BOWLING

 

 

My Alma Mater, Appalachian State University, began playing football in the “Bowl Championship Subdivision” last year.  2014 was a transition year, and 2015 was our first year that we were eligible for a bowl game.  After going 10-2 and finishing second in the Sunbelt Conference, we were invited to the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama.  Since it was our first-ever bowl game, and in our very first year of eligibility, Christy and I decided that we had to go.

 

The game was on Saturday the 19th.  We decided to drive down on Friday afternoon.  It’s a fairly long drive from Charlotte, so I wanted to make more of the trip.  Christy and I were both off the following week, so we had some flexibility.  After discussing several options, we decided to extend the trip with a few days of hiking on the Cumberland Plateau.  We’d hit some waterfalls in northeast Alabama and the Chattanooga, TN area before heading home.

 

The drive to Montgomery was a nightmare.  There was holiday traffic, rush hour traffic, and heavy truck traffic.  We hit traffic jam after traffic jam.  After a few of these, Christy opened up her Waze App and began scanning the highway ahead for problems.  30 miles outside of Atlanta I-85 was at a standstill for miles.  Apparently there were multiple accidents, with at least a couple of car fires (also known as carbeques).  We gave up on the highway and took back roads.  This was tedious, but at least we were moving.  We did hit one traffic jam (due to a fresh accident) near Stone Mountain, but eventually made it around Montgomery.  Thanks to the creative navigation, we reached Montgomery in time for a late dinner at Jubilee Seafood.  I’d eaten there once before, while on a work trip.  A return visit was near the top of my priority list for our vacation.

 

We had a fabulous meal.  While we were eating a local stopped by our table and asked how we’d found the best restaurant in Montgomery.  There were around 7,000 Appalachian State fans in town for the game, but Jubilee Seafood is out of the way and off most people’s radar.  I explained my previous visit, and he wished us luck at the game.  We found everyone in Montgomery to be extremely welcoming and friendly.

 

After dinner we ran out of gas.  We headed for the hotel and crashed.  Unfortunately, due to poor planning, we had a different hotel Friday night and Saturday night.  I actually booked the Doubletree in downtown Montgomery before the game was announced in anticipation, knowing that it would sell out quickly if I waited.  For some reason I didn’t think to book it for the night before the game though.  So, after making breakfast Saturday morning we packed up and headed downtown.

 

We had originally planned to run that morning, but it was quite cold (in the 30’s) and we’d slept in.  Instead, we headed over to the tailgate lot, where we had reservations.  For $20 we were given 2 parking spaces (one for the car and one to actually tailgate in).  The lot was next to the stadium, so this was a pretty good deal!  The lot was almost entirely Appalachian State fans.  We only saw a few Ohio fans all weekend.  We met some of our football friends early on.  Later, Tim, Carly, and their kids Sam and Maggie joined us for lunch, beers, and cornhole.  They live in Huntsville, so we don’t see them often.  It was a great afternoon in the sunshine!

 

The game was up and down.  We scored early, but missed two field goals.  Shortly before halftime an interception and a fumble gave Ohio two touchdowns.  Another fumble in the 3rd quarter left us trailing 24-7.

 

We roared back in the 4th quarter, scoring 3 touchdowns in about 2 minutes.  The game wasn’t over though.  Ohio got a safety and a field goal, and with less than 2 minutes left we trailed 29-28.  We drove the length of the field and kicked the winning field goal on the final play of the game.  APPS WIN!

 

Appalachian State became the first school to ever win a bowl game in its first year of eligibility.  We also became the first school to win 11 games in their first year, and won the most games of any Sunbelt team in history.

 

After the game we had a fantastic dinner at The Central.  Then it was to the hotel, where we crashed after a long, eventful day.

