BewilderedBrownEyes

Fontana Dam

Tooling around the Smokies for a short getaway, we’re always looking for new and exciting places to visit.

Today, our journey started just over halfway through Cades Cove. We turned right onto Forge Creek Rd., a gravel but wide drive, which took us to Parson Branch Rd.

Properly equipped with a 4WD with high clearance, we took off on this narrow dirt road through heavy woods and accompanied by a running stream almost the whole way.

The road was rather smooth to start but we ran into a few bumps and several water spillovers. The 8 mile drive felt like 24, but as the passenger, I didn’t mind!

The road dumped us right in the middle of the Tail of the Dragon…a twisty road full of sharp curves and switchbacks.

Gratefully, we happened on a road crew….which took the road to one lane so we could relax a bit and not worry about oncoming traffic for a few miles.

At the end of the “ride”, we veered left toward Fontana Village. We found ourselves at Quill’s Canteen for a late lunch. It was recently remodeled, not that we’d know as it was our first time in the area.

Lunch became our dinner as it was late in the afternoon. Hubs had a chicken wrap and I enjoyed some chicken strips. We also shared a pretzel which was bigger than my husband’s head! Basic food, but all good.

We decided to check out the dam, which formed Fontana Lake. In all my years of coming to GSM, I never realized this side of the mountains existed. Nor this lake!

I giggled as we walked up…a large TVA flag fluttered under the American flag. Wasn’t that the name of the Authority that Loki was forced to work for?

It even had the feels of stepping back into the 60s as we wandered around the site. Placards telling us of all the good the TVA was doing, bringing power to the area.

The moment of geek passed and we started to make our way back. It was now my turn behind the wheel. I was curved out, so I opted to head back to our rental by going through Cherokee and back through GSM. Still curves, but at least known and predictable.

Tomorrow, a little hiking to rope off our trip.

Se7en Wetlands – Loop 2

Last Sunday we ventured out to check out the Se7en Wetlands area in Mulberry, FL. This Lakeland city park offers two major loops with a connector to the Lakeland Highlands Scrub hike I shared a couple weeks back. There are also a few side trails that add on to the loops for the bikers and all-day hikers.

Mother Nature tricked us.. it should have been a cooler day. Our hike started with blue skies dotted with clouds and a light breeze. However, as we progressed on our trek, the sun streamed down stronger than expected and the breeze was blocked.

We discovered no shade on our three and a half mile journey. This was a rather grassy and dull walk for the first two miles; we were essentially in a grassy gully and the woods were set back a bit.

Some birds gathered in the drain fields as we walked by…mostly ibis and killdeer. We finally arrived at a large lake and the breezes picked up bring us relief.

As we started the final segment we encounter one of the largest alligators I have ever seen in the wild. We paused and contemplated heading back, but he was far enough off the trail that we skirted as far as possible and passed, all the time keeping an eye on him.

We will do this hike again to cover the rest of the trails, and it was great to see another trail in the area. The lake loop and boardwalk should be fun next time we go.

3.51 miles

13.5 miles done / 352 to go

#thehikers365 & #myadventurechallenge

Bonnet Springs Park

A new urban park recently opened near the heart of Lakeland, Bonnet Springs Park. This park offers a variety of outdoor entertainment opportunities for the whole community.

Today we finally arrived early enough to get into the park. It has been crowded since opening, and I understand why. The venue offers places for kids to play, wide open green spaces, a children’s museum, nature center, and even an eatery!

Our trip was focused on exploring the paths and trails which traverse the park. The highlights of our trip was the boardwalk over Bonnet Springs and the canopy walk among the oak trees.

Hunger hit us so we headed toward the eatery, but it was packed. At that point we opted for other options and took the hills trail back toward our car to get lunch.

This is a great park! I’m looking forward to visiting again to see more areas. Our walk/hike today ended up being 2.61 miles.

9.98 miles down; 355.02 miles to go!

#thehikers365 & #myadventurechallenge

Lakeland Highlands Scrub

Catching up posting on a hike from last week. We tried to head out to the Mosaic Peace River Park, but found it closed. Sadly, we headed back to Lakeland, then decided to stop at one of our familiar spots, the Lakeland Highlands Scrub nature area.

This park is full of trails and one can hike for miles. We opted for a shorter loop this trip out to the boardwalk then back on the Shady Oak trail.

It was a little cooler on our hike, so we didn’t see a lot of frogs which normally sit on the lily pads in the marsh area. Plenty of little birds chirped about and flew from branch to branch.

We ended up only doing 1.37 miles on that journey, bit it was nice to get out and stretch our legs.

#thehikers365 & #myadventurechallenge

7.37 miles down, 357.63 to go!

Alderman Ford Preserve

2023. Weekend 2, hike 2. Completed a 3 miles nature trail at Alderman Ford Preserve in Plant City. The trail is a mix of paved trail and boardwalk and follows parts of the Alafia River.

This morning’s temperatures were a brisk 55 degrees when we started our route. Sleeves were a must for the trek.

Among the trees were several birds including doves, cardinals and woodpeckers. Today, the woodpeckers were numerous, flying between the palms and oaks.

We spotted a sole gator lazily floating down the river’s current. He was the highlight of the walk. We watched as he drifted under one of the boardwalk bridges.

#thehikers365 & #myadventurechallenge

6 miles down / 359 to go!

365 Challenge

So, I signed up for the Hiker’s 365 Challenge for 2023 through My Adventure Challenge. I needed some motivation to get back on the trails after a hiatus last year, and this seemed like a great way for me to get back to it. Now I have a year to hike 365 miles!

