Day One-Hundred-Sixteen to One-Hundred-Twenty - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Thursday 8/22/2024 - Monday 8/26/2024

Thursday, August 22nd is our first full day in the Nashville area. 

Sunny, beautiful, and 62° at 7:00 am on Thursday morning, my 235th walk of 2024. My first morning walk at Seven Points campground. Our neighbors warned us about their little friend. I found him safe this morning.

We are camping at Seven Points, a Corps of Engineer campground. Our site # 21 backs right up to the lake. Last night we decided where we were going tonight. We figured we would enjoy the tranquil setting of our campsite for a while. Marcia & Larry arrived at our campground later in the morning. We enjoyed a nice time sitting around the lake with them. They brought Charlie some cinnamon rolls. No Gary, no bologna! They also provided us with lunch from Subway. It was very thoughtful and delicious! Around 3pm, the guys were getting "very thirsty." So, we headed over to Papa Turney's BBQ and Miss Zeke's Juke Joint. 

We enjoyed the cold drinks and BBQ at Papa Turney's. They are a barbecue spot that smokes and grills a variety of meats. Your taste buds will water after you take a bite of our famous Hickory Smoked Barbecue! They offer some down home cookin' for sure! Papa Turney’s BBQ is a family owned and operated restaurant and venue located on the marina on Percy Priest Lake.

Proudly serving old fashioned hickory smoked BBQ, homemade sides, and our famous Mama Turney’s pies! Papa Turney’s is a favorite stop for both locals and tourists. Embracing southern heritage doesn’t stop with the food that is served for the belly, it can also be found in the music that is played for the soul. We nurture music including blues, country western, gospel, southern rock, and folk in their live nightly events.

Seriously. If you want to hear some legendary musicians you have to come to Miss Zeke's Juke Joint! Let them treat your ears while you feast on some seriously good BBQ. Hear Papa himself every Wednesday and Saturday during our open Blues Jam. At Papa Turney's they put a little soul into their cooking and their music! We enjoyed Scott Ramminger on Thursday night. 

Scott Ramminger is a writer of songs and other things, a sax player, and a singer who accompanies himself on guitar. He moved to Nashville in 2017, where he performs every Thursday night at Papa Turney's BBQ at Nashville Shores Marina on Percy Priest Lake. He also hits regularly as a sax player with others, writes and records, and also ventures out to perform his songs solo. Ramminger returns regularly to his previous home of Washington DC to play band gigs, and performs throughout the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic with his own band, a solo performer, and as a sideman. “Rise Up,” is Ramminger’s fifth record in eight years. It has received critical praise, in publications including “Downbeat,” “Elmore,” “Blues Matters,” “No Depression,” and many others. Of the five records, only “Alive and Ornery” contains a few cover songs. The rest are Ramminger's originals. Ramminger gets significant airplay on blues and roots-oriented radio, including Sirius XM’s Bluesville Channel. 

While we were there, Mike (Papa Turney) told us about a ticketed event on Friday night. The young man that is playing tomorrow night was there tonight and he picked up an old 1960 Kay Guitar that Mike purchased at a pawn shop. Wow, this kid is good! Larry & Marcia won't be here, but Charlie & I got tickets!

On Friday morning August 23rd it was beautiful, sunny, and 66° at 7:00 am for my 236th walk of 2024. It was the perfect morning to focus on all the positives in my life.

We used this morning to check in with a few of the vendors in Nashville for our RV caravan. Our contact at the KOA is new, so we wanted to put a name with a face and saw hello!

I hated the thought of driving downtown to Jack Cawthorne's Bar-B-Que, so I opted for a phone call and were all set for our lunch on our bus tour of Nashville.

Charlie and I enjoyed the cool breeze off the lake and the shade that our site provides. He started getting "thirsty" so we headed over to Papa Turney's for drinks, dinner and a great show!

We purchased tickets to hear Harrell "Young Rell" Davenport. Mike Turney can't speak highly enough about this young man.