 

 

NOCCALULA, DE SOTO, AND BEYOND

 

 

Our original plan was to car camp at De Soto State Park in northeastern Alabama.  However, after a sunny weekend, the forecast called for several days of rain.  Instead of camping, we booked a couple of nights at the Holiday Inn in downtown Chattanooga. 

 

We had breakfast at the hotel and headed north.  Well before Birmingham we hit another traffic jam that killed an hour.  That ended up preventing us from hiking to one of the waterfalls that I wanted to visit in the Little River Canyon.

 

Our first stop was at Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, Alabama.  This waterfall is in a small park on the edge of town.  It is definitely a touristy place, but it is still worth a visit.  The waterfall is a 90’ freefall with an immense cavern behind it.  I had tried to visit it once years ago, but that was during a drought and the stream had dried up. 

 

When we arrived the park was closed, but it didn’t matter.  You can easily visit the falls without entering the park.  We followed the sidewalk along the edge of the park, which leads to a series of overlooks above the falls.  From there, we spotted people down at the base of the falls, and in the cavern behind the falls.  Obviously we had to find a way down there.

 

We followed the path to a bridge over the creek just upstream from the brink.  We continued along the far side of the gorge towards the campground.  Before long we found a scramble route down through the cliffs.  This was a bit challenging for Christy since she still hasn’t fully recovered from shoulder surgery back in August.  On the way out we found a much easier route farther down the canyon that comes out near the back end of the campground.  That route is nice since it follows the base of the cliffs for a good ways.

 

Once below the cliffs we followed a narrow bench, still above creek level.  Christy then headed down to a sandy beach at the edge of the pool below the falls.  I continued over to enter the cavern behind the falls.  This area is full of slippery boulders.  I took a few photos before joining Christy at the base.  We hung out for a bit before heading back.

 

Next we took a quick tour of the Little River Canyon.  This dramatic canyon in northeastern Alabama is actually managed by the National Park Service, but it isn’t well known.  Along the way we stopped at several overlooks, including Grace’s High Falls.  I wanted to hike to Greg’s Two Falls, but we were running out of daylight.  Christy really wanted to see De Soto Falls, so we decided to skip it and Little River Falls.

 

We drove through the State Park and on towards the small park at the top of De Soto Falls.  However, I knew from a previous visit that there isn’t much of a view from there.  Instead, we parked not far beyond an electric substation and picked up a faint path.  We followed it across a line of cliffs.  There are several caves along here, below the cliffs, but we didn’t have time to explore them if we wanted to reach the falls before dark.

 

We followed the trail until we reached a little-known overlook of 104’ De Soto Falls.  We arrived just in time to get photos before dark.  It’s a great view that is enjoyed by very few.  It is possible to reach the huge swimming hole at the base of the falls, but a direct descent from the viewpoint is probably not feasible.  The hike to the base is longer, too, but we’ll come back another time, hopefully in warmer weather when we can swim.

 

We hiked out by the same route and returned to the car at dusk.  From there it was an easy drive into Chattanooga.  We finished off the day with dinner at Big River Brewing Company in downtown Chattanooga.

 

 

THE ART OF IMPROVISATION

 

 

Monday’s weather forecast looked marginal, with showers in the morning, followed by a lull, and heavier rain that afternoon and night.  Despite this, we decided to go hiking anyway.  My first goal for the day was a short visit to Foster Falls.  I’d also visited that waterfall once during a drought, when there was no water.  I was looking forward to seeing it in its full glory.  Afterwards, we planned to hike to the Walls of Jericho, a rock amphitheater in a canyon on the Tennessee / Alabama line.

 

We picked up breakfast at a coffee shop and headed out of town at first light.  We drove through steady rain, but it was beginning to wind down when we reached the parking area for Foster Falls. We arrived before the gates opened (on account of having driven into the Central Time Zone) so we parked in an overflow lot outside.  We hung out in the car for a little while, until the rain had eased to a light sprinkle.

