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Fun

Easin’ Along – Old Friends in a Beautiful Place

Posted on May 6, 2016May 30, 2017 by Easin' Along

I have posted quite often about finding new and fun-filled ways to stay active on our slow walk through the golden years, but this past weekend I participated in an activity that was fun-filled, but definitely not new. Ease Along with me here and I will tell you about a great time with great friends, some old and some not so.

Camp II is an annual outing hosted by the members of the Appalachian Anglers Society, a group that is dedicated to the sport of trout fishing and the formation of strong friendships while enjoying the great outdoors. This venerable organization came into being in 1957 when a group of fly fishing enthusiasts decided to have a fishing competition. The winner would be the member of the group who caught the largest native trout on a fly while fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and would receive a trophy to be awarded annually.

Tellico River - Cherokee National forest — Tellico River – Cherokee National forest

In addition to the fishing competition, the members also participated in an annual camping trip to relax and enjoy each other’s company. The outing became known as Camp II. The origin of the name is somewhat a mystery, but the consensus is that many of the members had gone to summer camp as youngsters and were now going to camp once more as big boys. Over the years the trophy eventually was retired, but Camp II has survived and grown. I observed my 30^th birthday on my first Camp II and have been a proud member (and Past President) of the Appalachian Anglers for over 38 years.

Our campout has been held at many different sites along streams known to produce trout in great abundance. Many of my friends are of the belief that Camp II is a fixed place and my response to that is always “Camp II is a state of mind”. Nevertheless, for more than 30 years Camp II has been held in various campsites in the Cherokee National Forest near Tellico Plains, Tennessee.

For approximately 20 years McNabb Creek Campground has been the site of Camp II primarily because, as an established large group, we are able to reserve the campground exclusively for the entire five days of our event. McNabb Creek Campground is adjacent to the stream known as North River and is a short distance from the larger Tellico River. It is always held on the weekend before Mother’s Day because we actually had Camp II on Mother’s Day once and we’ll NEVER make that mistake again. Camp II is open from Wednesday until Sunday and several of the campers actually stay the entire time but, for most, it is a two-day event. The number of campers has varied over the years. At our peak, we had close to 100 campers, but as some of the veterans gave up camping, the number dwindled down to near 30. In recent years a lot of younger members including the grown children of several Anglers have joined us and the average number of campers is probably around 50. This year the crowd was large. I kicked myself for the years I had missed.

Camp II - Circa 1984 — Camp II – Circa 1984

Camp II - McNabb Creek Campground — Camp II – McNabb Creek Campground

Because I gave away or sold much of my camping equipment when Helen (adorable wife) and I downsized, I haven’t camped out in a long time and have missed several of these outings. Last year I decided to end the streak of years with no Camp II and would go for a day trip to make up for some lost time. Another reason was to drive into the National Forest along the Tellico River which is one of the most beautiful, scenic, and relaxing trips in the entire world…no exaggeration. I couldn’t wait to hit the road and when I arrived at the campground it was like a reunion with a long lost love.

This year I loaded Freddie (car) and took off on a Saturday morning. Once I reached the edge of town, I inserted my CD of “An Evening with John Denver”, a tradition I began in the 1980’s when I would take my two sons camping. The music helps to mellow me out. My boys always teased me about it, but before long they were usually singing along with me as John would belt out “Grandma’s Feather Bed”.

The weather forecast was a little “iffy”, but I wasn’t going to let a threat of rain deter me. I have always driven down Highway 411 to Madisonville rather than take I-75 because I love seeing the fields and farms and because Madisonville was my mother’s home. Many summers were spent there on my grandparent’s farm tending to horses, cattle, and chickens. I always drive by the old home place…and smile. By a strange coincidence, John is singing “Take Me Home, Country Roads”.

When Madisonville is behind me, I begin looking for a familiar curve in the road because once it is rounded the mountains come into full view. The scene always gives me a lift and I stopped along the road to take a picture. Here is that scene.