Young Rell is already a commanding vocalist and a poetic and poignant songwriter. He is an inventive guitarist and a fat-toned harmonica phenom. Whether he is accompanying himself on guitar while playing harmonica on a rack and singing, or alternating between guitar and harmonica, Young Rell sings his songs with sincerity and without a hint of affectation, working the stage with the poise and charisma of a veteran performer.

Young Rell has created a global community of fans and followers who have not only praised his talent but engaged enthusiastically with him on the subject of musicianship, musical instruments and past generations of famous and obscure blues inspirations. How does a 17-year-old kid raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi play his first gig in Chicago and wind up with 165,000 views and 4,000 shares of his performance on Facebook?

As a child, Rell navigated personal struggles and trauma by immersing himself in music that was born in response to oppression and hardship. He found solace studying and expressing himself in the blues. Some of his songs were amazing, just amazing... one of my favorites was "Fatherless Child."

Mike let us in on a secret yesterday. So, as Young Rell got ready for his intermission, I started filming. Mike Turney came up and talked about how great a player this young man is. Mike went on to tell the story about how his wife cringes every time he comes home with another guitar. 

So, when he heard Young Rell play this 1960 Kay last night, he knew that one of his pawn shop finds had found a home. He gave the guitar to Young Rell. That is just the kind of guy Mike Turney is. Too bad we did not get to hear Mike play this time, but I could see this young man playing Mike's old band "Faded Blue Blues Band" he is just that good! He has such an old soul!

On Saturday August 24th it was sunny, beautiful, and 66° at 7:00 am for my 237th walk of 2024. It was the perfect morning to enjoy all the wildlife in the park. I focused on my successes on my journey of change.

Today was a household chores day. We went to the bank, grocery store and cleaned. It was another enjoyable day at the lake. We decided to go out to dinner. A few years ago, when Sheryl & Gary first started planning this caravan, the Seagrass Steakhouse was just being built. So, we headed into the Opry Mills Mall for some dinner, with an ulterior motive of checking out the restaurant for our caravan.

We have been eating at The Aquarium, but the Seagrass Steakhouse is right across from the Aquarium. 

The Saltgrass story dates back to the 1800s when millions of Longhorns roamed freely throughout Texas. With the taste for beef becoming a newfound favorite in the North, Texas ranchers prospered as never before. Each winter, the Longhorn were driven to the Texas Gulf Coast to graze on the rich coastal salt grass. And when they headed for market, they followed the legendary Salt Grass Trail, known far and wide for creating the best beef in the Lone Star State. 

In 1952, this historic trail ride was revived by four riders to publicize the opening of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Today, the ride has become an annual celebration of the original Texas spirit. The first Saltgrass Steak House still stands along this historic trail.

 

Saltgrass Steak House recaptures the flavor of the open campfire. Steaks, chicken and seafood, chargrilled to perfection. Complete with breads, soups, and desserts, made from scratch daily. We enjoyed fresh bread, an appetizer and drinks. We both had steak, I added shrimp. Charlie had potatoes and I had broccoli. We were too full for dessert, but they looked delicious. 

Sunday August 25th it was warm, sunny, and 68° at 7:30 am for my 238th walk of 2024. It was the perfect morning to talk to God and to enjoy more of the wildlife in the park. I loved both species of bird I saw this morning!

The deer were out walking too this morning!

Today we had to move to site # 35 in the same campground. We were supposed to move to another campground, but found availability here! We had camped in Anderson Road last year, so when we found a spot here we decided to stay. We met our nice new neighbor, Ann. Across from our new site, the deer moved into that site. They were just enjoying something around that table!

We used this afternoon to recon the caravan route into Nashville KOA from Memphis. We headed west on I-40 for a while and then turned around and followed the road log to be sure that the directions were accurate. We had made notes last year that said "clarify." So, there must have been something that we felt was confusing. We ended up tweaking the directions, just a bit.

It was a quiet afternoon along the lake, but our new site is not as shaded as our old one, so we spent time chasing the shade. But the sunsets are just as spectacular here.