 

We made the short walk over to the upper overlook, which has a great view.  From there we had a couple of choices.  The Fiery Gizzard Trail continues from the overlook to cross the creek upstream from the falls, and then follows the brink of the cliff on the far side of the gorge.  Another trail descends to the base of the falls.  We decided to go down.  The descent was rough, as it was steep and slippery due to the wet rocks.  It was a struggle, but we eventually made it down.  It was worth the effort, as the view from the base is very different from the main overlook. 

 

After taking some photos, we decided to follow the trail down the gorge.  It follows the base of the cliffs, passing numerous rock climbing routes.  I thought the trail would eventually connect with the Fiery Gizzard Trail through a break in the cliffs, allowing us to make a loop.  If it does, it must be a long loop!  We eventually gave up and headed back.  On the return we ran into several other groups of hikers, which was surprising on a rainy Monday.

 

From there I followed Google Maps to the trailhead for the Walls of Jericho.  Well, that was the plan, anyway.  As we neared our destination, I began to have doubts.  I knew the hike to the canyon was mostly downhill on the way in.  That meant starting up high.  But the road we were on was down in a deep valley.  Those nagging doubts grew, and when we reached the spot I’d marked, I knew I’d screwed up.  Later I found out that I had directed us to spot a few miles east of the trailhead, on a road that is parallel to the correct one.  Unfortunately there was no easy way to get over there.  To drive there it would take another 45 minutes.  Between all of the driving and the fooling around at Foster Falls, we wouldn’t have enough daylight to do the hike.  Plus, heavy rain was expected in a few hours.

 

We’d passed a sign for the Sewanee Natural Bridge on the way in.  We decided to check it out.  We parked and walked a short path down to the bridge.  This is a cool spot!  The bridge is narrow but fairly tall.  The adjacent bluff has a small, cozy cave in it, too.  We explored the area for a bit before returning to the car.  We had lunch there while I tried to figure out where to go next.

 

We were very close to the University of the South.  I knew they had several waterfalls that are open to the public, along with numerous caves.  We headed that way, and parked near Morgan’s Steep Overlook.  The view from there was pretty limited due to the overcast conditions, but those same conditions promised good lighting when we reached Bridal Veil Falls.  The hike there was easy, and we passed below a number of impressive cliffs.

 

Bridal Veil Falls starts as a series of springs before the creek tumbles down the mountainside and into a sinkhole, where it disappears.  I wanted to explore the sinkhole, as it looked like it had a cave entrance.  However, the approach to the sinkhole was on slick, wet rock.  It had major bust ass potential.  I decided to skip it, and we started back to the car.  Before we finished, I made a quick jaunt to check out Morgan’s Cascades.

 

The rain started shortly before I returned to the car.  What to do?  We only had a couple of hours of daylight left, and the weather was pretty nasty.  We actually considered going to Ruby Falls.  In fact, we were heading that way when we passed a sign for Russell Cave National Monument.  I’d never heard of it, but we took the exit.  Christy pulled up some info on her phone, and it sounded intriguing.  Best of all, it wasn’t far out of the way.

 

We drove to Bridgeport, Alabama and on to the National Monument.  There was one other car in the parking lot.  Luckily the rain stopped right before we arrived.  After chatting with the ranger, we did the short walk on a boardwalk to the cave.  Russell Cave is impressive.  Native Americans lived here many years ago.  The boardwalk makes a loop through the front section of the cave.  A stream continues 7 ½ miles deeper into the cave, but that area is closed due to White Nose Syndrome.  I would love to explore it someday.

 

We returned to Chattanooga and had dinner at an Indian restaurant that evening.  Then we got organized for one more day of hiking before we’d head home.

 

 

FALLING WATER

 

 

We woke the next morning to light rain and heavy fog.  Despite the conditions, we decided to head up Signal Mountain to check out a couple of waterfalls.  Signal Mountain was completely lost in the fog, so we could only hope that we would be able to see them!