Tellico Plains, Tennessee is a small town that seems to me a place that time forgot. I remember many trips here in the 1970’s where the activity level was much higher than it is now. There were a few taverns, a small grocery, and an old drugstore where we would buy our fishing permits. Those are long gone, but the old charm still remains. Personally, I would like to see it a little busier, but not much. Even though there is a bypass, I always take the old road through the center of town.

From there the road takes you to the entrance of the Cherokee National Forest and follows the Tellico River to the mountains beyond. Again, the beauty of this drive defies description, and it always takes me a while to get to the campsite because of continuous stops along the way to take pictures or enjoy the view from some of the overlooks. Today there were quite a number of fishermen wading in the stream – a few had a stringer with large fish attached.

Fly fishing - Tellico River — Fly fishing – Tellico River

By the time Mr. Denver cranks out “Poems, Prayers, and Promises” I am stopping at Bald River Falls to take pictures and take in this magnificent waterfall. The recent rains had added to the volume on this morning. There were many visitors with their cameras out including a sizeable motorcycle group out for a ride. Here is a photo of the falls and a few pictures of the scenery along the river.

I arrived at the McNabb Creek Campground for another Camp II experience…my 38^th year as an Appalachian Angler. It was short stay but, as always, an enriching one. One day in these woods surrounded by like-minded friends is worth a thousand days in a multitude of other endeavors I can think of. I have listed some of the highlights of this trip below.

A larger than the usual number of campers this year, including much needed younger members to keep the event going.
Walking through the campground and shaking hands with a lot of old friends, most of them not seen since last year.
Richard Gettys firing up his huge grill for the evening’s dinner of steak and lobster.
A hike to the Civil War era Donley Cabin with some fellow Anglers where we met three campers from Florida and shared some information about the area to give them places to explore.
Donley Cabin – Cherokee National Forest
After saying goodbye to fellow campers, making the drive over to Bald River Gorge and Holly Flats – the best campground in the Eastern United States.
Riding in Freddie all the way up Waucheesi Mountain to the fire tower at an elevation of 3,692 feet for an unequaled panoramic view of the surrounding peaks and valleys.
Waucheesi Bald – Cherokee National Forest
Capturing a picture of a brilliant native azalea.
Making the annual stop at Green Cove to buy provisions for the ride home. This small grocery in the middle of the mountains is a treasure.
Driving back along the river one more time for a second chance to view Bald River Falls.
Native Azalea
Singing along with Mr. Denver to “Rocky Mountain High” at the top of my lungs…and substituting “Smoky” for “Rocky” in the lyrics.

It was a great day for Easin’ Along.

Fundamentals

Easin’ Along – A Reflection on Retirement

Posted on April 29, 2016January 2, 2017 by Easin' Along

We’ve had an active year up until this week but, with nothing really noteworthy to share with readers since our trip to America’s Heartland, I thought it would be a good time to pen a few thoughts about retirement since we began Easin’ Along this path sixteen months ago. I will also observe my 69^th birthday this year and, while I’m not sure if that adds anything to this assessment, my age undeniably factors into my thinking on almost everything.

In August of 2015 I called it quits. The decision to retire was complicated by only one thing…I enjoyed the job I had at the time. After almost twenty years as a small volume home builder, I had made a transition in 2008 to doing some home inspection work for both HUD and the State of Tennessee that eventually evolved into a part time position. While home building was rewarding in many ways, it could be stressful and often required long hours under all types of working conditions. The inspection work however was like a new burst of freedom. I was given a nice truck, a list of properties, and the enviable task of driving throughout the incredibly beautiful countryside of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina without a care in the world. Nevertheless, I had an itch to travel, and I was still in good health, so I decided to take my stepfather’s advice and see the world (or at least America) before I was “dragging one leg behind me” as he likes to say.

Three days after leaving the work force, Helen (adorable wife) and I took off on a five week trip (detailed in Easin’ Along posts) just to allow us to scratch the travel itch a bit and allow me to decompress a lot. I then returned home to a “Now what?” state of mind and proceeded to stare at the walls for almost two weeks when not peering into job openings posted online. I knew that there had to be more to retirement than this. Ultimately, those instincts proved to be right.

