SP Park Rating – Cumberland Mountain State Park (Crossville, TN)

A lovely, relaxed location on our way to the Smokey’s.

Link to campground here: Cumberland Mountain State Park
Link to map here: Cumberland Mountain State Park

  

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   We were very happy with the sites here. The main loops (2, 3 & 5) have large, flat, concrete pads with 30 AMP+water, a nice sitting area with picnic table, fire-pit and grill. The other loops (1 & 4) have more shaded, slightly smaller sites but still very nice. Loop 1 has some full hook-up, loop 4 is more primitive (15 AMP or no hookup). The coolest little touch…each site has its own (very own) little garbage bin which is emptied daily. Quite the fancy get-up!
2. Facilities = 4/5
   Very decent facilities. There’s hot showers and flush toilets, and they’re spotlessly clean (at least in our loop #5). The surrounding park has picnic areas, boating, fishing, dump station and even an on-site local restaurant where they serve a dish of the day (locally caught catfish is on Friday’s). Only ding…no laundry on-site.
3. Location = 4.5/5
   Excellent location here. You’re just a few miles from Crossville which is a very decent sized-town, yet you’re right in the middle of Cumberland Mountain and the forest. There’s lots of hiking trails right in the park, as well as boating and fishing on Byrd Lake.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Another great park for doggie as with all state parks. Lots of space to hike, play and go in the water.

Overall Rating = 4.5
BONUS ALERT = Wooded & relaxed campground in the midst of Cumberland Plateau 

Summary: This was a lovely little campground which we stumbled across on our way to the Smokeys. We initially only planned 2 days, but enjoyed the area and the people so much that we stayed a week. Sites are large, flat and nicely separated with water/electricity and the cute touch of individual garbage bins. The surrounding park is lovely with miles of hiking, a pretty lake and an old rock bridge. While we were in town a band of bluegrass players were camping in loop 3 so we had free music every night (how awesome is that!). Plus, Crossville had an Apple Festival and a Classic Car Rally. Our campground hosts (Skip and Opal) were the most inviting people we’d ever met and definitely made the experience all that much better. We’d come back in a heartbeat! 

 Extra Info:  Both AT&T phones and Verizon wireless worked. All sites first-come-first-serve. Selection of full hook-up, electricity/water and primitive. Sites are $20/night for 30AMP electric/water. Central dump and potable water. 

Typical site view. See the little bin in the front?

View of sitting area

View down loop #5 (where we stayed)

View down loop #3

Lovely Byrd Lake

The old stone bridge & dam

Shrooming It in TN – A Story of Hidden Beauty

“There is nothing ugly; I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object be what it may, light, shade, and perspective will always make it beautiful.”
John Constable

"False" chanterelles...pretty but not for eating

Shrooms can bring to mind a wide variety of thoughts from exclusive tastings of  musky and odorous tuber melanosporum (French truffle) to psychedelic experiences of the fungal kind . As a politician might say, while I may or may not have participated in the latter activities in my youth, this story is more about finding the hidden beauty in small things. 

As a photographer I always love the changing form of light and how it can alter a landscape.  On bright days I seek the big views, on heavy evenings the sunset and on misty mornings I look to the small things. It often amazes me how the mere dimming of light can bring an almost luminous glow to everything underfoot. And so it was, one thick morning with the moisture of dawn baking off from a TN stream I suddenly found myself surrounded by mushrooms. The perfect combo of a week of rain followed by sun had coaxed these elusive fungi from the earth and created a bloom of beauty right at our footsteps. 

Just the right light for a luminous glow

It’s enough to make your average mushroom hunter wild with excitement, and quite an event it is. Mushrooms are actually the fruit of hidden fungal organisms and it takes just the right conditions to get them blooming. Amateur mycologists avidly seek the most elusive and tasty varieties keeping their locations a closely guarded secret. It’s a historic and noble pursuit, needing an experienced eye to distinguish the poisonous ones from the others. As a child I used to hunt in the Danish forest for shrooms and always had a good nose for the sport. I’m no longer an expert, but I still enjoy the wild and fanciful curves and colors of the many types. As they say, it’s very groovy, baby and I don’t need no psychotropics to see the beauty in that view. 

