Move Beyond Ordinary

My daughter was told she needed to be induced on Dec 20th. Now, the chaos begins! Early Christmas with my son and grandson, saying goodbye to family members and getting ready for the trip to Texas. The possibility of us getting there for the delivery was not an option. This trip pushed my husband’s rule of 3 hours on the road or 350 miles. My birthday is December 21, and I thought my first granddaughter would share my birthday. Texting back and forth throughout the delivery left me on pins and needles. My birthday celebration was on the road, and after an eight-hour drive, we stopped for the night. At midnight, it was clear that I would be blowing out birthday candles by myself next year.

Two hours later, Emersyn was born at 2:17 am, weighing 6 lbs, 8 oz. My anticipation to get to the hospital was getting stronger, and I kept asking how momma and baby were doing. Finally, we arrived on the 23rd, hugged our daughter, congratulated our son-in-law, and held our tiny granddaughter. The best Christmas present was held in my arms, like an angel. There is no better way than to start off 2024. Life is good, and gratitude was given as prayers were answered. We will be spending the next two months in Texas to help with the baby before we start our journey out west. Posts will be sporadic, so bear with us until we get on our regular schedule of posting every Saturday.

We arrived a few days before Thanksgiving to have our family participate in the Turkey Trot.  So many people are eager to run the 5k or enjoy the 1-mile stroll.  Baby strollers, turkey hats, Santa outfits, and groups with matching t-shirts added to the festive mood of the event.  People crowded the streets, waiting for the National Anthem to end and the trot to begin. We enjoyed the bands along the way to keep us entertained. It was my 4 ½ yr old grandson’s first participation in this event.  In the beginning, he was pretty excited about the surroundings.  Unfortunately, he petered out, and Poppy had to carry him home.  Too much excitement for one day.  Thanksgiving day was shared with family, and the food was abundant and delicious.  We are thankful for our many blessings and grateful to be surrounded by those we love.

We rode bikes to the newly renovated Coachman Park to watch our grandson climb, run, and meet new friends during our stay.  Mitchell participated in a 10k run in the park and finished 2^nd place in his age group—way to go, Mitch.  Our grandson is now the proud owner of a winner’s medal. 

We were also able to host our daughter’s baby shower.  This is her first child, and her due date is January 7th.  Our baby is having a baby.  So exciting.  Once again, there is plenty of food to be shared among friends and family.

Stay tuned to next week’s post and find out why our time in Florida was cut short.

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Heading towards the state of Georgia, we passed acres of cotton fields. Their bright white color was hard to miss. One of these days it would be fascinating to learn how cotton goes from a puff on a stem to the cotton we use for our clothing

Shaefer Heard, COE was the best campsite ever! So glad we were here for two weeks. The site was huge, with ample and distinct space for the 5th wheel, truck, and patio area. Being right on the lake made it extra special. We enjoyed beautiful sunsets and rolling fog over the water in the mornings. At night, the stars adorned the black sky. It was picture-perfect. I didn’t want to leave.

We took a lake-side trail hike to the dam. There is no elevation to speak of, but it is a nice day hike, never less. We leave this wonderful campground to head home for Thanksgiving and visit family.

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We are getting closer to seeing fall leaves. The temperature has dropped, and a chill is in the air. Our first hike, House Mountain Trail, tempted us with hints of fall colors. I love hiking when the weather is brisk.

We visited the Tennesse Theater to see Lewis Black. This theater was built in 1928 and was considered the city’s first “skyscraper.” As I walked into the lobby, I was in awe of its grandeur, beautiful decor, and the feeling of luxury. It truly is a hidden gem, and Mr. Black’s humor made me smile.

Our next adventure took us to Meade Quarry. We put in the kayak, and the atmosphere was serene, and the stone walls were amazing. We couldn’t believe our luck as we were the only ones on the water. As we were dragging our kayak out of the water, we noticed a sign indicating personal watercraft are prohibited. Oops! We were glad there was no one patrolling the area, as we are sure a ticket would have been in our future.

Finally, fall colors! Our hike to Observation Point was everything I wanted to remind me of fall. Gold, yellow, red, and copper colors lined the trail as our boots swished through the fallen leaves. I wanted to jump in the leave pile again like a kid. Each wind brought a shower of leaves as they gently floated to the ground. The top of the mountain led us to a spectacular view of the Norris Dam. I couldn’t have asked for a better hike. Thanks, Tennesse, for bringing back memories of my favorite time of the year, fall.

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Seven Point COE Campground

Another fabulous campground by the lake. So far, Mitch has done a fantastic job of picking our camping spots so they are either on the lake or have a bird’s eye view of one. He will openly admit some of the sites are much better than the posted pictures they have on the website.

Day Loop Trail and Stone River Greenway Trail

This 3.7-mile hike went around the lake, and the weather was perfect for a day hike. We rode our bikes on the Stone River Greenway Trail the following day. This would have been a terrific trail to go for a long ride, but the bugs were in full swing, and it started to get uncomfortable. This was the first time we had to turn around due to bugs swarming on the trail. At least we could get in fourteen miles before we said enough, and glad we saw several turkeys along the way.