Now, going into a new year and sixteen months after hanging it up, I have drawn a few conclusions about life as a retiree and want to share my thoughts and am eager to have yours as well. Please know that these thoughts and conclusions are unique to me so I invite you to use the comments section below to add to or expand on anything you read here.

Things I Miss About Working:

There are things I miss a little and some things I miss a lot….here’s a few of the ‘misses”.

1. A regular paycheck. It wasn’t just about money. Every check was an acknowledgement of hard work and that every penny I ever received was earned. I always had a sense of pride whenever I was rewarded with pay for my efforts.

2. I miss friends I made through working. Over my many years of building homes, I met many incredibly fascinating people. Some were not well educated, but nonetheless very intelligent, extremely skilled, and always hard working. While a very, very few were perpetually adrift, most had the same hopes and dreams for themselves and their families as I did. The vast majority were simply good people and fun to be around. After the housing meltdown in 2008 I lost touch with a lot of them…very sad.

3. I miss being required to keep up with technology. As a home builder I was exposed to computer applications, used primarily for estimating and financial data, but most of that was done by someone other than me. When I was hired for inspector work, I was in a whole new world. I was hired online, given a laptop, a smartphone, about ten passwords, and required to begin and end my day on a computer. A year passed before I met my boss…we communicated by email or text. I had to catch up quickly and took a couple of weekend courses in MS Excel. In retrospect, it broadened my horizons greatly. I now work real hard to stay connected which is why I created Easin’ Along.

4. I miss being in daily contact people younger than me. My association with younger workers helped keep me abreast of so much of what was happening in the world today. They had a vast amount of information about sports, pop culture, technology, even politics. Admittedly, I was shocked about how much of their knowledge came from television and social media and how little came from reading, but that’s the world we live in.

5. In a small way, I miss the fact that Friday doesn’t mean as much anymore. I always looked forward to Friday.

Things I Love About Retirement:

1. I love that I don’t have to be in a hurry all the time. When working, I always seemed to be in a rush whether it was squeezing in a movie, a weekend trip, or another meeting. There was an endless and pervasive sense of being tugged in another direction.

2. I love that I have time to focus on what’s really important. My health is important – I had not participated in regular exercise in years. I now go to the YMCA four times a week. My faith is important. I am able to attend church activities and enjoy them immensely. My family is most important and I am able to commit time to them without worry of neglecting some work requirement.

3. I can explore things that have always interested me…and a few that never occurred to me. Rather than endure a class required by my insurance company on “ladder safety” or a corporate mandate to learn how to avoid harassment in the workplace, I can take a class on photography; write a short story; or learn about the history of blues music, an art form that previously wouldn’t have been given a second thought.

4. I love that I have the option to react spontaneously when an opportunity for fun or for learning comes along that is too good to pass up…I can grab it and go as we did recently by visiting friends in the mountains.

5. I love it that I have finally been able to shrug off all guilt about taking an opportunity to sit, do absolutely nothing, and savor the moment. As an old Tennessean once shared with me, “Sometimes I sits and thinks…and sometimes I just sits”. I can do that now.

6. I love that Monday mornings aren’t quite as frantic as they used to be.

There are still things I need to work on. I need to make better use of my newly acquired freedom and reach out more often to friends who are important to me. I’m an introvert with an intense dislike for the telephone and avoid it like the plague. Picking up a phone to make contact with someone is not easy. I try to have breakfast with someone at least twice a month, but that’s not enough. I want my friends to know that I haven’t cut anybody off…please stay in touch. I’ll try to do better.

I also need to be more supportive of worthy causes. There are plenty out there and lack of time is not an excuse I can use anymore. Again, I intend to work on it.

From the beginning of our weekly postings we said were embarking on a “Slow Walk Through the Golden Years”. In all honesty, it took some time to recognize what a beautiful walk this can be and adjust our pace in order to slow down and enjoy the journey. Yeah, we miss a few things about working, but believe strongly that slower is better, and that retirement is an awesome gig.