Today was the first day back on the trails. We had a great time getting back to Circle B Bar. The trails we planned to hike were all open. Hurricane Ian caused some damage in 2022 so many trails had been closed for a bit while they were repaired.

There are still lots of downed trees throughout the Preserve. Once shady spots are now open to the elements..sun or rain! It was a grey day, so it wasn’t too bad, but we were already in the mid-70s when we started our hike. It didn’t get any cooler!

The trail was muddy and slick in spots thanks to the recent rains and general humidity not letting the ground dry. We totes our walking poles and they came in handy more than once.

The coolest site was a bunch of tiny alligators on the shore down Marsh Rabbit Run. Momma and Popps gator were on watch nearby. I counted 8 little critters in the reeds.

It was a great hike to start the new year and get moving again. Here’s to happy trails for the entire year!

#thehikers365 & #myadventurechallenge

3 miles down, 362 to go!

Snack Time!

Recently, I found myself waiting on a delayed flight to Chi-Town. I decided to peruse the news stand in the Atlanta airport and looked over the bevy of snack options available.

The Hubs wanted chocolate…so his favorite was easy to find… peanut M&Ms. One bag of shareables and he was set for the rest of our journey.

I wanted something salty … or was it something sweet? Anyway, I ended up looking over a small selection of Sahale Snacks. I’ve had a few of their flavors over the years.

Gratefully there were a few options without almonds. I’ll eat almonds in slivers and slices, but something about a whole almond covered with the skin just doesn’t work for me.

On this trip, I decided to try something different…the Tangerine Vanilla Cashew-Macadamia glazed mix. I shared a handful of them with my husband, and he almost couldn’t stop eating them!

These babies satisfied my urge for something sweet and salty. Little chunks of mango were scattered throughout the mix and the citrus flavor was light on the tongue.

I see more bags of these babies in my future…maybe for our upcoming train ride this week!

Happy adventuring!

Chugging Forward

Time keeps on ticking down… Two and a half weeks! Chicago – Glacier – Seattle…here we come!

This week, I finished assembling our travel ‘dossier’ as my husband puts it. I printed out our reservation information across our adventure, found our annual park pass, and created a cute label for its cover.

I found a cute folder reminiscent of the Amtrak train colors and felt it a perfect fit.

It is still a little far away for weather predictions, but Chicago looks ready for Summer, Seattle still in Spring, but I think Glacier didn’t get the memo… it appears to be in the middle of Winter!

I anticipate layering will be our friend, but I really didn’t plan to take a parka! Hopefully two weeks will bring us a bit of a warm up!

Here’s to hoping! Stay cool, or warm, and always keep finding adventure!

A Checked Bag to Boot….

We are in our final month approaching our cross-country adventure. Vacations approved! Flight, train, and hotel reservations made! Travel essentials purchased! Researched sites we’ll visit along the way! We just need to pack up and head on out!

With four weeks away, the flurry for final preparations is underway. I found an interesting piece of information which means we’ll have to check at least one back on the plane trips. I was hoping to get away with a backpack for each of us, but that’s shifted now.

Hiking sticks cannot be carried on a plane! Some postings indicated you can break them apart and convince TSA to bring them on, but let’s be honest, no one wants to be the hold up as the throngs of people are trying to get through security to catch a plan. So, one checked bag it will be.

I’m all about making travel easier, even if it means a little more planning…and an extra bag. At least we’ll have a little more room….or maybe we’ll stow our carry-ons in the checked bag and head to the plane with arms swinging. Picture Leo strutting and swinging his arms….Hmm, sounds like a viable plan!

Please, keep tuned as I provide weekly updates of our final preparations and highlights from our trip. I’ll share posts on our stops all along our itinerary from Chicago to Seattle, with a highlight of Glacier National Park.

Enjoy!

Cross Country Train Itinerary

Yesterday, I wrote all about our excitement planning our train trip this coming Summer. However, I neglected to spill some of the deets on our trip. So, here goes!

Chicago

Our itinerary starts with a flight into Chicago. Following recommendations, we fly in the day before our train trip begins.

For our one night stay, we selected the Hilton Garden Inn located in the Chicago Central Loop area. The hotel is less than a quarter-mile away from the train station and near the Sears … I mean Willis… Tower. This should make for an easy walk to catch our train.

Chicago to East Glacier

The first leg of our Amtrak adventure takes us from Chicago to East Glacier and will takes us through the Midwest. We opted for a roomette since we will have an overnight on the train.

The roomette contains a small bench and a seat, then converts to an upper and lower bed in the evening. The benefit for getting a roomette, aside from a little privacy, is that all meals onboard the train are included.

East Glacier

Our itinerary has us staying in two different lodges during our time in East Glacier, Montana.

Our first night and last night in East Glacier is at the Glacier Park Lodge. This location is just across from the train station.

Our second and third nights are at the St. Mary’s Lodge, about an hour away. Our cruise and tour of Glacier National Park start from the lodge.

East Glacier to Seattle

The second leg of our train journey takes us from Montana to Seattle. For this leg, we reserved a bedroom. This gives us a little more room including a private toilet and shower. The journey should take us through some amazing scenery through Montana, Idaho, and Washington state.

Seattle

Our final destination before we head home is the city of Seattle. We selected the Thompson Seattle for our two night stay.

Located in the historical district, we should be within easy walks to Pike Place as well as a stroll to the Space Needle. Still not sure about the glass bottom restaurant, but we’ll see if I get a rush of bravery when we get there!

We wrap up our vacation with a flight back home to sunny Florida.

Now it’s time to see what all we can do during that day and a half in Glacier and our day in Seattle. Catch up with you all with more on our adventure plans as they are finalized.

Happy Venturing!