Possibly a tasty treat...possibly not

Layers and light

Blooms on decaying bark

Pet Emergency On The Road

Polly being goofy at Lake Powell, AZ

 In our household our pets are our kids, and like all youngsters they get into trouble every now and then. It could be a goofball jump, a bite from an unsuspecting critter or just plain silliness but when our pets hurt themselves it’s a heart-rending moment.  

We had our own little scare ~2 weeks ago when Polly sliced her paw on some glass. We initially thought she’d gone limp, maybe from Lyme Disease (which we’d just been treated for…more on that later), but a trip to the vet 30 miles away tested nothing amiss and the cut was well enough hidden that the clinic didn’t catch it. Later that day after more limping, we did a full prodding and finally found the source of the problem. With our own little home-emergency kit we treated her for the cut. Wash, disinfect, wrap (a sock did the job for walks) and restricted activity until it healed. She’s now back to her old goofy self and will undoubtedly get into more trouble, but the incident just reminded me how important it was to have a home-kit ready. 

So, how do you prepare? When you’re out in the wild and free you can’t be ready for every moment, but there’s lots you can do on the road if something goes wrong. Here’s our list: 

1/ Know Where the Vets Are: Whenever we get into a new campground we usually try to ask where the nearest vet is. It’s rare we’ve had to use this info, but the few times we did it was invaluable. 

2/ Make a Home Emergency Kit: There’s several key things we always have on-hand both for ourselves and our pets (more detailed list here): 

• Epsom Salts and antibacterial soap (for soaking & cleaning)
• Disinfectant (e.g. Betadine) & antibiotic ointment (e.g. Neosporin)
• Gauze, pads & tape (to wrap any injuries)
• Cotton balls
• Tweezers
• Benadryl (for allergic reactions or stings)
• Hydrogen peroxide (to induce vomiting)
• Rehydrating salts
• Sterile saline (for eyes)

Get doggie used to being touched everywhere incl. between her paws

 3/ Get Doggie Used to Touching: We do a lot of training w/ Polly and one of our games is to reward (treat) her for being touched. So, we’ll prod, massage, feel every part of her body including her paws, teeth, ears etc. This is an important part of pet emergency which many don’t think of before it’s too late. If you make it a fun game you can get your pet very relaxed about touching and that can be invaluable when it comes to an accident.

Well, we’re off to the boonies to make more trouble, so here’s a big sloppy dog-lick to keep you company until our next enthralling post.

RV Park Rating – Seven Points (J. Percy Priest Lake, Nashville, TN)

A very nice Army Corps of Engineers campground near Nashville, TN

Link to campground here: Seven Points Campground
Link to map here: Seven Points Campground

  

1. Site Quality = 4/5
   Very decent site quality here. The sites are paved, long and decent size with a very nice sitting area on the side with picnic table and fire-pit/grill. The water-front sites are definitely prime with a gorgeous view of the lake right from your RV. Back sites are nicely private, shaded and separated, but no water views. The only ding is that a few of the sites are not quite flat. Sites have electric (selection of 30 & 50 AMP) and water.
2. Facilities = 3.5/5
   The facilities are decent, but with a few dings. There’s flush toilets and hot showers, but the shower-room becomes a ice-skating rink when it’s wet and there’s quite a few bugs in the facilities. On the bonus side, the campground has on-site dump station, swimming beach and boat launch, plus there’s nice access to the lake all along the water-front. There’s one laundry machine on-site.
3. Location = 4/5
   The location is very good. It’s a lake campground and nicely quiet, yet you’re only 7 miles from Nashville. So, you have the bonus of relaxing surroundings with the city right at your fingertips. The only reason it doesn’t get a 5 is because there’s no real hiking directly from the campground, plus (unfortunately) the lake-front has a bit of trash & glass on it. But, there are nice areas and hiking within short driving distance.
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great doggie campground. Lots of space to hang out in the sites, plus water access around the lake.

