Momof6....aka Marty 769 Posted March 22, 2014 Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 Judy made the jalapeño poppers.You all aren't supposed to be able to see the fire over my head. As far as all of you know I only have a halo above me at all times.I only see a halo. O:-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Let's move on to Sunday. As mentioned before, it poured rain starting around 2 AM, and was still pouring in the morning when we were having our coffee. Poor Yvonne had to pack up her tent and Judy her HTT during the heaviest of the rain. I bet they spent a good amount of time drying everything out at home. That stinks. But what stank even more is that they had to leave at all. First Judy pulled out, and then a bit later Yvonne packed it up and headed for home. By late morning, the heavy rain had ended but a misty, drizzly fog descended on the mountain. It was also noticeably colder. But I am incapable of sitting still for long, so we loaded up the van to go exploring. We decided to head to Desoto Falls, which is around 7 miles from the campground. The falls is easily accessible by car without hiking. When you pull into the parking area, you immediately notice a small lake impounded by a very small dam. I read online that that dam was the first hydroelectric dam in the state of Alabama, constructed in the 1920's to supply power to Fort Payne and Mentone. Down in the gorge below the falls you can still see the concrete base that used to support the generating station. Below the dam, the river begins to tumble toward the brink of the main falls. And looking over the falls into the gorge below. To be honest, this place freaked me out a bit. I have a bit of a fear of heights, especially when worried about the safety of my kids. And this railing along the precipice was kind of shabby looking. I held Anna and stayed back, and yelled at the kids to be careful. But the falls were certainly beautiful. And the view from up here was pretty awesome. Imagine the view of the falls those houses have up there. Wow! What a place to sit and have coffee in the mornings. I took this next picture to show how the falls continues to erode the gorge in its slow march upriver. Look at how the base of the cliff is beginning to collapse. Another 500,000 years or so and that dam will be history. After we were done looking at the falls....and I was done freaking about someone tumbling over the edge....we got back in the van and drove the 5 minutes into the little town of Mentone. Mentone is a small artisan community on top of the mountain. It has a few shops and cafes, and some beautiful vacation properties, but is quite small. We did find a little place to get some lunch though. And we stumbled on something really good. We were seated pretty quickly. Did you happen to catch the guy with the guitar in the background of that last picture? His name is Tony Goggans, and he calls himself an Appalachian troubadour. He spent a good amount of time at our table encouraging us to sing along with him. We had a blast, singing old folk tunes from the 60's. He said he also plays on the riverboat for dinner cruises in Chattanooga. I'd like to check him show out sometime there. Here are some of our selections for lunch. INC and I both ordered the angel hair pasta, served on a bed of spinach with roasted veggies and a strawberry balsamic dressing. This dish was to die for! Z snaps and all. (ignore the pickle that I took off Anna's plate) A couple of the girls ordered pizzas, which they loved. Here is a cheese one. Anna enjoyed her grilled cheese potato chips. Lunch was excellent, and was a really nice experience with the music. Before he would let us leave, Tony wanted to sing a couple more songs with us. He plays for tips, but he was worth whatever we stuffed in the jar. After lunch, we drove around Mentone a bit more before heading back to the campground. Right in the middle of town we saw this. That's only one small section of what was a large building. It was the Mentone Springs Hotel....an historic inn which was built in 1884 and was the last wooden Victorian hotel in Alabama. It had burned about 2 weeks prior to our visit. The hole it leaves in the town is pretty sad. We made our way back to the park and there was a little Fiend activity....Bob and Carol were out a bit. Tim indicated online that they were spending the day inside. It was still drizzly and a bit miserable. But I still couldn't sit still. So INC and I headed out on another adventure. In the next update. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AC in A2......Aaron 693 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Those falls are awesome.This is my kind of weekend trip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Beckers 1,136 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Those falls are awesome.This is my kind of weekend trip.What he said Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Ironically, Jason does some work for a guy with a lot of property in Mentone. We need to camp there, but we'd probably camp on the guy's property. That restaurants looks like a cool place. I'll have to tell him about it. And I love Anna's face in the grilled cheese picture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
h2odivers...Ray 952 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Great pictures Dave. What a beautiful place. Your lunch spot looked cool. I like those small little gems. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lklasing 16 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 We made our way back to the park and there was a little Fiend activity....Bob and Carol were out a bit. Tim indicated online that they were spending the day inside. It was still drizzly and a bit miserable. But I still couldn't sit still. So INC and I headed out on another adventure. In the next update. I know what y'all did - you went to the caverns, right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I know what y'all did - you went to the caverns, right? :rofl3: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kampfirekim 260 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 "To be honest, this place freaked me out a bit. I have a bit of a fear of heights, especially when worried about the safety of my kids. And this railing along the precipice was kind of shabby looking. I held Anna and stayed back, and yelled at the kids to be careful. After we were done looking at the falls....and I was done freaking about someone tumbling over the edge..".. X100. Dave, I am starting to believe we are related. :panic: :bugeyes: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Dave, I am starting to believe we are related. :panic: :bugeyes: I know how difficult it must have been for you to admit that....sista from anothu mista. :rofl3: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 What an excellent way to save a rainy day! Those falls are amazing! Great photos! And then you found that great hippie restaurant! Awesome! I'm looking forward to hearing about where y'all head next. I can't help but notice that the rest of the Fiends who were in attendance are not helping you out very much by chiming in. Let's go people! TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Beautiful photos of the falls! I would have been freaking out too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I can't help but notice that the rest of the Fiends who were in attendance are not helping you out very much by chiming in. Let's go people! I know that Carol took a bunch of pics, but I also know that she is swamped with work right now. Hopefully she'll get some free time at some point to post more of her pictures. