Silverdale Confederate Cemetery Chattanooga Tennessee

We stopped by the Silverdale Confederate Cemetery in Chattanooga recently.  

"Strange Kentucky Monsters" by Michael Newton

I wanted to briefly mention the late Michael Newton's book, "Strange Kentucky Monsters," as it is a lot more interesting than I expected.

I kinda passed on this one a while back.....  I flipped through it very briefly and thought it looked a bit bland.  There were some pretty standard pictures in it, and the author has written several other books on other states.... and he wasn't even a Kentuckian.

I was wrong to pass on it though.  He has actually done a bit of a service.  His book is a bit more scientific than most in the genre, and he has a lot of stats and info on cryptid sightings in various areas of the state.

He talks about gators, piranhas, and even a couple of octopi found in Kentucky (he admits that these are all likely former pets just released or escaped from former owners, or they were released there).  He also gets pretty deep into black panther sightings and bigfoot!

I enjoyed reading this one straight through, and I am glad that I have it as a reference book on my shelf too!

 

Marietta Confederate Cemetery and City Cemetery Georgia

We had a very nice visit to the Marietta Confederate Cemetery and the Marietta City Cemetery in Georgia!

Nic and Normans Chattanooga Tennessee

We had a very nice meal at Nic and Norman's in Chattanooga!

Cataract Falls Hike Very easy hike in the Great Smoky Mountains.

We enjoyed a very easy hike in the Great Smoky Mountains on our most recent trip!

Cooter's Place Pigeon Forge Tennessee

I finally got to visit Cooter's Place in Pigeon Forge!  It used to be in Gatlinburg, but moved some time ago.

Old Mill Pottery House Cafe Pigeon Forge TN 03 2024

Old Mill Pottery House Cafe is our favorite restaurant when we visit the Great Smoky Mountains.

The Hills of Gatlinburg Tennessee

There are some very high and hilly roads around Gatlinburg!

Embassy Suites by Hilton Gatlinburg Resort March 2024

I wanted to bring up our great stay at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Gatlinburg Resort recently!  This place just opened!

There are a lot of nice places to stay in Gatlinburg...  I have mentioned several here, and I am sure I'll bring more up in the future....  but this place is great.

They have a very cozy coffee shop, nice new rooms, a room that does tours and offers advice on things to do in the park, etc.  AND, they have about the best breakfast offered at a hotel ever.  Seriously, they made omelets right there, and the omelets alone are worth a visit to the resort.

"A Walk for Sunshine" by Jeff Alt

On our last visit to the Great Smoky Mountains I found a nice signed copy of Jeff Alt's "A Walk for Sunshine."  If you are looking for a signed copy, I saw a lot of them at multiple visitor centers.

in the late 90s, Jeff decides (after wanting to for a while) to hike the Appalachian Trail going the whole way from Georgia to Maine.  He works it into a fundraiser for the home where his brother lives.

If you enjoy a nice, pleasant story of someone having a great adventure this is a really fun read.  It is easy and has a good pace.  He meets some characters on the way, and even confronts some bad guys (vegetarians, obviously).  He encounters lots of critters (most annoyingly, small flies) and he stays at some iffy spots.

It was interesting learning about the norms and how things work on the trail.  I learned about "trail magic" and how you can "know" a hiker, without actually meeting them.

Again, this was a really enjoyable volume.

 

2016 Wildfires and Memorial Tribute Plaza Gatlinburg Tennessee

We found this very nicely done "2016 Wildfires and Memorial Tribute Plaza" while in Gatlinburg recently.

Lexington Cemetery Cherry Blossoms March 2024

CSX Train from B&B Window at night Park City KY Feb 2024

ANd one last CSX train from in front of the Grand Victorian Inn in Park City Kentucky....  This one was late at night and watched from the window of our room!

Bells Tavern Park City Kentucky 2024

Right next to the very nice Grand Victorian Inn is the Bell's Tavern....  or the ruins of Bell's Tavern.

Southern Cup Coffee and Cafe Glasgow Kentucky 2024

Check out Southern Cup Coffee and Cafe in Glasgow....  not too far from Mammoth Cave!

"The Caves Beyond: The Story of the Floyd Collins Crystal Cave Exploration" by Joe Lawrence Jr & Roger W. Brucker

 

I found a great old copy of "The Caves Beyond" at an antique shop not long ago, and, being a fan of caves, this was a great find!  I REALLY enjoyed reading this one.

The book came out in 1955, a short 30 years after the death of the legendary caver, Floyd Collins.  If you don't know about Floyd look him up.  I have mentioned him here many times....  VERY BRIEFLY, he was exploring a cave and got his foot stuck.  He would not make it out of the cave alive.

When this book came out, he was still buried/on display inside of this books subject, Crystal Cave.  Again, an entirely different story, but Floyd would not find his hopefully final resting place until 1989.

Anyway, the purpose of this book was to cover a very large scale exploration/mapping/research expedition into Crystal Cave.  The authors cover the logistics of the week long project.  Food, medicine, equipment, and a PHONE LINE would need to go in to the cave!

Having read up on Floyd Collins and this area before, I was excited to read this one.  I had read some of Bruckers other books on exploring caves in this area, and glad to find this volume, that I had somehow over looked before.  In all fairness though, a whole lot of people contributed to this one.  There are even reports in the back from different contributors to the mission.

The adventures of the cavers, their successes in finding new areas of the cave, and even their short comings make this simply a fun read.  Again, as someone fascinated with the Floyd Collins story, I felt a little excitement when it was revealed that Skeets Miller was on the scene!  Skeets was probably the most notable player in the whole Floyd Collins story in 1925 (other than Floyd himself).  His appearance in the book was comparable to bringing in a surprise big name guest star to an exciting movie.  AND, I am sure anyone interested in caves would feel some excitement with Russ Gurnee who is noted as being one of the explorers too!

This is just a fun book for anyone interested in caves or the Mammoth Cave area.  I was especially happy to have a nice old copy to read.

CSX Train from B&B Window in Park City KY 02 25 2024

Here is a brief video from our February 25th, 2024 stay at the Grand Victorian Inn- A CSX train goes by our B&B window!