Overall Rating = 4.1
BONUS ALERT = Secluded lake-side campground within 7 miles of Nashville 

Summary: This is a great campground to visit Nashville and the surrounding area. It’s beautifully located right next to J. Percy Priest Lake in a very quiet wooded area, yet it’s only 7 miles from the city. The water-front sites are lovely with long, paved sites, electricity & water and a “manicured” sitting area with views of the lake. The back sites are also nice and private although without the views. The campground itself has a nice selection of amenities with a swimming beach, boat launch and direct access to the lake. It gets a few dings in the facilities, a bit of trash the lakefront and the fact there’s no hiking trails, but overall this was a lovely stay for exploring the area. 

 Extra Info:  Both AT&T phones and Verizon wireless worked. Reservable electric/water sites with selection of either 30AMP or 50AMP. Sites are $24/night for 50AMP electric/water. Central dump and potable water. Laundry. 

Typical site view

View along back road of campground (we're on the back left site#51)

View down one of the (very long) water-front sites

The cute sitting area on one of the water-front sites

View to swim-beach area

Playing with Polly on the lake

Fillin’ Her Up Like a Trucker

The beast finds her spot in a trucker bay

 At some point in every journey you need to stop and rejuvenate. When you’re hauling around a svelte 32,000 lbs, 47 feet (with the car) and 100 gallon gas tank it helps to find places that accommodate to your special needs. So, when it’s time to say “fill her up, Scotty”, there’s nothing quite like a truck stop to make the beast feel right at home.

In fact truck stops such as Loves, Pilot or Flying J’s are the perfect mesh for diesel engine RVers. Not only are the bays large and spacious allowing ample room for the monster to maneuver, they have the bonus of high-flow gas nozzles. This cool little feature means that instead of pumping gas at less than 5 GPM (gallon per minutes) at a regular pump, you can get 2-3 times that speed at the truckers bay. It’s the difference between a 20-30 minute slog of a stop versus a quick hop and a skip to get out of the gas station. All you need to master this crafty trick is a little insider info on truckers’ etiquette. 

So, how do you make like a trucker? 

1. Pulling In – when you pull into a bay, make a note of the pump number and then either use the phone (if there is one) or go inside to unlock the pump.
2. Filling Up – Truck bays have 2 pumps (a “master” and a “slave”) that allow dual fill-up from 2 sides. Many RVs can fill-up either side, but most RV tanks are not designed for dual pumping, so you gotta chose just one. The left pump is usually the master and you have to unhook it if you’re filling up from the right. Truck fills are high-speed so stay close by until you’re done.
3. Finishing Up – Once you’re done with the gas, trucker etiquette says you pull forward before you go in to pay. That way, the working guy behind you can start filling up without a wait.

Trucker etiquette #3 - pull forward before you pay

Truckers are great resources for road conditions and routes too, so feel free to have a quick chat with your neighbour before you move on. 

So, next time you gotta stop go with the big boys and make like a trucker. You’ll feel right at home. 

Sequins, Show and Country Music – Welcome to Nashville!

Nashville at night....all music and lights.

 There’s something about Nashville that speaks to the thespian in me. How can you not love a town where tassels are considered a manly accessory, big hair is beautiful and sequins are appropriate decoration for all? Combine it all with a cowboy hat and a southern twang and you’ve just immersed yourself in the Country music capital of the world. It’s the thrill of the show, a flash of brilliant costumes and a good story all wrapped up in a hometown song. Welcome to Nashville! 

We entered this town on a steaming Tennessee weekend looking to be carried away by guitar tunes and southern BBQ, and we found both. The Country Music Hall of Fame was our first stop. This gorgeous museum traces country back to its roots. From the fiddle-tunes of European settlers, to the five-string banjo of african-americans, you can hear how tunes developed from the first recordings in 1920′s to bluegrass and honky-tonk in the 1930′s and 40′s to the rockabilly greats of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash in the late 1950′s and beyond. Dolly Parton, Hank Williams, Lester Flatt, Roy Rogers…all the greats have passed through here, and you can’t help coming out with a smile and a hint of two-step in your boots (you did wear boots, right?) 