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dvccamper 32 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Beautiful pictures! I would have been nervous there too, though. When the kids were younger we visited Cathedral Ledge in New Hampshire, it has a sheer drop to the bottom. The kids ran ahead of us, we couldn't see the fence ahead that would stop them. I'll never forget the feeling I got in my stomach as I screamed at them to stop. I looked over at my husband who couldn't even speak. I've never seen anyone's color drain from their face like his did. We had to go back and lie down after that, haha. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kampfirekim 260 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 I know how difficult it must have been for you to admit that....sista from anothu mista. :rofl3: Yo Bro. :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ajcjmom 8 Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Great pics and it looks like a fun time! Except for the rain. As I have gotten older, I don't like heights either. I have issues with some escalators! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TnBob 311 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Ok, I have come up with something to ad. It was a nice day when we left, if you think towing in 50 mph gusts is a nice day then it WAS a nice day. Kathy picked up the grand kids from school and off we went down 65 into Alabama. We passed the rocket at the welcome center and the kids were hoping we were actully going to Florida but no soap. We went towards Huntsville and Carolville (Madison) and went past the rockets and space shuttle that I guess these Alabama folks seem to just park next to the road, thrill for the kids thats for sure. Other than the god awful wind the trip down was no big problem. We got to the campground which is up up up some steep winding roads and there to my surprise (but not really) was DIT. Can you imagine driving for almost 4 hrs only to see Dave standing there? Oh and Carols Tab was there too. I have to say, the sites were nice, as nice if not nicer than DC, well not nicer but AS nice. We backed into our site right across from Dave. The wind died down as did the temps but it was still a nice early spring night, fire at Leslie's site made for a comfy BS session. First time I had met Leslie, although I never saw the daughter she SAID was there and I did see pictures of her so I do think she WAS there. I also met Tim and Mrs. Tim (sorry I forget) for the first time. I was up early for me on Saturday and although there was food over at Yvonne's site I had to go find propane, I was afraid it was going to get cold Saturday night and I only had a half tank. Lucky thing was I ran into the park ranger on my way out and he guided me to a welding shop who was open and to my surprise only charged me $12 to fill a #30 tank although he was a regular southern boy who wanted to talk and talk and talk. Upon arriving back at the campground I made the rounds wagging my tongue as I do well, put the tank back on and then took a walk with Dave down the hill to where the kiddies were playing on the playground. Now for those of you that have seen me lately you know I am woefully out of shape not to mention I smoke way too much and this "hill" was more a mountain. Well the jokes on you, I made it up the "hill" and wasn't even out of breath, yeah, surprised me too! Ok potluck was good, fire and all that after dark and more tongue wagging. Sunday, forget it, rain rain rain, Sissy had a stomach issue most of the day Saturday and Sunday as did Kathy so it was me and Carol sitting under the awning BSing while the kids played UNO and watched TV with CJ. Dave told me he was going to leave on Monday (we were suppose to be there till Tuesday) and I said we just might do the same if the weather didn't improve. Tuseday the weather hadn't improved so I will tell you the story of being lost tomorrow or soon, as the case may be. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Way to go, Bob! I know your trip report updates are rare and are to be cherished like an 18 year old single malt scotch, so I read it really slowly and plan on repeating later today to get the full effect. You're right about that wind. The pull down on Friday SMB. I can attest to the fact that Bob did indeed hike up that hill with no issues. Looking forward to your telling of the story of getting lost on the mountain. LOL. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 We got to the campground which is up up up some steep winding roads and there to my surprise (but not really) was DIT. Can you imagine driving for almost 4 hrs only to see Dave standing there? Best line of Bob's update! LOL Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Bravo, Bob! Great contribution to a great trip report! I hope you'll tell the story of getting lost on the mountain. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted March 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 We got to the campground which is up up up some steep winding roads and there to my surprise (but not really) was DIT. Can you imagine driving for almost 4 hrs only to see Dave standing there? Best line of Bob's update! LOL I have down arrows and I'm not afraid to use them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Wind, what wind? I didn't notice any wind on my drive up :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kampfirekim 260 Posted March 27, 2014 Report Share Posted March 27, 2014 Resisting the urge to blame Dave for all the wind. Roller ... aka Ed 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tim5055 120 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 I, for one didn't mind the wind on the way up; it was the fog on the way down that bothered me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted March 28, 2014 Report Share Posted March 28, 2014 Resisting the urge to blame Dave for all the wind. If you did it would probably be Ohana wind :rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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