Day 2 In Tennesee. Waterfalls, Duskywings, Beer, and Moonshine....

 Yesterday,  Dave and I had some time to kill before the big Rehearsal Dinner.  After I posted the last Blog Entry,  We headed out for the Great Smokey Mountain National Park.  It as just  down the road! 

There is a busy road that is narrow and winding.  I think the park was only 7 miles away, but there were a few scenic turn outs that we took advantage of.  This lookout showed the entire city and the cable car that took you to the top most mountain.  

Our plan was to check out a picturesque  water fall that was near the road.  However,   as with most touristy things in brochures...  It was flooded with Tourists!  

Now I like people just as much as the next guy.   But when you are out trying to experience nature,  you want to do it in a quiet, peaceful, and perhaps even reverent way.    And a wee bit of solitude  helps!

 But this was NONE of those things!   Kids were running around screaming,  people were photo bombing each other.  With the narrow path there,  you practically had to stand in line to get your picture of the falls!  It did not take long for Dave to suggest we head up the trail a bit and lose most of the people. 

The nice thing about tourists, is that many of them are out of shape and lack the motivation to actually "work" for the shot.  So climbing a fairly steep trail for nearly a half mile makes the majority of them fall away.  (They can't hand the challenging task of walking up a path.)  Now if that makes me sound like a snob... Well,  I guess I am.   I have had to walk several miles down paths and up mountains while hauling fishing gear just to get to a secluded lake.   Once there, the trout were jumping and rising like a boiling cauldron.  It was like a Heaven! 4

My point is that you can't have places like that if EVERYONE and their kids and dogs and grandmothers, and rollers and strollers and oxygen bottles are there flooding the area.   The next waterfall, though smaller, was far more peaceful.  

While hiking,  we noticed a number of Butterflies out.   I saw several from the car, but the dominant ones along the trail were Duskywings.   ( I identified it on the path!  All those years of chasing butterflies and I still have the ID chart in my head.)   There certainly are a large number of them for those who like to split up the species... But I will settle for the common name.  

There were also a number of swallowtails ( black and tiger) and some whites.   Tough to ID them while driving down the road, but I'm fairly certain I could ball park it. 

As the time neared, we planned a link up with Joey and the wedding party.   They wanted to grab a drink at a local pub and chat a bit before heading out to the dinner.   It took us nearly 15 minutes to travel 5 miles due to the traffic.  It was similar to Disney Land only there were cars driving down the road!   We were forced to park a mile away from the pub and walking to the Gatlinburg Brewing Company.  The beer was good but rather expensive.  ( Because you are visiting a tourist town!)  

After folding a tip and catching up with the Wedding party,   the bright idea of visiting the "Moonshine" district come up.   Everyone agreed that would be worth blogging about, so they all Shanghaied  me and forced me to go.  

I had the peanut butter chocolate coffee thing.   (Not sure what the name was, but it was good.)  Once again,  the drinks were rather expensive,  so that limited our consumption.   You would think that since you are enjoying a product that is made locally that it would cut down on the shipping cost. Thus the savings would be passed off to the customer!  (Like eating Lobster in Maine!) But NO!   Because this is a touristy place.  (Let's continue to blame the tourists for everything... Shall we?)  

In the end, it is probably a good thing, because no one wants to get hammered the day before the wedding. (Except perhaps the groom...)   And wake up with a Hangover.  So keeping the prices high is actually possibly doing everyone a favor.   They can sample without losing their eyesight!  (That is a Moonshine reference...  Where drinking this type of Alcohol will cause blindness...  for those who don't know.)  

With everyone fully caught up and ready for the rehearsal,  I headed back to the hotel and tried to relax.   I walked to the Local Casey's and god some grub.   I sat by the river and fed the geese.  I even watched the Groundhogs play around on the other side of the river.  It was very therapeutic and relaxing.  And even though it was in the middle of town,  it appeared that I had the entire area to myself.  Possibly because everyone is out trying to get their "Natural Experience" on instead of seeing the nature that is right outside their windows.   I am not complaining!