With our history in line we spiffed up our outfits, puffed our hair and went out for a night on the town. A full plate of smoked ribs at Jacks and a walk down Broadway gave us the perfect combo. Here you can hear the modern beat of Country Music live in the bars, take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or rock it out to street-players looking for the big break. As Charley Pride so beautifully said “there’s enough room in country music for everyone”, and in Nashville you’ll get the show to boot.

Hank Williams' guitar. He led a short life, but left a long legacy of music.

Webb Pierce's "silver dollar" convertible at the Country Music Hall of Fame

All the country greats are here

The history of country music roots with early fiddlers and banjo players

Announcing -> Investing for a Living!

We’ve talked a lot about RVing, travel tales and such on this blog but not so much about how we actually make a living on the road. As a couple we’ve spent a lot of years saving up and preparing for our RVing dream, and we actively manage that money. Paul is the mastermind of all this thanks to a lot of years of investment experience, an insatiable appetite for investment books, a Masters of Finance and a lot of sharp tacks in the brain-box.  So, if you want to know how we’ve managed to grow our net worth over the past decade, despite negative S&P500 returns then this is the blog for you.

Investing is our major source of income on the road. We are conservative investors and our RV spending is based on our investment returns. The blog will cover what you need to retire, income investments and our specific strategies for how we manage our own money. He’s already got 5 posts ready, starting with “how much does it take to retire?” so jump in and enjoy! http://investingforaliving.wordpress.com/

The Southern Prairies

What is Life? It is a flash of a firefly in the night. It is a breath of a buffalo in the winter time. It is as the little shadow that runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset. Crowfoot (c.1830-1890), chief of the Blackfoot Indians 

Relaxing a-la-Bison

 The Native Indians were deeply in touch with nature, and for good reason. Their lives were intertwined physically and spiritually, and they depended on the land for their survival. In the early days of the Great Plains the Indians set regular fires to bring forth new shoots and attract the bison and grazing herds. It was a way of life, and together they helped to maintain over 700 million acres of native grasses stretching from Tennessee to the steps of the Rockies.  

A glimpse into a life that once was

Today, less than 1% of these grasses remain, the prairies destroyed by early settlers, bison hunting (to near extinction in the 1890′s) and encroachment of the forest. Similar to the north, many Southern states are working on conservation and reintroduction of native grasses, and we got a view of that effort at the Elk and Bison Range in Land Between the Lakes, KY. 

It’s a small glimpse into a life that once was. Bison ranging on the prairie, grasses swaying and  bursting with life, and a peek into the past. Worth the trip indeed.

NF Campground Rating – Hillman Ferry (Land Between the Lakes, KY)

Our first campground in Kentucky and a definite keeper!

Link to campground here: Land Between the Lakes, KY
Link to map here: Land Between the Lakes, KY

  

1. Site Quality = 4.5/5
   We really liked the sites here. The campground is huge (over 400 sites), and I’d say there were very few that weren’t decent. Sites are hard gravel, large, very level and with fire-pit and picnic bench. They are well rated (size-wise) so if you reserve a site for your rig size you should have no problem fitting in. There’s a selection of full hook-ups, electric/water, electric only and primitive, and you can choose from heavy forest (in T-section) down to waterfront (in C-section) either with or without shade.
2. Facilities = 4.5/5
   Nice facilities here. There’s flush toilets and individual (very large) shower stalls with good water pressure. There’s also a laundry machine in each shower area. The campground has lake access all along the shore with boat-ramps, fishing and a designated swim-beach in section A. Also, several playground and picnic areas. Central dump station (albeit with an odd, sharp right-hand turn to get in).
3. Location = 5/5
   You can’t really beat the location here. Land Between the Lakes is a huge  recreation area with hundreds of miles of hiking trails, biking, lake access, and water sports. There’s a large Nature Station, a historical working 19th century farm, a planetarium and even a Bison & Elk range. You’re also within 4 miles of Grand River which has a small grocery and a good restaurant (Patti’s).
4. Pet Friendliness = 5/5
   Great doggie play-area. Lots of space to hike and hang out in the campground, plus water access around the lake.