On Monday August 26th was another warm and sunny morning for my 239th walk of 2024. It was the perfect morning to focus on my journey of change and enjoy all the wildlife in this park.

We enjoyed our coffee and breakfast outside, but as it got closer to noon the heat just kept coming. We had to retreat to the RV in the AC. The AC worked hard to keep the RV at 82°. It was a very long day inside the RV. But, it is our last day here, so we survived. We did get a bit of Yankee work done.

We were able to come back out around 7pm and enjoy a few hours outside and the sunset.

Tomorrow we are on the move again. Stay tuned for more #TwoLaneAdventures

Day One-Hundred-Thirteen to One-Hundred-Sixteen - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Sunday 8/18/2024 - Wednesday 8/21/2024

Sunday August 18th it was sunny, warm, and 68° at 7:30 am for my 231st walk of 2024. I enjoyed my walk, talk with God, and my positive affirmations. There was a ton of activity while I walked this morning, as many people were hooking up to leave. It will be nice to have it a bit quieter here today.

We had to do laundry. The first place we went to was super busy... there was a second place in Marion and that was almost empty. It was clean and reasonable. So, check another domestic chore off the list. Laundry done.

After we put the laundry away, we decided to take a drive. Up Route 80 N we headed. This highway connects the various mountain communities straddled along Buck Creek and serves as a direct route, via the Blue Ridge Parkway, to Mount Mitchell State Park. The highway is popular with bike and motorcycle enthusiasts, because of its hairpin turns. Trucks are not recommended to take NC 80, with multiple warning signs posted at each major intersection. Charlie was not a fan of all these hairpin turns, but he is such a trooper! 

We saw this dam, but we could not pull off or get any closer. We learned it is the Lake Tahoma Dam.

We came upon Lake Tahoma, an Indian word believed to mean "mountain lake of the gods," located between Mount Mitchell and the town of Marion, was created in 1924 by a group of local investors interested in land development. The lake’s water supply is Buck Creek and Little Buck Creek, and early on, it was described as a “recreational place of remarkable attractiveness.” A stone pavilion, known as the casino, was built over the lake where summer visitors could watch speedboat races or dance to orchestra music provided by local and regional ensembles. A power plant generated electricity which was sold to the National Utilities Company, supplier of power to the town of Marion.

The construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway, in close proximity to Lake Tahoma, sparked new interest in the lake. The Lutheran Church considered buying the property for a summer assembly. In 1945, Gov. R. Gregg Cherry set up a commission of men from McDowell, Burke, and other nearby counties to study the possibility of obtaining the property to establish a state park. The property was later purchased by a group of investors and businessmen, who formed the Lake Tahoma Corporation. The organization issued stocks and established restrictions for developing lots in the area. Today, Lake Tahoma and the surrounding property is privately owned and is administered and maintained by a homeowner’s association.

After leaving the western shores of the lake, highway 80 hugs along Buck Creek to the Sunnyvale community, where it then begins its ascent up Singecat Ridge. Along this route there are numerous 180-degree turns. At Buck Creek Gap, NC 80 connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway, where we turned to continue to make our way towards Mount Mitchell State Park.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is fondly referred to as “America’s Favorite Drive,” stretching 469 miles through the Appalachian Mountains, offering some of the most breathtaking views in the United States. Winding through North Carolina.

Big Laurel Gap Overlook (formerly the Hewat Overlook) on the Blue Ridge Parkway that includes a view of Mount Mitchell, the tallest mountain on the East Coast at 6,684 feet. The overlook was originally named for the Hewat family, early settlers of the area. No one knows why the overlooks name was changed.

In 2006 a landslide wiped out the Parkway in this area.  The Curtis Valley Overlook was built as the result of repairs. This is an eastward-facing overlook, with breathtaking afternoon view.

The Green Knob Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway is V-shaped. However, the point of the V, which sticks the farthest out into the valley, was the best vantage point at the overlook. But now, it is completely overgrown.

