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.