Routine Healthcare and More Hiking

I can't get used to gunshots. Apparently, it's a deer hunting season, and the neighbors, including the family of my host do target practicing in their backyards. Loud gunshots in the afternoon... The uncle of the host stopped by to pick up garbage and reassured me that I was completely safe. I guess they are not shooting deer here, just practicing. Still a bit unnerving and quite a bit annoying. 

Luckily, so far it has not been a frequent occurrence. The rest of the time the area is dead silent with only crickets chirping away at night, an occasional opossum stopping by to check on the quality of my garbage (yes, I do recycle!) and perhaps a coyote or a dog howling in the distance.

Visitor

I have successfully scheduled most of my doctor's appointments for a routine care in one day. Nice and early in the morning before the sun even considered rising I was on my way to Knoxville. The two-hour drive was not too exhausting, and I was at my new MD for an annual wellness exam in downtown Knoxville. She was young... Very young, and a bit inexperienced. Let's just say the exam was not pleasant. I did leave the office quickly and went for my bloodwork. Ahead of time on the schedule, I stopped at Trader Joe's and enjoyed my twenty minutes of shopping in a "nice" grocery store. Spencer just does not have anything like that. I bought some food for dinner that I planned to make for my new friend. 

I had some time to stop by the storage to drop off a suitcase with summer clothes. After an hour of digging through my boxes that have started to fall apart, I finally found a winter jacket, a few sweaters and some clothes to take with me on a work trip the following week. Let's just say my boxes are no longer organized or labeled. Finding items has become a nightmare.

My next appointment was an ultrasound followed by a visit to a friend with whom I went to complete my citizen duty of voting at mid-term elections. We had lunch afterwards, and I headed to my last appointment of the day, allergist. After discussing a few issues, I decided to do an allergy skin test. I did not realize it involved needles. Needless to say (pun intended), I was in a bit of a discomfort, but equipped with new information that I am allergic to cats (duh!), dogs, all the grasses in the world and dustmites. I somehow tested negative for cockroach...

I was supposed to go to the gym as well, but just felt a bit tired. Besides, the sun sets much earlier now, and driving in the darkness is not fun for me, so I headed home. Just under two hours later, I was back in my peaceful cottage.

I unloaded the car and enjoyed the sunset. In fact, I enjoyed the sunrise and sunset here daily. 

On a Friday night, I made dinner and invited my friend to join me. It is really great to be able to cook for someone and spend evenings with a like-minded individual. After dinner we headed to the Haunted Forest, a remarkable haunted house experience with actors and light/sound effects. This place was a mile away from my rental and exceeded my expectations. I remember going to haunted houses back on Long Island where the theater folks would put up an insane performance as we walked through the haunted experience. I just did not expect Spencer to have something of similar quality, plus it really was in the middle of nowhere in the forest!

Waiting at the entrance

At the entry booth

I didn't manage to take any pictures as we walked through the haunted forest, but I did make a video recording that clearly documented the two of us screaming at the sound of a chainsaw!

The following morning, we went on a hike to the Black Mountain to hike Black Mountain Crest Loop Trail. After an hour drive and a one lane road closer to our destination, we made our way through dense foliage that somehow was already on the ground crunching away under our hiking shoes. The trees must have shed their leaves much sooner at higher elevation here. We stopped at the lookout point and took a few photos.

Overlook

The trail was completely covered in dense foliage

After the short 2-mile hike, we had lunch at Grinder House Shop in Crossville, visited a local Amish store and a garden supply store (this one was quite expensive and not exactly Amish - the Amish woman at the checkout wore an Apple watch!) and finished the day grocery shopping and drinking tea. Another great day!

Social Life in the Middle of Nowhere

When it comes to social life, living in the middle of nowhere, even temporarily, has its pros and cons. The biggest benefit is the peace and quiet and almost no interaction with the outside world. You just can't beat that. The negative comes from the scarcity of people living in the area as well as the type of people who live in a more rural setting in southern states. Most of them are heavily leaned rightist with Trump signs all over their lawns. I cannot associate with people with such beliefs. The lack of education and limited exposure to the world also minimizes their bubble to just their home county.

I have been lucky to have found people who I could relate to in pretty much any community. I guess I attract the outliers.

Since my rental is just an hour and a half from Knoxville, my friend came to visit me for the weekend. We enjoyed a brief stroll in Fall Creek Falls, set up fire, grilled fish and vegetables and made s'mores.