We found the road to Mount Mitchell. It's still another 6 miles to the top. The Cherokee people, who long occupied this area as part of their homeland, called the mountain Attakulla. European-American settlers first called the mountain Black Dome for its rounded shape. They later named it after Elisha Mitchell, a professor at the University of North Carolina, who first explored the Black Mountain region in 1835. He determined that the height of the range exceeded by several hundred feet that of Mount Washington in New Hampshire. The latter had been commonly thought at the time to be the highest point in the United States east of the Rocky Mountains. Mitchell fell to his death at nearby Mitchell Falls in 1857, where he had returned to verify his earlier measurements.

We had to walk 300 yards to the top. Charlie waited at the midway point. 

At 6,684 feet, the mountain is the highest point east of the Mississippi River, and an observation deck provides breathtaking mountain views.

As we got back onto the Parkway, Charlie spotted some water in the distance. It took us many twists and turns to see it again. We learned it is the Burnett Reservoir, which is part of the Asheville Watershed. If you’ve ever spent time in the Craggy Gardens and Mount Mitchell sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway, chances are you’ve seen signs that restrict roadside parking along this fifteen-mile stretch. But do you know why? The City of Asheville has some of the nation’s most pristine drinking water and it’s all thanks to the protection of the surrounding forests and the responsible actions of visitors like you. Parking only in established paved lots is one way to prevent erosion and keep greasy runoff from entering Asheville’s primary water supply.

The North Fork Reservoir (historically called the Burnett Reservoir). It's that crystal-blue body of water that can be spotted along the Parkway between Mount Mitchell and Craggy Gardens. Its one of two artificial lakes that feed the city’s water system. This 5.8 billion-gallon lake serves as the primary drinking water source for nearly 125,000 customers both inside and outside of the city limits — including Asheville’s beloved food and beverage industries. According to the Conservation Trust for North Carolina, who the city designated to hold a conservation easement on the land, “the Asheville watershed hosts eleven plant species and nine animal species considered endangered, threatened, or significantly rare.” This easement not only protects the water quality and forest health of the surrounding area, it also protects the scenic vistas that make the Parkway famous!

We finished driving the Blue Ridge Parkway, exiting east of Asheville. We headed into Black Mountain, where I had found a brewery with food, Lookout Brewery. Lookout Brewing opened the doors on May 1, 2013. John Garcia, along with his wife, family, and close friends, remodeled a barren strip mall unit into the current tasting room and brewery starting in February of 2013. 

Lookout Brewing has come up with over hundreds of quality beers ranging from dark lagers to champagne tasting Saisons. Their personal favorites tend to favor hoppy beers and that inevitably shines through on the tap list in the tasting room. 

They love to create brews focused around local and seasonal offerings. From the local Riverbend Malt Company in Asheville to local fruit and vegetable farmers, a lot of Lookout Brewing Company beers utilize local ingredients. During hop season, buckets of fresh wet hops arrive at their door and get tossed in the boil kettle within minutes of having been plucked from the vine. They are grown at Hops to Brew Farm down the mountain in Old Fort and at Hop'n Blueberry Farm just down the road in Black Mountain. Small batch craft brews made with love here on the front porch of Western North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains, it was a great end to an awesome day!

We got back to camp and shared our last visit with Frank Lenoir. Frank is a salesman at Camping World. We have visited with him almost every night since we have arrived. He lives here in the rally park. We will miss our nightly visits, but not his "groaner" jokes! 

A beautiful sunrise and 60° at 7:00 am on Monday morning August 19th for my 232nd walk of 2024. It was quiet out there this morning. I enjoyed my walk last walk in NC. 

We departed the Tom Johnson Camping World in Marion, NC. We are driving on Route 70 for most of the day. We went through Old Fort again, no stopping at breweries this time, but I do love their murals!

The underpasses in Asheville also are very colorful! 

We came through a portion of Asheville including driving through the Beaucatcher Tunnel. This tunnel carries US 70 through Beaucatcher Mountain. 