My brother called and we had a nice chat.   Ed and Bill Arnold had brewed up a batch of Homemade IPA beer and they invited my brother over for a sampling.   From the sounds of it... And the way the conversation devolved... it sounds like they sampled more than a sample.  ( If you know what I mean....)

But that was always how it was back in the day when Mr. Noorman would tap into his homemade Wine.   Uncle Bill, Dad, and Mr. Noorman would sample a bit more than they should and they would tell stories and laugh loudly at jokes.  Usually, ( Around this time of year)  the Kids, Mark, David, Me, Eric, and Ed) would be cleaning a 5 gallon bucket of Smelt that the Noormans had brought home from their Spring Smelt Dipping.    While the old guys sampled wine,  The Moms would fry up the fish after we cleaned them.  Those were good times.  

So tonight is the actual wedding.   I wanted to squeeze in this blog post before heading out and gathering more pictures and experiences.  I'm not sure what to expect from this, but I'm sure I will find something blog worthy to write about.   It seems my creative writing skills have been overflowing since last Thursday.   And I think that is a good thing.  Because when you have the time,  sometimes you have to do the things that inspire you.   And every second counts... 

Weekend In Tennessee!

That is Correct!   I was invited down to Tennessee for a Wedding!   A Wedding where I barely know the people involved.   So this actually is more like a version of the "Wedding Crashers" for me.   Will I drink too much?  Will I make a speech?  Will I Dance and sing Karaoke?  Hmm...  Maybe?   But given my personality,  I highly doubt it. (Maybe enjoy an adult beverage and sing a Sinatra song...  Maybe.) 

We spent Friday traveling to the sleepy city of Pigeon Forge.  I think the entire trip was around 10 hours... ( maybe 11)   A LONG time in a small car that is not a Subaru.   But Dave did most of the driving. (Because I drive too slow...  I know,  I know!)   That being said,  it was still a long trip. My back was beginning to stiffen up after about 8 hours..  And Dave worked out with dead lifts and back squats at Crossfit that morning.   So saying he was a little stiff is an understatement!

The pictures do not really do the mountain justice.   Sure, they are not the Rockies.   But they are tall enough to make your ears pop and your eyes bulge with the thought of falling off the narrow roads.  I tried to capture some of the spring color along the way, but, again, that was difficult to pull off from the highway.  

If you managed to get off the highway....  Because Google Maps wanted to give you a scenic tour for some reason...  Then you encountered winding roads with no shoulder or guard rail to save you from tumbling down a cliff!  And going slow down these types of roads would only make someone with a little bit of back pain and travel fatigue kind of grumpy.  (Not Dave.... ME!) 

But we made it.   And are now taking in the sights of this "touristy trap of a destination"   Honestly, it looks like Disney Land...   With Mountains!  I hear there are zip lines,  Ferris Wheels, water slides, and rail rides everywhere.   A Comedy Barn, White water rafting,  Hatfield and McCoy themed restaurant and a bunch of other destinations.  Looks like a family could easily get lost here trying to visit and sample everything. 

But I am actually finding it peaceful.   The hotel is right next to a clear stream and we were able to eat breakfast outside on the patio... overlooking it.  The temps are cool, but definitely warmer than where we came from.  I was able to run in Shorts and T-shirt this morning!

Speaking of running,  Dave and I went out for a short run.   We came to a path ( road) leading up a "hill".   At the last minute,  Dave suggested we take a different route and we ended up on a light overlook with camping slots.   After several laps,  Dave said he had enough and wanted to get a head start on the morning.   But I wanted to see where the road that climbed the hill led.  

It was Brutally Steep!    And every time you thought you came to the top,  just around the corner,  the incline continued!   I somehow managed to "run" (it would hardly be called running...)  up the entire way... but was totally spent after I finally got to the top.   I could see the entire town from the peak.  

Though I "ran" up the thing,   I had to practically tip toe down.   I did not realize how steep it was until I was facing the other direction.   I was steep enough to make me second guess my footing down the entire way!  I can only imagine the damage it would have caused my legs had I run down or slipped.  