To summarize it all after the first full year, there’s no turning back now…we’re truly Easin’ Along.

Fun

Walkin’ Among the Wildflowers, Wildlife, and Waterfalls

Posted on May 4, 2018April 30, 2018 by Easin' Along

Easin’ Along is on an assignment in the Cherokee National Forest this week so I hope you will enjoy one of our favorite posts from exactly two years ago. We will return next Friday with reports compiled during our time away.

In an effort to recall what my first vision of an active retirement was, it was probably the dream of having to decide whether to park my oversized yacht off of the coast of St. Barth’s or St. Martin in order to snorkel the clear, blue water. That dream is still out there, but I have yet to get the call that my yacht is ready for delivery. Meanwhile, I’m ecstatic with a retirement that’s active, but still has room for spontaneity.

A few weeks ago we told Easin’ Along readers about a trip we made to an area around TVA’s Norris Dam to follow the wildflower walk along the Clinch River. That was an awesome experience and one that we wanted to repeat, but wildflower season near our home was waning quickly. If we wanted to see more wildflowers we would have to go to a higher elevation.

On Friday of last week we were catching up on the events of the day and looking ahead to the weekend when Helen (adorable wife) said that the children would be the featured choir at Sunday’s church service and she felt like they could get along fine without her as the preeminent alto in the adult choir. To that, I replied, “Let’s go to Bryson City”. Admittedly we’re active people, but not so busy that we can’t be spontaneous…I love that. I immediately got on the phone and secured reservations for two nights and the next morning we packed Freddie (car) and hit the road.

Bryson City, NC is about a two-hour drive for us. It is in Western North Carolina and borders the southern side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The elevation for the town is a little over 1700 feet; about 800 feet higher than Knoxville, but the roads and trails in the National Park can take us much higher. We were sure we would see wildflowers and, in fact, Wildflower Week in the National Park would begin on Monday. This was going to be good.

There are several options for driving and we chose to follow Highway 441 which twists and winds its way from the Park entrance at Gatlinburg through Newfound Gap, a 5000 feet opening in the mountains and down to the Oconaluftee River Valley on the other side of the National Park. From there it is a short distance to Bryson City. As we climbed the mountain we could see wildflowers everywhere including White trillium, Phlox, and blankets of Spring Beauty making their way up the mountainside. We stopped at Webb Overlook to take in the view and while the leaves were not yet on most of the trees, there was just a hint of spring green in front of us.

Gracey Manor - Front — **Gracey Manor – Front**

We arrived in Bryson City and checked in to Gracey Manor, our favorite home away from home. We discovered Gracey Manor on our first trip here about two years ago when we came to float the nearby Nantahala River. The motel is owned by David and Peggy Gracey who operate the motel from April until the end of October, then return to their home in Texas for the winter. Gracey Manor is a classic 1950’s era motel and with no exaggeration whatsoever, is the cleanest place we have ever stayed. The rooms open to a front porch with a view to the mountains and an invitation to relax. David and Peggy are the friendliest people on the planet and go out of their way to make us feel welcome.

That evening we did a little walking around this small but vibrant town. There are a lot of shops and eateries and much to enjoy, and Bryson City is known for its world-class outdoor activities, laid-back vibe, and diversity of activities in its walkable downtown. It is an ideal getaway.

On Sunday morning I got up early and drove a few blocks away to pick up two large cups of coffee and take some pictures of the early morning sun on the mountains at the edge of town. The fresh air was stimulating, but I still needed coffee. I have posted a picture of the morning here.

After breakfast, we put on our hiking gear and drove about ten minutes into the National Park at Deep Creek campground to begin our search for wildflowers. We didn’t have to walk far. Starting on the Deep Creek/Indian Creek Loop and heading toward Tom Branch Falls, we were about 200 feet into the hike when we came upon a bed of bright blue Wild Iris – my favorite wildflower. Here’s a picture.

