the southeast, with huge open grassy meadows fringed by spruce trees and rhododendrons, usually flowering in June. Portions actually look like the western US. I led a Sierra Club group of 11 backpackers on a circuit of the NRA’s “Crest Zone” over the weekend of June 10-11, 2011. The hikers included Jamie and Jeremiah Dahl, Kaushik Biswas, Brad Reese, Robin Ferguson, Rob Davis, Whitney Davidson, Bob Perlack, BJ Perlack, and Cindy Kendrick. On a perfect weather weekend (only 20 minutes of rain after we got our tents up), we started and ended in Grayson Highlands State Park and used the Appalachian Trail and Pine Mountain Trail to and make the loop.

Jun 13, 2011

Photos: 89

Pretty Hollow Backpack, GSMNP, and Mt. Pisgah Day Hike, BRP (May 28-30, 2011)

On a hot and muggy Memorial Day weekend Kim and I headed for higher country in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. At 5,000 feet or so elevation we found cooler temperatures and some outstanding scenery and wildflowers. On Saturday, after a very late start, we backpacked into Pretty Hollow via the Mt. Sterling and Pretty Hollow Trails, to join friends Beverly Smith and John Dunlap at campsite # 39 for the night. On Sunday we hiked out on the Little Cataloochee Trail, had dinner in Asheville, and spent the night at the Mt. Pisgah Inn on the Blue Ridge Parkway. On Monday we did the short hike to the summit of Mt. Pisgah, before going back to Asheville for a late breakfast and some shopping.

May 28, 2011

Photos: 72

Black Balsam Knob NPCA Day Hike (May 5, 2011)

The National Parks & Conservation Association held a week long retreat conference for its regional staff from all over the country, Alaska to Florida to Montana to California to Tennessee and about everywhere else, during the first week in May 2011. I'm a member of their Southeast Regional Council and on May 6 Don Barger, the Southeast Region's Senior Director, and I led a hike for about 30 of the attendees along the portion of the Art Loeb Trail that traverses the high grassy peaks, and including especially Black Balsam Knob at 6,214 feet, between the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Shining Rocks Wilderness. NPCA is the principal non-profit that looks out for the public's interest in connection with our National Park units; their stated mission is "To protect and enhance America's National Parks for present and future generations." Based on my view they're doing a great job, and much of their success can be attributed to the outstanding regional staff that gathered in Waynesville.

May 6, 2011

Photos: 25

Ace Gap Dayhike in Smokies (Beauty and Destruction) May 1, 2011

"Beauty and Destruction" aptly describes a Sierra Club day hike I led on the Ace Gap Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on May 1, 2011. I had picked that date since a friend last year reported wonderful wildflowers on the trail at that time of year. We were not disappointed in the wildflowers and saw at least 26 species. But we were also treated to a close up view of the devastation wrought by the bad storms of April 25 and 27. And we weren't seeing the worst as that occurred down in the western Cades Cove area. Participating hikers were Will Skelton, Kim Robinette, Cyndi French, Carol and Steve Abeles, Natalie McNutt and Chris Foell, Priscilla Watts, Aaron Ilgner, Conrad Ottenfeld, and Patricia Serio.

May 2, 2011

Photos: 92

Utah Trip: Moab Area Day Hikes (Hidden Valley & Corona Arch (April 25-26, 2011)

We had two days left for day hiking after finishing our 2nd backpack, and with the others headed home Barbara, Terri and I picked two great day hikes in the Moab area. Hidden Valley was recommended by the Blanding hotel manager and was a wonderful place, a high grassy valley in the mountains above Moab with some great Anasazi art. Corona Arch and Bowtie Arch were recommended by Roger and Corona Arch is easily one of the most spectacular arches in the Moab area, and that’s saying a lot since Arches National Park is located nearby. We did Hidden Valley on Monday, stayed the night in Moab, and then did the two arches on Tuesday before driving back to Salt Lake City for the night. We were to fly home on Wednesday, and tried to do so, but after circling Knoxville for a half hour or so on the early evening of April 27 and not being able to land because of the hail storms, our flight from Atlanta was diverted to Greenville, SC, for the night. Finally on Thursday we made it back to Knoxville.

Apr 25, 2011

Photos: 87

Utah Trip: Natural Bridges National Monument Backpack (April 21-24, 2011)

Our 2nd southern Utah backpack was in White Canyon and Natural Bridges National Monument, located on Ceder Mesa. The Monument has everything: two huge natural bridges that rank numbers 2 and 3 in the entire world (Sipapu Bridge is 2nd and Kachina is 3rd), plus incredible Anasazi art and cliff dwellings (including Horse Collar Ruins and Big 2-Ledge Ruins), and rock formations (like Sphinx Rock). On Thursday morning we again had a bit of a problem finding the route into White Canyon, but once there loved the hiking and views. We spent three nights in or near White Canyon, but elected (because of an all-night rain on Saturday night that threatened problems continuing with the backpack on Sunday) to again cut the backpack short by one day and on Sunday exited White Canyon (wisely it turned out since the weather totally disintegrated once we were out, with lightening, thunder, hail, sleet, snow and rain). Instead we headed to Blading, UT, and the Four Corners Inn for Sunday night.