I'm sure if you have the money,  this place would be like Vegas for Kids!  ( Or Disney Land....)   But I'm here for a little R&R.  (And maybe a brewsky or two.... )   We shall see how the mini vacation plays out.  We'll try to make every second count. 

A New Day!

Todays Sunrise! 

 A quick post on what I have been up to the last couple of days.    I finally finished the walleye!  (Yeah!)   It only took about 6 months!   (Better late than never, right?)  To be honest, I would say my biggest hang up was the painting and the time.   I simply did not have much time to dedicate to it on the weekends.   And when I did...  I was never happy with the painting.   Probably because I lacked the patience for the detail.   Who knows? (I had to repaint it a couple times since the last posting about it.)

But it is finally finished.   And I had to wait for a  "Mostly" decent day to give it the clear coat finish.  Although yesterday was cold and slightly breezy,  it was sunny and dry.   I took the fish outside so the fumes would not kill me or cause brain damage. ( Any more than what I already have,,, After breathing all of that polyurethane back in Michigan.) And finally... FINALLY!   I was able to add it to the collection in the basement.  

And now the question is....  What should the next fish be?  

My thoughts lean to another sport fish from the Great Lake Basin.    Something big would also compliment the collection I am building.    (it doesn't really matter, since I seem to make them all big anyway.) 

  My first thought was a Northern Pike...   But there is something about that fish that does not give it the "Flash" that I'm thinking about.   Maybe the colors or the patterns on the body.  It could also be the lack of a top dorsal fin.   I'm afraid it would not stand out enough among the colors or the flashy fins of the other fish.  

Brown Trout. 

I'm thinking seriously about a brown trout.   They are colorful and have fairly flashy fins.   And there is a romance with the German Brown Trout that sets it apart.   Unlike the heavy gear and steel leaders of "toothy" Pike and Musky... 

The Romance of Fly Fishing! 

  The brown trout can  be caught on light line fly rods or micro spinning rods. A little more grace and skill is required rather than brute force. 

 ( Don't get me wrong, I enjoy muscling a fish as much as anyone... )   

Browns are colorful!

Steelhead.

And then there is the color!   Trout in general are very colorful and could easily pick a rainbow as well.   Steelhead tend to have that mossy back with that deeply red gill plate.  But capturing the true colors of the rainbow would almost be impossible for my skill level of painting.    They are iridescent!   And flash and shimmer with blues, browns, purples and greens along their backs.  Something I can not capture with a simple paintbrush.    Browns have a rich golden brown color with black and red spots, surrounded with light brown or white halos.   Just writing about it is making me excited....

Lake Trout

Arctic Char!  VERY colorful fish!

There is also the Lake Trout. ( Not a real trout, by the way....)  And if I'm going down that road,  there are also the Arctic Char and Brook trout. ( Also not real trout... Add that to your trivia list)   These fish are VERY colorful!  With reds and greens and swirly yellow patterns.  I'll give them some consideration as well. 

Brook Trout.

I have a busy weekend planned, so I may not get to it right away.   The rest of this week is kind of in limbo as well, so I will have to find the time and work on it when I can.   Small bites!   Don't tackle too much at any given time.  (That is what got me into trouble with the last fish!)   Better to go slow rather than rush things and end up scrapping the entire thing because it 'looks like junk" when you are finished,   

Then again, I think most of my creations looks amateurish.  Lucky for me,   I'm the only one who has to look at them here in the basement.   And if they begin bothering me to the point where I can't stand them, I can always donate them or throw them away.   It's the process and not the finished product, after all,  that the artist is pursuing.  (My opinion.... And Philosophy.) 

So that is on the agenda for the future.   I may also schedule a trip to Michigan to see my Bro and visit with some family before they move to a new state.   They reached out to me and asked when I would be able to drop in for a visit.  Turns out,  I now have the time.    

And experiencing a change of scenery might do me some good.  I would hate to waste the moments doing nothing.   Because every second counts!