I continued along the trail and paused in front of Tom Branch Falls, a beautiful cascading waterfall above Deep Creek when I heard Helen yelling behind me. “Come Heeerrre!” “NOW!” She was standing on the side of the trail at the base of a steep hillside staring intently at something and that something turned out to be a light pink Showy Orchid. Of course, I didn’t know what it was but Helen did and she says that they are rare. On this hike, we were fortunate to come upon several beds containing large numbers of the flower. It was a treat.

We followed the Deep Creek/Indian Falls Loop for about 4.5 miles which included a fairly steep climb of a mile or more to the top of a ridge above Indian Creek then back down. We took our time and I was grateful for the time I spent at the YMCA (see post) over the past few months for giving me the needed energy to make the hike. In addition to the Iris and Orchids, we saw Wild Phlox, Phacelia, Trillium, Foamflower, Spring Beauty, and many others which will have to go unnamed for the moment. I was truly impressed by both the numbers of different species and by the sheer beauty they gave to us.

Blanket of Spring Beauty — **A blanket of Spring Beauty**

We were also treated to some spectacular waterfalls – Toms Branch and Indian Creek Falls among them.

While walking, we met many very nice and friendly hikers out to enjoy the Park. We lost count of the number of states represented by fellow travelers, but remember meeting folks from Connecticut, Oregon, Florida, and Alabama among them. One hiker we met was on his way to do some fly fishing for trout in one of the creeks along the trail, and he was most helpful in sharing some of the highlights of the area. His name is Dr. Spencer Muse, a professor of statistics at North Carolina State University. Dr. Muse is from the Bryson City area and comes back often to fish. We enjoyed our time with him on the trail, and he agreed to let me take his picture.

We met one other “stranger” on our hike when I was near the bottom of the ridge and looked straight into the face of a young deer about six feet away from me. This fella was accompanied by two other deer that seemed not the least bit disturbed by our presence and continued eating while we took their pictures. This was a bonus. Apparently, we missed a bear that was spotted by some others on the trail when he poked his head out of a cave above the road. I’m glad we avoided that opportunity, but he created quite a stir on the trail.

We are genuinely blessed to have the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in our backyard and it is easy to see why it is the most visited and most popular National Park in the country. Having been to many of our Parks, I agree that they are the greatest gifts we Americans have given to ourselves. This year we celebrate the 100th anniversary of this awesome gift.

That night we decided we still had enough energy to drive the short distance to Cherokee, NC and try our luck at the Casino. We’re not big gamblers, but we always hope big and walk through the doors very optimistically about having a big night. On this night I did well, but it wasn’t as good for Helen. Nevertheless, we evened each other out and walked away having a lot of fun for the two hours we spent there.

Adorable wife - Very busy — **Adorable wife – Very busy**

Up early again the next morning and walked about three blocks along Everett Street to our favorite breakfast spot, the Everett Street Diner. On our first trip to Bryson City, we noted that a lot of local policemen and firefighters filled this restaurant for breakfast and decided it must be good. We have never been disappointed. This is a true diner with tablecloths, heavy china plates and cups, and lots and lots of the things I get really excited about…like biscuits and gravy. It didn’t take us long to study the menu. Helen had the breakfast special and I went all in for the Biscuit and Gravy Combo. It arrived quickly and good and hot. We feasted.

Soon it was time to check out so we said our goodbyes to David and Peggy and took a picture to remember them by and hit the road.

We decided to go home by the same route along US 441 in order for a few more glimpses of the wildflowers in the Park and were again rewarded when we passed a large bed of Phlox and rare pink Trillium as well as white Trillium. A Pink one is pictured here and I think readers would have to agree it is stunning.

We stopped to take in the view from Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the National Park. There were a number of visitors there and, judging from the license plates, they came from far and wide. The hike up the somewhat steep path from the parking lot to the tower takes about 10 minutes, but the view from the path is spectacular and we joined many visitors taking pictures. The tower offers a panoramic view of the horizon and it is breathtaking. I would encourage all to visit…but wear comfortable shoes.

We arrived back home in about three hours exhausted and exhilarated, thrilled by what we had seen and proud of ourselves for making the effort. Spontaneity can definitely produce a big reward.

Until next time, we’ll be Easin’ Along.