Apr 21, 2011

Photos: 213

Utah Trip: Bell & Little Wild Horse Canyons Day Hike (April 20, 2011)

One of the best loop “slot” canyon hikes in the west is up Bell Canyon and down Little Wild Horse Canyon, north of Hanksville, Utah. Both pass through the up-lifted rock formation known as the San Rafael Swell and in the process cut often extremely narrow and scenic canyons. Roger recommended this hike to Teri, Barbara and I so, since we had finished our first backpack a day early, we took the extra day (Wednesday) to do this hike. And all agreed it is one of the best, as reflected by the numerous people we saw also doing the hike (as compared to seeing no one in Sams Mesa Box Canyon). We also got to see a bit of Goblin Valley State Park with its bizarre, spherical shaped rock formations, and the Temple Mountain Indian drawings. Wednesday night was again spent in Hanksville, UT.

Apr 20, 2011

Photos: 83

Utah Trip: Sam's Mesa Box Canyon Backpack (April 17-19, 2011)

This year we planned two shorter backpacks instead of a week long trip; our first destination was 4 days of backpacking starting in Sam's Mesa Box Canyon, an unknown and very remote canyon that flows into the Dirty Devil River east of Hanksville, UT. After spending Saturday night in Green River, Utah, on Sunday morning we headed south, planning to descend into Sam's Mesa Box, follow it to the Dirty Devil River, and exit via Twin Corral Box Canyon, all pursuant to a vague description in Michael Kesley's "Canon Hiking Guide to the Colorado Plateau." The plan somewhat disintegrated after we spent a long and hard day descending into the canyon and, although close, were still not to the planned campsite and water. I managed to rock climb on down to the water, a pool and spring below a pour-off, and fill a water bucket that was then hoisted up by rope but, as is often the case on trips that are somewhat off the grid, serious adjustments in the “plan” were called for.

Apr 17, 2011

Photos: 107

Utah Trip: Nine Mile Canyon Prehistoric Rock Art (April 16, 2011)

The canyon country of southern Utah and northern Arizona has annually drawn a group of Knoxvillians to spring backpacking trips since an original trip in 1980. 2011 was no exception and seven of us gathered from the scattered places we all now live to Green River, Utah, for this year's trip. Myself and Roger Jenkins (Bozeman, MT) were the only veterans of that first trip and joining us were Roger's wife Susie McDonald, Barbara Allen (Knoxville), Terri Cox (Tellico Village), and Andy Butler and Sue Fisher (Bastrop, Texas). Terri, Barbara and I flew out to Salt Lake City on Friday and, after the usual flight delays, met Roger and Susie; on Saturday, April 16, we drove to Green River but detoured in-route for a drive down one of the best Indian art sites in the west, Nine Mile Canyon, just northeast of Price, Utah.

Apr 16, 2011

Photos: 49

Cumberland Trail Day Hike (Bruce Gap Road to Bruce Creek) April 20, 2011

After backpacking the entire Eagle Bluff Section of the Cumberland Trail on April 2-3, I returned to hike the first 2.85 miles from Bruce Gap Trailhead to see the wildflowers, expecting them to be much better than early April, and they were. The photos are mainly of wildflowers along the trail, plus some of views of the Devil's Racetrack and the waterfalls along Bruce Creek.

Apr 10, 2011

Photos: 32

Cumberland Trail Backpack, Eagle Bluff Section (April 2-3, 2011)

The Cumberland Trail extends from Kentucky to Georgia, and one of the best sections is a short drive from Knoxville. The Eagle Bluff section is about 11.7 miles of perhaps the most geologically varied trail in east Tennessee as it follows the edge of the Cumberland Plateau from Cove Lake State Park to LaFollette. Features include a wonderland of rock ranging from a couple of “Great Walls of China” to a stone arch and massive stone lookouts, with vistas of the Powell River valley and the Cumberland Mountains, and at the south end is the Devil's Racetrack, fins of rock that protude from the mountain side that are visible from I-75. Over the spring weekend of April 2-3, 2011, four Sierra Club hikers made the trip: myself, Kim Robinette, Brad Reese, and Rob Davis. We were a bit early for the best wildflowers but we saw a pretty good variety, and had incredibly good weather except for high winds during the day on Saturday.