At night, temperatures drop, and sweaters and long pants are needed. Perfect weather for nightly fires and very encouraging that the night place will bring my autumn leaves.

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Canal COE Campground

We enjoyed our stay at this campground. The big appeal here was Patti’s 1800 Settlement. It offers a restaurant surrounded by little shops throughout the settlement. It wasn’t our type of entertainment, but we did stop across the street to snap a quick picture of the lighthouse.

Mitch found a spot to put in our kayak. He thought it might be interesting to see how easy it is to assemble. When we started, the sun shone brightly, and when we hit the water, it became overcast. We met other kayakers who were out to enjoy some fishing. Luck was with them as they did have a catch.

Still waiting to see those vibrant colors of yellow, orange, and red. Hopefully, continuing our journey will not disappoint.

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Axel COE Campground

It is another great campground. I love camping at those campgrounds created by the Corp. of Engineers. Thank you for creating dams and the most beautiful campgrounds scattered along the lakeside. We love watching the sunset over the water.

Mammoth Cave – Historic Tour

To get to the National Park, we had to drive 55 minutes. GPS took us in a direction that led to a road being closed. Panic set in since we had timed reservations. A quick call and the operator directed us correctly and said we shouldn’t have used the GPS to get there. We made it on time to take a two-hour tour. Touring the cave, we had to pass through Fat Man’s misery as the passageway was narrow. The next hurdle was Tall Man’s Agony. I stand 5 feet tall; you can imagine this passage’s height if I have to crouch down. The park has several tours with varying difficulty, but the ride was too long to return for more tours.

Jeffrey Cliffs Hike

The massive cliffs were awe-inspiring. You can see the magnitude of these cliffs when Mitch stands in the middle of one. When we began to ascend the stairs to the top of the cliff, we met a woman native to the area. When she was younger, there were no stairs, just a rope where you had to pull yourself up to the top. Thank goodness the stairs were built, or Mitch would be climbing alone.

We ended the day with a glowing fire as the nights were getting a bit more chilly. That is a good sign, as I may get to enjoy the changing of the leaves.

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Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Campground – this was a small campground adjacent to the Coal Mine Exhibition. Bonus – the coal mine tour discounts were given if you stayed at the campground. The tour was very informative, and one has to sympathize with the coal miners. Their lives were not easy, and their jobs were grueling. Visiting each building that housed the supervisor, workers, and their families was interesting.

New River Gorge Hike – Grandview Rim – this hike was the best to view the gorge from above. It was a beautiful day, but still no significant leaf change. I hope that will change once our trip continues down the East Coast.

Endless Wall Trail – Another great hike, but sometimes a little scary. One must be extra cautious- too close to the edge, and it’s a long way down. There were a couple of times Mitch got too close so he could share a video, and I, being the mother hen, was issuing warnings to him to step back. This is a popular spot for cliff climbers, but we didn’t see them today.

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Today, we visited three magnificent falls. The first was Ithaca Falls. The falls were roaring as the water cascaded down from the top. We wanted better pictures, but the morning sun was blinding and we could only catch a few good ones to share.

Our next stop was the Cascadilla Creek Gorge, which displayed 20 ft of multiple falls leading to the campus of Cornell University. There were eight decent-sized falls ranging from different heights. This hike was better than our expectations and we had lunch at one of the cafes outside campus.

The last fall on our agenda for the day was Buttermilk Falls. We almost didn’t go as the skies were threatening rain, but we decided to take a risk and start our trek. We were so glad we decided to move forward, as it was like visiting Watkins Glen. This fall had so many unique features, and we loved every minute of it. Best yet – the rain came after we got to the car for our return to Snead Campground.

Can’t forget to mention our visit to Brightleaf Winery. We stumbled across this winery after a ride around the lake. The wine and charcuterie were noted worthy, but the view was enchanting, and our time spent here was perfect.

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We had to revisit this area because we enjoyed our time here last year. Snead Family Campground was our home base for our two-week stay. We took the leisurely trail up to Taughannock Falls. It’s a 215 ft drop; however, the waterfall was not at full velocity. This time, we did get an opportunity to dine at the inn on top of the hill. The Inn at Taughannock was originally the summer home of the Jones family, and there are many original pieces from their home. The view from the dining room overlooks Cayuga Lake, and we thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience.

Our visit to the Buttonwood Winery was memorable as our host was a high school alumni of mine. We reminisced about our youth in between tastings. It was a beautiful day to relax outside and spend the afternoon. The saying, “It’s a small world,” holds true as I never expected to meet someone from my graduating class.

The weather was crisp and we ventured a drive around the lake. This area of New York is beautiful and our only regret was we were too early to catch the spectacular array of colors welcoming the beginning of fall.

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