Where is "God's Country?"

Arriving at our campsite on Fort Loudoun Lake in Louisville, Tennessee on Wednesday,

we were not surprised that no campsites with electricity were available as we were advised this might be the case, but we were surprised that there are no generator hours. What that meant is we would not have electricity to run the air conditioner (about the only thing for which we need shore power.) That would not have been a big deal if the temperature had not been in the 90’s with very high humidity.

Not to worry, it wasn’t in our plan to sit around the campground. As is often the case when arriving in East Tennessee, our first order of business was to drop off the tandem at Cycology in Maryville for routine maintenance (and to check the sale rack ;) and of course to visit with our friend and beer guru, Tim.

 Isn’t it cool to have a tap in a bike shop?

He enlightened us to some of his favorite craft breweries and tap rooms on the path of our current journey, one which happened to be in Maryville

Not inclined to cook in the heat, we made our way to Barley's for pizza and a beer (of course.) Over glasses of Tailgate Peanut Butter Stout (an excellent, smooth stout with just a hint of peanut butter,) is where the idea started brewing (pun intended.) You may hear more about this in future posts.

Thursday we checked out Tim’s recommendation, Blackberry Farm Brewery.

Located in downtown Maryville, it is a product of Blackberry Farm. They feature old world style beers, like the Belgium inspired saison and German style ales. After sampling a few, we chose a Boundary Tree Ale, a Leatherbritches Porter and split a Dunkelweisen Lager. We found the beers light and refreshing for summer with interesting flavor combination; the porter lacked the full body, bold taste that we enjoy in dark beers.

After two days at Fort Loudoun Lake, we continue east to Cades Cove Campground in Smoky Mountain National Park. Again, we were off the grid, powered by solar energy and propane. We had no cell service or internet for four days. However the temperatures were much more agreeable; we didn’t need the air conditioner. But we did need to have the windows open which was great except for the one night a couple of women in the next site sat around chatting (loudly) until midnight. (The next morning, Sunday, “The Evil One” suggested to ABN that she could turn on the Bluegrass Gospel Train station (loudly) for revenge, but “The Good One" interceded.)

Over the weekend the campground was alive with children of all sizes having a grand time without the aid of technology. While it was quite noisy, the sounds were of excitement and laughter, not parents yelling.  Ahhh... yes, there is hope! By Sunday afternoon, the noise was replaced with quiet as the families disappeared.

Saturday mornings the Cades Cove Loop is closed to motor vehicles making it a perfect time for a bike ride.

We have shared videos of cycling in Cades Cove in the past so we will spare you the hour long Go Pro video (of which about 20 minutes is Captain changing a flat tire.)

Sunday morning we hiked to Abrams Falls

in under 3 hours (Yeah, we were pretty pleased with ourselves.)

Before turning north, we dropped down to Greenville, SC to have Tipsy Tuesday with our good friends, Carol and Lee.

A tour of the BMW assembly plant was an interesting add-on.

Since we were in Greenville, we couldn’t pass on the opportunity to check out another recommendation from our friend Tim.

The Trappe Door

 Captain had a very good Allagash Black stout while ABN enjoyed a most delicious Kasteel Barista Chocolate Quad. We learned “Quadrupels are dark, strong and richly spiced beers with notes of chocolate, raisin and burnt sugar;” a spot-on description. Thanks, Tim, for an excellent recommendation!

Following our last post, we were asked “Where is God’s Country?” Being the amateur philosophers we are, our answer is “wherever your soul feels at home.” In our travels we have seen some of our country's most beautiful places, however the mountains in East Tennessee and Western North Carolina continue to call us back; that is where our souls feel at home.

Soaking in the beauty of the mountains, breathing mountain air, listening to the rushing water and visiting our East Tennessee friends, our souls (and tummies) have been well fed.

The Wanderer has turned north as our journey to the Northeast continues.

Meet Dolphin

As we have said many times, it’s the people we meet that make our travels the most rewarding. Meeting Dolphin Riggs at Cycology Bike Shop/Little River Trading Company was no exception. Dolphin is a cancer survivor who used her experience to give hope to other survivors by starting Hiking for Healing women's cancer support group. At 72 years of age, she is an avid hiker and hike leader, plays on a National Champion softball team, works as hike leader for LittleRiverTrading Company, an outdoor outfitter store and is an advocate for dolphins. She chose the name Dolphin for herself as she can identify with their spirit. We caught up with her again in the Cades Cove Campground as she was preparing to lead 15 from her hiking group on an 11-mile hike. Like the dolphin, she approaches life with balance, humor and joy which is evidenced by the beautiful sparkle in her eyes as she talked about Hiking for Healing and her beloved dolphins. There is much more to Dolphin than this brief note as a visit to the Hikingfor Healing - Bridging the Gap Facebook page will reveal.

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