 

Double marshmallow was the key to a successful s'more

Another weekend I met up with the Italian woman who I met at the Virgin Falls hike. She lived only 15 minutes from me. One day we went to Fall Creek Falls to hike Gilbert Gaul Loop Trail, the trail that I have hiked a few weeks ago, but really liked because of how non-popular it is among the tourists. It was a wonderful hike with lots of foliage change.

We enjoyed lunch at her beautiful log cabin after the hike where I met her pets and took a walk in her community. As I found out, she is a writer. She loaned me her books which I have been reading since then. Such a great coincidence to have met someone so unique in the middle of nowhere. In fact, many people in her community are retirees from other states. Each house has a carved out sign with their names and where they came from. I saw NV, NJ and other states. I guess with the lower cost of living and lakefront properties, you can't beat the location!

We also went to hike in the Burgess Falls, an easy hike with spectacular views.

The cascades

Burgess waterfall

The park was pretty crowded, but given that it was a Sunday in the middle of the leaf-changing season, I expected that. It was also a fantastic afternoon after a couple of abnormally freezing days.

After the hike, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant in Cookeville for lunch. The food was at best ok, but the options in the middle of nowhere are limited.

Complimentary tortilla chips with a tomato-based dip

Vegetarian Fajitas

I also realized how much more expensive food is in grocery stores in small towns away from everything. Even Walmart produce cost similar to Whole Foods. I grudgingly bought a dozen of eggs and some bread flour, but reserved the rest of shopping for the next time I would drive to Knoxville.

Spectacular Hiking and Shopping in Amish Stores

After two days of work, I made the decision to stay at the cottage for the duration I originally planned. I had several days off and intended to spend them exploring the area. I have already discovered an Amish store where I got a gigantic pumpkin and some veggies, but the main store was closed the day I went there. On one weekday, after a hike I stopped at Four Corners Bulk Food & Deli and was not disappointed. While a bit more commercial than I would have preferred, the store sold everything a typical Amish store would - preserved jams and veggies, bulk food, candy, some dairy products, seasonal veggies and sandwiches. I got a small jar of peach jam (I just can't stop buying jam!), a dozen of eggs, a fried blueberry cream cheese pie (can't say I liked the cream cheese part) and vegetables. I also stopped at another, real Amish store and got some green beans and tomatoes from a lady wearing no shoes. All staff in these stores wear usual Amish attire, so it is fascinating to visit them just to see the differences in style.

I also wanted to explore other hiking areas. Savage Day Loop in South Cumberland State Park was a pleasant 4-mile hike in the forest with a single overlook at Rattlesnake Point and Savage Falls that again was not as full as usually because of the dry several weeks.

Another suspension bridge

Changing colors

Rattlesnake Overlook

Savage Falls

Since I was already in South Cumberland State park, I decided to hike another trail. Collins Gulf Trail to Horsepound Falls and Collins River was supposed to be a moderate trail around 4.5 miles in length. I thought I read in the reviews that the falls had decent flow, but when I got there after a long (or at least it felt like long) hike in the forest on a trail that was somewhat overgrown was a trickle.

Horsepound Falls

The cool part about this trail was how isolated it was. I met just two other hikers who backpacked there the night before and were heading back. I asked them if they saw any bears as the sign at the trailhead noted increased bear activity, and they said that they did not. I was a bit more at ease after that.

The hike was exhausting though. Maybe because I had already hiked 5ish miles before, but I was pretty tired on the way back. The highlight was another suspension bridge over what was supposed to be a stream.

On another day, I wanted to get out of the house, but did not want to hike much, so I decided on Twin Falls to Downsteam Trail. Feeling a bit guilty that I bypassed a longer, more challenging trail to hike this one, I did not have high expectations. I parked in the lower parking lot and could hear the waterfall before I even got out of my car. The waterfall was right at the beginning of the trail and blew my mind. The incredible sound of rapidly falling water was filling the air. I could not believe my eyes...

My short vacation was coming to an end, and I was glad to have signed up for a hike with a Meetup group from Nashville. Besides, Virgin Falls Trail was on my list to hike, so I killed two birds with one stone and socialized while hiking. The trail was pretty difficult. We took a detour during the first part of the hike to visit Martha's Pretty Point. Indeed, it was pretty.

