Dusty of Dusty's Diesels thinks I can make it to my next stop without any severe engine trouble so I continue on to Fort Worth, Texas. Originally I wasn't planning on going this far south, but cold weather drove me south. Looking into Fort Worth, I was surprised at how much there was to do here.
I had a little bit of engine trouble, as in my Check Engine Maintenance light is on. I called the Chevy dealer and they can't get me in for another two weeks. Bummer. I found a company called YourMechanic who does house calls. They came out and checked the codes. Coolant Fan issue. The guy said there was a loose plug, he plugged it in and the light went out. I sort of think he might have just cleared the code, but what do I know.
In Oklahoma City, there is an artist collective who have converted a 6000 sq. ft. building into an:
“Oklahoma City based collaborative company creating immersive experiences that awaken wonder, build community, and make the world better”
Impressive. There was a series of rooms, different styles, different feels. The music was different in each room and helped you to immerse yourself even more into where you were at.
They had a special exhibit called Doorways created by Amber Rae Black and Teddi Fokas. You walk into a circular dark room. Around the circle are about six/seven doors. You open one of the doors and there is a space about the size of a closet which is filled with fantastical scenes that range from a DIY time machine to a miniscule fairy closet. You really get sucked into the scene.
I was going to call this next museum the highlight of OKC, but that was before I had been to the Cowboy Museum and Factory Obscura. This museum had it's own charm though. Of course I'm talking about the American Pigeon Museum. I had been wanting to go here for years, but it has very limited hours and it never seemed to work out. This year was it – I made it to the museum.
Most people consider pigeons to be rats with wings. This museum was out to change your mind. They talked, of course, about the contributions that pigeons made to society from dinner plates, to Armed Forces couriers to Pigeon Races. What I found most fascinating was all the different types of pigeons. Did you know that there is a breed of pigeon that has curly feathers? After you finish all the exhibits, you can go out back and see some of the different pigeon breeds.
Pretty bird
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| He seems sure of himself |
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| Check out his feet |
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| Evidently there is even a Pigeon Olympics |
I made a mad dash across Arkansas, well, that was the plan, but I ended up in Russellville where a one-night stayed turned into a three night stay. I was right on the river and it was so peaceful, I felt that I needed to just stay and soak it all up.
The time has come to leave the lovely mountains of Tennessee. The weather was cold, the bulldozers were loud ( some construction/destruction next door) and there was the brief whiff of smoke in the air from burning downed trees but eastern Tennessee really has a special place in my heart. There are some places in the world where you just feel rooted and this place is one of them for me. But when ya gotta go, ya gotta go.
It was my birthday week. Even though the fact is that I am now officially old and creaky, I had a most glorious couple of days.
We started out by going to Pickett CCC Memorial State Park which is just down the road from Kathy's place. Besides having lovely hiking trails, Pickett has been designated as a Silver-tier International Dark Sky Park. I don't think there are very many Dark Sky parks out east – way too many people and lights. If there is even a little street light on, it diminishes the stars. But...we were not there during the night, we were there to hike. We brought all the dogs and we allowed them to run off-leash. They had a blast. It was such a nice day and I was very happy to be out walking in the woods.
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| Almost to the Pickett Cave |
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| Amazing what Flora does to survive and grow. This was on the edge of a rock overhang. |
On my actual birthday, Kathy took me to the big metropolis of Cookeville to Mauricio's Restaurant. Great Italian food served in a renovated residence that was built in 1910. The atmosphere was atmospheric – they played some of my favorite music from the 40's and 50's. That set me off later on a Louis Armstrong/Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin listening binge.
You can't have a fancy meal without dessert
We had such a leisurely lunch that we almost didn't make it to the next adventure on the list. Burgess Falls State Park...Why you ask? Waterfalls – four of them! First waterfalls of this year's road trip! What a spectacular way to spend a birthday. We arrived at the park about 3:15, the park closes at four. Not only do they close at four, but there were several signs about how they were going to immediately tow your car at four. The trail along the falls is 1.5 miles but is listed as moderately strenuous. Kathy and I are up for the challenge. In hindsight, I would not classify the trail as all that hard, but it was a fun trail. It felt so good to again be in the woods, with the added bonus of the falls. Just as we were climbing the last hill to the parking lots, two rangers show up and tell us, in no uncertain terms, that the park is closed. I think we were one of the last cars in the parking lot. We made it without getting towed.
The first falls - a 20' cascade
30' Upper Falls
80' Middle Falls
The Grand Finale
130' Lower Falls
Thanks Kathy for a great birthday.
I spent the next few days putzing around western Virginia. Again I was surprised by the topography. Lots of mountains all dressed in their Fall colors. Gee, I'm almost poetic there. I drove up to the little town of Clintwood, in the heart of Appalachia, to the Ralph Stanley Museum. For those of you who don't know, Ralph Stanley was one of the pioneers of bluegrass/mountain music. Pioneer is rather a strong word though because mountain music has been around for centuries. Perhaps I should say that Ralph was instrumental in popularizing and bringing it to the general public. He has a special place in my heart because Tony and Dave opened for him in Saint Paul during his Saints and Sinners tour. He played Saturday night in a bar and Sunday he was playing at the House of Mercy church. It was a good museum and an excellent docent.
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| The campground I stayed at in Big Stone Gap had lovely surroundings, but I couldn't use their water - it was brown and nasty looking. |
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| The ex-owner of the campground repurposed all of the dead trees |
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| Big Stone Gap had a three mile trail that surrounded the city. Miko and I hiked it every day. |
Western Virginia is right next to Eastern Tennessee, so of course I had to stop in and see my friend Kathy. Lots of laughing and eating as is the norm when we get together. Another reason I like stopping there is that one of Kathy's friends is a diesel mechanic. My beloved truck had a milestone birthday when she crossed over the 100,000 line. I was able to get all the necessary maintenance items taken care of, which takes a load off the ol' mind.
Our first field trip was to the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. This is a maximum security prison where they sent the “worst of the worst”. Their motto seems to be “Brushy was the Damnation of many of an evil man and the Salvation of a humble few”. James Earl Ray(MLK's assassin) was one of the inmates. The prison was active from 1896 to 2009. The prison itself is nestled right into the mountains and the landscape is so pretty, the prison not so much. I could not believe how shabby the interior has gotten (perhaps it was always peeling paint?) in the few years since it closed.
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| James Earl Ray escaped into those hills and lasted 54 hours before the bloodhounds found him. |
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| The entrance hall - so very inviting. |
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| Some inmates had sentences of 200 years. |
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| The guys in solitary had one hour a day to exercise here. |
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| There was a restaurant and I got the "Killer Potato" Pulled Pork, Bacon, Cheese, Sour Cream, BBQ sauce I didn't have to eat for days! |