The summit of Beaucatcher Mountain has long provided a scenic vantage point from which to view Asheville, but Beaucatcher also provided a natural obstacle to travel. A solution to the travel problem arrived in 1929, when a road tunnel through the mountain was completed. Work on the 750-foot tunnel was started in 1927 and completed in 1929. It was renovated in 2014 with new stone portals. When traffic increased there was talk of a second tunnel alongside the original. After much legwork, it was deemed to be cost ineffective. 

In Hot Springs NC, we cross the French Broad River. We will cross this river three more times on this leg of out travels. The headwaters of the French Broad River begin just west of the Eastern Continental Divide near Rosman, NC, near the South Carolina state line. One of several unique features of the river is that it flows north. The French Broad travels for about 100 miles from the headwaters to Hot Springs, passing through Brevard, Hendersonville, Asheville and Marshall, NC. About 6 miles downstream of Hot Springs, the river flows into Tennessee. Ultimately, the waters of the French Broad river end up in the Gulf of Mexico, via the Tennessee, the Ohio and the Mississippi rivers.

The river provided a natural pathway through the mountains. Following the river in the mid 1800’s was a drover’s road called the Buncombe Turnpike. The foot path allowed people to move animals and goods from the flatter lands in Tennessee through the Western NC Mountains, and out to the ports in South Carolina. Small communities along the river grew up to serve the drovers and eventually turned into larger towns. In the 1880’s, the completion of the railroad meant the end of many of the small communities.

Another uncommon fact about the French Broad River is that it is thought to be one of the oldest rivers in the world. There are river features just above Hot Springs that are of particular interest to geologists. The Cherokee called the river “Long Man,” with the tributaries being called the “Chattering Children.” Early settlers called the river the French Broad because it flowed into what was then French territory.

 

We crossed into Tennessee from North Carolina.

When we got off 70, onto 441 / 321 we came past Bush Beans factory and visitors center. 

When we passed through Townsend, we saw a new bear mural being worked on.

We arrived at Melton Hill Campground, a TVA facility in Lenoir City, TN our home for 2 nights.

On Tuesday August 20th it was a beautiful sunny morning and 64° at 7:30 am for my 233rd walk of 2024. We are in Tennessee at Melton Hill Dam campground. It was a great area to walk and my hashtag changed to #walkinginTN

Today was domestic chores day. We went to the bank, enjoyed a late breakfast at Cracker Barrel and grabbed a few groceries. When we got back to the campground, Charlie checked oils, tire pressures and all that stuff. It did inside cleaning and organizing. It was a relaxing afternoon and evening.

On Wednesday August 21st, it was cool, overcast, and 60° at 8:00 am for my 234th walk of 2024. My last morning walk at Melton Hill Dam campground. I love to walk by the water. There is something calming about that. The water flows by, like your thoughts run through your mind. They both continue to flow steadily. We cannot check in to our next campground until 3pm. So we checked out closer to 11am. We continued our drive on US 70 toward Nashville. 

We passed through Kingston TN. There is an uncredited mural plugging the area's peach-growing industry in Kingston, Tennessee, a small city southwest of Knoxville.

Our friends, Marcia & Larry, drove down from Indiana to spend a few days with us here. As we arrived at Seven Points campground, we got a text that they were at M.L. Rose Craft Beer & Burgers. It's happy hour! 

We set up on our beautiful site and went out to meet them. It was great to spend the evening with them! 

The M.L. Rose story began in 2008 in Nashville’s gritty, emerging Melrose neighborhood. Melrose was on the verge of revival, but it didn’t yet have a great neighborhood bar. So with a strong passion for craft beer and sharing it with friends, Austin Ray opened the first M.L.Rose location where studio musicians, hospitality workers, and celebrities mingled with local residents to create a laid-back, full-of-life, stay-a-while kind of place.

The conversation and the beer flowed freely for hours. Our server was Courtney, but we could never remember her name. She told us she was from Sarasota, so that became her nickname. You know, everyone has a nickname!

My Quesadilla Turkey burger was amazing!

On our way back to the campground, we were greeted by this 5 member welcoming committee!

We ended the day with a beautiful sunset on the lake.

Stay tuned for more #TwoLaneAdventures