 

First up was Falling Water Falls.  We drove up towards Soddy Daisy to check out the area surrounding the base of the falls.  There are a lot of houses around here, so accessing it from below would be tricky.  My map also shows a Levi Cave in the area.  The cave appears to be on public property, so I thought I’d check out access.  The area between Levi Road and the cave is a jungle, but I did see a faint, narrow path leading back through the foliage in the proper direction.  Unfortunately there wasn’t anywhere to park, unless we wanted to leave the car in front of somebody’s house.  Ultimately we decided to skip it, but we may return some day.

 

From there we drove up the mountain in heavy fog to the trailhead for Falling Water Falls.  From the parking area a short trail leads to the brink of the 110’ waterfall.  Unfortunately you can’t really see the falls from there.  Trying to get a better view is seriously treacherous, too.  I wonder how many people have fallen from there?

 

I did find a marginally better view on the far side of the creek.  Getting over there required wading since the water was up from the recent rain.  After the crossing and a short scramble I reached a precarious perch with a partial view of the falls.  It’s a neat spot, but the angle is weird for photos, and part of the waterfall was lost in the fog.

 

We returned to the car and drove through heavy fog to Signal Mountain.  We started our hike to Rainbow Falls on the very beginning of the Cumberland Trail, which follows the Cumberland Plateau north.  The beginning of the trail was tedious, as we descended a series of steep wooden steps and ramps that were slick from the rain.  Eventually we leveled out and followed a bench along the side of the Tennessee River Gorge.  This stretch featured impressive cliffs and cool boulders.  There are numerous views of the gorge along here, but they were completely fogged in.  There is also a view across the gorge of Julia Falls, but that was also lost to us.  We could only hope that our destination, Rainbow Falls, would be visible.  

 

A loud roar alerted us to the falls deep in the gorge below.  We found the descent path, which is steep, slippery, rocky, and tedious.  We slowly worked our way down to the base of the falls.  The approach was horrible, but the waterfall is spectacular!  It spills down into a green pool almost completely enclosed in an amphitheater of stone.  We took a long break there before starting the climb back out.  The climb took far less time than the descent, and the return hike was uneventful.  Unfortunately all of the viewpoints remained fogged in.

 

We had lunch back at the car before heading east.  We drove through Chattanooga and Cleveland and out highway 64 to Ocoee Lake.  Near the lake we stopped for one last hike.  This was a 3.5 mile round trip to Rock Creek Falls.  The hike was easy except for two creek crossings, which required wading.  The trail (an old road) ended on the hillside above the falls.  The falls is a beauty.  The creek drops through a vertical chute before cascading down a second drop. 

 

There is a good view of the waterfall from the trail (at least in winter), but I wanted to reach the base for photos.  Christy decided to wait up on the trail while I scrambled down.  The descent was tedious, as the hillside was basically a pile of loose rocks.  Once down at the creek I struggled to find a good vantage point for a photo.  A large flat rock in the middle of the creek was the ideal perch, but I couldn’t climb the slick, wet rock.  After trying a couple of other vantage points, I returned to the rock and found a different way up.  This killed a lot of time, but I finally got the photo I wanted.

 

From there I scrambled back up to the trail and then climbed up and around a cliff to access the upper falls.  The upper waterfall is bigger, but even more elusive to photograph.  Getting a decent vantage point required climbing another slick, wet rock, but this one was bigger.  I made several attempts to go around, without success.  At this point it was getting dark and Christy didn’t really know where I was.  I took a quick snapshot for documentation purposes and headed back. 

 

The hike out was fast and uneventful, though we did pass two young women that were hiking barefoot.  We reached the car at dusk and headed for Asheville.  Dinner at the Lucky Otter was a fine ending to our mini-vacation! 

 

The Cumberland Plateau is full of magic – there are waterfalls, caves, cliffs, and disappearing streams seemingly around every bend.  I’m already looking forward to my next adventure there.




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