Apr 2, 2011

Photos: 66

Holy Land Trip--Mediterranean Israel (Acre, Haifa & Tel Aviv) (March 19-20, 2011)

After immersion in the Jewish and Christian religious histories for the last several days, on the final day of our Israel tour we headed to the Mediterranean coast with more of a Roman and post-Roman (especially the Crusades) slant. The two highlights were the fortress of Acre and Caesarea. Acre was a Crusader headquarters which was conquered and lost by the Crusaders several times and from which many of the last Crusaders escaped by boat during a siege by the Arabs; we walked a long dark escape tunnel under the city that led to the harbor. Caesarea was built by King Herod right on the ocean and featuring a well preserved Amphitheatre facing the ocean. We also got a look at Israel’s third largest city, and certainly one of its most attractive, the sea port of Haifa. Then back to Tel Aviv for the night and Sunday flights back to the US.

Mar 19, 2011

Photos: 58

Holy Land Trip--Sea of Gailee and Golan Heights (March17-18, 2011)

After a couple of days in Jerusalem we headed to north Israel and the Sea of Galilee. This is where most of the New Testament stories of Jesus took place (other than his birth and death in the Jerusalem area). So we saw the possible (no one is sure about any specific sites) locations of the Sermon on Mount, the loaves and fishes conversion, the Jordan River baptism, etc. A boat ride on the Sea of Galilee provided a view of the area where most of the New Testament stories occurred. We also saw the some ancient cities that Jesus is said to have lived in, Capernaum and Nazareth, plus a very well preserved Roman city, Beit Shean. And we saw the security issues facing Israel. The kibbutz we stayed in was just a few miles from the Lebanon border, from which Lebanese rockets were fired and killed several kibbutz members a few years ago. We also drove the Golan Heights and saw former Syrian fortifications from which they rained down rockets on Israel before Israel conquered the heights.

Mar 17, 2011

Photos: 118

Holy Land Trip--Jerusalem and Bethlehem (March 15 and 16, 2011)

Jerusalem was everything we expected. A city of light, with most buildings being built of limestone that is simply beautiful in the clear air. But more importantly Jerusalem has been a crossroads of religious and secular history for thousands of years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place so thoroughly permeated with a sense of history. Jews, Christians, and Muslims all consider it a very holy city and they’re all there, living together, uneasily of course. Truly strange that religion should bring people together but often has had the opposite effect throughout history i.e. case in point the Middle East. We saw the places we’d heard so much about, Mount of Olives, Dome of the Rock, Old Jerusalem, Wailing Wall, Garden of Gethsemane, and Dead Sea Scrolls; also an incredibly sad Holocaust memorial museum. We also went to Bethlehem, in the Palestine Territory, and in addition to the possible birthplace of Jesus, saw firsthand the security issues facing the Jews in Israel.

Mar 15, 2011

Photos: 126

Holy Land Trip--Masada and the Dead Sea (March 14)

After the spectacular sights of Jordan (Wadi Rum and Petra), Kim and I took a bus tour of Israel, arranged by Israel Experts, an Israel tour company. We had a great guide, Orna Luxenbourg, and there were 27 tour member, from Canada, the US, Ireland, and Great Britain. The rest of the trip was, instead of spectacular scenery, an intense immersion in history and religion that was equally fascinating. We first went to Masada, the cliff top fortress of the Jews. I’ve always wanted to see it, located on a desert mesa, about 1200 feet above the Dead Sea. After a failed uprising by the Jews against the Romans in 66 CE, a band of around 1,000 so-called Zelots held out here against 8,000 Romans for some time, but ultimately chose suicide rather than being taken by the Romans. We also saw the hauntingly beautiful Dead Sea, and took a swim (or “float” would be the better characterization) and floated so effortlessly in the salty water. Then back to Jerusalem for the more typical Holy Land sights.

Mar 14, 2011

Photos: 66

Holy Land Trip--Eilat (Israel) and Wadi Rum & Petra (Jordan) (March 9-13, 2011)

The Holy Land has been part of my “knowledge base” forever, starting of course with my immersion in the Methodist Church as a kid and continuing over the years through, most often, news stories of the various levels of “unrest” that seem to predominate in the entire Middle East. And pretty much (or more since she grew up as a Catholic) the same with Kim. We had both put off taking a trip to the Middle East so many years, hoping that peace might break out over there; it is ironic that three of the world’s great religions were incubated in the middle East and all derive from the same guy to some extent (Abraham) and all of them profess love and goodness but, at the same time, the Middle East is (and has been for at least 2,000 plus years) one of the most violent places on Earth. In any event we went March 9-20, 2011, and this first album covers our travels to the Israel resort town of Eilat and to the Jordanian much-see sights of Wadi Rum and Petra, two definite world class destinations.