Overall Rating = 4.75
BONUS ALERT = Lake views, hiking, swimming and outdoor beauty all at your doorstep!  

Summary: When we arrived at this campground we immediately decided to stay longer than planned, it was that good. Land Between the Lakes is a huge (170,000-acre) recreation area set beautifully between Kentucky and Barkley Lake. The area has several large campgrounds, hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails and every type of outdoor activity you could imagine. Hillman Ferry is located on the North End, has over 400 sites and is by far the most developed National Forest campground we’ve ever seen.  The sites are nice, level, large hard gravel pads and there’s a complete selection from full hook-up to primitive, heavily wooded to fully open lake-view. By far the prettiest (in our opinion) sites are the water-front ones in Section C1 and C2, although all the sites are decent. A portion of the sites are auctioned off for the season each year (and occupied by long-term campers) but the prime sites are kept open and reservable. The area is fairly quiet during the week, but does tend to fill-up in the week-end so book ahead if you want a lake view. We spent some lovely days here watching the sunset over the lake, hiking and playing in the water w/ Polly. A definite keeper!  

 Extra Info:  Both AT&T phones and Verizon wireless worked. Full selection of reservable sites from primitive to full hook-up (book well ahead for lake views). Sites are $23/night for electric/water. Central dump and potable water. Laundry.  

One of the full-view waterfront sites (#C38)

View from our site (#C59) looking down to the corner site (#C64)

One of shaded water-side sites in beginning of C-section (#C9)

View down road in beginning of C-section

View down road in heavily wooded T-section

Playing by the lake w/ Polly

Reading & Books on the Road

“Reading is the basic tool in the living of a good life” Mortimer J.Alder

A few of my favourite Danish books along for the RV ride

If I were to be re-born as an animal I think it would be a book-worm, simply so I could immerse myself fully in the written word, inside and out. I love reading, simply love it, and one of the biggest worries we had going full-time on the road was giving that up. At home we had a 400+ book library, and it was almost heart-breaking to pack it away. We took a measly 30 books on the road.

Thankfully, in this modern day and age there are plenty of options for book-loving-full-time-nomads like ourselves. Here’s just a few:

1/ Electronic Readers – I’ve always been one of those people who said I could never read a book electronically. I love the feel & look of paper, and just couldn’t imagine giving that up. Hubby bought a Kindle some time ago, and after I’d read our mini-RV-library for the 10th time I broke down and bought one too. It’s been one of my best purchases ever and I’ve enjoyed more reading since we got the Kindle than I have in the past many years. If you haven’t tried it, you should. Not only is it portable and light, there’s an enormous selection of free “classics” in the wireless storefront, plus amazingly it’s really, really pleasant to read. The connection is decent, and we’ve had access to download books in all but our most remote campsites. There are lots of other electronic readers out there (e.g. Apple IPad, Sony Reader, Nook), but we’re very happy with the Kindle.

2/ On-Line Book Swaps - To supplement the Kindle we also do on-line book-swaps. Most book-swap sites are free services based on the honor system. You place any books you’d like to swap on-line. If someone orders it you post it at your expense and get an online ”credit” once it’s received. With that “credit” you can ask for any of millions of books (sometimes also CDs, or DVDs) posted by others and receive it for free. The only negative is that posting takes a while. Most swap sites use low-cost Media mail which can take 2-3 weeks to arrive. Since we travel around we can’t get books sent to us directly, so we ship to our mail forwarder (we use Alternative Resources in SD) and stick with light books when we do it. Here’s some of the best swap-sites:

• http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php = the one we use
• http://www.swap.com/
• http://bookmooch.com/

The Amazon Kindle. One of my best RV buys ever.

3/ On-site Book Swaps - Lots of RVers love to read, so you’ll find plenty of people willing to swap on the road. Some RV campsites will have a swap library on-site or in the laundromat. Also, some local bookstores will buy or barter used books as well.

So, fear not that your mind will be idle. Go ahead and kick back in your RV backyard, crack open your favorite author and enjoy the view.