Martha's Pretty Point

Another point of interest was a cave. I ended up going in with a flashlight. The ground was wet, but passable. I did forget I had a head on my shoulders and hit it against the rock. It was not pleasant at all.

Inside the cave

I continued the hike to the falls. Unfortunately, the water was limited, so the spectacular waterfall was just not as spectacular; it trickled down, at best.

Virgin Falls

The hike back was pretty strenuous as most of it was uphill, albeit gradual. I got separated from the group as they were taking a longer break by the falls while I was being eaten alive by insects, as always...

Back in the Middle of Nowhere in Tennessee - Fall Creek Falls

After a rather uneventful week in Boomer, I said good bye to the house and North Carolina as I yet again loaded my car and headed to Tennessee. My next place was about 5 hours away in Spencer, TN. I was a bit anxious about this rental because of the uncertainty about internet speeds. When I made the reservation, the host who lived offsite could not verify the internet speeds, but offered a partial refund should I decide upon arrival that the internet is not sufficient for my needs. While this gave me a bit of a peace of mind, I hated the idea of starting to look for another place and move. Besides, renting an Airbnb at the last moment, especially for a longer period of time could be pricey. I also did not want to stress out my cat even more, so I was hoping for the best.

Upon arrival at the cottage, I realized that it was even more remote than I anticipated. The nearest grocery store was 40 minutes away and the gas stations were sparsely spaced out as well. Immediately, I checked the internet speeds... 9 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. My heart sunk a bit. It was slow as I anticipated. With minimal cell connection my hotspot would not be functional either. I had to test the Zoom call. I did a test call and a recording and surprisingly it was not as bad as I thought. While the video lagged a bit, the sound was just fine. There was hope. My attention shifted to the rest of the cottage as I explored my surroundings. It was large with vaulted ceiling, moderately updated and somewhat clean. I could work with that. Downstairs was a bedroom with a bathroom, a kitchen, a large living room and a dining "green" area. Upstairs was partial loft with several beds. The house was designed for family retreats, so for me it was more space than I could possibly need.

Living room with non-working fireplace :(

"Green" dining room

Seating area

Kitchen

Kitchen

Master bedroom

Bathroom with a semi-working hot tub

Bathroom

Outside, the setting was completely private if not isolated. The cottage is set back from the main road with a hill blocking some traffic noise (not much traffic either). Peaceful, quiet, serene.

I decided against unpacking since I have yet to work from this place. I took several days off at the end of the week anticipating to do some hiking in the area, but had to work both Monday and Tuesday. 

I could not let the weekend go by without heading to Fall Creek Falls State Park, 17 minutes away from my rental. The park has been on my to-do list for a while as it is a destination for many because of Fall Creek Falls, so I wanted to make sure this was my first hike. Gorge Overlook and Woodland Trails was the trail I picked to explore the park and find the waterfalls.

The trail starts next to the Nature center with a nice overlook point of the gorge and Cane Falls. The trail then leads around the Nature center and has a set of stairs going down to Cane Falls Cascades followed by a suspension bridge. It took me two attempts to get my courage up to cross it, but proudly, I did it! After a bit of up and down, I got to another lookout point with a different view of Cane Falls.

First lookout point in the gorge; Cane falls are to the left, not pictured.

Cane Falls Cascades

Suspension bridge

Cane Creek Falls are not directly visible from the starting overlook point, but there is another fork in the trail that leads right across from the original overlook point giving better views of the falls, albeit not very much in flow this time of the year.

View from Cane Creek Falls Overlook across from the starting point

Another lookout point along the way is the Rocky point overlook. The side trail took me towards the cliff with some ropes hanging to assist. I was a bit hesitant to get to the large rock across from me, but it turned out to be easier than I thought. The overlook was right across from a higher point that turned out to be Fall Creek Falls Viewpoint. It didn't have clear views because of the foliage, but it felt like an accomplishment to just get there.

The next overlook was from Fall Creek Falls Viewpoint, and the trail started to steeply descend towards the base of Fall Creek Falls. Unfortunately, as many waterfalls in the area, this one had minimal water. Nevertheless, the view was rewarding.

The loop back was a bit shorter, and I was back in my car in no time. The day was not over yet though. I wanted to go to Fall Creek Falls Lake Trail, which became one of my favorites. It is a paved road along the shore of the lake that leads to the lodge. It is easy and yet spectacular.